Nightime Meditation & The Astronomer

January 19, 2008

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:3-4

This was David's nightime meditation. He had many nights as a shepherd, prior to becomming king, to look up at the panorama and contemplate God, existence, the vastness of innumermable worlds, the circuit of the stars, the glowing moon, and how very small he was. While often, many of us plan evil in our beds, David walked the nights with his sheep and contemplated the Divine Architect. In doing so, it forced David to say, "What is man that you are mindful of him, and that you would even care for such a small being as myself?" This part shepherd-part astronomer ought to be the most two humbling of all occupations. The Bible says that Moses was the most humble man on the face of the earth and I would imagine his 40 yrs of sheperding had no small effect in that process. How can one who looks at the stars, gigantic spheres, shooting comets, and the swirling of galaxies, ever be prideful? His very existence is dwarfed everywhere he looks. What a great training ground for Christian humility!

Though David was small in comparison to a vast universe, a small thing is not however, an insignificant thing. One diamond is more precious than a load of rocks. God is mindful of small as well as the great, especially us who are made in His image, who have been given a rational and moral soul after His own likeness. Yet there is a problem.

The Bible answers the question that David posed, "What is man..?" It says that he is a flower that fades, a worm, prideful, enemy of God, and under the wrath of God. Yet, in all this ugliness, God has sent His Son Jesus Christ to restore the fallen image. The stars at night are meant to bring us to a humble place and shrink us as we grow colossal in the estimation of ourselves. We must shrink low in order to get under heaven's doorway. We must think little of ourselves and much of the Savior. By this humility, there will be an exaltation. As stars and moon press upon us from above, they help us fit under heaven's doorway. At the right time, as we beginning to shrink under the realization of our own sin and rebellion, God moves in by granting grace and repentance and we come freely through Jesus at just the right size.

Idols in the Heart

"Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them, "This is what the sovereign LORD says: 'When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts wicked stumbling blocks before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols." Ezekiel 14:1-5

When an idol is present in the heart, God wants to deal directly with that problematic idol first. Though we may not know it, God is targeting the epic center of our sin and shoots his Fatherly arrows right into the bulls eye of our growing idolatry. Idolatry is an act of worship, other than God, within the heart that controls your behavior to commit sin. This is the "other Master" that Jesus spoke of when he said, "No one can serve two..."

Israel's elders had good intentions and I am sure, like many Christians, they had sincere and honest requests to lay before the feet of Almighty God. However, God first wants to answer the issue of their heart idol. This is why God said, "I will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry." God planned to recapture their hearts and excise the ever-creeping idols within. It is the same for Christians today.

An idol that is camped-out in the heart distorts a Christian's view of everything. In verse 3, it says that heart idols are "wicked stumbling blocks before their faces." A stumbling block before one's face is like a plank in the eye. Clear vision and understanding is distorted like trying to drive with an icy car window. We go about our daily routine of devotion, prayer, and meditation thinking we have a great relationship with God. Nonetheless, God says, "Hold all your request right there. You are not right with me. You are bathing daily in secret forms of idolatry. You are commiting great crimes against Me. Lets deal with the problem first!"

Until the idol is removed, it will distort everything else. When laying ceramic tile, it is the 1st tile that is most important. If that tile is off and not perfectly positioned and measured-out from each of the four walls, the whole will will not be configured symmetrically. Our hearts must be positioned squarely with no crooked idols dwelling in our minds(hearts). If so, it must be eradicated and ousted from His temple where His Holy Spirit dwells...within you. God is determined to have our lives in spiritual symmetry and if we resist, idol biopsy will come. Like malignant melanoma found in the skin, it must be removed soon or it will disrupt the entire constitution of the man and lead to eventual death.

Therefore, keep watch over the golden calf in your heart. If you do not know what they are, ask God to reveal your hidden faults and idols that lie in the secret chambers of your mind. Repent daily in humility. God will make you into Christ's image and eventually pulverize all stumbling blocks from your vision into mere powder. It is God who will enable you to maximize your life for the glory of Cbrist by this life long process of idol extraction. First by recognition and then by the gift of repentance, and thus having clear vision of the cross of Christ in all your daily happenings.