Feet of Clay or Heart of Stone?

Statues are falling everywhere. From Baghdad to Bournemouth and from London to LA, no memorial, it seems, is safe. Winston Churchill's in Parliament Square is boxed up in metal for protection. Baden Powell's in Dorset was being guarded by old men in Boy Scout uniforms and is also now boxed. No matter how much good or commendable stuff the person being remembered may have done, down they come, or else they are being redecorated with all manner of ordure!

I have real sympathy with the grass-roots of this anti racist movement, though I fear the statue protests may be ineffective. We were all horrified by the murder of George Floyd and by the statistics of racism in both US and UK. But, whilst it is the case that the pulling down of the statue of Sadam Hussein in Baghdad may have given some relief to those pounding it with their sandals, it failed to eradicate corruption and violence in Iraq. Only substantial heart change could do that.

I also recall the response of Jesus to a baying mob. They wanted an adulterous woman to be stoned for her appalling sins. Jesus said 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone'. One by one the crowd dispersed, until Jesus was left with a woman whose life would never be the same again. If human perfection and purity is to be the standard by which the people pulling down statues have to qualify for being there, I think their ropes would lie limp. 

I remember another statue too. It is written about in Daniel chapter 2 and featured in a dream to King Nebuchadnezzar. In his night vision he saw a huge human image made from different materials, gold, silver, bronze and iron, each representing dynasties to come. The thing that strikes me is that the idol had feet and toes of clay (this is where we get our proverb from about leaders who have 'feet of clay'). 

And that's the point isn't it? These great men (and sadly it is usually men) all had feet of clay. They were human beings like you and me, and they were sinners, products of the age in which they lived. It is as foolish to make images of them and stick them on pedestals as it is to gather in screaming mobs to tear them down. Nothing great is achieved by either action, though it may give temporary pleasure or relief.

I suggest we look away from people of stone and bronze and focus on ourselves, flesh and blood that we are. Only God can change our hearts. Racism is a dreadful poison that afflicts our society, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. I need to repent, and ask God for his power to eradicate the idols I have erected in my heart. Only then can I begin to address the ills of a society which, given the centuries it has had the truth of the gospel, seems to be intent on ignoring it. 

In Daniel's day the heathen king was shaken by the dream and its interpretation and confessed that Daniel's God was Lord of lords and King of kings. Heart change needs that revelation. Let's tear down the idols in our hearts today.