Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"That we may know that you are gods"
Text: Isaiah 41:23
THE CLAIM OF DIVINITY
Idolaters claimed that the idols they made were “gods”. They managed to garner worshippers who bought their idols. The LORD had to show to Israel that idols were not divine in any way.
“Show the things that are to come hereafter,
That we may know that you are gods;
Yes, do good or do evil,
That we may be dismayed and see it together.
Indeed you are nothing,
And your work is nothing;
He who chooses you is an abomination.”
Isaiah 41:23-24
1. Proofs of divinity.
a) How would one prove true divinity?
b) How would idols show that they are gods?
2. The proof of being able to accurately foretell the future.
a) This was the proof that God demanded from the idols.
b) Could they foretell what would happen to Israel in the future?
3. The proof of being able to do any mighty deed.
a) A mighty deed of good.
b) Or a mighty deed of evil.
c) Could the idols do anything at all to prove they are gods?
d) Could they show forth their power that all may be dismayed who did not believe in them?
e) The reality was obvious:
i) The idols could not foretell the future.
ii) They were not able to do the simplest deed.
iii) They were man-made artifacts that were powerless.
4. A strong rebuke to the idols and their makers.
a) They were “nothing”.
b) They could do “nothing”.
c) Those who made them and worshipped them were “an abomination” to the LORD.
d) This stern rebuke had to be uttered to stem the mindless tide of idolatrous practices prevailing in the nation of ancient Israel.