Isaiah 44:6-20

The Absurdity of Idolatry

“In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And an outstanding reason for choosing some sort of God or spiritual-type thing to worship…is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive.
"If you worship money and things—if they are where you tap real meaning in life—then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It’s the truth.
"Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly, and when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally plant you…
"Worship power—you will feel weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to keep the fear at bay. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart—you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on                the verge of being found out. And so on.”  --David Foster Wallace

"These men have set up idols in their hearts." --Ezek 14:3

“Man's nature…is a perpetual factory of idols.” --John Calvin

“Man's nature…is a perpetual factory of idols.” --John Calvin

Idol - any object, idea, philosophy, or occupation that holds one’s primary devotion and that one believes may deliver him from something he wants delivered from.

"Idolatry...moves God to the periphery of our lives and puts something else in His place."

--Barry Webb

Isaiah 44:6  “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
         ‘I am the first and I am the last,
         And there is no God besides Me.
               7      ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
         Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,
         From the time that I established the ancient nation.
         And let them declare to them the things that are coming
         And the events that are going to take place.
               8      ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
         Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?
         And you are My witnesses.
         Is there any God besides Me,
         Or is there any other Rock?
                  I know of none.’ ”

9 Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. 10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no profit?
11 Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame. 12 The man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man,                       like the beauty of man, so that it may sit in a house.

          14      Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow.
          15      Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it.
          16      Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”
          17      But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it                 and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.” 

          18      They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.
          19      No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!”
          20      He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” 

6 “This is what the LORD says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. 7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come—yes, let them foretell what will come. 8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not            proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses.             Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock;              I know not one.”

NO OTHER ROCK (v. 6-8)

6 “This is what the LORD says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. 7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come—yes, let them foretell what will come. 8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not            proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses.             Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock;              I know not one.”

NO OTHER ROCK (v. 6-8)

6 “This is what the LORD says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. 7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come—yes, let them foretell what will come. 8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not            proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses.             Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock;              I know not one.”

NO OTHER ROCK (v. 6-8)

9 All who make idols are nothing,

and the things they treasure are

worthless. Those who would

speak up for them are

blind; they are ignorant,

to their own shame.

10 Who shapes a god

and casts an idol, which

can profit nothing?

Summary (vv. 9-10)

11 People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame. 

12 The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint.
13 The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in human form, human form in all its                 glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. 

The Worthlessness of Idols (vv. 11-17)

14 He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it.
16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and         worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me! You are my god!”

The Worthlessness of Idols (vv. 11-17)

"Idolatry is when

one worships what should be used

and uses what should be worshipped."

--Augustine

Blind and Self-Deceived (vv. 18-20)

18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for He [God] has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.
  19 No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or             understanding to say, “I have burned half of it        in the fire and also have baked bread over its            coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the       rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!”
20 He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” 

"Humans could have done differently, but we did not want to. We did not, and do not, want a sovereign God to whom we owe grateful and total obedience. We want a universe in our own image, whose limits and benefits are dictated by us. That end, according to Isaiah and the other biblical writers, demands intellectual suicide, since this is so obviously not the case, but the end has always seemed worth it to us. So God visits on the pagan mind the gathering darkness it has freely chosen."

   --John Oswalt

Blind and Self-Deceived (vv. 18-20)

18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.
  19 No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or             understanding to say, “I have burned half of it        in the fire and also have baked bread over its            coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the       rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!”
20 He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” 

Idolatry is anything that "moves God to the periphery of our lives and puts something else in His place." --Barry Webb

What are your idols? (What holds your allegiance and thoughts?)

What are your idols? (What holds your allegiance and thoughts?)

God warns us for our good.

What are your idols? (What holds your allegiance and thoughts?)

God warns us for our good.

“Who would so badly want something that they will try to make a god that can give it to them…even if they know that surely won’t work?” (v. 10).

“Deliver/save me!” (v. 17)

What are your idols? (What holds your allegiance and thoughts?)

God warns us for our good.

We cannot create a life for ourselves.

What are your idols? (What holds your allegiance and thoughts?)

God warns us for our good.

We cannot create a life for ourselves.

Be aware how you use what should be worshipped and worship what should be used.