Baruch 6:40-52: a reflection

40How could a man then think or say that they are gods, when even the Chaldeans themselves dishonor them? 41If they shall see one mute who can’t speak, they bring him and ask him to call upon Bel, as though he were able to understand. 42Yet they can’t perceive this themselves, and forsake them; for they have no understanding. 43The women also with cords around them sit in the ways, burning bran for incense; but if any of them, drawn by someone who passes by, lies with him, she reproaches her fellow, that she was not thought as worthy as herself and her cord wasn’t broken. 44Whatever is done among them is false. How could a man then think or say that they are gods? 45They are fashioned by carpenters and goldsmiths. They can be nothing else than what the workmen make them to be. 46And they themselves who fashioned them can never continue long. How then should the things that are fashioned by them? 47For they have left lies and reproaches to those who come after. 48For when there comes any war or plague upon them, the priests consult with themselves, where they may be hidden with them. 49How then can’t men understand that they are no gods, which can’t save themselves from war or from plague? 50For seeing they are only wood and overlaid with gold and silver, it will be known hereafter that they are false. 51It will be manifest to all nations and kings that they are no gods, but the works of men’s hands, and that there is no work of God in them. 52Who then may not know that they are not gods?

In this letter mocking the folly of idols, a devastating point is made: the idols cannot even save themselves from harm, so how could they possibly save anyone else? When war or plague comes, the writer says, the priests consult where they may hide the idols with themselves. How then can men not understand that they are no gods, which can't save themselves from war or from plague? The idols, made of wood overlaid with gold and silver, cannot protect even themselves; when danger comes, they must be hidden away by their own priests. If they cannot save themselves, they certainly cannot save those who trust in them. This exposes the utter impotence of idols, which cannot save themselves, let alone us. Idols cannot save themselves, let alone those who trust them. What cannot save itself cannot save us. The idols we make are impotent to help. Only the true God can save; idols are powerless to.

Notice the sharp logic of this mockery of idols. The idols are made by human hands, wood covered with precious metal; and when real danger comes, war or plague, they cannot even protect themselves. Their own priests must hide them away to keep them from being carried off or destroyed. The point is devastating: if an idol cannot save itself, cannot even protect its own existence, how could it possibly save those who pray to it? A god that must be rescued by its worshipers is no god at all. This exposes the impotence of every idol, everything we might make a god of and trust to save us. The things we are tempted to trust in place of God, whether literal idols or the modern idols of wealth, status, or our own strength, are ultimately impotent to save us; they cannot even preserve themselves against the ravages of time and trouble, let alone rescue us. Only the true God, who made all things and needs no one to preserve him, can actually save. We do well to trust the God who can save, not idols that cannot even save themselves. What cannot save itself cannot save us; idols are impotent. Only the true God, who needs no rescuing, can truly save. Do not trust what cannot even preserve itself. Trust the God who can save, not impotent idols.

That is worth taking to heart, for idols cannot even save themselves, let alone us, and only the true God can truly save, so we do well to trust him and not impotent idols. We can trust in idols to save us, whether literal idols or the modern idols of wealth, status, or our own strength; but these cannot even preserve themselves against trouble, let alone rescue us, as the letter mocks the idols that must be hidden by their own priests when danger comes. What cannot save itself cannot save us. Do not trust what cannot even preserve itself to save you; trust the true God, who can truly save. Trust the true God, who can truly save, rather than impotent idols that cannot even save themselves, as this letter mocks the idols made of wood overlaid with gold and silver, whose own priests must hide them away when war or plague comes, asking how men can fail to understand that things which cannot save themselves from war or plague are no gods; for if an idol cannot even protect its own existence, cannot save itself, it certainly cannot save those who trust in it, and a god that must be rescued by its worshipers is no god at all, so that every idol, everything we might make a god of and trust to save us, whether literal idols or the modern idols of wealth, status, or our own strength, is ultimately impotent to save us, unable even to preserve itself against the ravages of time and trouble, while only the true God, who made all things and needs no one to preserve him, can actually save, so that we do well to trust him and not idols that cannot even save themselves.

Lord, in this letter mocking the folly of idols, a devastating point is made: the idols cannot even save themselves from harm, so how could they possibly save anyone else? When war or plague comes, the writer says, the priests consult where they may hide the idols with themselves. How then can men not understand that they are no gods, which can't save themselves from war or from plague? The idols, made of wood overlaid with gold and silver, cannot protect even themselves; when danger comes, they must be hidden away by their own priests. If they cannot save themselves, they certainly cannot save those who trust in them. This exposes the utter impotence of idols, which cannot save themselves, let alone me. Show me the sharp logic of this mockery of idols. The idols are made by human hands; and when real danger comes, they cannot even protect themselves. Their own priests must hide them away. The point is devastating: if an idol cannot save itself, how could it possibly save those who pray to it? A god that must be rescued by its worshipers is no god at all. This exposes the impotence of every idol, everything I might make a god of and trust to save me. The things I am tempted to trust in place of you, whether literal idols or the modern idols of wealth, status, or my own strength, are ultimately impotent to save me; they cannot even preserve themselves, let alone rescue me. Only you, the true God, who made all things and need no one to preserve you, can actually save. Take that to my heart, for idols cannot even save themselves, let alone me, and only you can truly save. Keep me from trusting what cannot even preserve itself to save me; help me trust you, Lord, the true God who can truly save, rather than impotent idols, whether literal or the modern idols of wealth, status, and my own strength, that cannot even save themselves.