Copyright Mike Sullivan, 2018.
This study is part of a ten-week teaching series on Isaiah given at Xenos Christian Fellowship in 2017 and 2018.
Intro
The God of the Bible is named Yahweh. And Yahweh says he is the one and only God. In the very first of the Ten Commandments, Yahweh gave this command to the prophet Moses:
Exodus 20:2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 You shall have no other gods before Me."
Of course, if you read the Old Testament, you'll see that people did have other gods before them. Even God's people, the Jews, repeatedly broke this command by worshipping other deities. Examples include: Baal, Ashtoreth, Ashera, Dagon, Chemosh, Molech—the list goes on and on.
When people do this... when they worship other gods, the Bible calls it idolatry.
Isaiah has much to say about idolatry. The topic comes up in 26 out of the 66 chapters in this book. The best of these is chapter 44, which is what we will study today.
The claim: "No god but God."
In the ancient Near East, like I said, people worshipped dozens of idols. Despite this variety, the God of Israel was adamant:
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.'"
God's meaning is clear. He is not saying, "I am true for you if you believe in me." And he's not saying, "I am one valid option among many." Instead he says, "there is no God besides Me."
If true, then every belief system that advocates worshipping a deity other than Yahweh is wrong! Some of the teachings, ethical commands, in these religions may be noble and good, but if people are worshipping a god other than the true God—Yahweh—their worship is misplaced. They are making a terrible mistake! God says, "there is no God but me."
OBJECTION: How can you say that? That's so narrow and exclusive. You're dismissing all these other belief systems and their gods!!
Well, it is true that I'm saying God is the only true God. But this is also what the text says. If you go to church, you could decide, "The God of the Bible is true for me, but other gods are true for other people." But that wouldn't be Christianity. From cover to cover, the Bible teaches that there is only one God.
God's defense
I know this is an unpopular view, and I'm sure God knows, too. But he doesn't trip over himself to apologize. If you question God's exclusive claim to be God, if you find that irksome, God has a question for you. And he also has a couple warnings. Let's start with his question...
44:7 '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.'"
Instead of providing an in-depth philosophical argument for why he is the one true God, he simply asks, "who is like me?" "Is there any God besides me?" Who else is qualified to be God? Candidates interested in the position of ME are welcome to apply."
Let's say you were looking to hire someone to be your god. What kinds of qualifications would you look for? Strong people skills? Good attention to detail? Some management experience? A team player?
Maybe you've heard about more sophisticated qualifications that God should have, like being all knowing, all powerful, loving, just, and so on.
Those are some of God's qualifications, but he mentions none of them here. Instead he tells us to look for something more specific and verifiable: candidates for the position of God must be able to tell the future before it happens.
Look what God says, "You think you are like Me?" then "declare... the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place." God's ability to tell the future—that's what separates him from counterfeit gods.
E.g., This is a $20 bill [show pic], the most counterfeited currency in the world. To tell if one is authentic, you have to look for certain security features: a vertical security strip that says "TWENTY USA" on the left third of the bill, a faint watermark of Andrew Jackson's face near the right edge of the bill, microprinting below the treasurer's signature, raised ink on Jackson's right shoulder that feels bumpy when you run your fingernail across it, and faint yellow # 20's on the back of the bill.
God knows he is the most counterfeited being out there, that there are many false gods to choose from, and that we need a way, a security feature, so to speak, to distinguish the true God from his imposters. So he tells us to look for someone who can predict the future.
Does the God of the Bible meet that requirement? Well, it just so happens that this particular section of Isaiah is filled with detailed predictions about future events that have already come true, detailed predictions written hundreds of years before the events transpired. These prophesies are undeniable proof that whoever wrote the Bible could see into the future. Next week, we'll spend the entire teaching exploring several of these "fulfilled prophecies."
For now, I'll leave you with this criteria: If you are choosing a god, remember that God's ability to predict the future separates him from all other so-called deities.
So, "who is like Me?" "who else can predict the future?"—that's God's question to those who don't like his claim to be the only God. But his defense doesn't rest there. He also has a couple warnings for us to consider...
Warning 1: Beware of your fears.
While God insists that he is the only God, he cautions his people, "do not tremble, do not be afraid." But what's the connection? How are our fears related to who we choose to worship?
God knew that if his people were afraid—afraid of military defeat or afraid of crop failure or sickness—and they weren't confident God would help, they would turn to other gods, to idols, and say, "deliver us." Aware of this dynamic, he cautions them, "don't be afraid."
Fears work the same way with us. God promises if we follow him he'll meet our basic needs, never leave or forsake us, empower us, guide us, give us an abundant life with meaning and purpose. All these promises are laid out in multiple places. But when we are doubtful God will deliver, we are more likely to set him aside and put our trust in something else.
E.g., This is a Krushyovka—a five-story apartment building. You can find these all over Russia. I saw my first one while visiting the Russian town of Morozova in the early 90s. During my stay, I visited several people who lived in these apartment buildings. Some elevators worked, some were slow, some didn't work at all. I tried a few with mixed results. And I was also hearing some horror stories about people getting stuck in elevators for hours. So I made a decision. I gave up on Russian elevators. I knew they were there, but didn't trust them. I started taking the steps instead.
Isn't it possible, when you don't fully trust God, that you might look to someone or something else to take you to the floor you want to go to?
You might be afraid of having no value, so you look to athletic achievement to prove to yourself and other people that you matter.
You might be afraid of being alone, so you put a very high value on finding a partner who will love and care for you.
We all have different fears, and we deal with those fears by looking to various saviors which can become idols, false gods that we feel like we can't live without.
As God sees this happen, he asks, "Is there any other rock? I know of none." "Is there any other rock?"—that's a great question. Is there something or someone other than God who can provide a better foundation for your life than him? Someone who will always be there for you? Earlier in the chapter, God says...
44:2 Thus says the LORD who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you, 'Do not fear, O Jacob My servant; and you Jeshurun whom I have chosen. [Nicknames God uses for his people] 3 For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants;
God promises his people that unlike false gods, false saviors who inevitably disappoint, he will meet their needs: "I will help you," "I will pour out water on the thirsty land," "I will pour out my Spirit." He is committed to providing for the physical and spiritual needs of his people.
So that's the first warning God has for those who are unsure that God is the one and only God. He says, "beware of your fears." They can choose your god for you.
Here's the second...
Warning 2: Idols are useless.
This warning is simple... if you choose to worship another god, it will be useless. It won't be able to do anything for you.
44:9 Those who fashion a graven image [an idol] 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... 11 Behold, all his companions [the idol maker and his fellow idol makers] 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.
God says idol making—creating a substitute god to save you—is a futile way to handle your fears. The whole enterprise is a waste of time. It's unprofitable.
e.g. One time I watched from a distance as people set up a volleyball court on the beach. They were ten feet from the surf and the tide was coming in. Apparently they had never been to the ocean before and thought it was like Lake Erie. I thought about saying something, but instead decided to let the situation play out. It wasn't long before the volleyball court was completely submerged. What an exercise in futility! That's the verdict God passes on idol making.
To illustrate how worthless idols are, Isaiah tells a ridiculous story about an idol maker.
44:12 The man [the idol maker] 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.
Hmmm, if the idol maker loses strength, how strong is the idol he makes?
44:13 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.
He makes this beautiful idol statue for what? So it can sit on a shelf and do nothing?!
44:14 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.
So he takes half of a log and burns it in his fireplace, and he takes the other half and worships it! That's absurd!
44:16 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."
He bows before what used to be a tree and prays, "deliver me, for you are my God!!" This is supposed to be funny because it is so ridiculous, but as this story goes on, God shifts from satire to expressing real pain and exasperation. He says...
44:19 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!"
Can you hear the pain in God's voice? He made that tree! He made the sun shine on it, and the rain fall on it. But instead of worshipping him, his people are worshipping a block of wood!! God had to look at this with tears in his eyes. It's not just silly, it's tragic!
OBJECTION: OK—idols are useless. So what? What's the harm? People around the world worship idols. Who are we to criticize? If someone wants to worship a rock or tree or a trash can, fine! Let 'em live! There's no harm in any of this.
It is their choice, true enough. But harmless? Oh man—not true! There is great harm, great harm when people worship something other than the true God.
Let's take Molech, the chief God of the Ammonites, as an example. Molech was often displayed as a hollow iron statue that was heated up with a fire inside until his arms were white hot. Worshippers would place their own children in Molech's arms as a sacrifice hoping for protection against their enemies. And this wasn't just done by common people. Kings did this. Kings of Israel and Judah did this.i
An archaeologist named J.B. Henessee found a temple to Molech and noted "two outstanding features associated with the use of the temple were the enormous quantities of animal, bird, and human bones and the abundant evidence of fire..." He also noted "at least 75% of them [the bones found] belonged to children between ages 3 and 14."ii
No harm in worshipping idols?
How about Baal? Baal was often worshipped as part of a fertility cult. Young women were torn from their families and forced to serve as prostitutes in Baal's shrine. Paying customers had sex with them (raped them!) to encourage crops to grow and livestock to breed. Can you imagine what this did to these women? To the whole fabric of society?
No harm in worshipping idols?
That's ridiculous. When the Jews turned away from their God to worship other gods, there was a terrible cost.
Isaiah used satire to show that idol making is silly. But it was more than silly, it was destructive.iii
Summary
Let's pause here to summarize God's defense of his exclusive claim that "there is no God besides me."
First he asks "who is like me?" Interested candidates should step forward!
And then he warns us:
Beware, fear may drive you to worship other gods.
If you do worship idols, they won't help you, instead you'll pay a price to serve them.
What about us?
What relevance could all this talk about worshipping idols have for us today?
You may be fully persuaded that worshipping idols is foolish. And from this you might conclude, "lets turn to chapter 45. I'm in no danger of worshipping idols. I'm OK in this area."
If you feel that way, I just have one thing to show you...
E.g., [Slide with a statue of Brutus Buckeye] Brutus is just a mascot, right? A real idol stands for something we devote time to, spend lots of money on, give intense love toward. Something our sense of happiness is tied to. There's nothing to see here. Let's move on...
In many parts of the world, it's common to see statues and figurines of idols. And people still pray to them and give them offerings of food and money. But in the west, our idols, our saviors tend to be things like...
…certain life situations (like being financially independent, being married, owning a home),
…or people (like a spouse or a romantic interest),
…or achievements (like a degree, a promotion, or an award),
…or pleasure (comfort, food, sex, entertainment, travel).
We turn to these modern-day saviors for protection, for shelter, for meaning and purpose, to get our needs met, to find true happiness.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying there is anything intrinsically wrong with these things. They are all good. What I'm saying is that when we lose confidence in God, we begin to relate to these things in an improper way. We begin to look to people, situations, achievements, and sources of pleasure to meet needs only God can meet.
This, by the way, doesn't just happen by accident. We are conditioned through advertising to believe we are one person, one degree, one purchase away from salvation. Here is an old and obvious example of what I'm talking about:
E.g., YouTube: 1985 Michelob Light You Can Have it All
The message in this TV ad is clear: drink our beer, and you'll land a great job, get a girl, catch a fish! What else could a guy want?
Newer advertisements are more subtle and more effective. This is Douglas Atkin [slide], a modern brand manager. He tries to connect his products to "a whole meaning system for people, through which they get identity and understanding of the world."iv What is he doing? Making an idol! You don't have to make your own idol, he'll sell you one.
If you'd like to learn more about how marketers try to connect our deepest needs to their products, watch the PBS/Frontline special, The Persuaders.
We don't have time to identify all of our modern-day idols, so let's talk instead about signs in our lives that we've replaced God with an idol, the price we pay to serve them, and some steps back toward God.
Signs we've made an idol:
1. I can't have peace without ________.
In my first dating relationship, I wasn't at peace unless I knew my girlfriend and I were good. I remember wondering, are we good or are we not good? If I sensed things weren't going well, I'd worry. The thought of our relationship not working was debilitating. After we broke up, of course, my head cleared. I realized during that relationship, my sense of well-being was completely hitched to how we were doing. I was looking to her to find happiness and contentment that only God can deliver. That's way too much to put on any one person. No one has shoulders that broad.
2. Pursuit of _______ leaves little time for God.
Some of us are so busy pursing our goals we have very little time in our life for the things of God. Imagine hearing this conversation...
Person 1: "You're working so much you have no time to be with God's people, no time to learn about God, no time to serve him."
Person 2: "My employer is demanding that I travel and work long hours to finish this project."
Person 1: "Could you ask them to scale back their demands? And if they are unwilling, begin looking for a new job?"
Person 2: "I don't want to do anything to jeopardize this job. I have to have it. I need the income and the health insurance."
Person 1: "God says if you put me first, I will take care of you."
Person 2: "I've never received a paycheck from God. And he doesn't pay my doctor bills."
God wants you to work to support your family. And it's foolish to leave a job without a new one to go to. But your job isn't your savior. God is. You depend on God for every breath you take. God is the one who gives good things to people, including jobs that pay the bills. God has promised he will not leave you or forsake you, to meet your needs if you put him first. So, we have to decide who will bow down to—to our job or to God.
3. Extreme emotions.
We often become anxious, angry, or despondent when someone threatens to take away something we desperately want. These strong negative emotions may be a sign that an idol is near.
I hate being delayed. It drives me nuts to be put on hold, trapped in slow traffic, or stuck in a long checkout line. Why the extreme reaction? Because I get a strong sense of security from being productive. God says he is my sanctuary (8:14), my strength (12:2), my refuge in a storm (25:4), my sure foundation (28:16), my shepherd (40:11), my leader (55:4). But I often seek security in productivity. If I am getting things done, all is well. If I can't do anything, I get extremely frustrated.
Are you currently experiencing strong feelings of fear, anger, or despair? Ask yourself, "Why? What am I worried about losing?" Is it a desirable situation, a relationship with a person, an achievement, some form of pleasure? Could you imagine life without what you are afraid of losing? Would God be enough?
4. An inordinate need for control.
Wife: "I was talking with Marie today about our marriage."
Husband: "Yeah? What did you say? Did you tell her about our fight last night?"
Wife: "I did. I'm still reeling from what you said and I needed someone to talk to."
Husband: "I don't want you talking about our personal life with other people."
What's going on in an exchange like this? We want to control how we are perceived, and we actually think we can do it. So, we try to manage our image, to put forth a public version of us that looks good. If we're happy with how people see us, all is well. If not, we try to minimize the damage.
Would we feel the need to do this if we humbly accepted the value God places on us? The question of our worth was settled when God sent his son to die for us. If we are that valuable to God, why bother trying to control how much people value us?
So, not being able to have peace, having no time for the things of God, extreme emotions, an inordinate need for control—these are symptoms that an idol is nearby. Next, what about the price we pay?
What price are you paying to serve idols?
We talked about how worshipping Molech and other gods came with a terrible price. What does our idolatry cost us? Well, consider what we just talked about—I can't have peace, I have no time for my spiritual life with God, my emotions are all over the place, I feel out of control and vulnerable. That sounds like a price to me! There is a price to pay to keep our idols happy.
If you live for comfort, you forfeit healthy relationships, because friendships are hard work.
If you can't be corrected because you have to be right, you forfeit life-saving input that you desperately need from people who care about you.
I know some older dads who gave their time, and energy, and passion almost exclusively to their careers. And the costs weren't just to their walk with God, it cost them a good relationship with their kids, and in some cases, their marriage.
These are staggering costs, but the crazy thing is, when we're actively pursuing our idols, we often can't see the price we're paying.
"We must remember that idols create a 'delusional field' about them. We have deified them. We have created a cognitive and emotional inflation of them. Remember that we have magnified them in our eyes to be more wonderful and all-powerful than they are." – The Glory of the Gospel: Studies in Paul's Letter to the Galatians, p. 51.
Can you be honest with yourself about the price you're paying to serve your idols? That is the first step back to sanity. Look at what Isaiah says to the person who worships idols:
44:20 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?"
We can be so enamored with our idols we fail to see their shortcomings. No relationship, achievement, situation, or amount of pleasure could ever bring you lasting satisfaction and hope. Only God can do that. Can you admit that your idol, whatever it is, is a lie—that it's a poor substitute for God? Can you admit to God, "I thought this relationship, this achievement, this job would sustain me, and nourish me, and deliver me, but I was wrong. Only you can do that, God. I've been feeding on ashes!!"
If you see the signs of idol worship in your life and you know you're paying a price...
What are some steps back to God?
This is important—if you are pretty far gone on this issue, there is still hope.
The people of Judah had been worshipping idols for hundreds of years. They worshipped idols from the very beginning. They carried idols with them when they left Egypt, and continued worshipping them in the promised land. God compares their zeal for idols to an adulterous wife's desire to be with other men. He says...
Isaiah 57:4b "Are you not children of rebellion, offspring of deceit, 5 who inflame yourselves among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter the children in the ravines, under the clefts of the crags?
God asks, "are you not guilty of idol worship?" Of course, they were guilty! Idolatry in Judah was so bad the surrounding nations thought the people of Judah were polytheists!v
Things were so bad, you'd think the situation was beyond recovery. But that's not the case. Look what God says...
44:21 "Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant, O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me. 22 I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you."
God was willing to extend grace and love to his people, even though they were so unfaithful to him. Unbelievable! If there is hope for them, there is hope for anyone.
Notice two key things God directs them to do: remember what God has done and return to him.
What should they remember? That God hasn't forgotten them. That he has wiped out their transgressions—their sin which separates them from God. How did he do it? Through something called redemption.
God says, "Return to me, for I have redeemed you. To be redeemed is to be set free—free from God's just punishment for sins we have committed. Isaiah is pointing to something Jesus would do hundreds of years later when he died on the cross. He took on the punishment we deserve, in our place, and the result is that we are set free—redeemed.
1 Peter 1:18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold [an allusion to idols] that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
You can return to God, right now, because Jesus was punished in your place for every wrong you have ever committed. He took it all onto himself, allowing you to be redeemed, set free from the penalty of your sin. Because of what Jesus has done, you can come to God, even if you've rejected him in the past. It doesn't matter. He'll receive you.
Some of you know Christ already, and despite this, you've spent years looking to other gods to care for you. If you are ready to let go of your idol, what's next?
You can start right now to build your life around God, but it will involve some hard choices. You may need a job change, or to end a relationship, or to begin to trust God with your reputation.
E.g., A friend of mine took a break from playing in a band because it was dominating all of his time.
If you choose to lay aside your idol, ask God to help. Ask him to help you rediscover how good he is. Isaiah describes a time when people will see God for who he really is. Look at what happens when they do:
Isaiah 30:20 Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. 21 Your own ears will hear him... 22 Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags, saying to them, "Good riddance!"
This is what we really need. A fresh appreciation of who God is. When you see how he can provide for you, it won't be as hard to lay down the lie in your hand.
It will help if you read and re-read Isaiah 40—the chapter we covered last week. It provides a rich description of who God is and how he provides for us. Live in those truths for a while. If you want to lay aside our idols, you must have a growing appreciation for who God is.
And get around people who love God. Letting go of your idol won't be easy. You'll need the love and encouragement of people around you. Don't try to do it alone!
Lastly, boost your confidence that there's no god but God by coming out next week to see how he predicts the future!
i See Leviticus 20:2-5; 2 Kings 16:3; 23:10; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Jeremiah 32:35.
ii J.B. Hennessey, Palestine Exploration Quarterly, p. 162.
iii We have a strong impulse to affirm whatever people believe. But when you actually study what some religions teach, that isn't possible. If you were alive in Isaiah's day, would you have affirmed sacrificing children or ritual prostitution?
iv From the transcript of the FPBS/Frontline special, The Persuaders.