GOD; in His blessed Word, tells us that the gods of heathen are the work of men’s hands. They are cut out of a tree and fastened with hammer and nails, and decked with silver and with gold, or they are made of stone or brass or some other material. They have mouths but they cannot speak; “they must needs be borne, because they cannot go.” They are “falsehood, and there is no breath in them.” God bids His people not to be afraid of them for they can do neither evil nor good. And He declares “Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach!”
“But our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased.” What a contrast we get here! See Ps. 115:2-8. Jer. 10:1-141Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: 2Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. 6Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. 7Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. 8But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. 9Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men. 10But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. 11Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. 12He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. 13When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. 14Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. (Jeremiah 10:1‑14). Hab. 2:18-2018What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? 19Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. 20But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. (Habakkuk 2:18‑20). Let us praise our God with glad hearts that we know Him as the One who made the heavens and earth, and that He is the One who upholds all things “by the word of His power.” (Heb. 1:1, 21God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (Hebrews 1:1‑2).)
Hiraloll Maharaj was one who bowed down to these dumb idols, which can neither see, nor hear, nor speak, nor walk. He was a priest, and therefore in the highest caste among the Brahmans. His name showed something of his position, Hiraloll means “precious diamonds,” and Maharaj is “king of kings.” This young priest had, you will see, a very high sounding and important title; and he thought himself well worthy of it, for he was willing enough to receive homage from the people, who fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But the Lord, in His wondrous grace, sought and found this benighted one. He was brought out of darkness into the light, and turned from the power of Satan unto God. If the Lord will, I will tell you in another paper how this was brought about. In this paper we will follow him a little in his early path, which may serve to show you something of the darkness of heathendom.
Hiraloll’s father was a priest, and as priesthood descended from father to child, Hiraloll became a priest also. Honor was put upon him; gold and silver were placed in his hair, and he was girded with a gold belt. He was ordained when he was ten years of age, and at this time a great feast was made for him. His forehead was painted with a red cross in this shape; his head was shaved bare; about his neck was placed a string of beads, which hung down to his waist. After these ceremonies were gone through, he was an ordained priest, and the people now fell down, and worshipped him as a god. They also worshipped, through him, the gods of brass, and stone and wood, which were in the temple.
Let us now follow our young priest for a little time in his services.
At peep of day he is astir, and his oblation is made ready. As soon as the sun, which is one of their gods, begins to show himself above the horizon, our young priest goes forth with his offering, which is some milk that must be carried in a cup of brass. Making low obeisance to the rising orb, then lifting his eyes heavenward, he wheels once about, and pours out a portion of the milk toward the sun. Again he makes obeisance, lifts hands and eyes heavenward, turns about and pours out some more of the milk. This is done five times because the sun is supposed to be a god having five heads. Some of their gods have ten heads, some four, some two.
After this oblation is poured out, Hiraloll goes into the temple, where there are many gods to appease and to worship, and here he carries on his priestly duties from six until ten o’clock. The people may not enter the temple; while Hiraloll is inside offering sacrifices, they are outside ringing bells, which shows that the offering is going on. Rice, bananas, raisins, and other things are being presented to these dumb idols. Of course they cannot eat these things, and so, at the end of the service, Hiraloll brings them out and distributes them to the people.
Neither beef nor pork may be offered to the idols, as both are considered unclean. The people say “The cow is our mother,” and therefore it would be unclean to eat it. Goat meat is the only meat that is offered. One who is able to offer a goat, brings it; it is killed outside, then taken in and placed before the different idols. Before making this offering, the priest holds out a bamboo stick to which a piece of red cloth ham been tied, and into this cloth, the people drop a little money, which the priest appropriates to himself. After he has offered the goat and brought it out again, the man who brought it cooks it, and the priest then dispenses it to the people.
Such was the service through which Hiraloll passed, day after day, offering for himself, and offering for the people. The people bowed down to him and worshipped him as a god, and he bowed down to the idols for himself and for them.
When sickness or other trouble comes to the people, the priest tells them to bring butter, milk, clothes or money; it is because they have done wrong they are suffering and they must appease the gods. When the offerings are brought, he sits up like. a great man and smokes a pipe, then passes it to those around him to have a smoke; he then tells them if they believe they have done wrong, the trouble will now be lifted. At this word they lift their eyes and hands to heaven, then they kneel down to the priest and bless him, calling on the name of their god.
Oh, dear children, you may indeed be thankful that the light of Christianity shines about you, and that you are not under the gross darkness and superstition of heathendom. And happy for you if God’s word has found entrance into your soul, and thus the true light has been given you.
If the Lord will, we will follow the young priest further in his services in another paper.
ML 10/23/1904