'The idols of the nations are but silver and gold, the work of man's hands. They have mouths but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear, nor is there any breath at all in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, yes, everyone who trusts in them.' [Psalm 135:15-18]
This is an amazing passage. But to understand what is really being said here, we need to go back to the beginning...
Genesis 2:7 says 'Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.'
The Targum Onkelos, an ancient Aramaic translation says '...and man became another speaking spirit.' God breathed Himself into the lump of clay, and man, both male and female, became another speaking spirit!
Meditate on that for awhile. Talk about being made in His image!
From Lump to Lump [or Clay to Clay]So, before He breathed Himself into Adam, Adam was a lump of clay...essentially the same as those described in Psalm 135, those who trust in idols. And remember, idols don't have to be ugly, scary-looking statues brought back from who knows where! An idols can be anything that takes the place of God in someone's life.
After Adam rebelled, the Spirit left him, and he was back to being just another lump! I'm convinced that the curse detailed in Genesis 3 is not so much God cursing His beloved children but a description of the inevitable consequences of their actions. There has been much written about the Eastern voice of the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, where everything that happened, good or evil, was ascribed to the will of God. We see this still today in Islam, where the will of Allah is ascribed to every daily occurrence. This is not a truly Biblical perspective, because we have so many, many verses that prove that His will is for good and not evil. Not to mention the obvious consequences of our actions, which are clearly not the will of God, but of our own sin.
It's as though He was explaining to Adam and Eve that now, instead of operating in the power of God and reigning upon the earth, they'd have to rely solely on their natural abilities--how fast they could dig, or run, or how well they could fight, or how many sons they had to stand with them, etc.
The Last Adam
God had to find another way into the earth, and He did so by making covenants with those who would cooperate. Jesus came to fulfill every covenant, to restore us once again to earthen vessels filled with the heavenly treasure of God Himself, in Triune fulness.
God had to find another way into the earth, and He did so by making covenants with those who would cooperate. Jesus came to fulfill every covenant, to restore us once again to earthen vessels filled with the heavenly treasure of God Himself, in Triune fulness.
Jesus is called the Last Adam, who became a life giving spirit. [1 Corinthians 15:45] He is also call the Firstborn among many brethren [Romans 8:29], the Firstborn from the dead [Colossians 1:18], and we are the Church of the Firstborn [Hebrews 12:23]. We are, in fact, new creatures--new creations, a new race--of God in Christ! [2 Corinthians 5:17]
In other words, we're baaaack! No longer lumps of clay, but speaking spirits, filled with God Almighty...and He's not just some kind of spiritual hitchhiker, either. Colossians 2:9-10 says 'For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete...' And since the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable [Romans 11:29], we can fulfill our calling to reign in life through the One, Christ Jesus. [Romans 5:17]
So. The next time you become frustrated or angry with a member of the Adamic race [as opposed to the Jesus race, of which all believers are members] behaving like a heathen, remember this...he or she is just a lump of clay. Just a lump of clay being led down the path of destruction...
And pray.
