Daily Devotions: Rapanui or Easter Island

I’ve never been to Easter Island (or Rapanui as it is natively known), but like many people, I’m fascinated by the large stone faces that are found there. I think that they must be remarkable to look at, to touch and stand beside. The people who made them must have felt a similar awe as they were being created, erected, and worshipped.

I’ve watched documentaries about the stone faces and from what the archaeologists have pieced together, the history of the islanders appears to be tragic. The island isolated from the mainland by thousands of miles, so the original Rapanui settlers must have landed there by accident. At first there was enough food, water, and shelter to help them survive for generations. But then, because of the rising population, the island became depleted of valuable resources. It was during this time that the stone faces were built, probably because the islanders needed divine help to survive.

Eventually, all that was left on the island were the stone faces. Most of the islanders had either left to find a new place to live or they perished at sea. Very little of them remained on the island. It’s a sad story and a great mystery. All that we have left of the people are their idols and rock drawings. No matter how big, how wonderful, or how awesome they made their idols, their false gods could not help the islanders. All that work and worship did them no good.

In 1722, on Easter, the island was rediscovered by a Dutchman called Jacob Roggeveen. The island population which had numbered more than fifteen thousand was reduced to only a couple of hundred. But the rediscovery brought a new hope and new connections for the people. Today, over 2500 Rapanui people inhabit the island, making a sustainable living from the tourist industry.

It seems that ‘Easter’ was a favorable name to give to the island, for the once isolated people have experienced a resurrection of hope for their community. Idol worship has been replaced by Christianity, and missionaries have planted churches where the people can now serve the One, True and Living God.

Jeremiah 16:19 O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say,” Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good.

We all can make worthless idols in our lives. If we get obsessed with money or the markets, possessions or positions, pride or ambition, we create esteemed images of ourselves that are false and finite. No man is an island, but we can isolate ourselves from God if we separate our hearts from Him. The biblical injunctions of not creating idols for ourselves are just as relevant in today’s distracting world as they were thousands of years ago. By placing our lives in Christ’s hands and giving our hearts to Him, we avoid such foolish ideals and false idols.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, enable us to keep You in our hearts and to focus upon Your Kingdom. Free us from the false gods of luxury and power, ambition and greed. Help us to follow Your words and ways, so that we can remain faithful and loyal to You throughout our lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Erin Church devotional: God's Final Revelation

Audio version here

Deuteronomy 4:15,16 You saw no form of any kind the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman. (NIV)

You may not know it, but I love drawing as well as writing. I find both to be very therapeutic. I tend to draw late at night just before I go to bed. It helps to switch off my mind and enables me to wind down after a hectic day. I usually use wax crayons in my drawings. I guess I’ve always been that way since a child. I like the grain effect that crayons produce. Lately, I’ve been designing stained glass windows using the grain effect to enhance the drawings.

I think that the Hebrew children must have loved to draw as well. Maybe they made pictures in the sand or chalked drawings on the rocks. However, they were under a strict prohibition not to make an image and then glorify it. God was beyond their imagining and didn’t want to be contained in a painting or drawing, idol or statue. He was greater than they could possibly know, so to picture Him in an image was to diminish God entirely.

God also liked to reveal His nature to His people in different ways and at different times. The Old Testament is full of events and circumstances where God’s presence is known amongst the people in a dynamic way. Those events such as the Crossing of the Red Sea, Elijah’s sacrifice on Mount Carmel, and Daniel in the Lion’s den testify to the immediate and true presence of God. Images and idols, drawings and pictures were not needed to convince the people that God was truly with them.

And then God’s final revelation to the world came to us in Jesus Christ, His Holy Son. In the midst of a world empire that was obsessed with images and idols, statues and temples, God quietly brought His Son into our world to reveal to us His love, His care, His mercy and grace.

As much as I enjoy drawing, I know that I can never depict Christ as He really is, nor do I ever want to. He is the final revelation of God and we are meant to be attracted to His life, teaching, and words, so that we can one day step into the holy, wonderful, and awesome presence of God. Without Christ in our hearts, we cannot gain entrance to God’s Kingdom. Without Jesus in our lives, we will never get beyond the Pearly Gates. He is the ultimate image of God in the world. Our purpose is to help as many others as we can to see Him that way, too.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Holy Son of God and the last great hope for humankind. You are the true image of holiness and perfection, of strength and courage, of mercy and grace. Help us to turn to You this day, to glorify Your words and deeds, so that we may confidently tell others about who You really are. In Your Holy Name, we humbly serve and pray. Amen.