Life

The God of the Bible is alive. Any other so-called gods are fabrications of the human mind. The Bible says that people have “changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (Romans 1:23). Consider the following:

Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together. The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint. The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house. He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? (Isaiah 44:10-20)

This is one of a few similar passages in the Bible that describes the process of making an idol, something that God commanded His people never to do (Exodus 20:3-5). Let us consider a few points from the above scripture:

1. The manufacturer of an idol shall be ashamed. We see this in Isaiah 44:11. He makes something that God did not command him to make, and he is making a so-called god that has no power to help or save him (Isaiah 44:20).
2. The idol had a beginning. Unlike the true Creator God, these idols were created by something else: a human being (Isaiah 44:12).
3. The idol was created by a fallible human being. In Isaiah 44:12, we also see that the maker of this idol is someone who gets tired, hungry, and thirsty, things that never describe the all-powerful God.
4. The idol was created in the image of a human being. In Isaiah 44:13, the manufacturer takes time to make it “after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man.” On the contrary, the real God made people in His image (Genesis 1:27).
5. The idol was created to stay in one place. The manufacturer of the idol created it “that it may remain in the house” (Isaiah 44:13). God cannot be contained in a single location because He is infinite. After Solomon’s temple was finished, the king confessed, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?” (1 Kings 8:27). The manufacturer builds the idol to suit his needs and for a superstitious good luck charm to protect him and his house.
6. The idol was created from scrap wood. The manufacturer takes some wood to warm himself, and the rest is used to create his god to worship (Isaiah 44:14-17).
7. The idol was used as an amulet. The idol maker really believed that this thing he made actually has power to “deliver” him, even though it is made of scrap wood (Isaiah 44:17).
8. The idol maker is oblivious that the idol is worthless. They never stop to think, “I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination?” (Isaiah 44:19).
9. The idol is a lie. It is utterly worthless. It cannot deliver; it is literally made from trash. It does not correspond to the real Creator God in any way (Isaiah 44:20).

Consider this about the idol:

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them. (Psalms 115:4-8)

The idol is a lump of wood, stone, metal, or some other substance, and therefore does not have the ability to do anything but sit there (see also Deuteronomy 4:28). It has no conscience, and cannot answer one who talks to it. But in Psalm 115:8, we see that the one who trusts in such an idol “are like unto them.” They are so dense as to think that something like a lump of wood or stone could deliver them out of troubles or have power like the Creator God can. Without the grace of God, we would all believe the lie rather than the truth.

A final note on this matter is that though the idol is nothing, devils, or demons, take opportunity of the pagan’s religious practice and impersonate the god the worshipper envisions. The Bible tells us that, “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils” (1 Corinthians 10:20).

Though the so-called gods that humanity has created are really nothing at all, the Creator God is alive. Being eternal, He always was alive, and always will be. When David was finally delivered from Saul and his many other enemies, he glorified God, saying, “The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted” (Psalm 18:46).

Because God is truly alive, He is able to create and give life. When He created the first man Adam, “the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). The Creator God also gave “to all life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25).

The people of the ancient Israel understood that God always lives, from eternity past to eternity future. People often swore oaths, “as the LORD liveth.” Here is a list of times where this or a similar phrase occurs (not exhaustive): Judges 8:19; Ruth 3:13; 1 Samuel 14:39, 45; 19:6; 20:3, 21; 25:26; 26:10, 16; 28:10; 29:6; 2 Samuel 4:9; 12:5; 14:11; 15:21; 22:47; 1 Kings 1:29; 2:24; 22:14; 2 Kings 2:2, 4, 6; 4:30; 5:16, 20; 2 Chronicles 18:13; Jeremiah 38:16; and Hosea 4:15.

The Word of God is also considered alive. He says, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Moreover, the Bible says that the Word of God “is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword” (Hebrews 4:12).

Next: Holiness