Idol Worship vs God Worship

Psalm 135 

1         Praise the LORD.  Praise the name of the LORD; praise Him, you servants of the LORD,

2         You who minister in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God.

13   your name, LORD, endures forever, your renown, LORD, through all generations.

19   all you Israelites, praise the LORD; house of Aaron, praise the LORD;

20   house of Levi, praise the LORD; you who fear Him, praise the LORD.

This psalm starts and ends with praising the LORD many times.  The beginning of Genesis started with praises to God for the goodness of His creation.  The end of Revelations finished with triumphant praises to the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16).  Praises to the Lord are sprinkled all throughout the Bible, with generous helpings here and there (especially Psalms), but they are muddled with sin and idol worship.  So in Psalm 135, the middle recounts what the Lord did to some idol-worshipping nations and reminds Israel what idols really are—lifeless man-made craft/art projects.  The priests and Levites, the spiritual leaders of Israel, who ministered in the house of the Lord, were commanded to praise the Lord and to draw close to Him, leaving no room in their hearts for idols.  As goes the leader, so goes the nation.

What are the idols in our lives today?  I asked my children this morning, and my youngest piped up, “Technology.”  How true.  So are money, status, education, lust, pop stars, athletes—anything that competes with God for our attention and adoration. (I’m writing this as Jeremy Lin finally has the attention of the world as a basketball superstar, and whom I admire for his faith and athletic ability). No one and nothing should overshadow God.  On the other hand, how much do we really praise God?  Most of my prayers are for me or for others, rarely about praising God for who He is.  (Ouch, this hurts even as I’m writing this!).

Father God, I haven’t praised You nearly enough, definitely not to the extent that You deserve.  You are awesome and mighty, yet kind and good.  You are the majestic God, and everlasting Father, the Ruler of all nations, and King of the universe.  Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that You are Lord (Phil. 2:10-11)!  You embodied perfect mercy and grace, at the same time perfect justice and righteousness.  You possess the perfect balance of love and justice.  We do not need to fear that You’ll slip up or make a mistake, for You are the honest Judge.  You do not give us a spirit of timidity, but of love and power and discipline (2 Tim. 1:7).  Words are not enough to describe all that You are!

 In Jesus’ name, Amen.