Bible Blog for the day, January 24, 2015: Scripture: Isaiah 46: 7 (NIV): “They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles.” Thought: To me, idolatry is just as rampant in our modern world, and is the supreme vanity of vanities! Question: Have I experienced God’s help in a time of trouble? The previous verse described how idol-worshippers pay out money to have precious metal molded into a statue. It went on to say that once manufactured, they then bow down to this false god in worship. Today’s verse continues by explaining what happens next with this idol. “They lift it to their shoulders and carry it;” How ironic that their so-called “powerful” god must be toted around! Does the statue even have any say as to where it will be placed? Is it even able to convey its “preferences?” No! All is decided by the person or persons who have manufactured the idol in the first place. It’s all their own ideas. And what ridiculous ideas they are! Idolatry is fraught with deception. People lie to themselves about their idols. They rationalize the irreconcilable factors, perhaps even apologizing for their statue, or explaining its inactivity with some totally unreasonable conclusions. They twist reasons around into cover-ups, excuses or simply accept outright falsehood as acceptable. They overlook obvious truths. They deny common sense. They sell out to something completely irrational. In this regard, idols become terribly burdensome: people must bend over backwards to have them and accommodate them. As seen here, the idol needs to be carried around then set and fastened so it will “stand up.” “…they set it up in its place, and there it stands.” The entire activity is accomplished by the people—not the god. The people have decided where to locate the god. Have we ever heard of Christians deciding exactly where The LORD God Almighty should make His debut? How reasonable is this? To me, a god is no god if we direct its manufacture and then dictate where it will be located! “From that spot it cannot move.” How revealing this is! This god is virtually helpless. It is wreaking with limitation! A god, by definition, should be able to exceed the powers of those it “rules” over; yet this god cannot even walk—not one inch! “Though one cries out to it, it does not answer;” Now this is something we do see all the time: people crying out to false gods. We also see them praying to false gods. Personally, I believe it takes more faith for someone to cry out to, or pray to, a false idol than it takes to believe that Jesus Christ is The Son of God. There will be no answer from the idol, however! It will not answer because it is nothing more than the consistency of the material used to manufacture it. No good spiritual life becomes infused into the figure made by the idol-maker. The One True God has His origin outside the efforts of mankind; mankind is His creation, not His creator. And the deep truth that separates The One True God from all others is that He never had a point of creation—either by Himself, or by any other method. God is eternal. He has no beginning or origin. He always was, and will always be. Our Living LORD God is very unlike this idol, not only because of His eternality, but also because when we cry out to Him, He DOES answer. There are many, many scripturally recorded incidents of answered prayer—much too numerous to mention here. And Christians all over the world will testify to the many times they have experienced answered prayer as well. “…it cannot save him from his troubles.” Crying out to an idol is a completely vain activity. The metal statue can do nothing. Believing there is a good, helpful spiritual entity attached to or infused into the statue is also a vain belief. Crying out to God Almighty, however, is productive, helpful and highly recommended! God will bring good help in His answer to your prayer. Deuteronomy 26: 7 through 9: “Then we [Israel] cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey;” Psalm 34: 6: “This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.” Psalm 50: 15: “…Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” Jeremiah 33: 3: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Psalm 34: 17: “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.” But you say you do not bow to a statue made of silver. There are many modern idols that we “carry”, “set up” and “stand” as guides in our lives. Once erected by us, our modern, perhaps more insidious, idols “cannot move” from controlling our activities and decisions. Once established, or allowed, by us, they rule firmly over us and do not easily move from their foothold in our lives. We are under their control! We cling to these false values, believing with all our heart that they are good, helpful ideals. Perhaps we believe a new car or house, acquiring “The American Dream”, will fulfill us. Maybe we chase fame and/or success in a given field. Some rest in the comfort of children and family as being most important in life. Others dedicate themselves to philanthropy or education of others as their “idol” to worship. Now these are all worthy enterprises, and certainly do take up much of our time and effort; but they can be pursued to such a degree that God is pushed out of the picture. The bottom line is this: is my life godless? Only the worship of The One True and Living God, The LORD God Almighty, truly fulfills a human being. Prayer: LORD God, The One True God, thank You for Your eternality! Thank You for being so much higher than any other “god” we could imagine! Thank You for revealing, here in this word from Isaiah, the utter vanity and stupidity of idolatry. Help me to examine my own life and heart: is there anything godless that overrides my commitment and dedication to You? Is there anything competing with You for attention and admiration? Help me to tear down the false idols in my own life, and equip me, dear Father, to seek only You, serve only You, love only You, follow only You and adore only You! I ask it in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 02:07:33 +0000
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