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Following Sinful Customs
6Our Lord, you have deserted
your people, Israel,
because they follow customs
of nations from the east.
They worship Philistine gods
and are close friends
of foreigners.
7They have endless treasures
of silver and gold;
they have countless horses
and war chariots.
8Everywhere in the country
they worship the idols
they have made.
9And so, all of them
will be ashamed and disgraced.
Don't forgive them!
A Day of Judgment
10 Every one of you,
go hide among the rocks
and in the ground,
because the Lord is fearsome,
marvelous, and glorious.
11When the Lord comes,
everyone who is proud
will be made humble,
and the Lord alone
will be honored.
12The Lord All-Powerful
has chosen a day
when those who are proud
and conceited
will be put down.
13The tall and towering
cedars of Lebanon
will be destroyed.
So will the oak trees of Bashan,
14all high mountains and hills,
15every strong fortress,
16all the seagoing ships,
and every beautiful boat.
17When that day comes,
everyone who is proud
will be put down.
Only the Lord will be honored.
18Idols will be gone for good.
19You had better hide
in caves and holes—
the Lord will be fearsome,
marvelous, and glorious
when he comes to terrify
people on earth.
20On that day everyone will throw
to the moles and bats
their idols of silver and gold
they made to worship.
21The Lord will be fearsome,
marvelous, and glorious
when he comes to terrify
people on earth—
they will hide in caves
and in the hills.
22Stop trusting the power
of humans.
They are all going to die,
so how can they help?
Reflect
When was the last time you thought about idols or idolatry? Frankly it’s not something I think about often. Idols and idolatry are relics from another time and place, or are they?
In today’s reading, Isaiah rails against the idolatry of his people. They were guilty of worshiping idols of silver and gold. It’s quite easy to make a link with our modern pursuit of prosperity. Has that become our god? Perhaps we need a biblical reminder. The Ten Commandments begin with this injunction: “Do not worship any god except me” (Exodus 20:3).
What do we worship? What occupies first place in our lives? Where do our thoughts naturally turn? Do they turn to the LORD, or our favorite sports team, to Jesus or today’s hottest celebrity? Jesus commanded us to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33 NKJV). Is that your first pursuit?
Actually, I think we are skirting the real issue. The real idol – the preeminent idol in today’s world – is the idol of self. All too often I put myself, my comfort and well-being ahead of everything else, and that includes Jesus and his kingdom. What I want comes first. What God wants will just have to jockey for attention along with all the other demands upon my life. If I’m brutally honest, most often, that’s how I run my life. How about you?
Do we have a problem with idolatry? Absolutely! And we are too deceived to recognize it. The god we bow down to is the god of self and our self-will, rather than our Creator and Redeemer.
Respond
LORD God, forgive me for putting myself, my interests, my comforts and pleasures ahead of you. Help me tear down my idol to self. Amen.
David Kitz
David Kitz is an actor, an award-winning author, and teacher. For more than thirty years, he has served as an ordained pastor. His love for drama is evident to all who have seen his Bible-based performances. He has toured across Canada and United States with a variety of one man plays for children and adults. Raised in Saskatchewan, David now lives in Ottawa with his wife Karen. Books in print: The Soldier Who Killed a King, Little Froggy Explores the BIG World, Psalms Alive!, Tunks on Tongues