Tag: Solution for Idolatry? Isaiah 46-50

Isaiah 46:8-11

“Remember this and stand firm,

recall it to mind, you transgressors,

remember the former things of old;

for I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like me,

declaring the end from the beginning

and from ancient times things not yet done,

saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,

and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

calling a bird of prey from the east,

the man of my counsel from a far country.

I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;

I have purposed, and I will do it.

Tag: Solution for Idolatry? - Know God

Isaiah is rebuking the nation of Israel for their idolatry.   He has just told them that God is carrying them, but they insist on making idols they can carry.

Isaiah 46:4

even to your old age I am he,

and to gray hairs I will carry you.

I have made, and I will bear;

I will carry and will save.

Compared to:

Isaiah 46:6-7

Those who lavish gold from the purse,

and weigh out silver in the scales,

hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;

then they fall down and worship!

They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,

they set it in its place, and it stands there;

it cannot move from its place.

If one cries to it, it does not answer

or save him from his trouble.

Isaiah’s solution to this form of idolatry is to teach the nation about the greatness of God.  He gives them these thoughts:

1. Remember the former things - If you are in a tight place or a bad place or a struggling place, Isaiah tells us to recall to mind the former things God has done for you.  In the case of the nation of Israel they would, perhaps, call to mind the Red Sea, Jericho, the Manna, David defeating Goliath, etc.   Recalling God’s past provisions is a great way to rest in His future power. 

2.  I am God and there is NONE like Me - this might have been the most offensive to God.   To think that you can make something out of wood, carry it around to worship it, must have been so abominable to God.   There is nothing like God or can be compared to God.   If you want to get out of a frump, focusing on the fact that God is greater than all things and any one, is the best way to do so.  We are being held by the God of the universe.  There is no equal.  

3. My counsel will stand and I will accomplish my purpose.   This is such a reassuring thought.   God has a purpose and because there is none like Him, He WILL accomplish that purpose for us and through us.   Whether it is calling a wise man from a far country in the west, or a little bird from the east, God can and does accomplish His purpose. 

Idol worship happens to us all. It is typically something we can control and want to control (carry it).  But, worshipping THE great God of the universe is something all together.   We can rejoice in these truths and call them to memory.