Only God

Idolatry has become the hallmark of God’s people. Israel worships gods made of stone, metal, and wood. They have not given up temple worship, only added the worship of something else. But the addition has cost them the closeness that God has always desired for His people. Idolatry has separated the hearts of Israel from the worship of God. It is a separation that will bring captivity. Sometimes it is so easy to look at Israel and wonder how they could have fallen so far. How senseless to worship a manmade image. How shallow to place hope and trust in something that does not move, love, and care for people. But the sin of Israel is rampant in our world today. We don’t stop worshipping God, we just bring in the world to walk beside Him. We trust human wisdom and make God fit the definitions and patterns of the world. We hope in future achievements and ask God to bless what we are doing rather than surrendering to what God has planned. We listen to the call of the world and believe that the world can offer us all we ever need or desire. All we have to do is…take our eyes off of God and put them somewhere else. This is idolatry. It is alive and well in our world today. And the consequences are the same. Captivity and death. Isaiah calls us to remember who we are, and to keep our eyes firmly on God.