Thursday, October 22 — There's Nothing There
It's the same piece of wood. Half of it cooks his dinner, and the other half he kneels in front of and calls his god. Isaiah wants us to laugh at that, and then he wants us to look in the mirror.
Isaiah 44:9-20 — KJV
9 They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. 10 Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together. 12 The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house. 14 He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it. 15 Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. 16 He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: 17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. 18 They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. 19 And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? 20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?
Isaiah 44:9-20 — WEB
9 Everyone who makes a carved image is vain. The things that they delight in will not profit. Their own witnesses don’t see, nor know, that they may be disappointed. 10 Who has fashioned a god, or molds an image that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his fellows will be disappointed; and the workmen are mere men. Let them all be gathered together. Let them stand up. They will fear. They will be put to shame together. 12 The blacksmith takes an ax, works in the coals, fashions it with hammers, and works it with his strong arm. He is hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water, and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches out a line. He marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes. He marks it out with compasses, and shapes it like the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to reside in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars for himself, and takes the cypress and the oak, and strengthens for himself one among the trees of the forest. He plants a cypress tree, and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it will be for a man to burn; and he takes some of it, and warms himself. Yes, he burns it, and bakes bread. Yes, he makes a god, and worships it; he makes it a carved image, and falls down to it. 16 He burns part of it in the fire. With part of it, he eats meat. He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. Yes, he warms himself, and says, “Aha! I am warm. I have seen the fire.” 17 The rest of it he makes into a god, even his engraved image. He bows down to it and worships, and prays to it, and says, “Deliver me; for you are my god!” 18 They don’t know, neither do they consider: for he has shut their eyes, that they can’t see; and their hearts, that they can’t understand. 19 No one thinks, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned part of it in the fire. Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals. I have roasted meat and eaten it. Shall I make the rest of it into an abomination? Shall I bow down to a tree trunk?” 20 He feeds on ashes. A deceived heart has turned him aside; and he can’t deliver his soul, nor say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?”
Explanation
Isaiah is speaking to a people who will soon be carried off to Babylon, a city famous for its gods and its grand processions of statues. In the chapters around this one, God keeps asking the same question: who else is like Me? Who else can tell the future, create the world, and save? Then, in this passage, the prophet stops making a formal argument and starts doing something closer to stand-up comedy.
Watch the blacksmith. He works so hard on his god that he gets hungry, his strength gives out, and he gets faint from lack of water. The god he's making can't even keep its maker on his feet. Then watch the carpenter. He measures carefully, marks his lines, planes the wood, and shapes it into the figure of a man. Where did the wood come from? A tree he planted himself, watered by rain he didn't send. He chops it down, uses half for firewood, warms his hands, bakes his bread, roasts his meat, says "Ah, that's nice," and then turns to the leftover half and prays, "Save me, you are my god."
The theme in our quarterly says it plainly: There's nothing there. The idol has eyes that don't see and a body that can't move. Isaiah's sharpest line is the last one: "Is there not a lie in my right hand?" The man is holding his own deception and can't recognize it.
We are not so different. Most of us don't carve statues, but we do build things and then ask them to save us. We build a career and ask it to tell us we matter. We build savings and ask them to make us feel safe. We build an image online and ask it to make us feel loved. These things are made by our own hands, out of materials God gave us, and then we treat them as if they were the source.
There's even something to notice in your own right hand. Many of us carry a device there all day long. It's a useful tool, the same way that log was useful firewood. But when we reach for it for comfort, for direction, for worth, we're kneeling to the leftover half of the log.
Isaiah's verdict is that the idol-maker "feeds on ashes." He's eating what's left after the fire has gone out. It feels like food, but it doesn't nourish. On Sunday we'll watch Micah pay a silversmith to make a god for his house. He'll have a shrine, an ephod, and a priest, and there will be nothing there. Religious activity can be busy and impressive and still be empty at the center.
The good news is that Isaiah isn't finished. Tomorrow, the God who is actually there will speak.
Thought for the Day
Don't pray to what you made with your own hands.
Reflection Question
What have you built with your own hands that you've quietly started asking to save you?
Prayer
Lord, open our eyes to the lies we hold in our own right hands. Forgive us for asking the things we've made to do what only You can do. Feed us with what truly satisfies, not with ashes. Turn our hearts back toward You, the God who is really there.
This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: God's Works Are Not Forgotten.