Greater Than Any
Idol
On one of our final days in Malaysia, a group of us decided
to visit the Batu Caves, one of the most popular shrines outside of India,
dedicated to the Hindu god Murugan. The Hindus built a statue of Murugan that
stands fourteen stories high. Our contact briefed us on the significance of the
caves and advised us to remain in prayer during our time at the temple. 
In order for you to get an idea of the practices held at the
temple, I provided an excerpt from Wikipedia…
“On the day of the festival, devotees will shave their heads
and undertake a pilgrimage along a set route while engaging in various acts of
devotion, notably carrying various types of kavadi (burdens). At its simplest
this may entail carrying a pot of milk, but mortification of the flesh by piercing
the skin, tongue or cheeks with vel skewers is also common…Other types of
kavadi involve hooks stuck into the back and either pulled by another walking
behind or being hung from a decorated bullock cart or more recently a tractor,
with the point of incisions of the hooks varying the level of pain; the greater
the pain, the more god-earned merit.”
(To get an even better understanding please watch the YouTube video below)
It is so interesting to me that people will come from all
over the world to worship this idol (a painful worship I might add. I am just
glad our Lord’s burden is light) and yet they miss the greater picture. Their
eyes are fixated on this 140ft statue but they are unable to see the
magnificence of its surroundings. They are in awe of this work but I cannot
help but think, “Look at the works that surround this idol. Is it not much more
beautiful and amazing then a statue”?
Exodus 32
