"Trouble's Coming--Secure the gods!"

Scripture Passage

Isaiah 40:1-44:5

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Scripture Focus

The lands beyond the sea watch in fear.
    Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war.
The idol makers encourage one another,
    saying to each other, “Be strong!”
The carver encourages the goldsmith,
    and the molder helps at the anvil.
    “Good,” they say. “It’s coming along fine.”
Carefully they join the parts together,
    then fasten the thing in place so it won’t fall over.
                                          (Isaiah 41:5-7 NLT)

Observation

What a wonderful four chapters! There are so many great images that Isaiah uses in these chapters to present his message—Our loving God speaking sweet words of comfort and promise to Israel, our almighty God measuring the heavens with His fingers, and—by contrast—the nations of the world as nothing but “dust on the scales”—i.e., of utterly no consequence when weighing things out! But one of my favorite images comes from Isaiah 41:5-7.

In 41:2, God speaks of calling forth a “king from the east”—most surely Cyrus the Persian, who is prophetically identified by name in chapter 44. As a result, all those “drop in the bucket…dust on the scales” nations “tremble and mobilize for war”. And…

The idol makers encourage one another,
     saying to each other, “Be strong!”
                              (Isaiah 41:6 NLT)

You understand, of course, that a battle between nations was a battle between the gods of each nation. Think, for example, of the ten plagues Jehovah sends proving His power over the gods of Egypt or of the confrontation between Jehovah and Dagon when the Philistines take possession of the Ark of the Covenant. The same thing’s going on here—Cyrus (remarkably, *not* exactly a guy living in covenant with Jehovah) becomes the tool of Jehovah…and the battle is on!

Can’t you just see these idol makers in their workshops chest-bumping each other in false bravado while the terror in their eyes reveals the truth—their “gods” don’t stand a chance! But what do they do? What can they do?

The carver encourages the goldsmith,
     and the molder helps at the anvil.
     “Good,” they say. “It’s coming along fine.”
Carefully they join the parts together,
     then fasten the thing in place so it won’t fall over.
                                               (Isaiah 41:7 NLT)

I’m so grateful nobody needs to fasten my God in place so He won’t topple over. “You rule, God Most High! You have no equal!”

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