Problems with a Man-Made god

Israel in Old Testament times was surrounded by idol worshiping peoples. In the days of their bondage in Egypt they were confronted with them. And in their conquest of Canaan they faced many more. Time after time they were led astray and committed spiritual adultery with the false gods of the heathen. It seems to be a tendency rooted in the sinful nature of man, that he either create a god to his own liking, or try to replace God with himself. This spiritual perversion is addressed many times in the Bible. In fact, a prohibition against idolatry begins the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:1-6).

Idolatry is not only wrong because it represents unfaithfulness to the true God, but it is in itself the epitome of foolishness. What the New King James Version calls “useless idols” (Ps. 31:6), the 1611 text labels “lying vanities.” To make an image of a piece of wood or a block of stone, and then bow down to it, and ask for its help is the height of folly. Consider the problems with that as demonstrated in Isaiah 40:19-20.

1. The Money. The glory and splendour of your god depends on how much money you have to spend (vs. 19), not anything inherent in the god itself.
2. The Materials. The endurance of your god depends upon the materials you use. Natural forces threaten its very existence (cf. Matt. 6:19-21).
3. The Maker. The stability and reliability of your god depends on the skill of the manufacturer. If he is careless or unskilled, it may fall over at the slightest touch. (Better nail it down, Isa. 41:7!)

Mere logic would seem to completely invalidate such a god. Yet these same issues are at the root of a materialistic value system in the lives of countless people–most of whom would reject the idea of bowing before an image. How much does it cost? What is it made of? And who made it? The preferred answers to such questions can make a watch, a car, a house, or something else a prized possession to be sought after and coveted (cf. Col. 3:5).

What makes the true God unique above all is that fact that His many attributes are intrinsic and inherent in His very Being. His infinite splendour and majesty are to be praised. His eternal and self-sufficient existence is certain, His faithfulness to His word absolute (I Chron. 29:11-14; Ps. 36:5-9). Steve Green’s lyrics say it well: “God and God alone created all these things we call our own; / From the mighty to the small the glory in them all is God’s and God’s alone. / God and God alone is fit to take the universe’s throne; Let everything that lives reserve its truest praise for God and God alone.”