- Isaiah 46 (Contemporary English Version)
- The gods Bel and Nebo are down on their knees, as wooden images of them are carried away on weary animals.
- They are down on their knees to rescue the heavy load, but the images are still taken to a foreign country.
- You survivors in Israel, listen to me, the LORD. Since the day you were born, I have carried you along.
- I will still be the same when you are old and gray, and I will take care of you. I created you. I will carry you and always keep you safe.
- Can anyone compare with me? Is anyone my equal?
- Some people hire a goldsmith and give silver and gold to be formed into an idol for them to worship.
- They carry the idol on their shoulders, then put it on a stand, but it cannot move. They call out to the idol when they are in trouble, but it doesn't answer, and it cannot help.
- Now keep this in mind, you sinful people. And don't ever forget it.
- I alone am God! There are no other gods; no one is like me. Think about what happened many years ago.
- From the very beginning, I told what would happen long before it took place. I kept my word
- and brought someone from a distant land to do what I wanted. He attacked from the east, like a hawk swooping down. Now I will keep my promise and do what I planned.
- You people are stubborn and far from being safe, so listen to me.
- I will soon come to save you. I am not far away and will waste no time; I take pride in Israel and will save Jerusalem.
To whom is God to be compared? That is the question raised in this chapter. Certainly He is not to be compared to idols that can do nothing for mankind. Instead of carrying the burdens of those who worship them, idols are actually a burden to them, for they must be carried. And instead of rescuing the people from captivity, they go into captivity with them. It is ridiculous to think that an object that has been crafted by a goldsmith could then become one's god. How can one think such a thing of an object they have had to carry and set in its place and is then unable to budge from that place?
If God is to be compared to such an object, then consider this, house of Jacob: it is God who has made you and sustained you and who "will bear and save you." (46:4) This God, who can be compared to no one, will never change. He will be the same as long as any shall live. On Him one can depend. This God "declares the end from the beginning." (46:10) Whatever this God plans, He will do. He will do all He has planned. This God says to the house of Jacob (Israel): "I am bringing My justice near; it is not far away, and My salvation will not delay. I will put salvation in Zion, My splendor in Israel." (46:13)
Man, in his desire to have a god he can see and manipulate, designs his own god. But only a fool would think that an object made by one's own hand or created in one's own mind could do anything for them.
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