Morning Brew: Thursday, Oct 1

What block of wood are you bowing down to? When we look in the Old Testament, it’s far too easy to dismiss the problems the Israelites faced as issues common only to ancient civilizations. Surely advanced societies like ours have progressed beyond these issues, have we not? Consider God’s condemnation of Israel for worshipping blocks of wood. He calls out the ludicrousness of their logic:

9 All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. . .16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.” 17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me! You are my god!” Isaiah 44:9, 16-17

How simple-minded is that? Who would ever willingly place their trust and faith in something shaped and formed by human hands? We would never bow down to a block of wood, or would we?

The question I want us to ponder today is this: have our cell phones become for us a block of wood that we bow down to? Is it the first thing we check in the morning and the last thing we check at night? Have we become so attached to it that we feel naked when we forget it at home? When we have a free moment do our thoughts turn to our cell phones to check social media or waste time with our favorite app? When we’re feeling down, do we turn to our cell phone for comfort? Emotionally, are we bowing down to our cell phone? Has it become the block of wood that we place our trust in?

If God were writing Isaiah 44 today, would he condemn us for the faith and trust we’ve place in created things, rather than in the Creator?

QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION: Have we allowed our cell phones to become ‘blocks of wood’ that we bow down to?