Ep. 165. Isaiah 46-47 | I Will Carry You

EPISODE 165

I WILL CARRY YOU: ISAIAH 46-47

Isaiah spends a lot of time showing the difference between the one true living God and the idols that are the work of men's hands. Bel and Nebo need their idols to be carried on the backs of beasts. These idols of stone and wood get taken into foreign lands, the plunder of the besieging army. In contrast, the living God is the one who carries his people. From the womb to the gray hair of the aged, God carries and cares for his people.

The foolish people hire a goldsmith to fashion an image they can then bow down to, pray to, and offer worship to. They pick it up at the shop and carry it on their shoulders to their homes.

You should put it over by the fireplace. That could look nice," offers the husband.

"I don't know. I liked it by the window. The morning light seems to capture its beauty."

"Well, you need to put it somewhere that the kids won't crash into it when they run through here. That was an expensive idol, and I don't want it all dinged up as soon as we get it home."

The wife muses a little bit. "Okay, move it one more time for me."

He rolls his eyes.

"It's the last time, I promise." She smiles, and he acquiesces. But when their child gets sick, or the foreign armies line the city walls, or the food runs out, their gold-plated rock won't hear a single one of their prayers. It won't move. It can't move.

Do you want to know if you serve the living God or an idol? Does he need your help to get from one place to the next? Then he is nothing. If you can load him on the back of the donkey, pack him in the minivan, dust the top of his golden head, jostle him when you move the coffee table, or sell him in a garage sale when you get a newer model, he/she/it is just an idol.

But we serve a God in heaven—the one and only. There is none like him. He knows the end from the beginning. He is the creator and sustainer of all things. He hears the prayers of his saints. He is filled with steadfast love and mercy. He alone is God.

ADDITIONAL READING: Psalm 115:4-8; Psalm 135:15-18