Isaiah 44:12-17: The Folly of Idolatry

The man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, so that it may sit in a house. Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.” — Isaiah 44:12-17 (NASB 1995)

Idolatry, in the most literal sense of the word, means to manufacture some kind of figurine and to worship it as a deity. Properly speaking, the idol is supposed to represent the divine being, and by worshiping the idol we are worshiping the divine being. But in reality both the god and the idol representing it are products of our own imagination, or twisted representations of our own desires, and there is no difference between the two. When viewed from this perspective, it is not difficult for us to see the contradictions, waste, and ridiculousness of idol worship.

A more subtle truth, that most mature Christians understand, is that it is possible for us to turn almost anything into an idol, if we try to make it a substitute for the true God. That is to say, idolatry means that we take some thing which was created by God, or manufactured by ourselves; and we elevate that thing to a position of supreme importance in our lives; or we expect it to do things for us that only God can do.

In this mocking narrative, the prophet emphases the folly of worshiping an idol, even though

The idol requires a great deal of human industry and sacrifice to produce.

In verse 12 of our passage, we observe that

The smith exhausts himself to prepare the tools for idol making

Specialized metal cutting tools are needed for the fine wood work of idol making. And so the smith labors for hours over the coals. The scorching heat from the oven parches his throat. The repetitive lifting and swinging of the heavy hammer drains all the energy from his arms and body, so that he feels an urgent need for some morsel of food, just to keep his heart beating.

Here, the smith works himself nearly to death, to make an idol that is supposed to give him strength, and is supposed to provide his needs.

Discussion question: What idols in our lives can leave us exhausted and worn out, while not giving us the things that we want from them?

After this stage of production, idol making moves from the smith to the craftsman, who carefully carves the figure of the idol. And so we see, in verse 13, that

The construction of the idol takes great human skill

The wood must be cut into the correct general shape. Careful measurements must be taken. Outlines must be marked out for further cutting work. Specialized tools must be used, such as planes and compasses, to make sure that the shape is elegant and properly proportioned. To add to the idol's appeal, it is constructed to mimic our own form and beauty. Careful artistry aims to produce something worthy to sit over the mantel piece, or at the family altar.

Discussion question: What works of human skill and craftsmanship can awe us and tempt us to idolatry?

Something further to note, which is emphasized in verse 14, is that even the material that the idol is made of, the wood itself, has a price to it. That is,

The construction materials of the idol require an investment of time and harvesting effort

A tree was planted, maybe a kind that is preferred for its particular quality of wood. And the tree has to grow of course, a process which takes several years at least. And we should not overlook the facts that trees themselves are a gift from God, and the rain necessary to make them grow. Both the waste and irony of this is emphasized further in verse 15 and following, where we see that

The idol is made of that which is given to us for our needs and comfort

The forester, after cutting down his tree, uses half of it in his cooking fire. He warms himself near the embers, while at the same time roasting a tasty block of meat for his dinner. This is a very sensible use of wood. But the other half of the wood gets carved into a stick figure — pardon the pun — to be worshiped as a god! How can we worship, as divine, something made out of the same material we used to cook our dinner! Better to save it for firewood!

Discussion question: What are some examples of ways that we take things that God has given us for our own good, and make idols out of them?

In verse 17, we see that

He ascribes to the idol virtue and power which it does not have.

But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.”

He thinks the idol cares for him and his needs, when indeed it can care for nothing. He looks to it to deliver him from his troubles, when in reality the idol is only a stick of dead wood, propped up and made to look fancy, by his own efforts.

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