Day 7 — Isaiah 44:1-23 Formed by God, Fooled by Idols
Opening prayer
Creator and Redeemer, please expose the idols of my heart today. Help me to see the emptiness of all God-substitutes and to rejoice that I belong to you through Jesus. Amen.
Headline
God’s people are formed, chosen, and redeemed by the LORD, so they must not be fooled by the attractive emptiness of idols.
Isaiah 44:1-23
Israel, whom I have chosen.
2 This is what the Lord says—
he who made you, who formed you in the womb,
and who will help you:
Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour 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.
4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams.
5 Some will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and will take the name Israel.
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.”
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?
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.
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!”
18 They know nothing, they understand nothing;
their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
19 No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
20 Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”
21 “Remember these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant.
I have made you, you are my servant;
Israel, I will not forget you.
22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you.”
23 Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this;
shout aloud, you earth beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,
you forests and all your trees,
for the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
he displays his glory in Israel.
Comment
Yesterday we heard God say, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you… you are mine” (43:1). Today he says something very similar: “Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen” (v.2).
That is where the fight against idolatry begins.
Before Isaiah exposes the foolishness of idols, he reminds God’s people who they are. They are not self-made. They are formed by God. They are chosen by God. They are helped by God. They belong to him.
That is why idolatry is so tragic. It is not merely that idols are false. It is that God’s own people, made and loved by him, can be tempted to give their trust, worship, fear, and hope to things that are not God.
But the LORD promises more than forgiveness. He promises renewal: “I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring” (v.3). The answer to Israel’s spiritual dryness is not a better idol, but the life-giving Spirit of God. Only God can make his people flourish again.
Then comes the great declaration: “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God” (v.6). This is the central truth Isaiah keeps pressing home. The LORD is not simply the best God among many. He is the only God. He alone creates, rules, speaks, saves, and knows the end from the beginning. Therefore his people can say, “I belong to the LORD” (v.5).
By contrast, idols are absurd.
Isaiah does not merely condemn idolatry; he mocks it. A blacksmith becomes exhausted making a god (v.12). A carpenter carefully measures and shapes a piece of wood (v.13). Part of the tree is used to warm himself and bake bread. But with the rest “he makes a god and worships it” (v.15).
It is ridiculous. Half the wood cooks dinner; the other half becomes a deity.
And yet idolatry is not just ancient foolishness. Our idols may not usually be statues of wood and metal, but we still make created things bear the weight only God can carry. Money, success, comfort, family, reputation, beauty, control, ministry, approval, pleasure, security — good things can become god-things when we trust them to save us, satisfy us, or give us worth.
That is why idolatry is both attractive and destructive. It feels empowering because we can design our own gods. We can choose something visible, manageable, and suited to our desires. But that is also its fatal weakness. A god we make cannot be greater than us. A saviour we control cannot save us.
Isaiah’s diagnosis is searching: “They know nothing, they understand nothing” (v.18). Idolatry blinds us. It makes intelligent people foolish. It makes us feed on ashes while thinking we are nourished (v.20). It leaves us deceived and unable to ask the obvious question: “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?” (v.20).
But God’s final word is not mockery. It is mercy: “Remember these things, Jacob… I have made you, you are my servant; Israel, I will not forget you” (v.21). Even after all their idolatry, God calls his people back. He says, “I have swept away your offences like a cloud… Return to me, for I have redeemed you” (v.22).
That redemption finds its fulfilment in Jesus. He is the true image of the invisible God, unlike every false image we construct. He is the Redeemer who does not need to be carried, protected, or served by human hands. Instead, he carries our sin, bears our shame, and brings us back to God.
Why does God want me to hear this today? Because my heart is still tempted by designer religion: a god who fits my preferences, supports my ambitions, and never challenges my loves. But every idol is a lie in my right hand. Only the LORD made me. Only the LORD redeemed me. Only the LORD pours out his Spirit. Only Jesus can save. So today I am called to turn from what cannot satisfy and say again, “I belong to the LORD.”
Reflect
- What good thing am I most tempted to turn into a god-thing?
- Where might I be “feeding on ashes” while thinking I am being satisfied?
- How does knowing that God made, redeemed, and remembers me help me turn from idols?
Closing prayer
Lord God, you are the first and the last; apart from you there is no God. Forgive me for trusting created things to give me security, meaning, comfort, or worth. By your Spirit, open my eyes to the lies of idolatry and draw my heart back to Jesus, my Creator and Redeemer. Amen
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