Psalm 24 says this:
7 Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 8 Who is the King of glory ? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 10 Who is this King of glory ? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. What we see through our eyes becomes imprinted upon our minds, and those images can propel us to draw closer to God or pull us away from Him. We have to be careful to guard the gateways to our minds, and allow the King of Glory to permeate our thinking, so that we can reflect His glory!
The painting is called, "The Forgotten Man", and it pictures a man sitting on a park bench in front of the White House, surrounded by 43 U.S. Presidents. The current President, Barack Obama, is standing on the Constitution, while James Madison is trying to persuade him not to. The painting features discarded dollar bills and scraps of paper with constitutional amendments written on them.
Artist Jon McNaughton has uploaded a video of him painting the canvas, and according to the International Business Times, he says: "For a long time I didn't know if I wanted to paint this picture, because I worried it might be too controversial. This man on the park bench represents every man, woman, and child who is an American... he hopes to find the American dream of happiness and prosperity...But now because of unconstitutional acts imposed by the American people by our government we stand on the precipice of disasters." He went on to say: "I don't place all the blame on Obama. On my website I try to explain what each president has done...The thing I like about the painting is that it does get people talking."
McNaughton is also known for a painting called, "One Nation Under God", depicts Jesus surrounded by characters from American history plus Satan. Some of the characters are actual people (such as Ronald Reagan, James Madison) and some represent types of people, such as a handicapped child, a news reporter, a professor clutching Darwin's Origin Of Species, and a judge weeping over Roe vs. Wade.
Jon McNaughton uses the power of imagery to communicate his views, and whether you agree with him completely, he has people talking. Images can be powerful tools, and God desires for us to implant images in our minds that can serve to remind us of His truth and His glory. If we are viewing images that are not pleasing to Him, then there are negative implications in our walk. When I read the book of Exodus, and how God gave His people tangible reminders of His presence, such as the tabernacle and its decor, the adornments of the priests, and the powerful symbolism of the sacrifices that were established, it shows me how important that it is to keep reminders of God in the forefront of our minds, so we can remember to praise Him and live for Him - each day.
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