Creator God
At the annual high school chorus concert Monday evening, I was struck with wonder, actually many times. I’m so thankful that all three of my children have had the blessing of being part of this program. The voices and talents of that many young people all working together to create beautiful music is something to behold, to say nothing of the dedication and talent of our choral director and his assistant. However, that wasn’t all of the wonder.
The moment I had this thought was while listening to a solo violinist. As she played, I thought to myself how that instrument sounds like it is singing. And that’s when it hit me: the beauty and range of the violin is compared to the human voice because the human voice was created by God and anything man creates is just an imitation.
This time of year is full of examples: The artificial Christmas trees made to look as realistic as possible. The flickering electric candles made to imitate natural, dancing flames. The light icicles hanging from eaves of homes that may never see real icicles. (I never said they all imitated to the same level of success – especially when people only icicle their front porch and not the entire house!)
This all reminds me of the passages in the Bible that point to the futility of worshiping idols made with hands. One such passage is Habakkuk 2:18-20 which reads: “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it.But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”
I’ve also always enjoyed the humor in 1 Samuel 5 when the ark of God is brought by the Philistines into the temple of Dagon. After the first night, Dagon has fallen on his face. I can see the Philistines picking him up and thinking, “That’s weird.” The next day, he has not only fallen, but has lost his head and hands before the ark of God.
I’m not belittling the human creation of things that imitate creations of God (with the exception of idols or anything we try to elevate to a place God does not approve). In fact, a well known phrase says the greatest form of flattery is imitation. I simply want us all, as we enjoy the beauty of violin music, or gaze at our flickering lights on our artificial trees, to remember who the true Creator God is, and marvel at His power.
For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the Lord, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:18)
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AUTHOR: Amber Tatum
