Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"Bel bows down, Nebo stoops"
Text: Isaiah 46:1
THE DEITIES THAT ISRAEL WORSHIPPED
Israel was once upon a time committed to worshipping the LORD. Idolatry crept in from the reign of King Solomon. In time, both the Northern and Southern kingdoms had forsaken God and had turned to worshipping idols instead.
“Bel bows down, Nebo stoops;
Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle.
Your carriages were heavily loaded,
A burden to the weary beast.
They stoop, they bow down together;
They could not deliver the burden,
But have themselves gone into captivity.”
Isaiah 46:1-2
1. Two popular deities were named
a) Bel
i) This was apparently the short form of Belshazzar.
ii) It was the name of the heir of Nebuchadnezzar.
iii) It was the name of a deity.
b) Nebo
i) This was the short form of Nebuchadnezzar.
ii) This was the name of the Babylonian king who headed the Babylonian empire.
iii) It was also the name of a Babylonian deity.
c) Both deities were worshipped by Israel devotees!
2. Judah in captivity.
a) Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC.
b) The inhabitants were sent to Babylon.
c) Carts were used to carry the captives.
d) With the Jewish captives, the idols Bel and Nebo were brought along.
e) The carriages were loaded heavily.
i) The meagre belongings of the captives.
ii) The idols were loaded onto the carts with the captives.
3. The idols Bel and Nebo.
a) They had been worshipped reverently.
b) But they were now “bowed down”.
c) They could not save their devotees.
d) They themselves had gone into captivity.