Can A Man Help God?

Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes. [Psalm 60.11-12] 

Can a man help God? No, he cannot. And, here is why:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.2-7]

Any attempt to do for ourselves, by making something (anything of our own effort) to do for us what God said He would do, is idolatry.

Idolatry is dangerous because the attitude we have toward anything that helps us is inadvertently affection and is, in God's eyes (regardless what we think), spiritual adultery (idolatry) that provokes the jealousy of God with ongoing curses to follow.

The idea that we (or anything else) could assist God is ludicrous. The human mind races to reason and argue otherwise, but, what God has said, God has said. The very thought of "assisting God" is in fact "rejecting God." The assumption that God must use something other than His own word to accomplish anything is a gross misunderstanding and misuse of God's name (a violation of the 3rd Commandment).

Undoubtedly, the reason David earned the title "man after God's own heart" is because, even in questionable and furthermore stupid things he did, David's unwavering declarations of trust in God alone reveal his God-only faith much more than in any other person in the Bible (arguably even more than Jesus because roughly half of the Psalms were written by David). The Psalms unashamedly boast of God's overwhelming power and presence over every situation and circumstance, so much so, that doubters conclude they are merely allegorical and not to be taken literally. But not so for the boy who killed Goliath!

The measure of idolatry in a person can be calculated in his answer to the question, "Can a man help God?" 

Any answer other than an absolute, "no" - any answer that utilizes reason or logic - reveals the same damned-by-God idol of "self" that Satan incited to sin in Adam and Eve when he questioned, "Has God really said...?" Satan might just as easily have asked, "Can a man help God?"

The world and religion will continue to waffle over the question, "Can a man help God?" but not so with the Bible. The Bible has been clear on the answer to this question from the very beginning. In fact, Jesus was and is very clear on the answer to this question as He demanded any follower of His to give up any notion that the way of man could be of any value to God whatsoever:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

This is not new teaching, but instead, old teaching that is necessarily being revived because Jesus is returning soon for a spotless bride. A spotless bride will carry nothing even resembling idolatry to her wedding! She brings absolutely nothing to the marriage except her undying trust in the Bridegroom alone. She has forsaken all others. She has entirely given up her own way to come under the exclusive lordship and authority of her Groom and His way...

Father, Your Word is, and has always been, clear on the matter of exclusive trust in You ALONE. May our eyes and ears be open to the Truth. May we painstakingly and intentionally conclude that we are of no help to You whatsoever and may we live our lives accordingly - giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. So be it.