Hymns: RHC 346 Be Still, My Soul 347 Under the Care of My God, The Almighty 461 O Zion Haste

Isaiah 46

1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast. 2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity. 3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: 4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. 5 To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? 6 They 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. 7 They 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. 8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. 9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I amGod, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. 12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness: 13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

Flee the Folly of Idolatry

OUTLINE

• Return to be Under Care of the LORD (v1-4)
• Idols Are Dumb and Cannot Save (v5-7)
• The LORD Only Is God – Worship Only Him (v7-8)
• The LORD Will Restore His People (v9-13)

INTRODUCTION

What is idolatry? An idol is anything in our lives that occupies the place that should be occupied by God alone. Anything that holds my life and my devotion, anything that is central in my life, anything that seems to be vital, anything that is essential to me; an idol is anything I live and on which I depend. Anything that moves and rouses and attracts and stimulates is an idol. An idol is anything that I worship, anything to which I give much of my time and attention , my energy and my money; anything that holds a controlling position in my life is an idol.^[1]

The last words of the Apostle John to the church was exactly this – the snare of idolatry.

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

The first thought is a loving thought giving his care for their welfare. He is called the Apostle of love. He was the disciple whom Jesus loved. He understood the tender care of a loving father in his Lord and he expresses that love likewise to his spiritual children. This expression “little children” is a term he learned from his Master. 

Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 “…Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” 

Here it speaks of the one who puts aside his ambitions and his own ways, humbling himself before God with a heart inclined to listen and ready to obey.

This is the same words the Apostle John addressed his spiritual children which he used no less than 9 times in this epistle, most of the time to convey word of caution and warning.

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

Be aware of your sins. Confess them.

1 John 2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

Be aware that your sins have been forgiven when you confess them.

1 John 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

Be aware to distinguish well truth and error, righteousness from unrighteousness. That differentiates a true Christian.

1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Be aware that a true Christian is a practicing Christian.

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Be aware that Satan cannot overcome the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells you.

Lastly, the snare of idolatry, the most serious admonition!

This chapter is a continuation of the argument before commenced to show the folly of idolatry, and to induce the captive and exile Jews to put their trust in the LORD – flee the folly of idolatry.

Isaiah 45:20-22 (KJV) Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

It has been idolatry that caused them to be deported out of the land and be chastised in the land of the Chaldeans. Learn the lesson well and not go on living in folly!

This is the background of this text – “The scene of this prophecy is laid in Babylon, and at the time when the city was about to be taken by Cyrus, and the Jews about to be delivered from captivity. The idols of the Chaldeans, unable to defend their city, are borne in haste away for safety, and Cyrus is at the gates. 

The design is to give to the exiles there an assurance that when they should see these things, they should conclude that their deliverance drew near; and to furnish them thus with ample demonstration that the LORD was the true God, and that he was their protector and friend In their long and painful captivity also, they would have these promises to comfort them; and when they surveyed the splendour of the idol worship in Babylon, and their hearts were pained with the prevalent idolatry, they would have also the assurance that those idols were to be removed, and that that idolatry would come to an end.” [Barnes]

• Return to be Under the Care of the LORD (v1-4)

1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast. 2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.

The idols of Babylon should be overthrown (v1-2). The prophet sees those idols removed from their places, laid on beasts of burden and borne away. They were unable to deliver their city from the arm of the conqueror, but were themselves carried into captivity. The exiles, therefore, had the certain prospect of deliverance.

3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: 4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

God appeals to the fact, that He had always protected the Jewish people; that he had dealt with them as a parent in the infancy and youth of their nation, and be solemnly assures them that He would not leave them in their old age and their trials (v3-4).

Psalm 37:25 (KJV) I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Isaiah 41:10 (KJV) Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV) Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Deuteronomy 31:8 (KJV) And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

• Idols Are Dumb and Cannot Save (v5-7)

5 To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? 6 They 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. 7 They 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.

He shows them the folly of idolatry, and the vanity of idols (v5-7). They could not aid or defend in the day of trial; and, therefore, the people should put their trust in the true God.

1 Samuel 5:3 (KJV) And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.

Jeremiah 10:5 (KJV) They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

Daniel 3:1 (KJV) Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

Daniel 3:17-18 (KJV) If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

• The LORD Only Is God – Worship Only Him (8-9)

8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. 9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

He appeals to them by the recollection of former events, and reminds them of His merciful intervention (v8-9).

Remember this – that has been often told you, what senseless helpless things idols are, and show yourselves men – men and not brutes, men and not babes. 

Remember the former things of old, what the God of Israel did for His people in their beginnings, whether He did not that for them which no one else could, and which the false gods did not, nor could do, for their worshippers. Remember those things, and you will own that I am God and there is none else. [Matthew Henry] 

Deuteronomy 33:26 (KJV) There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.

• The LORD Will Restore His People (10-13)

10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

He appeals to them by the fact that He had predicted future events, and especially by the fact that he had raised up a distinguished conqueror – Cyrus – who would accomplish all His pleasure (v10-11). [Barnes]

12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness: 13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

He assures them that His righteous purpose was near to be accomplished, and that He would restore Zion to its former splendour, and that His salvation should be made known to His people (v12-13).

The phrase ‘stout-hearted’ would naturally, denote those who were bold and courageous. But here it evidently means those whose hearts were strong against God; who nerved themselves to resist and oppose His plans and government; who were stubborn and rebellious.

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^[1] Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in Christ, Crossway, 2002, 728.