Habakkuk 2:18-20 Now Available feat. Anna Palfreeman

Sep 2

Habakkuk 2:18-20 is now available on all streaming platforms!

THE VERSE

[18] “What profit is an idol
when its maker has shaped it,
a metal image, a teacher of lies?
For its maker trusts in his own creation
when he makes speechless idols!
[19] Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
to a silent stone, Arise!
Can this teach?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
and there is no breath at all in it.
[20] But the LORD is in his holy temple;
let all the earth keep silence before him.”
-Habakkuk 2:18-20

These are the words of God Himself posted as a warning to those who put their trust in idols.

The reason for the warning? God was trying to warn all those running to idols that in reality they were running toward nothing; there wasn’t anything of substance to be found. Idols overpromise and underdeliver ten out of ten times. In verses 18-19, God tries to reason and point out the obvious to those creating and worshiping these idols:

Can these idols teach us truth instead of lies?
Can idols speak?
Can idols rise to help us when we call to them?

The simple answer to all these: “No.” As pretty as these idols’ outer shells are laden with gold and silver, there is no breath in them. They are empty and will leave us just as empty as they are. Like in "The Wizard of Oz," God is doing His best to pull back the curtain to show us the grim reality of what our hearts are banking on. Before you let yourself off the hook too quickly and say that you don’t have any idols in your life, listen to this definition from the late Tim Keller on what an idol is in his book “Counterfeit Gods”:

“What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give… An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, ‘If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I ‘ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.’ There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship.”

Pause to think about this quote for a moment. What’s more important to you than God? What’s currently absorbing your heart and imagination more than God? What do you think will give you meaning?

In this sea of lifeless and mute idols comes a beautiful yet simple contrast in verse 20:

“But the LORD is in his holy temple…”

The covenant God, who both created us and now pursues us relentlessly, is in His holy temple. He is what none of the idols are! Full of breath, leading us into truth. He both speaks to us and rises to help us in our need. He’s the uncreated One who comes to the aid of His creatures, who looks out for you and me. Where do we see this aid the most clearly? He sent His own Son Jesus to be our Good Shepherd and lay down His own life for us. This same Jesus revealed Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life to sheep who were lost, lied to, and dead. Our response before this God?

“...let all the earth keep silence before him.”

Silence. Devotion. Reverence. Gratitude. Turning from created idols to the uncreated God of all life and joy who leads us into truth! May this be our story today and tomorrow. And then every subsequent day until we breathe our last.

The Artist

Anna Palfreeman talked a little bit about the verse and the process of recording it with producer and instrumentalist Dan Folgado (who plays in Citizens as well as his band Craters):

I've always been captivated by this verse. I love how it sheds light on how we worship our own creations. It's talking about a literal idol being made, but it's still compelling to me when I think about how I end up worshiping the things I create for myself like success, image, and possessions. But there is no breath in those things. God is who brings breath and who brings life.
Recording-wise, we wanted to capture some of the darkness of this verse and of the prophets in general. We didn't want it to sound "happy" but to carry some of the grit of those passages of scripture. That helped us shape the chords, the instruments used, and how we went about the background choral-sounding vocals.

Anna Palfreeman - Piano, keys, vocals
Dan Folgado - Drums, bass, guitar

Song written by Anna Palfreeman. Mixed and mastered by Dan Folgado.

You can find out more about Anna Palfreeman at her website (https://www.annapalfreeman.com ) or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/annapalfreeman/