God's Faithfulness and Idolatry's Folly

Isaiah 46:3-13
God Acts
November 1, 2020
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA

What’s the number one thing?
The Glory of God!
1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or
whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.

Father,
Teach usThy statutes (v12),
Open our eyes (v18),
Stir our hearts (v2,32,36)
And enlighten our minds (v 27,34,73,125).
Psalm 119

• Jon Courson's Application
Commentary OldTestamentVol 2
• Bible Exposition Commentary (BE
Series) - OldTestament –
• ThruThe Bible with J.Vernon McGee
References

“The Robin and the Sparrow” ‒ Elizabeth Cheney
Said the robin to the sparrow, “I should really like to
know,Why these anxious human beings Rush about
and worry so.”
Said the sparrow to the robin, “Friend I think that it
must be,That they have no Heavenly Father, Such
as cares for you and me.”

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the
shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven
and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
“His Eye is on the Sparrow” ‒ Ethel Waters

I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

"Let not your heart be troubled," His tender word I
hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and
fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may
see;

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within
me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;

I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
The theme of the song is inspired by the words of
David in the Psalms and Jesus in the Gospel of
Matthew in the Bible.

Psalm 32:8 NIV
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should
go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Psalm 32:8 NIV
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you
should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Matthew 6:26 NKJV
26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor
reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Matthew 10:29–31 NKJV
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And
not one of them falls to the ground apart from your
Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered.31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more
value than many sparrows.

Civilla Durfee Martin (August 21, 1866 – March 9, 1948)
was a Canadian-American writer of many
religious hymns and gospel songs in the late 19th century
and early 20th century. Her husband,Walter Stillman
Martin (1862–1935), studied ministry at Harvard
University, where he became a Baptist minister but later
switched to the Disciples of Christ.Together they created
hymns and songs which have become widely known.
Some of her most popular pieces include "GodWillTake
Care ofYou", "One of God's Days", "Going Home", "The
Old FashionedWay", and "His Eye Is on the Sparrow".

Civilla Martin, who wrote the lyrics, said of her inspiration to write the song
based on the Scriptures: Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were
sojourning in Elmira, NewYork.We contracted a deep friendship for a
couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God. Mrs.
Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an
incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a
wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives,
bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we
were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright
hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle's reply was
simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."The beauty
of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the
imagination of Dr. Martin and me.The hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow"
was the outcome of that experience.

Pronouncement of judgment against idols.
This chapter contains one of the finest satires against idolatry that is found
in theWord of God. It opens with the announcement of defeat against the
idols of Babylon in particular.This seems strange since Babylon had not yet
come to the front as a world power and was not the enemy of Israel.
Nevertheless, Babylon was the source of all idolatry, and it is fitting that
after announcing the defeat of the idols of Babylon the prophet proceeds to
denounce all idolatry with an injunction to Israel not to forsake the true God.
Chapter 46 contains a prophecy of the taking of Babylon by Cyrus, and of
the deliverance of the Jews; who are encouraged to expect the divine
protection, and a continuance of it; are advised against idolatry and directed
to look to the Lord alone for righteousness and salvation.
Theme of Isaiah 46:

1 Bel and Nebo, the gods of Babylon,
bow as they are lowered to the
ground.
They are being hauled away on ox carts.
The poor beasts stagger under the
weight.
Isaiah 46:1 NLT

2 Both the idols and their owners are
bowed down.
The gods cannot protect the people,
and the people cannot protect the gods.
They go off into captivity together.
Isaiah 46:2 NLT

3 “Listen to Me, descendants of Jacob,
all you who remain in Israel.
I have cared for you since you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were
born.
Isaiah 46:3 NLT

4 I will be your God throughout your
lifetime—
until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.
Isaiah 46:4 NLT

5 “To whom will you compare Me?
Who is My equal?
6 Some people pour out their silver and
gold
and hire a craftsman to make a god
from it.
Then they bow down and worship it!
Isaiah 46:5-6 NLT

7 They carry it around on their shoulders,
and when they set it down, it stays
there.
It can’t even move!
And when someone prays to it, there is
no answer.
It can’t rescue anyone from trouble.
Isaiah 46:7 NLT

8 “Do not forget this! Keep it in mind!
Remember this you guilty ones.
9 Remember the things I have done in the
past.
For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like Me.
Isaiah 46:8-9 NLT

10 Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to
pass,
for I do whatever I wish.
Isaiah 46:10 NLT

11 I will call a swift bird of prey from the
east—
a leader (Cyrus) from a distant land to
come and do My bidding.
I have said what I would do,
and I will do it.
Isaiah 46:11 NLT

12 “Listen to Me, you stubborn people
who are so far from doing right.
13 For I am ready to set things right,
not in the distant future, but right now!
I am ready to save Jerusalem
and show My glory to Israel.
Isaiah 46:12-13 NLT

God of Space andTime
February 2, 1986
Author: Ray C. Stedman

Tragedies confirmed much of what we have
been learning in Isaiah's prophecy, "All flesh
is but grass, and its beauty as the flower of
the grass.The grass withers, the flower
fades, but the word of our God stands
forever," Isaiah 40:6-8).

James says, "Our life is but a vapor which
appears for a little while and then vanishes
away," (James 4:14).

Tragedies have a sobering impact on us.
They often hit right where we feel most
confident and successful. Hopefully,
tragedies have a humbling effect upon us.
Pride is the great enemy of mankind, yet it is
one of our most common feelings.

TheWord of God warns against pride
because it cuts us off from the grace and
goodness that God wants to give. Isaiah
warns that prideful man can never obtain
anything from God. God gives only to those
who recognize their need.This is exemplified
in our Lord's opening words in the Sermon
on the Mount.

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven,"
Matthew 5:3 NKJV

1 “But now, listen to Me, Jacob My
servant,
Israel My chosen one.
2 The LordWho made you and helps you
says:
Do not be afraid, O Jacob, My servant,
O dear Israel, my chosen one.
Isaiah 44:1-2 NLT

3 For I will pour out water to quench your
thirst
and to irrigate your parched fields.
And I will pour out My Spirit on your
descendants,
and My blessing on your children.
Isaiah 44:3 NLT

6This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and
Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven’sArmies:
“I am the First and the Last;
there is no other God.
Isaiah 44:6 NLT

7 Who is like Me?
Let him step forward and prove to you
his power.
Let him do as I have done since ancient
times
when I established a people and
explained its future.
Isaiah 44:7 NLT

8 Do not tremble; do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim My purposes for you
long ago?
You are My witnesses—is there any other
God?
No! There is no other Rock—not one!”
Isaiah 44:8 NLT

This is an attempt on God's part to save His creatures from the
folly and danger of following false gods.The passage goes on to
describe the stupidity of the idol worship that the Israelites were
falling into.The prophet describes a metal smith who melts
metal, pours it into a mold to make an idol of it, and in the process
he becomes tired. Isaiah points out what a ridiculous thing it is
that a man makes a god who has no power to help him even while
he is making it.Then he describes a carpenter who carves the
figure of a man out of a block of wood, then uses the chips that he
has carved off the block to build a fire to warm himself. He then
bows down and worships the idol, seeking deliverance from
something his own hands have made.What a ridiculous concept!

When we read a passage like this we are tempted to say, "Surely
this does not apply to us.We are not idol worshippers." But we are
really not that far removed from this kind of practice. If you drove
around on Sunday mornings you might notice people out in their
yards worshipping a shiny, bright, metal idol.They pour expensive
fluids into it, polish and shine it, and bow down before it. Have
you ever noticed the change that comes over them when they get
into it and take off down the street? Mild, inoffensive people, who
never utter a word in anger, blast out of their driveways, leaving a
trail of rubber as they depart, transformed with an illusion of
power. Many Americans worship the automobile, which has
become the symbol of luxury, beauty and power.

19 The person who made the idol never stops to
reflect,
“Why, it’s just a block of wood!
I burned half of it for heat
and used it to bake my bread and roast my
meat.
How can the rest of it be a god?
Should I bow down to worship a piece of
wood?”
Isaiah 44:19 NLT

20 The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes.
He trusts something that can’t help
him at all.
Yet he cannot bring himself to ask,
“Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand
a lie?”
Isaiah 44:20 NLT

The folly of worshipping any god other than the true God is that
people deceive themselves.They are left dissatisfied, feeling they have
been feeding on ashes.The soul, as well as the body, needs food. It
looks for that which satisfies. But those who look for satisfaction in
drugs or sex discover that they have been feeding on ashes.They have
been deceived, failing to recognize that there is "a lie in their right
hand."The right hand is the symbol of what you grasp, who you look
for help from. But those who follow idols are unable to see that they
will not satisfy but will leave a taste of ashes in the mouth. Many
businessmen worship the god of power.They are climbing the
corporate ladder to the top, seeking honor and recognition, dreaming
of the prerequisites of the presidency of the company.When they have
all they want, however, they will find it has turned to ashes.

21 “Pay attention, O Jacob,
for you are My servant, O Israel.
I, the LORD, made you,
and I will not forget you.
Isaiah 44:21 NLT

22 I have swept away your sins like a cloud.
I have scattered your offenses like the
morning mist.
Oh, return to Me,
for I have paid the price to set you
free.”
Isaiah 44:22 NLT

23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done this
wondrous thing.
Shout for joy, O depths of the earth!
Break into song,
O mountains and forests and every tree!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
and is glorified in Israel.
Isaiah 44:23 NLT

24 This is what the LORD says—
your Redeemer and Creator:
“I am the LORD, who made all things.
I alone stretched out the heavens.
Who was with me
when I made the Earth?
Isaiah 44:24 NLT

25 I expose the false prophets as liars
and make fools of fortune-tellers.
I cause the wise to give bad advice,
thus proving them to be fools.
Isaiah 44:25 NLT

26 But I carry out the predictions of my
prophets!
By them I say to Jerusalem, ‘People will
live here again,’
and to the towns of Judah, ‘You will be
rebuilt;
I will restore all your ruins!’
Isaiah 44:26 NLT

27 When I speak to the rivers and say, ‘Dry
up!’
they will be dry.
Isaiah 44:27 NLT

28 When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,’
he will certainly do as I say.
He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’;
he will say, ‘Restore theTemple.’”
Isaiah 44:28 NLT

1 This is what the LORD says to Cyrus, His
anointed one,
whose right hand He will empower.
Before him, mighty kings will be
paralyzed with fear.
Their fortress gates will be opened,
never to shut again.
Isaiah 45:1 NLT

2 This is what the Lord says:
“I will go before you, Cyrus,
and level the mountains.
I will smash down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
Isaiah 45:2 NLT

3 And I will give you treasures hidden in
the darkness—
secret riches.
I will do this so you may know that I am
the Lord,
the God of Israel, the OneWho calls
you by name.
Isaiah 45:3 NLT

4 “And why have I called you for this work?
Why did I call you by name when you
did not know Me?
It is for the sake of Jacob My servant,
Israel My chosen one.
Isaiah 45:4 NLT

5 I am the Lord;
there is no other God.
I have equipped you for battle,
though you don’t even know Me,
Isaiah 45:5 NLT

6 so all the world from east to west
will know there is no other God.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
Isaiah 45:6 NLT

7 I create the light and make the
darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
I, the Lord, am the OneWho does
these things.
Isaiah 45:7 NLT

8 “Open up, O heavens,
and pour out your righteousness.
Let the earth open wide
so salvation and righteousness can
sprout up together.
I, the Lord, created them.
Isaiah 45:8 NLT

9 “What sorrow awaits those who argue
with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its Maker?
Does the clay dispute with the OneWho
shapes it, saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy canYou be?’
Isaiah 45:9 NLT

10 How terrible it would be if a newborn
baby said to its father,
‘Why was I born?’
or if it said to its mother,
‘Why did you make me this way?’”
Isaiah 45:10 NLT

the Holy One of Israel and your
Creator:
“Do you question what I do for my
children?
Do you give Me orders about the work
of My hands?
Isaiah 45:11 NLT

12 I am the OneWho made the Earth
and created people to live on it.
With My hands I stretched out the
heavens.
All the stars are at My command.
Isaiah 45:12 NLT

If a man does not believe in God, his own ego becomes the ruler of his life. Since
there are no standards of right and wrong existing apart from himself, right
becomes that which pleases him, and wrong that which does not minister to his
ego. Since he himself is the supreme consideration, he is restrained by nothing but
his own wishes, and easily reaches the conclusion that the best possible world is
one in which his will is supreme. He therefore enforces it upon others to the limit
of his ability. The denial of God thus becomes the seed from which totalitarianism
develops. Freedom is possible only if men believe in God and seek to do His will.
William Penn was right when he said that if men will not be governed by God, they
must be governed by tyrants.
That is a remarkable statement of what the Scriptures declare -- that throughout
history, behind the rise of slavery and bondage, is this inevitable substituting of
the supreme will of an egoist for the mind of God. God's answer is found in
Verses 22-23 of this same chapter.

22 Let all the world look to Me for salvation!
For I am God; there is no other.
Isaiah 45:22 NLT

23 I have sworn by My own name;
I have spoken the truth,
and I will never go back on My Word:
Every knee will bend to Me,
and every tongue will declare
allegiance to Me.”
Isaiah 45:23 NLT

How hopeless it is for man to find his own way out of the morass which he has
made for himself!The Spirit of God used this verse to speak to the heart of a
fifteen-year-old boy in England in the last century.That boy, Charles Hadden
Spurgeon, took shelter in a little Methodist chapel on a cold and snowy day in
1850. As there was no preacher, the deacon read the text, "Look unto Me and be
ye saved, all the ends of the Earth," and seeing a lonely boy sitting in the back, the
deacon (who could not speak very well) addressed him directly and said, "Young
man, look unto God and He will save you." Spurgeon said, "I looked, and I was
saved." He went on to become one of the great preachers of the English church.
But this is the out which God offers to mankind: "Look to Me." Do not look to
science, or to technology.These are fine in themselves, they give certain creature
comforts, but they cannot deliver you.They cannot satisfy you or meet your need.
If you pursue them they will turn to ashes. God is the only Deliverer from human
hurt and failure.

5 “To whom will you compare me?
Who is my equal?
6 Some people pour out their silver and
gold
and hire a craftsman to make a god
from it.
Then they bow down and worship it!
Isaiah 46:5-6 NLT

Isaiah 46:8-9 NLT
8 “Do not forget this! Keep it in mind!
Remember this, you guilty ones.
9 Remember the things I have done in the
past.
For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like me.

Isaiah 46:10 NLT
10 Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish.

Isaiah 46:11 NLT
11 I will call a swift bird of prey from the
east—
a leader from a distant land to come
and do my bidding.
I have said what I would do,
and I will do it.

Isaiah 46:12-13 NLT
12 “Listen to me, you stubborn people
who are so far from doing right.
13 For I am ready to set things right,
not in the distant future, but right now!
I am ready to save Jerusalem
and show my glory to Israel.

8 “Listen to this, you pleasure-loving
kingdom,
living at ease and feeling secure.
You say, ‘I am the only one, and there is
no other.
I will never be a widow or lose my
children.’
Isaiah 47:8 NLT

9 Well, both these things will come upon
you in a moment:
widowhood and the loss of your
children.
Yes, these calamities will come upon
you,
despite all your witchcraft and magic.
Isaiah 47:9 NLT

10 “You felt secure in your wickedness.
‘No one sees me,’ you said.
But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have
led you astray,
and you said, ‘I am the only one, and
there is no other.’
Isaiah 47:10 NLT

11 So disaster will overtake you,
and you won’t be able to charm it away.
Calamity will fall upon you,
and you won’t be able to buy your way
out.
A catastrophe will strike you suddenly,
one for which you are not prepared.
Isaiah 47:11 NLT

12 “Now use your magical charms!
Use the spells you have worked at all
these years!
Maybe they will do you some good.
Maybe they can make someone afraid
of you.
Isaiah 47:12 NLT

13 All the advice you receive has made you
tired.
Where are all your astrologers,
those stargazers who make predictions
each month?
Let them stand up and save you from
what the future holds.
Isaiah 47:13 NLT

14 But they are like straw burning in a fire;
they cannot save themselves from the
flame.
You will get no help from them at all;
their hearth is no place to sit for
warmth.
Isaiah 47:14 NLT

15 And all your friends,
those with whom you’ve done
business since childhood,
will go their own ways,
turning a deaf ear to your cries.
Isaiah 47:15 NLT

your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the LORD your God,
Who teaches you what is good forYou
and leads you along the paths you
should follow.
Isaiah 48:17 NLT

18 Oh, that you had listened to My
commands!
Then you would have had peace
flowing like a gentle river
and righteousness rolling over you like
waves in the sea.
Isaiah 48:18 NLT

19 Your descendants would have been like
the sands along the seashore—
too many to count!
There would have been no need for your
destruction,
or for cutting off your family name.”
Isaiah 48:19 NLT

22 “But there is no peace for the wicked,”
says the LORD.
Isaiah 48:22 NLT

23 I have sworn by My own name;
I have spoken the truth,
and I will never go back on My word:
Every knee will bend to Me,
and every tongue will declare
allegiance to Me.”
Isaiah 45:23 NLT

9 Therefore, God elevated Him to the
place of highest honor
and gave Him the name above all
other names,
Philippians 2:9 NLT

10 that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and
under the earth,
Philippians 2:10 NLT

11 and every tongue declare that Jesus
Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:11 NLT

The Plan of Hope & Salvation
John 3:16-17 NKJV
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved.”
John 14:6 NKJV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a NKJV
23a For the wages of sin is death,
• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
• Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this
life to pay the penalty for our sin.
• The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the “second death”
explained in Revelation 21:8.

Revelation 21:8 NKJV
8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually
immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the
lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
• Anyone who’s lifestyle is one or more of the sins listed in Revelation
21:8, will experience the “second death,” if they do not repent.
• To Repent means to turn around, to go in the opposite direction, to turn away
from sin and believe in Jesus.
Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23b NKJV
23b but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
Revelation 21:7 NKJV
7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will
be his God and he shall be My son.”
• Romans 10:9-10 explain to us how to be overcomers.

Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and
believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto
righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
Romans 10:13 NKJV
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Do you have questions?
Would you like to know more?
Please, contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900
or http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/

God's Faithfulness and Idolatry's Folly

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