Psalm 115

Psalm 115:4-7 “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.”

     It’s almost Christmas!!! Crazy how fast it came upon us again another year. Hopefully, you remember what Christmas is all about. It’s not the gifts, the tree and decorations, the food, or even the family. Christmas is all about that baby boy in the manger who was born for you and for me. As I was reading Psalm 115, it immediately drew my attention to this very point. As you read through the verse listed above, listen to how they speak directly to Christmas.
     The psalmist is speaking about idols and talking about how worthless they are. They are made of silver and gold. Sure, they may be in the image of a man and have legs, arms, and a face. However, the gold ears are not able to hear your voice, the gold eyes are not able to look at you and see you, the silver arms and legs can’t move. What good is a statue that can’t hear you, can’t see you, and can’t move or do anything at all. It truly is worthless, so why would you want that for your god? I mean a god is supposed to be in absolute control of all things. How can a statue that can’t move in control of anything?
      As you are thinking about how idols can’t do any of those things, it also turns our focus to the fact that our God is not like those idols. And Christmas points us directly to that truth. That baby boy in the manger, he had eyes that could see Joseph and Mary’s smiling faces. Eyes that could see the shepherd’s leaning over the manger amazed at what they saw. That baby boy had ears that could hear Mary’s soft voice comforting him. Ears that could hear the cattle moaning, the donkeys braying, and the sheep bleating. That baby boy had arms that swing and move as Mary tried to keep him swaddled. He had legs that could kick and stretch full length for the first time being outside the womb. That baby boy had a mouth to coo and squeak like happy babies do. He had a nose that could smell both the good smells of Mary and Joseph and the bad smells of the animals.
     Then especially as that baby boy grew up, we see those arms and legs in action. He not only travels miles from town to town walking on his feet, he even walks on water. His hands not only felt the water of the Jordan river and the wood of fishing boats, but they touched people as he healed them and forgave them. His eyes saw the unfaithful actions of the Pharisees, but they also saw the tears of grieving people, the loyalty of friends, the desperation for the people to be near him. His ears heard many ridiculous questions trying to trap him, but they also heard the pleas for mercy from crippled and scared people. His nose smelt the smell of dead fish, but also smelt the beautiful smells of anointing oils running down his face.
     That baby boy in the manger, who grew up to be a man, had real eyes… and real ears… and a real nose… and real hands… and real feet. Just like mine and just like yours. This was no worthless idol that had no power to move. This was the Son of God, born in the flesh of man, who had the power to walk and touch, but also had the power to conquer and control. That baby boy in the manger is the living evidence that our God see us, hears us, speaks to us, reaches out to touch us, and walks to be near us. We do not have a worthless idol for our god. We have the one and only God, almighty and truly in control of all things. And He was born as a man to show us He is real, He is in control of all things, and He is our God in whom we have all hope, joy, love, and trust.
     The final thought I had was an idol of gold or silver could be dropped or hit with a hammer and it would break. That worthless idol has no power to put itself back together again. It by its own power could ever be healed or fixed. It was created by man and would have to be fixed by man. However, that baby boy, the living God, was broken and even killed on the cross. But since he was not created by man, it wasn’t up to man to fix him. Since he is the Son of the Almighty God, he was able to fix himself as e rose from the dead on Easter morning. Even after his resurrection, he still had his eyes to see the disciples scared for their lives. He had ears to hear them call him Lord. He had real hands and feet marked with the nail holes.