Good weekend to you my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends,
Comparison is something all of us do frequently. We do it in elections when we vote, or we do it when making a purchase. Sometimes comparison can be sophisticated and complicated like selecting a President or purchasing an automobile or a home. But what about choosing the God you will worship or give authority in your life?
Once again it amazes me how relevant Isaiah’s messages, written 2700 years ago, are to our day and the wide range of options people have when considering the gods of this world!
Listen to these words from Isaiah 44: “This is what the LORD says – Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty; I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no God. Who then is like Me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before Me what has happened since I established My ancient people, and what is yet to come – yes, let them foretell what will come…” (Is. 44:6,7)
Once again God begins His message with a short list of His attributes, His titles, His unique identity. You’ve likely heard the Greek letters “Alpha and Omega” used as a Name of God and here in Isaiah 44:6 God makes that bold statement: I am the first and I am the last; (Alpha and Omega) apart from Me there is no God.” It’s a declaration and celebration of God’s ETERNAL, EVERLASTING, SUPREME existence! And when God says: “apart from Me there is no God” it’s both a clear declaration of truth and also an invitation to search and try to find anything or anyone that comes anywhere close in comparison with Almighty God! You may recall in Isaiah 40:25 God gave the very same challenge: “To whom will you compare Me? Or who is My equal?’ says the Holy One.”
In the previous chapters of Isaiah God claims the uniqueness of His accomplishments like Creation of the Universe; or creation of and sustaining the life of every human being; or rescue of His people from slavery or calamity, but here in Isaiah 44 God challenges all humanity to compare the Almighty God of Israel to ANY other man imagined or man-made god.
“All who make idols are nothing and the things they treasure are worthless…Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit them nothing? People who do that will be put to shame…” (Is. 44:7) Have you noticed, my friends, that every generation and every nationality and every ethnicity of humans are idol making and idol worshiping people? All of us, everywhere!
Oh yes, some of our idols are man fabricated and are put in temples and people bow down and light incense and pray to these lifeless images, all over the world. Some people have little idols in their homes or businesses or even automobiles.
Isaiah 44:12-19 is a powerful challenge by God to think through the total absurdity of man-made idols. I urge you to read it carefully and give it serious consideration. What does it mean for several BILLION people in our world who bow down before man-made images?
But wait… there’s more to consider in this my friends. What about man made things we treasure and protect and prioritize over almost anything? Things like a new car or a new house or a boat or a pet or golf clubs or …? Or what about a place like our favorite vacation spot or our hometown or…?
Or hold on now, are you ready for this? What about a human being we idolize… an athlete, an entertainer, a politician, our spouse or parent or child or anyone who has profound influence in our lives? Or what about a trophy symbolizing some great accomplishment or even the applause of people? Is it possible we so hunger for the approval of people that we allow their accolades to shape our priorities and maybe even push God out of His rightful place as Lord in our lives?
Listen to what God says through Isaiah: “No one stops to think, no one has the understanding to say, ‘Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat over its fire and ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood and call it my god?” (Is. 44:19) Oh I know my friends, we are quick to say ‘Not me! I’m not an idol maker nor am I an idol worshiper’. But is that true?
Listen to what God says next… can we apply it to ourselves in 2024? “…a deluded heart misleads such a person; he cannot save himself, or say, ‘Is not this thing in my hand a lie?” (Is. 44:20) There it is my friends, that’s the litmus test for all of us.
Do any of us have deluded hearts which mislead us away from truth and do we embrace a man made distortion of truth? As we evaluate all the important things in our lives, as we compare them one to another to determine their order of importance in our lives, what criteria do we use for estimating VALUE? And where does the One, True, Living, Creator, Redeemer God fit in our list of things or people we value most? How do we measure the value of what God has done or could accomplish in our lives as compared to the impact in our lives of the things or people we value most?
Any evidence of a deluded heart in your life or mine as we live in our comparison filled world?
I think we need to pause and do some honest reflection on our values,our comparisons, our priorities and on Monday we’ll see more Isaiah has to challenge us with.
Here’s a song to help us worship…
Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 44:6-20.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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