The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory. Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods. (Psalm 97:6-7)
Through the centuries, mankind has worshiped many things other than the living God. In antiquity, and even today, there have been those who revere the different forces in nature including the sun, moon and stars. Things God created for the benefit of man were worshiped, often represented by idols before which errant men prostrated themselves in obeisance. As Paul said, “they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image” (Romans 1:22-23). Knowing the allure of idolatry, Moses warned Israel, “take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them” (Deuteronomy 4:19).
Juxtapose this with what the psalmist says: “The heavens declare His righteousness.” The sun, moon and stars all testify that there is a Creator of all things, who is holy, just and righteous. His creation bears witness that He alone is God and that there are no other gods beside Him. But because men have ignored what the heavens declare, there is coming a day when the Creator will cause the very things men have worshiped to fail them and to announce judgment for their rebellion. It is written, “The moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed; for the Lord of hosts will reign” (Isaiah 24:23). In Revelation, John foresaw a day when the sun would be darkened, the moon would become as blood and the stars would fall from heaven prompting men to retreat into caves and say, “Hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne … for the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:16-17).
Therein is the point: God will cause the heavens to declare His righteousness by instructing the heavens to inflict punishment upon those who have defied His sovereignty. Therefore, the nations will have no choice but to witness His glory and strength; they will be compelled to acknowledge that their gods and the things they revere are not worthy to receive adoration. It is written that those who have put their trust in anything other than God shall be greatly ashamed and disgraced (Isaiah 42:17; 45:16) and will kneel before their Maker.
Why is this important for us to acknowledge? Because we must be careful not to allow things other than God to demand our adoration. We mustn’t look to other people as our salvation, nor should we put our trust in anything fashioned by the hands of man — not to the extent that we take our eyes off of Heaven. As it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve” (Matthew 4:10). And so, when we look to the heavens, we should not be provoked to serve the created things; we should be in awe of the One who created them. We should go to our knees in reverence and appreciation for His goodness to us knowing that those who place their confidence shall not be put to shame but will be allowed to rule and reign with Him.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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