Have you ever heard of the “Opening of the Mouth Ceremony?” I kind of hope not! Let’s have Habakkuk kick things off for us.

Habakkuk’s name means “embrace” or “wrestle.” He struggles with understanding God’s ways and expresses concern over the injustice and violence in Judah. He brings these issues before God, and in response, God reveals His plans. However, Habakkuk expects these plans to align with verses like, “I have plans for you,” expecting salvation and deliverance. Instead, God declares that He will use the Babylonians as instruments of judgment. Habakkuk, taken aback, essentially says, That’s not what I wanted to hear, but thanks for responding. Per my last email, bad stuff is happening down here in Israel!

This is what the book of Habakkuk is about. The specific verse in question takes place between Jeremiah 10 and Jeremiah 11, creating some overlap.

“Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.”

Habakkuk 2:19

Now, I know a lot of crafty people, many of whom work with wood. However, I have never built something, placed it on a table, and expected it to wake up and come to life. I’ve never done such a thing. So what is this verse really about?

It ties back to the historical and cultural context of the time.

The Opening of the Mouth Ceremony

This ancient ritual may sound bizarre today, but it was significant in many cultures. We often assume that idol worship simply involved creating an object, placing it on a shelf, and worshipping it. However, it was much deeper than that.

This ceremony was practiced by various civilizations, including the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Mesopotamians. While the Egyptians initially followed the same ritual, they later adapted it into their mummification practices.

The Opening of the Mouth ceremony was believed to transform a crafted idol into a living god. The process involved:

1. Purification – The idol was placed on a clean table to avoid contamination by the ground. It was surrounded by protective cloths, and its mouth was washed.
2. Vivification – Ritual incantations were performed, and the craftsman symbolically separated themselves from the idol by cutting their hands (not off, since they likely had more idols to make). This act signified that the idol was no longer his creation but a divine entity.
3. Enthronement – The idol was transported to a sacred place, where further incantations and sacrifices were performed. Using an adze blade, an axe-like tool, priests “opened” the idol’s mouth, believing this allowed the breath of their god to enter.

Biblical Parallels

The Opening of the Mouth ceremony aligns with other biblical events, such as Aaron’s creation of the golden calf. Aaron, despite his grave mistake, later became the high priest, proof that God’s grace is vast. But at the time, he was deeply entangled in idol worship while Moses was on the mountaintop encountering the true and living God.

Both Moses and Aaron underwent processes resembling the three phases of the Opening of the Mouth ritual:

• Purification – Moses removed his sandals on holy ground. Aaron received pure gold to craft the idol.
• Vivification – Moses was called by God, while the people called on Aaron to make the golden calf.
• Enthronement – Moses received divine instruction, while Aaron may have performed a version of the Opening of the Mouth ceremony and celebrated his golden calf.

These two parallel, yet opposing, events illustrate a stark contrast, one leading to idolatry and the other to divine revelation. That’s why, upon descending the mountain, Moses and Aaron clashed so intensely.

Now, consider how this context deepens our understanding of what God is saying in scripture. From Genesis and throughout His Word, He declares, No, I am the one who breathes life into you.

This ritual, aimed at giving idols divine breath, was fundamentally flawed. It was a counterfeit attempt to imitate what only God can do.

Scriptural Insights

The Bible consistently calls out the futility of idol worship.

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.

Psalm 135:15-18

What a harsh reality in that final line: “Those who make them become like them, and so do all who trust in them.” Idol makers become as lifeless as the idols themselves. Habakkuk expands on this and drives the point home:

What use is an idol, that a craftsman should carve it— or an image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.” But the LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.

Habakkuk 2:18-20

No matter how much effort went into crafting these idols or how elaborate the rituals were, there was no breath in them. These claims mean so much more with the extra context. Habakkuk was not alone in his critique. We also hear from Jeremiah.

Jeremiah’s Sharp Rebuke

Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet,” ministered during Judah’s final years before Babylonian captivity, a time of political instability and rampant idolatry. His nickname doesn’t sound intimidating (Little Crybaby wouldn’t strike fear in anyone), but his words packed a punch.

“Every man is senseless and devoid of knowledge. Every goldsmith is put to shame by the idols he makes, for his molten images are frauds; there is no breath in them.”

Jeremiah 10:14

Imagine devoting an entire day to an Opening of the Mouth ceremony. Leaving work, abandoning responsibilities, chanting, sacrificing, and cutting hands, all to give breath to an inanimate object. Then along comes Jeremiah, bluntly declaring: “It’s all a fraud.”

God’s Breath vs. False Breath

This context makes Genesis 2:7 all the more powerful:

“The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.”

Unlike the idols, we were not crafted by human hands and given false breath. God Himself breathed life into us, but He didn’t stop there. Jesus does it again:

When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

John 20:22

This is the ultimate fulfillment—God continually breathing life into His people.

Throughout history, people have settled for the false, the manufactured, and the hollow. But Scripture reveals a higher calling. The breath placed into idols was believed to be divine, yet it was lifeless. Meanwhile, God placed His breath in us, making us living temples that carry His presence.

That’s why counterfeit spiritual experiences can never compare to a true encounter with the living God.

The Bible is a minority report of its time—countercultural and revolutionary. While the world says, “Here is where we place the spirit,” God declares, “No, here is where I place My Spirit—in my people, my temple. You thought this was how things were done, but behold, I am doing a new thing!”