Speechless idols.

Habakkuk was most likely a contemporary of Jeremiah and Zephaniah during the time of the fall of Judah at the hand of the Chaldeans (Babylonians). This minor prophetic recording is unique in the sense that here we find a conversation between the prophet and God. It is incredible to me that God, the Creator, would address and answer one of His created’ s questions.

Amongst many other observations, some verses that were highlighted in my understanding are at the end of the second chapter.

The Lord is speaking to Habakkuk directly and instructed him to record these words and vision: 
"What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? 
For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! 
Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! 
Can this teach? 
Behold it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it. 
But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him."  
(Habakkuk 2:18-20)   

It is baffling to me how people could and still do worship, offer praise and adoration to an inanimate object that was created by someone else’s hands. Idols and statues that hold no life, no breathe, no soul.

However, I believe that this practice and sin of idolatry has taken other forms among even us that are believers. We have deceivingly conformed to societal practices around us and have dedicated more love, more devotion, more attention, and end up worshipping other created things instead of the Creator. Speechless statues we call idols have simply been replaced by other forms of idols like our jobs and careers, dreams, aspirations, money, and even the god of family and marriage. I am not stating that these things and aspects of our life are not important, and all of these do require time, attention, and effort. But, what I am attempting to bring to light is that anything or anyone that takes the central place of God in our life is an idol. When we love anything or anyone more than the one true Jehovah God, this is still idolatry.

Each and everyone of these aspects and things in our lives are beautiful parts of life that I believe God wants us to enjoy. They cannot however, and will never ultimately satisfy our soul. Only our Creator can do that. He is worthy of all our praise, all our adoration, all our dedication, and our first love.