Who is Like God?

Intro - the Dichotomy of God vs Idols

In Isaiah 44, God sets up a striking dichotomy. You could not picture for yourself a more stark contrast. On one side, you have God, who piles on Name after marvelous Name to remind the people who he is and what he has done. He begins with his ancient name of covenant love: the LORD, Yahweh. The name that carries with it the promise of faithful love and mercy to sinners. Then he is the King, their ruler, the one who guides and protects them from all harm and danger. Then he is their Redeemer, the one who bought them back from slavery to sin and the fear of death. He is the Lord Almighty, the creator and sustainer of all things, the one who never slumbers nor sleeps, with legions of angels at his command. Finally, he is the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega, the Ancient of Days and the Judge of all the world. So that’s on one side, God himself. And on the other side, are those who make idols. Those who fashion and craft for themselves a god in the shape of a bird or a cow or a man. They will be put to shame, because their gods, their witnesses, cannot see.

Alright, so we have this really stark contrast. What’s the point? What’s the point that God is making? What is he trying to convince us of? You know, at first it might seem like the point is to convince us that idol worship is foolish, or to persuade us to give up our own idols and turn to the LORD, the only true God. And that might be a consequence of reading this text, to convict our hearts of idolatry and renew our commitment to the LORD alone. But take a look at the one, single command that God gives to us in this text. Is it, “Abandon your idols?” Is it “Turn back to me, the only true God?” No, God’s one command for us in Isaiah 44, is in verse 8. “Do not tremble, and do not be afraid.”

Do not be Afraid - God’s Old Testament Flock

See the point of this incredible contrast between the Almighty, all-knowing God, and the worthless idol makers, is this. Don’t be afraid of them. Because I’m on your side. And you’re on my side.

To understand the full impact of these words, we need to understand the context of Isaiah 44. Even though these words were written long before the actual event took place, God is meaning with these words to comfort the faithful believers who were carried off into exile in Babylon. Maybe you can recall the significance of the exile, the horror that it brought to God’s people, as pagans and idol-worshippers marched into God’s holy city, put his people to the sword, filled the streets with blood, carried off children into slavery, and razed God’s Temple to the ground. I mean, you could hardly imagine a more horrible event. All you’ve ever known as a believer in the Lord is to trust in him and his promises, and suddenly your husband is dead, your children are slaves, and the place where you worship the LORD of compassion and love is burned to the ground. Then begins the long journey to Babylon, your new home, the city of your enemies. And it’s amazing. It’s beautiful. It’s full of gardens and grand temples and artwork in the streets. Its walls are mighty and its people are proud. Your pagan neighbors rejoice in their gods Marduk and Nebo and Ishtar for granting them victory over yet another foe. There’s a stark contrast for you: on the one side, Jerusalem, city of the LORD God, a smoldering and desolate ruin. On the other side, Babylon, glorious and mighty, city of idols.

You think that God’s faithful people might have been tempted to fear?

I think so. I think there’s a lot of fear there. The fear that they chose the losing side. That God is just one god among many, and they chose wrong. That Marduk and Ishtar were mightier, more worthy of praise. There’s the fear that they would all die in exile, that God’s people would perish in a land far away from home, their their children would marry foreigners, or that their children would fall away from faith, and ultimately that worship of the true God would perish from the earth. There’s the fear that if God is not strong and mighty to save, if he cannot protect his own people from this tragedy, if this could happen to us, then can any of God’s promises be trusted? What about his promise to preserve me in the true faith? What about his promises to cleanse me of my sin?

Do not be Afraid - God’s New Testament Flock

And you know, when I consider how those faithful Israelites must have felt being carried off into exile, I can relate. Their fears are my fears, my worries, my doubts.

I look at the state of the world, the success and the fame and the power and majesty of the wicked. I see corruption rewarded, and selfishness honored. And the world is offended when the righteous do not jump into the sea of filth with them. Here in this country, I see God’s people being laughed out of discussions, mocked for their beliefs and convictions. Around the world, I see God’s people being thrown in prison, I see them tortured and executed for their faith. I see God’s little flock being harassed and seemingly helpless at the hands of the wicked, as pagans and idol worshippers have their way. I fear. I fear, Did I choose the wrong side? Am I a fool for worshipping this God, when his people are under constant threat and terror?

I have two little children. And I fear what world they will grow up in. What will become of them in ten, twenty, thirty years? What will their home look like? Will they remain true to the LORD, or will they fall prey to the deceitfulness of wealth, or to the charms of the world? Will God preserve them in the faith?

And what about for myself? I’m a part of this culture too! And I see the tension between my heart of faith and my heart of sin. I see the conflict that rages in my country, my community, my family, my own heart. Everything telling me, showing me, demanding of me that I give up this delusion of faith and embrace what I see. Embrace the culture that I’m a part of, embrace the shameful practices. And I fear. Maybe those influences will win. Maybe the bad guys will win. Maybe my own heart will falter. Maybe God won’t come through on his promises.

Everywhere we look, another idol in the world, another heresy in the church. Everywhere we click, another promise of prosperity, another story of vision of happiness without God. Everywhere we turn, steeples are falling, not because of wrecking balls or demolition teams. But because no one is in the pews, no one is around to repair them.

And oh, that’s terrifying. It’s terrifying to think that we chose wrong. That God is not as mighty as the world. That he will not keep his promises to us. That God is weak, and that we are weak. And because of our weakness we will lose forever. Nothing but an afterthought, a footnote in the grand scheme of history. God’s Word a forgotten relic of a simpler and more foolish time.

God Declares His Name

So to those who are worried, doubting, afraid, God declares his Name. This is what the LORD says, The LORD. The God of faithfulness and covenant love. You’re are afraid that God will not keep his promises because of what you see. But remember who God is and what he has done. This is the God who promised salvation and deliverance to his people, even after they had been slaves for 400 years in Egypt. And he did it. This is the God who promised to preserve his people in faith, even when their number had dwindled to only 7000. But God did it. This is the God who promises to cleanse your sin in the waters of baptism, even after all of your fears and worries and doubts. Even though you don’t deserve it. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow. This is the God who promises the Holy Spirit to your children and their children and to all who are far off, to all whom the LORD our God will call.He is the LORD, the faithful God who will never forget his promises.

He is the King of Israel, the ruler of all things, and he is in charge. It is not the King of Babylon, it is not any political pundit. It is not the economist, or the influencer, or the dictator, the army, the college administrator, the engineer, the pastor, or anyone else who bears their sharp teeth against God’s little lambs. He is the King, and no matter how many steeples fall, and no matter how many faithful Christians are martyred for the faith, he is still the King, and his justice will reign in the end. Babylon is fallen, and so will all who oppose the King and his people at the Judgement.

God is our Redeemer. The one who has bought us back from sin with the blood of his own son. Which of the world’s idols can say the same? Who can claim to have entered into the world of sinful mortals for nothing but his love and grace? Which of them has ever suffered the mockery and scorn and pain from the very people he came to save? What blind god has stretched out his arms for you, has bled for you, has given everything for you. No one! God, the LORD is our Redeemer. And apart from him, there is no God. There is no savior. But with him! There is no foe so strong, no heresy so enticing, no idol so wise, no country so mighty, no sin so evil, that God does not make us victorious over it all.

For seventy years, God kept his promises to the Israelites in exile. Even though they had no city, no Temple, and were surrounded by powerful and enticing enemies, God still preserved them. He still kept his promise to send a savior through the line of David. Worship of the Lord did not perish from the earth, and God’s faithful people were forgiven of their sin for the sake of God’s gracious promises. God will do the same for us.

Christians, my brothers, my sisters, the holy people and chosen nation, do not be afraid. For the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, is yours. He is is stronger and wiser and gentler than the world. He has already saved us from our mightiest enemies, and our sovereign Lord will allow nothing to touch us that will not be for our good. Trust not therefore what you see with your eyes. Trust in the promises of our one, eternal, and everlasting God.