Is there a God besides me? (Isaiah 44:8)

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1 Cole Community Church Growth Groups Leader s Guide for Isaiah 44:9-28 Week of October 22, 2017 Is there a God besides me? (Isaiah 44:8) Introduction: In the last few weeks, we have seen God promise Israel s deliverance from the Babylonian captivity (42:14-43:7) and how God will use Israel to witness that their deliverance is evidence that he alone is God (43:8-44:8). Verses 44:1-8 quote the Lord speaking of Israel whom I have chosen! (v. 1.) and the Lord who made you (v. 2). Because God chose them, and redeemed them, Israel and Jacob (Isaiah s terms for the Jews in exile in Babylon, see vv. 40:1, 2:27; 43:1) had nothing to fear. I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? (vv. 6-7.) This passage continues to emphasize the worthlessness of other so-called gods characterized by the idols of Babylon. Read Isaiah 44:9-28. Q. 1. How do verses 9-11 answer the question in verse 8, Is there a God besides me? Isaiah contrasts God s forming of Israel (vv. 1-8) and the Gentiles in Babylon forming their own gods (vv. 9-20). God made people in his own image, and now they are making gods in their own image! So, an incomplete answer to is there a God besides me? is: certainly not the idols that the Jews in Babylon found ubiquitously about them. All through this section of his book, Isaiah continuously and emphatically denounces idolatry. We have seen this several times before (vv. 40:18-20 and vv. 41:7, 22-23), we will see it again (in Chapter 46). Idolatry was a constant threat to faith, not only for the Babylonian exiles, but throughout both Old and New Testament times. See Exodus 20:4-5 and Psalm 115 (which parallels this chapter). Paul warns against it in 1 Corinthians 10: There are many other examples. Q. 2. Verses are a virtual tour through the idol craftsman s workshop. How does Isaiah use this detailed description of idol making to make his point? What is the point? Isaiah uses an effective literary device, a rhetorical slap on the head. Can t the idol maker see the obvious truth No, he can t because his own efforts have made him blind (v. 18)! Isaiah gives us a graphic word picture of the creation of false gods. It is the reverse of scriptural truth. Instead of God creating man, it is a picture of man creating gods. The Page 1 of 5

2 text emphasizes this point by describing the idol making process backwards. Notice verse 13 appears to have the carpenter shaping the idol before he cuts down the tree in verse 14 which, in turn, has him cutting down the tree before he plants it. * In this tour of the workshop, we see the craftsman using the same wood from which he creates the idol to heat his house and cook his food. We are supposed to ask ourselves the obvious question, how can such a common, utilitarian material somehow be invested with divine qualities? Of course, it cannot. If we are not blinded by idolatry, we can see that clearly. Q. 3. (a) In verses 18-20, what happens to the idol maker? (b) How is this a warning to us? (Col 3:5) (a) He becomes like the idol he made! Those who make and worship idols cannot discern. Like the idol, they cannot see they are blind. So, too, are their hearts; they cannot understand (v. 18). The Babylonians believed that if the idol maker acted out various ceremonies, such as washing the idol s mouth, the idol became alive. Isaiah suggests exactly the opposite; by making and worshiping idols, the Babylonians became lifeless, without knowledge or discernment (v. 19), feeding on ashes, deluded, and led astray (v. 20). The idol maker cannot deliver himself like the idols he makes, he is spiritually dead. Note to leaders. This comes across more clearly in the NIV and NASB than it does in the ESV. The NIV says the idol makers eyes are plastered over. The NASB puts it that God has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see (b) If we have been Christians very long, we are familiar with warnings against idolatry in our own times. We make our own idols too. Identifying examples of modern idolatry is probably not a new idea. You ve likely done it before. But, have we considered what Isaiah proposes here that we become what we idolize? Idolatry is deception found in the idolater s own heart. * This may not be intentional by Isaiah. The text may only reflect non-lineal thinking patterns of ancient people that differ from those of 21 st century first-world people. Nevertheless, the contemporary English translations still illustrate the point nicely. Page 2 of 5

3 Application. Leaders, discuss in your groups the idea that we become what we idolize. Are we, like the craftsman, blinded by our own idolatry? Is this the true danger of idolatry? Here are some discussion ideas: o For example, consider role models. Do we think about them in healthy or unhealthy ways? Many scriptures encourage Christian growth through imitation of other Christians (e.g., Philippians 4:9; 1 Cor. 11:1; 2 Thess. 3:8-9; 1 Tim. 4:12, 15-16; 2 Tim. 3:10-11; Heb. 13:7; 1 Pet. 5:3). Do we idolize them by seeking to become like them or do we see them as examples of how to become more Christlike ourselves? Are role models stumbling blocks on our path (like perhaps athletes, popular entertainers, or current and historical political leaders) or helpers (like faithful teachers or inspiring pastors)? Who do we seek to become like Christ or our idol? o Another example, consider the growing problem of addictions. Whether chemical (drugs, alcohol, tobacco) or psychological (pornography, gambling, technology), these are idols we build for ourselves. See Paul s description of idols in Col. 3:5. Do they capture our attention, resources, and even our lives in ways the make us spiritually dead. Invite your group to suggest other examples of how idols blind us to their effects on who we are and draw us away from Jesus. Page 3 of 5

4 Q. 4. We ve seen in Q. 1, that the answer to the question in verse 8 ( Is there a God besides me? ) is not the idols of Babylon. How does God lead the people to a fuller answer in verses 21-23? He tells them to remember (v. 21). He has done that before; when the despair of exile raised the questions of whether absence from the promised land separated the people from their God or whether God had forgotten them. He reminded them of what they already should know (see, Isaiah 40:27, 28 have you not heard? ). See also, 43:26. What must they remember? They must remember. o Remember who they are: Israel and Jacob. o Remember that they are his servant. o Remember he formed them (in contrast to delusions about man-made idols). o Remember he will not forget them. o Remember he has redeemed them (he says that twice in these three verses). o Remember the all sufficiency of the God who makes true promises to his people. God tells Israel to remember all this - although they were blind to their own sins and deaf to God s voice (see Isaiah 6:9-10) - because he will sweep away Israel s sins like clouds from the sky (v. 22). When this happens, the redemption of God s people will be the joy of the whole creation, (heavens and the earth, mountains, forests and trees) because God s people will rule it wisely and well (cf. Isa. 35:1-2; 49:13; 55:12-13; Rom. 8:19-21). The very creation, now misused for idolatrous purposes, will then sing to God. Page 4 of 5

5 Q. 5. Verses contain some remarkably detailed prophesy. What does Isaiah tell us that the Lord says about: (a) The foolishness of human diviners (vv )? (b) God s own prophesy through his servants and messengers (vv )? (a) God the maker of heaven and Earth overrules human predictions of the future ( omens, signs or lies depending on the translation). He makes fools of the diviners who will be frustrated and fail (vv ). (b) He will transform his own promises, made through his servants and messengers (Isaiah and other prophets), into realities. He says he will rebuild Judah, dry up the rivers, use King Cyrus of Persia to carry out his purpose, and make sure that Jerusalem and its temple are rebuilt. This short-term prophecy of the restoration of Judah will be fulfilled within the experience of the Jewish exiles. Accurately predicting the return and identifying Cyrus by name validates God s claim to be the One guiding history. It verifies the credibility of longer-term prophecies (vv ). Josephus (Jewish Antiquities, ) records a story in which Cyrus, reading Isaiah s prophecy, was so impressed with the divine power to tell the future that he eagerly sought to fulfill what was written about him. Cyrus may have thought that he was accomplishing his own plans, but (like the Assyrians and Babylonians before him) actually he was doing the pleasure of the Lord. After the failure of the kings of Judah, a pagan emperor plays the role of shepherd to God s people. Q. 6. This section of Isaiah, beginning in Chapter 40, begins with an assurance of Comfort, comfort (Isaiah 40:1). Discuss in your group the various messages of comfort you find in Chapter 44. The fact that the Jewish people in exile in Babylon would find this message specifically about them in a scriptural text written by Isaiah more than 100 years before their own time should reassure them that God does not intend to abandon them. Does it convey that same comfort to us? tvs Page 5 of 5