The Seduction of Contemporary Idolatry - Isaiah 44:1-23

Copyright June 19, 2022 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

Kyle Idleman wrote a good and convicting book called GODS AT WAR. The book is about contemporary idols. In it Idelman says,

Idolatry isn’t just one of many sins; rather it’s the one great sin that all others come from. So, if you start scratching at whatever struggle you’re dealing with, eventually you’ll find that underneath it is a false god. Until that god is dethroned, and the Lord God takes his rightful place, you will not have victory. (p. 26)

Over the course of our study of Isaiah, the Lord has railed against the people of Israel because of their idolatry. This passage in Isaiah 44 is one of the longest rants against those who worship gods other than the Lord.

We all know idolatry is bad. It is everywhere in the Bible both Old and New Testaments. Any time we give our loyalty to something or someone other than the Lord we worship an idol. We know idolatry is bad, but we don’t think WE are guilty of worshipping idols!

This morning we are going to look at Isaiah 44 and zero in on the issue of idolatry in the hope of seeing where we are guilty of doing the same things Israel did. Our hope, of course, is that having seen the problem, we will decide to take action and root these idols from our lives.

In Isaiah 44:6-8 we read,

6 This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies:

“I am the First and the Last;

there is no other God.

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.

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!”

Idolatry is bad because the Lord God is worthy of not just our worship, but our EXCLUSIVE worship! The Lord is worthy of our worship because He is eternal! He is the first and the last, the Creator and the Sustainer of life.

The Lord made us. He fashioned us in our mother’s womb. He gave us the talents we possess. He is the One who made it possible for us to know joy, peace, love, satisfaction. He is the One who came to rescue us even after we, as humankind, had rejected Him. He pursued each one of us. Jesus came to give His life for us. He offers us the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us. To spurn Him is to reject the One who demonstrated the depth of His love.

There is No Other Rock on which to build our life. He is the only one out there. He is our refuge and strength. He is the One who can bring us through any circumstance. His resources are endless and His power and wisdom is unequaled. Why would we turn anywhere besides the Lord?

Suppose you needed to buy a new computer. You look on Amazon and find out that there are all kinds of computers for sale. The prices sound good to you. But to be a good steward you go out to CCS Computers and ask Bob about a computer. You tell him about the great deals you found. Now suppose Bob pointed out that the discount computers were a good price, but . . . they don’t come with a monitor, they won’t run any programs. They connect to the internet but that’s all they will do. If you go ahead and buy that “great priced” computer, don’t bring it to Bob when it doesn’t work! He warned you. This is the way it is with the idols Israel worshipped and the idols that we are guilty of worshipping. God has warned us that they cannot satisfy. We cannot blame Him for our misery if we turn to our idols.

The Foolishness of Idols

Starting in Isaiah 44:9 the Lord makes His case. It’s a long passage and I will read just a part of it.

9 How foolish are those who manufacture idols.

These prized objects are really worthless.

The people who worship idols don’t know this,

so they are all put to shame.

10 Who but a fool would make his own god—

an idol that cannot help him one bit?

11 All who worship idols will be disgraced

along with all these craftsmen—mere humans—

who claim they can make a god.

They may all stand together,

but they will stand in terror and shame.

18 Such stupidity and ignorance!

Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see.

Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.

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?”

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?”

These people were making idols out of the same wood that was also used in their fireplace. I bet they prayed no one would throw their idol on the fire! As soon as a crisis came, they were undefended!

Some Contemporary Idols

We sometimes turn to things to satisfy us (temporarily) but much of the times are idols are more subtle and subversive. It is always easier to see the foolishness of others instead of our own. Author Paul Tripp wrote,

In the middle of trouble, when you are in the heat of the battle, you will run somewhere for refuge. You will run somewhere for rest, comfort, peace, encouragement, wisdom, healing, and strength. There is only one place to run where true protection, rest, and strength can be found. You and I must learn, in life and ministry, to make the Lord our refuge. Perhaps in trouble you run to other people, hoping that they can be your personal messiah.

Perhaps you run to entertainment, hoping to numb your troubles away. Maybe you run to a substance, trying your best to turn off the pain. Maybe you are tempted to run to food or sex, fighting pain with pleasure. Since none of these things can provide the refuge that you seek, putting your hope there tends only to add disappointment to the trouble you’re already experiencing.

There are many potential idols we may find ourselves embracing. Let me give you a list that may be different from our usual list of idols (money, power, pleasures, and stuff).

The Idol of good “Causes.” There are any number of causes you can be involved in. The problem is not necessarily the cause, it is the hold it has on your life. Some popular causes are politics, abortion, gay rights, the second amendment, racial reconciliation, civic pride and nationalism, and bullying. Your cause may be to raise money for some organization. It could be to elect a candidate or promote a social agenda.

Causes become idols when they take first place in your life. You know when they are taking first place in your life when you start ignoring Biblical commands in the pursuit of your cause, or your commitments start taking you away from the church, or it creates division in the church or hostility toward other believers. When we give our best time to our passion rather than to the Lord, our cause is becoming or has already become an idol. Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” (Mt. 6:33)

The idol of “Appearances.” It is very easy in our superficial age to become preoccupied (maybe even obsessed) with our physical appearance. I often feel condemned because of hair loss, the need to lose weight, or the cry to be more physically fit, or sexually virile. We are bombarded with aids for weight loss products, exercise equipment, miracle pills that will transform your appearances, and there are huge stores devoted just to make-up! There are surgeries to make you more attractive or to disguise your age. It is easy to become obsessed with the image the world says we should covet. We can spend so much time on these things that we have to cut or forego some of the things that relate to our relationship with God and with each other! We are so wrapped up in appearances that we judge people on the superficial rather than the substantive areas of character and godliness. Everyone feels inadequate because of the way they look!

I’m all for people looking nice but God reminds us, “Man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart.” Here’s the question: what would your life be like if you devoted as much time and money to deepening your walk with God as you spend trying to look good? What would happen if you were as concerned about the nagging sin in your life as with the few extra pounds you may be carrying? See what I mean?

The Idol of “Successful Parenting.” This comes out of a very commendable desire to be good parents. But good things can be used by the Devil when they become all-consuming.

It is easy to be consumed by trying to be a super-parent. You see it in the fans at a summer ball games for kids that take the game as if it is a referendum on life! It is just a game! You see it in the parents who are gone every night of the week chasing their child because you have them enrolled in everything! Kids are starting their homework at 10:00 at night because they have been running around with extra-curricular activities. You see it in the parents who storm into the school anytime their child faces discipline or a teacher dare to give them a bad grade. You see it in kids who are given everything because a parent doesn’t want to disappoint their child. You might see a 5th grade student with the latest iPhone (which many parents can’t afford)!

We put our children under the pressures from which they should be spared until they are adults. More and more events are being scheduled on Sundays. When we participate in these things and forgo worship and meeting with God’s people, we are teaching our children that these things are more important that God! (In other words, we are teaching them to worship idols!) In our effort to be great parents we are actually leading our children away from our primary task: to bring them to Jesus! We may also be so obsessed with being super parents that there is no time left for the parents to grow their own relationship which leaves our children with broken homes.

The Idol of Tolerance and “open-mindedness.” We are living in crazy times. People seem to want black to be white and white to be black. Simple things like boys and girls have now gone to completely ridiculous limits. We are so open-minded that our brains have fallen out!

Do you remember the parable of The Emperor’s New Clothes? It was written by Hans Christian Anderson. It’s the story of an Emperor who loved clothes. One day some con men came to town and boasted they made the finest clothes ever seen. They were so fine that the cloth had the quality of being invisible to those who were unfit for their office were unusually stupid. The King hired these men to make him clothes.

They set up looms and pretended to weave. Of course, there was no fabric but no one would admit they saw no fabric because they didn’t want to appear unfit for their office or below average mentally. The King sent one of his advisors to check on the clothes. The con men went into detail about the quality of the fabric. The advisor saw nothing but was not going to admit it. When the con men asked for more money, they were given more money! The King sent others to check on the clothing and got the same response from all of them.

Finally, the “clothes” were delivered to the King. He saw nothing but wasn’t going to admit that. So the King asked all the staff what they thought of the clothes. They gushed over them even though they saw nothing. The con men offered to help the King get dressed. So, he took off his clothes and was “dressed by the men.”

A parade was set up and the King proudly prepared to walk the streets of the Kingdom. He felt naked, but he wasn’t going to admit it. As he paraded down the street the people cheered (because they didn’t want to appear stupid.) Finally, one little boy said, “The Emperor doesn’t have any clothes on!” The crowd came to their senses when the heard the young boy and confessed they too saw nothing. The King continued the procession with the men carry the train of the clothes that did not exist, behind him. He did not want to appear unfit.

Isn’t this what is happening with the WOKE Culture of today? We are being sold a bill of goods by con men. We don’t say anything, even though it contradicts the Bible and common sense, because we don’t want to appear insensitive, racist, or come across as some kind of a bully. But . . . the emperor is not wearing any clothes! We are worshipping at the idol of tolerance and open-mindedness and are sacrificing our sanity to do so!

The Idol of Information. We can become addicted to the latest headlines or conspiracy reports. God repeatedly tells us to “fear not,” but we are filled with fear and anxiety because of the constant turmoil broadcast into and INVITED into our homes. We trust the broadcasters rather than the Lord.

There is the endless pursuit of information. You can listen to podcasts all day long. You can go to school until you are well into your 30’s, obtaining degrees that have no practical purpose other than to trumpet the fact that you have many degrees. And all of this at the expense of productive labor, quiet times for meditation, study of the Word of God and listening for the whispers of God’s Spirit. We are trading the rich and eternal knowledge of Heaven for the endless fear-mongering of men.

The idol of immediate gratification. There is a dopamine rush that comes from various pleasures. You can get a dopamine rush from dangerous behaviors, sexual conquests, competitive sports, pornography, material possessions, video games, or some drug use. We all enjoy the feelings of pleasure that dopamine brings. However, we can become addicted to this rush. When that happens, we can become addicted to the things that deliver this rush and become bored with reality. Not only that, when the dopamine rush dies down, we are left lethargic and feel depressed. Is this why so many are diagnosed with depression? As that why many marriages fail.

You will hear people say, “I am just following my heart.” Don’t do that! Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Our job is not to follow our hearts . . . it is to follow the Lord!

Conclusions

We have only scratched the surface on the topic of idolatry. I have tried to pick idols that are generally unrecognized as idols. Author Jerry Bridges wrote a book with a fitting title: “Respectable Sins” he gives a long list of some of the are idols/sins that are often seen as virtuous even though they are destroying us. If we had time, we could talk about the gods of comfort, perfectionism, nationalism, influence and power, or status. Remember, good things can become idols if we give them our ultimate allegiance or let them take over our lives.

I began with a quote from Kyle Idleman. In His book Gods At War he gives us some questions we should ask to help find, and hopefully weed out, the idols of our lives.

1. What Disappoints You? If you are overwhelmed by disappointment, it means something has become more important to us than it should be.

2. What Do You complain about the most? What we complain about reveals what really matters to us. This may be a clue to your idols

3. For what do you make financial sacrifices? What would you quickly buy if it was needed even though it wasn’t in the budget?

4. What Worries You? You care deeply about something that has a hold on you deep inside and is revealed when your mind is in free to roam at night.

5. Where is Your Sanctuary? Where do you go when you are hurting?

6. What Infuriates You? Again, this shows what matters intensely to you. Is it something godly, or something that is not?

7. What Are Your Dreams? Where do you choose to let your imagination go?

Our task is to find the idols in our life and destroy them. The Lord tells us He is a jealous God. He does not want anything to stand between us and Him. And, that is what we should want as well. The Lord deserves our best. We owe Him our sole allegiance. There is no God like Him. We should not pursue or be devoted to gods that have no power to save us.