Text: Psalm 135:15-18
Idols were condemned for the children of Israel (Exodus 20:3-5). God’s people must still guard against idols today (1 John 5:21). One of the dangers posed by idols is mentioned by the psalmist (Psalm 135:15-18). Idols are dumb, blind, deaf, and dead, and those who invent them will be like them.
They Will Be Dumb
- This does not mean they will lose their ability to speak – but those who engage in idolatry are unable to speak the truth for one of the following reasons:
- Ignorance – never learned the truth; in seeking for God, they settled for an idol (Acts 17:27)
- Neglect – should have known better, but devotion to the idol caused them to neglect the truth & drift from it (Hebrews 2:1)
- Willful silence – they know the truth but cannot (will not) speak it because doing so would force them to condemn their beloved idol
They Will Be Blind
- They become unable to see the foolishness in their devotion to their idol (Isaiah 44:9, 12-19)
- By focusing on their idol, they become blind to the greatness of the one, true God (Rom. 1:20-23)
They Will Be Deaf
- They close their ears to the truth – even though the truth could help lead them out of idolatry
- Since an idol is an invention of man, it allows man to do as he pleases
- In his mind, this eliminates the need for instruction or rebuke – therefore he won’t listen to the word of God (2 Timothy 3:16)
They Will Be Dead
- Dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1) – idolatry in particular (Colossians 3:5-6)
- Separated from God (Isaiah 59:2) – source of our physical life (Acts 17:28) and eternal life (Hebrews 5:9)
Conclusion
- Rather than being like an idol, we should strive to be like God (Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:15-16)
- If there is an idol that exists in our lives, we must get rid of it so we can serve God faithfully
