Faces

“as for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left; “ Ezekiel 1:10

Faces – Ezekiel has a vision.  In his vision, God reveals the idolatry of the people, falling down in service and obedience to images of created things.  This idol is symbolic.  An ox, a lion, an eagle and the face of a man.  In Hebrew, the word paniym is plural.  It’s never “face” but always “faces”.  A face is a lot more complicated than a single image.  Today we don’t fall down in worship before statures or images of lions, oxen, eagles or men.  Or do we?

God’s message to Ezekiel is that nothing created is worthy of worship.  We are to give our complete allegiance and devotion only to the God who created all these things.  We might say that this is true, but our behavior often shouts something else.  It is particularly telling that this creature had the face of a man.  We don’t worship lions and eagles (unless they are football teams), but when it comes to falling down in service to men, we are woefully guilty.  It is the American way.

Think of the heroes of our culture.  What comes immediately to mind?  Sports figures?  Hollywood stars?  Business icons?  Politicos?  Religious personalities?  You and I are quite capable of making any person into an idol by choosing to revolve our lives around that person.  The behavior of fans indicates the power of these acceptable idols.  The clothes they endorse.  The perfumes.  The shoes.  The style.  We are a culture that copies the celebrity, inside and outside the church.  We just don’t know quite what to make of a Mother Teresa.  Her posture and attitude make us uncomfortable.  We want someone we can worship as a success, not someone who seeks a place so humble that we are caught off guard.  After all, who would want to emulate Mother Teresa?  Who really wants to put an arm around a leper or pick through the garbage to help a child or live in squalid conditions to be with those in need?  No one.  Except Jesus.

Ezekiel’s idol has the face of a man.  That should send a chill through us.  Worshipping men is no less idolatry than worshipping cows.

Be honest with God.  Who do you wish you could be like?  Mike?  Or the man from Galilee?  Only one was a celebrity.