He Makes A God

He cuts down cedars for himself, And takes the cypress and the oak; He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.  Then it shall be for a man to burn, For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.
Isaiah 44:14-15

Our text today really highlights the folly of idolatry. The picture set before us begins with a tree in the forest. While there, it is simply acknowledged as a tree and nothing more. A man cuts it down and brings it home. With half of it, he builds a fire to warm himself and cook his dinner. No big deal there, right? Sounds perfectly normal until you reach the end of the verse where the man takes the same wood which he used to cook his meal and takes a portion of it and makes an idol. He calls this man-made wooden carving his god, bows down before it, and cries out for it to help him in his trouble!

How different is this god from THE God which Paul declares in Acts 17. This god needed a man to make him, but THE God made all things and sustains all things! (Act 17:24-25) The foolishness of this idolatry seems so obvious, and yet still, even today, men and women bow down to figures of stone, wood, and metal. Sadly, this idolatry is not only present in other religions, but many bow down to such in the name of Christ! How could someone seek help at the foot of an object that was once simply a rock or a tree before the craftsman began to work on it? Isa 44:18 explains why they couldn’t recognize their folly: “They do not know nor understand; for He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand.” This verse is a solemn warning to take heed how we hear and respond to the truth when we hear it. This darkening of a man’s mind who rejects the truth is set forth also in Rom 1:22-28: “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness…And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting…”

Dear Christian, I hope we realize our hearts are susceptible to the same temptation. Idolatry is not only bowing down to some metal or stone object; it is allowing anything to take the place of God in our lives! The title for our post today is “He Makes A God”. Though our minds may first think of those who carve wooden gods, Psa 50 presents another group of people who made their own god. They formed a god in their minds who was like themselves instead of submitting to and recognizing the true God for Who He is. God asks these wicked men, “What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you?” (Psa 50:16-17) These people claimed to be followers of the true God, but they lived lives that denied Him! They excused their sin and fashioned a god of their own imaginations in v. 21: “These [sins] you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you…” May we never cover up our sin, picking and choosing what we want to believe in God’s word, but may we instead believe the whole counsel of God and praise Him for Who He really is! 1 John seems to end with a strange thought since the letter is written to believers, but in light of all we’ve considered in our text today, perhaps you will not now think it so unusual: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” (1Jn 5:21)

Jamie

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