31^st August

“I am the First and the Last; there is no other God. Who is like Me? Let him step forward and prove to you his power. Let him do as I have done since the ancient times when I established a people and explained its future.”

Isaiah 44:6b-7

Why do we put our hopes in things that cannot satisfy or even answer? As humans, we are always searching for hope, appreciation, support, guidance, provision and protection. We cry out to our Facebook friends, for appreciation, likes and adoration. We look to our social media networks to hear our cries for help as we pour out our hearts. We idolise singers and artists, as if they can fill the empty holes in our hearts. Yet all this, is simply false hope and trust in ‘idols’ that cannot help us. Perhaps we may feel a temporary peace, but it will not last.

The Israelites too, were battling with placing their hope in false idol worship, and their trust in images carved from human hands. God, through Isaiah’s words, challenged the people of Israel, as their Redeemer and King. ‘Who is like Me?’ God says. ‘Come forward to prove your power.’¹ This was not an arrogant statement, but the words of truth and confidence. There is no one like our God.

The passage continues (well worth a read), from verses 9 – 20, highlighting just how ridiculous it is to place your trust in anything other than God Himself. The writer breaks down the process of how an idol is made. First the wood-carver cuts down the wood, selecting the wood for the idol he is going to make. With the rest of the wood, he starts a fire to keep himself warm, to bake his bread and to roast his meat. Yet “the person who made the idol never stops to reflect, “Why it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?”² Although this is a highly comical section of scripture, there is a hard hitting truth; isn’t it ridiculous when we place our hope in anything other than the ONE TRUE GOD?

“Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”