Isaiah 44
You would say a tree cannot hear, yet many of the people to whom Isaiah spoke, acted as though a branch from a tree could hear, for they bowed down and prayed to images of wood. They were not ignorant people, hut ones who could read and write, many knew other languages, they had much skill to make great buildings and do all kinds of work. They had known God’s great power in creating all things, and His care for them, but had become caress of His words, and followed the ways of their heathen neighbors, who also once knew God, but had turned from Him to do their own sinful ways.
Isaiah wrote to show them how foolish they were: they took the best wood, cedar, cypress, and oak; then carefully “the carpenter stretcheth out his rule, he marketh it out with a line, he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man; he planteth an ash (tree) and the rain doth nourish it... he will take thereof and warm himself; yea he kindleth it and baketh bread ... . And the residue thereof he maketh a god, he falleth down unto it, and worshipeth it.., prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me, for thou art my god”.
Isaiah said a man should ask himself, “Shall I bow down to the stock of a tree?” The images were witnesses against themselves, “they see not, nor know”. Many idols were made of metal, and men worked so hard to melt the metal and shape it into an idol, that they were weary, hungry, and faint; yet the idols were useless.
“They lavish (take much) gold out of a bag and weigh silver in a balance and hire a goldsmith, he maketh it as god: they fall down, yea they worship, ... .they carry him and set him in place; ... . from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet shall he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.” Isa. 46:6, 76They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship. 7They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble. (Isaiah 46:6‑7). A man with an idol was as if lie held a lie in his hand, for he pretended what was not true.
In spite of all that evil, God said He would “blot out as a thick cloud their sins” if they would return to Him and listen to His words. But so many of the people did more and more wickedly, that at last God let them be taken to a land where the people all bowed to idols, and they learned their wrong. After that the people of Israel did not pray to idols.
There still are people who have idols, and greatly need to be told of the true and living God. If we ourselves forget Who made all things and Who deserves our praise, we can soon be as careless of the Lord as the man who bowed to the part of a tree; so let us take time each day to read. His Word to know more of Him, and use what He gives us in good ways, not for foolish, useless things. Anything that comes in between our souls and the Lord is an idol.
ML 01/04/1942