What Man Has Wrought

Some years ago, in my younger days, I saw a movie with a subplot about some people that worshipped a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. During the course of the movie, the hero jumps on the motorcycle, starts it, and rides away. These people grab their guns and start to shoot at him, but their leader stops them with the words, “No! You might hit the Lord!” Some of my friends found that line to be absolutely offensive, but I personally thought that line was hilarious; it strikes me as funny that anyone would worship something that they could destroy. As far as that goes, why would you consider something man-made as being worthy of that kind of reverence?

Yet it has been known to happen. In Isaiah 44 there is a discourse on how silly it is for a man to cut down a tree, then carve an image from the wood, burn the rest of the wood to heat his home, or to bake bread, and revere that idol as though it had power over man, instead of the other way around. It even talks about the fact that this man cannot even conceive of the idea that he has a lie in his right hand.

Most of us are far too sophisticated to fall for such a thing, and yet, we value our cars, our homes, cell phones, gadgets, etc. Maybe worship is the wrong word, although many of us would be lost without our things. They are just things, though. In the book, Cheaper by the Dozen, by Frank Gilbreath, Jr. he mentioned that, growing up, his father used to hold occasional fire drills, but the way his father ran the drill, it wasn’t enough to get out of the house safely in the prescribed amount of time; each family member also had to bring something. It wasn’t supposed to be something valuable, but something that would make it easier to pass the time waiting for the insurance company to replace the valuable things. The author said that his mother kept a book under her side of the bed just for the fire drills. His father, though, wanted every one in the family to understand that things are just things, and even the most valuable things can be replaced. Granted, an antique dining room set would not be replaced by one with the same dollar value, but you can get a new dining room set, that you might be more inclined to actually use (so it might have more actual value).

Luke 16:11 says, “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” I think what Jesus was doing, was admonishing us to understand the true value of things. We sometimes get caught up the idea that something is more valuable because it is old, or because it is made of rare materials, but a tool is only as valuable as what it can be used for. A Rolls Royce may have a six-figure price tag, but a Pinto will get you from point A to point B just as well. As far as that goes, if you have the proper license, a Harley Davidson would, too. The important thing is to keep things in perspective. When you get right down to basics, the real value of an object depends on what that object can be used for.