Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. (Psalm 86:8-9)
Throughout history, idolaters have chosen to worship images made by their own hands, oftentimes to represent forces they observed in the world. Many of the heathen nations chose to look to the heavens and worship the celestial bodies, ignorantly believing that these luminaries — the sun, moon and stars — possessed some independent strength and power. Of course, God did create them in such a way that they influence the natural world but they do so as His agents. They do not have the power to act on their own; they respond to the Will of the Creator. When men have prayed to them, they have not answered; they answer only to the Voice of the One who spoke them into being.
This truth is juxtaposed with another; there is only One in Heaven who will answer when men call to Him. Moses posed this question to the people of Israel: “What great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7). There are two points that merit our attention: first, Moses was highlighting the fact that the gods of the nations DON’T respond to the prayers of their petitioners. Only the people of Israel serve a living God — a God who answers when they call.
Secondly, the God of Israel will respond for “whatever reason we may call upon Him.” Whether the matter is small or great, the Lord will answer those who serve Him. Now, the answer may be “No” or “Not yet,” or “Not that way” — but He will answer. This stands in sharp contrast to the response idolaters receive from their gods. When Elijah confronted the prophets of Ba’al, they called upon their god all day and “prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention” (1 Kings 18:29).
That brings us to this summation: one day all nations will realize that there is but One God. All mankind will come and worship before Him and acknowledge that He alone is Sovereign; as it is written, “For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath” (Isaiah 45:22-23).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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