Thursday - Psalm 97 - Confounded

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N this Psalm the author points out the utter insanity of worshiping an inanimate object as if it were divine.  The whole idea and definition of divinity is that a (or I should say, THE) divine being is supernatural and superior.  How can a statue made by a man be his god?  Why should a man who can walk, talk, speak, think, hear, smell, feel and decide, worship a deaf and dumb image, which can do absolutely nothing? Hence, we see the statement here about the nonsensical actions and attitudes of idolaters (Psalm 97:7).

Still, the confoundedness that sin has brought upon us doesn't end with the unregenerate barbarian polytheist.  We who are saints have a conundrum of our own with which to wrestle.  One would think that when we fall in love with God, we simultaneously fall out of love with anything and everything that opposes God. Such is not automatically or instantly the case.  We should and can have our vicious appetites replaced by wholesome and heavenly allurements. But, this sanctified perspective is far from reflexive, immediate or permanent (Psalm 97:10).  Why would we be commanded to hate evil if it were an automatic result of learning to love God?  Even in the New Testament we discover that God found it necessary to command holiness even from those who follow Him in love (John 14:15).

So, let's cut to the chase. What is the problem with us?  We are born again, aren't we (2^ndCorinthians 5:17)?  The difficulty lies simply in the fact that after our regeneration we are essentially shackled with a spiritually split personality of sorts.  In Romans 7:21-23, the apostle to the descendants of Ham and Japheth admitted that he struggled constantly with opposing desires within himself.  This reality is seen voluminously by comparing 1^stJohn 3:9 and Romans 7:18. The new nature can do no wrong... the old nature can do no right.  Herein lies the challenge.