Isaiah 44:17 And the residue thereof he makes a god, even his graven image: he falls down to it, and worships it, and prays to it, and said… Is religion to be looked upon as a thing that you can separate? Or are you going to regard religion as a principle which is applicable to life, and applicable at every hour and in every place, and all through life? Was that old rhyme right that told us that the twenty-four hours of the day should be divided into eight hours for work, and eight for rest, and eight which are given to God; or was not that correction right of the man who said, "eight for toil, and eight for rest, and all for God"? Gounod had painted on his piano the head of the Christ, as if he would say, "Wherever I look before I compose, I look upon the head of the crucified Lord, and I know that the spirit of that Lord passes into me; and when I begin to compose my melodies, the music of His life penetrates my soul, and gives me the respiration. We should look into the face of God, understand the character of God, understand that He claims every human being as His son, and understand, therefore, that there is no bondage here, but that there is the freedom of the son, and the love of the son's heart, and the desire of the son's heart to advance the kingdom and the family of God. (Bp. B. W. Carpenter, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. |
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