The Deadening Affect of False Worship

The Old Testament writers regularly compare the false gods of the various false religions to the one true God, and when they do so, they almost always point out the impotence of idols as compared to the powerful ability of our God. Isaiah, for example, makes much of this (see Isa. 44:12–20 and 46:1–7), and here in Psalm 135 we see the same theme. The psalmist announces, “For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods” (v. 5), and then he proceeds to say, “Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth” (v. 6). Both in his control over nature (v. 7) and in his sovereign rule over human history (vv. 8–14), our God shows that he is powerfully able to do whatever he wills. And God is good (v. 3) in all that he does! On the other hand, the idols “have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths” (vv. 16–17). In short, they have no life or power.
Particularly sobering in this description of false gods is what the psalmist says in verse 18: “Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.” When the psalmist says that the worshipers of these idols “become like them,” he’s speaking of the characteristics he’s just named: these idolaters can’t speak, they can’t see, they can’t hear, and they can’t breathe. In other words, there is a deadening effect that comes from worshiping and trusting in something other than God. There is a sapping of spiritual vitality that, unless reversed, will ultimately lead to total spiritual deadness.
We can see this same dynamic in our own culture, even though our “idols” are different. In fact, we can experience this dynamic in our own individual lives as well. To the degree that we are worshiping and trusting something other than God, we will experience a spiritual numbing that saps our spiritual senses and sensitivities.
That is not how God intends us to live. Jesus said it best: “I came that [you] may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Let us trust in the Lord with all our hearts and enjoy the vitality of life that God created us to enjoy in relationship with him.

Mike Bullmore
Psalm 135