God vs. Idols (Isaiah 41:1-29)
The sermon outline can be found in the ministry guide.
What do Singaporeans regard as essential for “normal life”? Last week, the Singapore Management University published the results of its Household Needs Survey, which polled around 4,000 people. From a list of 51 items and activities, respondents deemed 40 as necessary. The top three: a refrigerator, public transportation, and a stove.
What do we think we cannot live without? Beyond items and activities, what do we think is absolutely essential for our wellbeing and security, for our peace and contentment, for our sense of confidence and control, for our success, or for our hope? It may be money, a prosperous life, good health and fitness, power and influence, or a fulfilling, well-paying job. It may be a dating relationship or marriage. It may be a happy family with well-behaved, high-achieving children and grandchildren. It may be a comfortable retirement. Who or what do we look to for satisfaction and security?
The Protestant Reformer Martin Luther said, “A god is that to which we look for all good and in which we find refuge in every time of need. To have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe Him with our whole heart… That to which your heart clings and entrusts itself is really your God.”
An idol isn’t just a physical object we bow down to. An idol can be any person or anything we ultimately rely on for blessing, help or fulfilment instead of God. An idol replacesGod as the centre of our devotion and trust. We look to our idols to satisfy our desires and ambitions, and to boost our pride. Idolatry is a fundamental human problem. In our fallenness, we are given to worship created things rather than the Creator. John Calvin, another Protestant Reformer, described the human heart as an idol-factory. We keep manufacturing false gods to give us what we need and want.
Turn away from idols, and trust in the God who cares for us.
Isaiah 41 was written to those who struggle with idolatry — to all of us. Having exhorted us to behold the greatness of God in chapter 40, Isaiah now deals with the problem of idolatry, which keeps us from trusting in God. This chapter presents God’s two-part remedy for idolatry. First, God exposes the uselessness of idols, which cannot be compared with the incomparable God. Second, God assures to not fear because He will help us. Big idea: Turn away from idols, and trust in the God who cares for us.
God exposes idols as useless (Isa 41:1-7, 21-29)
Isaiah 41 begins with a courtroom scene. Look at Isaiah 41:1: “Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgement.” God calls to court the coastlands, which are the nations of the world even to the ends of the earth. God has been wronged and He brings His case against the idols. God calls the nations to listen and weigh the evidence He will present. It is God versus the idols, and the nations must decide who is right. We all must choose. From God’s perspective, there is no such thing as being a neutral “free thinker”. If God is who He says He is, then worship Him with all our heart, soul and mind. Half-hearted commitment is no commitment at all. The incomparable God is worthy of our complete devotion and confidence.
Our idols cannot save us, only God can.
Why? Because God seeks our good! God invites the nations to come to Him to “renew their strength” (Isa 41:1). It’s a repeat of the invitation in 40:31, “They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” This gracious promise is not just for Israel or Judah, it is for the whole world. God is a missionary with a heart for all nations. All of God’s people should also share His heart for missions. The Bible is the unfolding story of how God will bless the nations through a descendant of Abraham, as God had promised at the beginning in Genesis (Gen 12:2; 22:18). God confronts the idols because our salvation is at stake: Our idols cannot save us, only God can.
What evidence does God present to show His superiority to idols? In Isaiah 41:2-3, God speaks of a conqueror who will defeat the kings and kingdoms of the world. Isaiah 41:25 also tells us that this conqueror will trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay. Who is this conqueror? Isaiah does not tell us here, but his name is mentioned in Isaiah 44 and 46: Cyrus. “Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings...” (Isa 45:1) This is Cyrus the Great, the ruler of the Medo-Persian Empire, the next superpower after Babylon. He represents the northern kingdom of Media and the eastern kingdom of Persia. The rise of Cyrus was swift and impressive. When he came to the throne in 559 BC, Persia was still subject to Media. But in just 10 years, he was strong enough to rebel, kill the Median king and become ruler over the entire Medo-Persian empire. In 539 BC, Cyrus conquered Babylon.
The sovereign God was behind Cyrus’ success. See Isaiah 41:1: “Who stirred up one from the east…”. God answers His own question in Isaiah 41:25: “I stirred up one from the north, and he has come, from the rising of the sun…”. Cyrus’ victories are ultimately God’s doing, for it is God who “gives up nations before him” (Isa 41:2). Cyrus shall call upon (God’s) name (Isa 41:25). This means God appointed Cyrus to accomplish His purposes. Cyrus allowed the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. In Ezra 1:2, Cyrus says, “The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
The point is this: God shows His sovereignty by announcing the rise of Cyrus before it happens. This proves God truly controls all that happens in the world. God is incomparably greater than any idol of our making because He rules over the past, present and future. Even Nebuchadnezzar, the proud Babylonian king, had to humbly acknowledge God’s greatness. He said, “His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (Dan 4:34b-35). Our God rules! Shouldn’t we trust Him?
Sceptical scholars claim Isaiah could not have written about Cyrus because all these events took place more than 100 years after the prophet’s lifetime. These scholars do not believe Isaiah could have known about the future rise of Persia. But this totally misses the point: Isaiah knows because God told him. It is precisely God’s ability to know the future that distinguishes Him from the idols. In Isaiah 41:22-23, God challenges the idols to interpret past events and foretell the future. “Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified” (Isa 41:23). God mocks the idols: Since you claims to be gods, then prove it. Predict the future. Do not just stand there; do something!
Our idols cannot help us. What is God doing in our lives now to expose our absurd and useless idols?
Stop and consider what our idols have done for us. Have they truly fulfilled us? Has they really given us genuine meaning, joy, and peace? Have they saved us from sin and given us a sure hope of life beyond the grave? In reality, our idols demand more and more from us. Like an addiction, they keep us craving for more. Our idols take, but do not give. Out of love for us, God exposes the uselessness of our idols. He takes us through trials to help us see the folly of our idolatry. I enjoy exercise. If I idolise fitness, a season of poor health will show how silly it is to rely on fitness for my sense of wellbeing and security. Our idols cannot help us. What is God doing in our lives now to expose our absurd and useless idols?
Hear what God says in Isaiah 41:26: “Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know, and beforehand, that we might say, “He is right”? There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your words.” The sovereign God is the only One who knows the end from the beginning. Look at Isaiah 41:4 — “I, the LORD, the first, and with the last, I am he.” He is the beginning and the end. God is the A to Z. He knows every part of our lives from start to finish. He knows our past, present and future. He has a sure plan for His people, and nothing can thwart it. We can trust His sovereign God and entrust our lives to Him.
False gods cannot give us true hope because they have no power over what is to come. The people we idolise — they are subject to the ravages of time and mortality. The job we idolise — will it even survive the next economic downturn, retrenchment, or restructuring? The wealth we worship — it will not be eternal. Look at Isaiah 41:24. Compared with the incomparable God, idols are nothing. They are empty and futile. We are what we worship. If we worship idols, we will become just like them: unclean and unholy in God’s sight. “An abomination is he who chooses you” (Isaiah 41:24b). But the true God gives us true hope. Will we rest in the sovereign God who holds the future in His hand?
How do the nations respond? Tragically, they turn to themselves and their idols instead of turning to Him. Look at Isaiah 41:6-7. Confronted with the terrifying rise of Cyrus and global political upheaval, those who reject God can only look to one another and their idols for help. “Be strong,” they say. The craftsman and goldsmith busy themselves making idols. Why don’t they turn to God? Isaiah 41:5 tells us the reason: They see what is happening in the world and are afraid. The rise of kings and kingdoms strikes terror in their hearts. Our fears fuel our idolatry. Idols are our pathetic attempt at self-salvation, to rescue us from the anxieties and troubles of life. For example, if we fear not having enough, we may idolise money. If we fear being lonely, we may idolise relationships. If we fear the loss of significance or influence, we may idolise making a name for ourselves. If we’re afraid of inconvenience and pain, we may idolise comfort and ease. If we fear uncertainty, we may idolise being in control. If we fear death, we may idolise health. What do we fear? How might our fears be controlling our life? To forsake our idols, we must fight our fears. But how?
God assures us to not fear (Isa 41:8-20)
In Isaiah 41:8-20, God calms the fears of His people by assuring them of His care. He repeats the comforting words “fear not” several times (Isa 41:10, 13, 14). The sovereign God is not only high and exalted, but He is also the personal God who draws near to encourage His fearful people. Are we anxious and afraid? Stop relying on our idols. Instead, trust in God who gives us four assurances: God is with us, God protects us, God transforms us, and God provides for us.
First, God is with us (Isa 41:8-10).
Isaiah 41:8 begins by contrasting those who know God with those who do not. Those who rely on idols cut themselves off from God’s help. Not so for God’s people. But you, God says, are different from the nations who do not know me. As God’s people, we should remember who weare and who we belong to. God calls Israel “my servant”. They have been chosen by God, saved and set apart to serve Him. Recall what God said to Israel after the exodus from Egypt: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exo 19:5-6a). Israel was redeemed for worship, to glorify God in the world.
This was to fulfil God’s promise to Israel’s founding father Abraham, his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. In Genesis, God promised to bless the nations through their offspring. Abraham was God’s friend. God called Abraham out of idol-worship to worship the true God. Likewise, God took (Israel) from the ends of the earth (Isa 41:9) by redeeming them from Egypt. Therefore, Israel should not be afraid, for God is with them as their God, and they are His people. Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God (Isa 41:10a).
Beloved, do we realise we are much better off than Old Testament Israel? We have seen God’s promise to Abraham fully and finally fulfilled in Jesus. He is Abraham’s seed in whom God blesses the world. We are blessed if we turn from our idols and trust in Christ alone. Jesus redeems sinners like us from our slavery to sin and death. In Christ, we are Abraham’s spiritual offspring. We are God’s people, God’s children. We are God’s treasured possession. Jesus promises to be with us always, and He has given us the Holy Spirit as a pledge of His presence.
We understand the power of presence. It is the difference between receiving a comforting message from a friend and that same friend sitting with you and offering a shoulder to cry on. Take heart, beloved. God does not merely speak comfort to us from afar. Fear not, for God is with us. He is with us in our struggle with sin. He is with us in our grief and sorrow. He is with us in our unemployment. He is with us when we experience difficulties in our marriage. He is with us in our loneliness. He is with us in our discouragement and depression. He is with us when we are exhausted and burnt out. He is with us as our bodies grow weaker and more frail. He is with us in our failures, disappointments, and regrets. He is with us in our fear, worry and anxiety. God is with us in the trenches of life. God will strengthen and help us. He will uphold us with His righteousness.
Second, God protects us (Isa 41:11-13). Amid all the geopolitical turmoil, Israel must have felt like a small fish in a big pond. As we’ve seen, they were tempted to turn to the nations for help. Instead of trusting God, Ahaz relied on Assyria, Hezekiah looked to Babylon. We may be tempted to turn to the idols of our own making, thinking they can give us certainty and security. Here, God assures His people he will fight for them. Why rely on idols when the sovereign Creator and Redeemer pledges to protect us?
Look at Isaiah 41:13. The LORD is our God. He has bound Himself to us in a covenant relationship that cannot be broken. Like a parent assuring a frightened child, God says to us, “Do not be afraid. I’m holding your hand to guide and help you.” We do not have to fear man, for God holds our hand. “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Ps 118:6).
Beloved, trust in the Lord Jesus who fights for us. By dying on the cross and rising from the grave, He has defeated our greatest enemies of sin and death. Jesus took God’s judgement against our sin on Himself, so that we can be forgiven and made right with God. In Christ, we have eternal life. We have a sure hope of our future resurrection together with our Lord. If Jesus has already defeated sin and death, surely He can guard us through this life until the end. Yes, we will face opposition in a fallen world that is hostile to God and His people. In this world, we will have trouble. But take heart, for Jesus has overcome the world. He says to us who trust in Him, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn 14:27).
Third, God transforms us (Isa 41:14-16).
In Isaiah 40, we saw how God humbles us that we might see ourselves in light of His greatness. We are like grasshoppers. Here, God says to His people, “Fear not, you worm Jacob” (Isa 41:14a). A weak and puny worm has every reason to be afraid. Israel was supposed to be God’s servant to display His glory to the nations. But instead of being a light to the world, Israel became like the world. Threatened by the surrounding nations, Israel took the path of least resistance and conformed. Feeble Israel failed.
But the gracious God helps the helpless. God wants us to see our need so that we depend on Him, not ourselves or the idols we make. The faithful God is our helper. Our Redeemer is the Holy One. We are lowly but He is high and lifted up. He saves us from sin and transforms us from a worm to an effective instrument for His use.
God makes Israel into a threshing sledge, new sharp, and having teeth (Isa 41:15a). This agricultural tool was a board with stones or blades underneath. As part of the harvesting process, a threshing sledge was dragged over the grain to separate it from the straw. Israel itself was threshed — it had to endure the exile before being gathered back to God. God disciplines us to refine us, that we might be more useful to Him. Having purified His people, God will now use Israel in the harvest of the world. Israel will thresh the nations, separating the grain from the chaff. Israel will be God’s instrument of salvation and judgement. How will this happen? God will raise up from Israel an obedient Servant who shall be a light for the nations (Isa 42:6). While Israel failed, this Servant will represent Israel and succeed in God’s mission. He will bless the nations by saving and gathering sinners to God. But those who reject the Servant will face His judgement.
Jesus is God’s chosen Servant. If we believe in Him, He transforms us from rebels to ready workers for God’s harvest. He did this for the apostle Paul, transforming him from a persecutor of the church to a faithful servant of the King. Jesus can change us too. Without Christ, we are lost—far from God and without hope. But Jesus can save and send us into the world to be his witnesses. Instead of boasting in ourselves and our idols, we shall rejoice in the LORD; in the Holy One of Israel (we) shall glory (Isa 41:16b). Once we were enemies of the King, now we are His friends. This is the story of those who were baptised this morning. Is this our story too? Many seek significance, but we will not find it in our idols. We become what we worship. Those who worship idols will become like them. But true significance can only be found in Christ: King Jesus transforms us to become more like Him, so that we share in His glory and victory.
Fourth, God provides for us (Isa 41:17-20).
When Israel journeyed through the wilderness to the promised land, God gave them manna for food, and water from the rock to drink. The faithful God will also provide for His people today. As we journey through the wilderness of this world, God will supply all we need for life and godliness. In life’s trials and troubles, when our own resources are exhausted, we need not be afraid, for God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He will sustain us.
The glorious language of these verses points beyond God’s provision of our temporal needs. The miraculous supply of water in the wilderness is a picture of the new creation. God will make all things new, turning the barren desert into a life-giving oasis. He will regenerate and renew His people by giving them His Spirit. Isaiah 44:3 says, “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”
Jesus says if we thirst, we can go to Him and drink. In Christ, we are a new creation. He gives us His Spirit. When life is hard and we are spiritually dry, the Spirit refreshes us. He encourages and prays for us. He strengthens us inwardly, empowering and enabling us to persevere to the end.The Spirit guarantees that God will not fail to bring us safely home to be with Him forever in the new heavens and new earth.
No idol can do what Christ has done. Faith drives out fear.
May we consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it (Isa 41:20). Think upon what the sovereign God has done for us through His Son. When we wrestle with fear, look to Jesus and see the greatness of our salvation. No idol can do what Christ has done. Faith drives out fear. If we are in Christ, God is with us. He protects, transforms, and provides for us. Fear not. What do we think is essential for life? May the psalmist’s words in Psalm 73 be our own: “I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps 73:23-26).