Isaiah 44:9-20 - the True and Living God
previously… in the verses preceding this one we have (in Is. 40-41) a description of the glory of the Incomparable God which, by contrast shows the futility and powerlessness of idol gods. In the verses in this chapter immediately before v9 we have a reminder of the eternality of God: v6 ‘i am the first and last, besides me there is no god.’ & v8 ‘is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any. Interesting that here Rock is used as an acceptable alternative to God. Perhaps this then is a fair description of what ‘God’ means when we talk about him. He is a Rock we build upon, stand on, home in and trust.
9-20
9: idol makers are ‘nothing’, their idols ‘do not profit’ and idol worshippers are ‘put to shame’
10: who would do such a thing as make an idol?
11: they bring shame to people and if they were to stop and see what they do, they’d be appalled
12: Ironsmith. Metal gods. The man who makes a god is human. One who tires, gets hungry, needs rest.
13: Carpentry. Wooden gods. Using his skill he crafts something in the image of something earthly.
14: He uses naturally grown, earthly things, non-divine things to make his god with.
15: He uses it for physical nourishment and warmth, but also for spiritual satisfaction
16-17: Half is burned and the other half is used for all sorts of things and then afterwards - worshipped.
18: The worshipper of idols cannot see his own stupidity
19: The worshipper doesn’t understand his own stupidity.
20: The worshipper is deluded, lost and enslaved.
Point: Idols are not gods that save, nor are they gods that live.
Point: God is not like the other gods. God is alive, powerful, and divine. God forgives, frees, and rescues.
Motyer:
“Considering the absurdity of idols shows the glory of Yahweh”
“Idols are nothing and have no power… and yet they hold the idolaters in an iron grip.”
An idol is: “whatever captures the human mind and heart as an alternative to Jesus and the way of faith”
“They are not guiltless in their idol making, they know better.”
“Isaiah hammers away at humanness. No matter what their intent, the result of human effort cannot rise able the human… human strength cannot create the divine.”
“The idolater chooses a delusion and becomes deluded… he holds the idol in his hand, but really it holds him.”
Also to obsever:
The consequences of worshipping…
- God: transformation (44:3-5)
- Idols: Degeneration (44:18-20)
Verses on idolatry:
- 1 Cor. 8:4-5
- Psalm 115:8
- 1 John 5
- 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10
Isaiah 40:18, to whom then will you compare me
Isaiah 40:25, to whom then will you compare me
No comments:
Post a Comment