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Babylonia's Gods
The Lord said:
1The gods Bel and Nebo
are down on their knees,
as wooden images of them
are carried away
on weary animals.
2They are down on their knees
to rescue the heavy load,
but the images are still taken
to a foreign country.
3You survivors in Israel,
listen to me, the Lord.
Since the day you were born,
I have carried you along.
4I 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.
5Can anyone compare with me?
Is anyone my equal?
6Some people hire a goldsmith
and give silver and gold
to be formed into an idol
for them to worship.
7They 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.
8Now keep this in mind,
you sinful people.
And don't ever forget it.
The Lord Alone Is God
9I alone am God!
There are no other gods;
no one is like me.
Think about what happened
many years ago.
10From the very beginning,
I told what would happen
long before it took place.
I kept my word 11and 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.
12You people are stubborn
and far from being safe,
so listen to me.
13I 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.
Reflect
We all run up against burdens that we can’t carry. Israel and the nations around them faced the burden of war and captivity that they couldn’t carry and their response was to create idols to help them. Gods in the ancient world were often carried into war, creating a ridiculous situation where people carried the god who was supposed to be bearing their burdens. It’s like a boy who, seeing a man struggling under a heavy sack of flour says, “I’ll carry the flour if you’ll carry me on your shoulders. That should ease your burden because I’m much lighter than your sack of flour.” Bel and Nebo were just such gods that the LORD mocks and reminds Israel that the idols “themselves go into captivity.”
The Lord, by contrast says I have “carried you from the womb … and even to gray hairs I will carry you.” God’s command again to Israel is “Remember this and stand firm.” Remembering how God has carried us is critical to being able to stand firm in the face of the problems of life. Remember how God has carried you and then you will be able to stand firm.
We don’t tend to create idols like Bel or Nebo any more. But in our worry, we often frantically create our own solutions that we have to work extra hard to keep from failing. God isn’t calling us to be passive in the face of problems. There may be something to do, but we must do the due diligence of remembering first, so that we’ll know how to stand firm. In remembering and standing we’ll see how God is carrying us.
Respond
Heavenly Father, Thank you for your promise that you’ll carry me to my old age. I acknowledge that in the face of problems, my task is to remember and stand while you do the carrying. Forgive me for my frantic schemes that forget you and simply add to my burden. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Rick Hiemstra
Rick Hiemstra is Director of Research and Media Relations at the EFC. Prior to coming to the EFC, he served as a Wesleyan pastor and as a high school mathematics and computer science teacher. Rick speaks on Canadian church and cultural trends, including the new Renegotiating Faith research about emerging adulthood and faith formation. He has recently contributed to Canadian studies on Bible Engagement, local church missions engagement and emerging adulthood and faith formation. Currently he is leading a study on small evangelical churches and another on parental discipleship of children in the home. He holds a BMath from the University of Waterloo, a BEd from Ottawa University and an MTS from Tyndale Seminary.