Intellectual Suicide

Hosea 4:12 "They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood."

This is one of my favorite Bible verses because it cracks me up. I think God uses a bit of sarcasm to make a point and it cuts like a knife. I know it does me.



God is admonishing people for worshiping idols. Idolatry is a bad thing and in this chapter of Hosea one sees the results of worshiping things other than God. If one puts all of their heart and intellect into worshiping a tree, one basically commits intellectual suicide. Trees have no intellect. Trees can do nothing for you. They do not mend broken hearts. They can not guide you to right choices in life. They can not save you from eternal damnation. What does that say about the one who worships them?



It makes me think about money. I don't like to say I "worship" money because to look around my house and at my stuff, one could clearly see that I don't have a lot of it. Most of the furniture in this house is pre-owned and hand-me-down. A lot of it has seen better days. I've had the same clothes for many years (Katie keeps telling me to update). My problem with "worshiping" money is that I am constantly worrying about not having enough to pay the bills. The fact is, I have NEVER done without a need. Not once. I work hard and earn money to pay bills. Sometimes I wonder if I am not a slave to it. I give way too much credence to green dollar bills when I worry about it. It is intellectual suicide. Green dollar bills can do nothing for me. I might pay off a bill and that is good, it is being a good steward of my money, but it can not mend a broken heart. It can not guide one to make right choices in life (and many times it does the opposite!). It can not buy you into heaven. What does that say about one who worships money?



When one looks at a piece of wood and asks it for advice, for help, for guidance...what the heck is that piece of wood gonna say? or do?



When one counts on that money to solve every problem, what is that piece of cotton and linen going to do for you?