They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
Idols are mere works of human hands, lifeless and powerless, unable to act, walk, speak, hear, bless, save, or deliver. They cannot move or act on their own but move only when people handle them, while their worshipers were created with life and intelligence and are therefore superior to what they worship, so God cannot be represented by images of gold, silver, or stone. In contrast to these powerless idols stands the true God as the Maker of heaven and earth, and it is ingratitude to treat human workmanship as gods instead of thanking the Creator for what He has provided. Knowing God through His works in nature makes this difference plain to heathen who do not know God more readily than any other method, and the same is true for the lowly, ignorant, neglected colored people in the part of America where slavery once existed, laying a foundation for the spiritual truths of the written word that elevate and purify character.
The warning reaches beyond ancient Israel and images of wood or stone to idolatry in the Christian world, where false doctrines and theories make an idol of God by giving Him a false character and where worship of nature takes the place of worship of the Creator. The verse condemns the folly of trusting in self for salvation and bowing to the works of one's own hands, including trusting in one's own wisdom and devising, depending for success on riches and power, and seeking strength through allegiance with men whom the world calls great while failing to discern the binding claims of God's law.
Carrying images of saints through the streets with frantic supplications to them for deliverance from cholera and from any sudden danger or calamity is senseless superstition because they can do nothing. The verse applies to the worship of images before which candles are burned and to which prayers are offered. Like the gods of the Hindus, idols are senseless and powerless to bless and save the soul, and choosing to unite with secret societies that are not controlled by the love and fear of God is paying homage to such idols.
Idols are mere works of human hands, lifeless and powerless, unable to act, walk, speak, hear, bless, save, or deliver. They cannot move or act on their own but move only when people handle them, while their worshipers were created with life and intelligence and are therefore superior to what they worship, so God cannot be represented by images of gold, silver, or stone. In contrast to these powerless idols stands the true God as the Maker of heaven and earth, and it is ingratitude to treat human workmanship as gods instead of thanking the Creator for what He has provided. Knowing God through His works in nature makes this difference plain to heathen who do not know God more readily than any other method, and the same is true for the lowly, ignorant, neglected colored people in the part of America where slavery once existed, laying a foundation for the spiritual truths of the written word that elevate and purify character.
The warning reaches beyond ancient Israel and images of wood or stone to idolatry in the Christian world, where false doctrines and theories make an idol of God by giving Him a false character and where worship of nature takes the place of worship of the Creator. The verse condemns the folly of trusting in self for salvation and bowing to the works of one's own hands, including trusting in one's own wisdom and devising, depending for success on riches and power, and seeking strength through allegiance with men whom the world calls great while failing to discern the binding claims of God's law.
Carrying images of saints through the streets with frantic supplications to them for deliverance from cholera and from any sudden danger or calamity is senseless superstition because they can do nothing. The verse applies to the worship of images before which candles are burned and to which prayers are offered. Like the gods of the Hindus, idols are senseless and powerless to bless and save the soul, and choosing to unite with secret societies that are not controlled by the love and fear of God is paying homage to such idols.