Idols
Idols
Isaiah 46: 1-10
1 Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast. 2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity. 3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: 4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
5 To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? 6 They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship. 7 They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble. 8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. 9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
I. Introduction
A. Read Isaiah 46: 1-10
1. God has and always will be a “jealous” God.
a. Ex. 20: 3 – the first commandment
b. Ex. 34: 13 – My name is Jealous!
2. God can be moved to jealousy.
3. Greatest commandment: love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, soul and mind.
4. Why should God be jealous? – This passage gives us the answer.
B. A quick look at the passage
1. Kings took the names of the idols
a. Bel – Belus (An early king deified after his death) – Belshazzar
Nebuchadnezzar named Daniel Belteshazzar after Bel. Dan. 4
b. Nebo – Nebuchadnezzar
c. These kings were actually no stronger than the gods’ whose
name they bore.
2. Dan. 5 – vs 30 tells us Belshazzar died that very night.
3. Dan. 4 – God was bigger than Nebuchadnezzar but after
seven years God restored him.
4. The god cannot do one thing to ease the burden on those carrying it. These gods cannot hear or answer prayer.
a. Remember Elijah in I Kings 18: 27-29?
b. It was customary for the idols of a conquered country to be
carried into captivity. God never was carried anywhere.
c. Read vs. 3-4
d. Dagon is broken before the Ark of the Covenant I Sam. 5: 1- 5
3. The mere inanimateness of the idols is enough to enrage God when
we think of His greatness and ability to carry us.
C. Nothing can take the place of God.
1. We can “idolize” people without making them idols in the true sense of the word.
a. Kids do it all the time with sports figures.
b. We as Christians do with Paul and Peter, etc.
2. The bible tells us repeatedly that God is all sufficient.
a. Deut. 7: 9 God is faithful
b. II Cor. 12: 7-10
3. If Paul had chosen anything but prayer and faith to address his
“thorn in the flesh” it could have easily become his idol.
4. We all have to come to grips with the thorns we all have.
II. Body
A. Deification, what is it? Noun which refers to the verb “deify”.
1. Def. 1 – to make somebody or something a god.
2. Def. 2 – to honor somebody or something as if it were divine.
3. Anything that takes the place of something God has promised can
easily become an idol.
B. Someone – Our needs can drive us to worship someone
1. Have you ever set others up to be God/Jesus?
a. I am sad to say that I have more than one time in my life.
* Share examples *
b. This was always after a serious blunder and at a time when God was not prevalent in my life.
c. We are made to worship something.
1. Ex. 32: 1 & 7-10
2. Most people have a sense of some higher power. Acts 17:22
2. What were you missing that you thought only they could give?
a. Money Mt. 6: 25-34
b. Security Lk. 12: 32-34 refer back to IIBc1.
c. Companionship Mt. 28: 20
d. A sense of belonging D. Koresh, J. Jones, Heaven’s Gate,
C. Manson
C. What about ourselves?
1. Do we become pleased with ourselves and our ability to make
decisions for others as well as ourselves?
2. Nebuchadnezzar was.
3. Teacher, Preachers, and Elders must be careful, as well as young
zealous converts. We must not idolize ourselves!
D. What happens when that someone let us down, where or to what do
we turn? Usually some-thing.
1. What I have seen at rehab centers, first-hand is sad.
2. People turn to different things but the results are the same. All is relative because nothing takes the place of God/Christ.
3. We are quick to say, “I’m not deifying …”
a. Alcohol
b. Drugs
c. Sex
d. Money
e. Pain
f. Oh, really, do we use these things to fill voids?
g. Is there any void God can’t fill?
III.Closing
A. Were you completed by this person/thing?
1. I never was.
2. Remember – “Don’t put your faith in anyone but
God/Jesus Christ.”
3. We can deify someone or some thing unknowingly?
a. This scares me.
b. Mt. 6: 24
c. To what ends will God go to bring you back to Him?
1. Look at what He did to the CoI on numerous occasions.
2. God is a very jealous God.
B. We should imitate those who follow closely to God’s word.
1. Paul said for us to imitate him as he imitated Christ.
I Cor. 4: 16
2. Heb. 13: 7
3. We need not to fall into the trap that the Corinthians fell into in
I Cor. 1: 11-12
4. It is important that we keep our focus on Christ at all times.