Dwell in the Word: Isaiah 41:21-29

Contemplate these questions as you dwell in Isaiah 41:21-29:

1. In Isaiah 41, the prophet Isaiah strongly emphasizes the futility of false gods and idols. Why does he use such strong language to describe them as "nothing" and "empty wind," and what message is he trying to convey to the people of Israel?

2. Isaiah challenges false gods to predict the future to prove their divinity. How does this challenge highlight the contrast between the true God and idols, and what role does prophecy play in demonstrating God's sovereignty?

3. The chapter underscores the importance of God's Word and His revealed truth as the basis for worship. How can modern-day believers ensure that they worship God in spirit and truth, as opposed to relying on physical images or false gods in their lives?

Transcript:

As we have been moving through these stories in Isaiah of judgment and the story of God's salvation from that judgment, we've also seen a war between the true God and the gods of the nations. We saw this back when one of the Kings said, Hey, all the other people said their gods would protect them, but they didn't. The response was, Hey, God is sovereign. He is the one who has put you over these people for a time to judge them, but then he is going to come in judgment on you. We've had this war between God, the one true God, and the gods of the nations. This idea is continuing here in this End to Chapter 41. We see this here in verse 23, Tell us what is to come hereafter that we may know that you are God, to do good or do harm that we may be dismayed or terrified. In other words, God is saying, or the prophet is saying, God is saying through the prophet, Isaiah, Hey, predict the future here. If you can do something regarding what is going to happen, whether good or harm, then we can either be dismayed, we can be terrified, but we'll know that you are speaking.

God is speaking through the Prophet, and what is coming to pass is showing that he is in fact God. But notice the next verse in verse 24, Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing, and abomination is he who chooses you. It's not just that these false gods are bad, the ones who choose them over the ones true God are an abomination themselves. We get this idea as it continues, we understand this, and we see that Isaiah is letting us know this truth that there are no other gods. They are nothing. We see this in verse 29, Behold, they are all a delusion. Their works are nothing. Their metal images are empty wind. You got to love what Isaiah is saying there. It's like, hey, they are nothing. They're a delusion. They don't do anything. But this imagery here that is so strong is their metal images are empty wind. It's easy to say that an idol is something, right? It's physical. I can touch it. I can handle it. I can kick it over, I can throw it down the street. I can put it on the shelf. I can do all kinds of things with it.

But what does Isaiah say? He says, Hey, even the metal images, the ones that will last, the ones that can be put in the ground and will be there in a thousand years, even those images are nothing but wind. They're nothingness. Isaiah is asserting the power of the one true God, the one that we are not to make idol's in order to worship. This one who his word is what we use to understand who He is. He reveals Himself to us in that way. We don't have images, but he is something. He is substantial. His word goes forth, it comes to pass. He is the true power. But these images that they can touch, they are the wind. That's a strong imagery. It reminds us that no matter what they would build up, no matter how big they would make them, no matter how long they would last, their works are nothing. In fact, it says earlier in this chapter, they're more than nothing. They just sit there. There is nothing to them. This is always a good reminder to us. We've seen this in other parts of Isaiah, but it's a good reminder for us again today.

We don't need idols. We don't need images to be able to worship our God. He is the God who has spoken in history. He has revealed Himself to us in his word, what he has declared has come to pass. He is the true God. He is from everlasting to everlasting. We don't need images. We worship Him rightly when we worship him in spirit and in truth. But at the same time, we like images. We like things we can see. We like idols, don't we? As much as we like to think we don't, we all have things in our lives that we place above God or images that we have in our mind that maybe cause us to not worship God correctly. It's important that we put those things aside and we remember the God who has spoken in His Word, who has revealed Himself in that way. If we want to worship God rightly and follow Him rightly, it is important that we know His Word. We know how He has been revealed to us that we might worship Him in spirit and truth as we are called to do. So, as we prepare for this holiday weekend, as we prepare to consider the works of God in the coming days, may we remember how He has revealed this truth to us in His Word, and may we worship Him in Spirit and in truth.