Skilled for What?

It is Friday afternoon of a busy week as I sit to write this. I will say that being a pastor is truly an amazing gift from God, and as well is a true blessing. As most of you who read this blog can observe, my theme of each post is based on my personal study through the Bible coupled with my observations and applications. Right now, I have been reading through Daniel and Hosea, and that is where we pick up today.

Hosea 13:2 struck me this morning as I read, “Idols skillfully made from their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen” (NASB). Here are my thoughts on this. How have I/we crafted the idols in our life? Like skilled craftsmen we take great care, time, and pride in creating these idols. Idols that suit our needs, our wishes, and perhaps our whims. When I say whim, I think of how many idols we have built over a life that were just for the short term. An idol that we needed at that moment. The image I have as I read the verse is how we work so hard to build these idols to be just what we want or rather just what we think we need. Afterall, who knows better then us as to what it is, we need? Here is God’s Word telling us that we are skilled craftsmen? Maybe we are, but the skill we are using is not create something that brings God glory. We can take this verse and really beat ourselves up over our idols that we create, or we can see the flipside that God created us and we can use all the skill He has given us to bring Him glory. Unlike false gods and idols, we can not manipulate God. He is and always has been perfect and holy.