Isaiah 44:9-20

IDOL-MAKERS

Isaiah 44:9. They that make a graven image, &c.

What have we in this section of this chapter? An effective exposure of the folly of a practice that was almost universal! A fact in itself worth thinking about. We see the folly of the practice, yet it prevailed without any one suspecting its absurdity! Practical lesson: Things are not necessarily right because they are common. True of matters of faith and practice. Yet there is a general tendency to take it for granted that things that are common are right. A perception of the falsity of this assumption leads some men to an opposite error—the assumption that anything that is ancient is absurd. So pendulum-like is our tendency! But the first of these errors, because it is most prevalent, is most distinctly condemned in Scripture. The special aim of Scripture is the cultivation of individuality. It teaches that God is to be worshipped with the understanding (Psalms 47:7; Mark 12:33; 1 Corinthians 14:15). It commands and commends individual search after truth (John 5:39; Acts 17:11). It warns us against idly conforming to common practices (Exodus 23:2). To this aim of Scripture let us respond. Let us have the wisdom and the courage to think and act for ourselves. This is the secret of the origin of the reforms the world needed so much; the absurdity and wickedness of idolatry, witchcraft, Popery, slavery, &c., first dawned upon individual thinkers, who risked their lives in exposing the delusion to others. Thus only can the reforms the world still needs be accomplished. In the very nature of the case, the cultivation of individuality is a duty that devolves on you and me. Let us give heed to it. This an important lesson from the general purpose of our text. Note also—

I. THINGS EXEMPLARY IN THESE IDOL-MAKERS.

Like our Lord, we should be observant of things that are excellent in men whose general character and course is wrong (Luke 16:8). The idol-makers were not content merely to believe; they carried out their belief into practice. They believed that they ought to worship idols, and they made and worshipped them. So it is with idolaters to-day. How poorly we should come out, if we were put to this test. We believe many right things: that God should be worshipped, that the Sabbath should be kept holy, &c., but how about our practice? (James 1:22.)

2. They did not hesitate to make the sacrifices necessary to accomplish the object they deemed desirable. Many of the idols were exceedingly costly (Isaiah 40:19). The poorest stinted themselves that they might at least procure for themselves idols of carved wood (Isaiah 40:20). Before the idols they offered costly sacrifices, some of them even their children. What terrible sacrifices idolaters often make now! But we, how little we are prepared to sacrifice, in order to do what is right, and to extend the kingdom of God in the world!

II. THINGS ADMONITORY IN THESE IDOL-MAKERS.
When we look upon them thoughtfully, we learn—

1. That intellectual ability is not sufficient to save men from the grossest spiritual follies. The idolaters were not all idiots. Many of them were great statesmen, soldiers, &c. Yet they were guilty of the gross folly of idolatry. Intellect is a great gift, but there are many things for which it is insufficient. Spiritual things can be only spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 1:21; 1 Corinthians 2:14).

2. That neglect of the duty of thinking leads men into most foolish beliefs and injurious practices (Isaiah 44:19. See also Isaiah 1:3, and outlines on that text in vol. i. pp. 7–12).

The great lesson of this text: the duty of diligent and earnest self-examination. Let us look into our right hand, and see what it is that we are cherishing there (Isaiah 44:20; H. E I. 4433, 4434).

THE DECEIVED HEART

Isaiah 44:20. He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart, &c.

The moral government of God in this world is carried on by agencies that, generally speaking, seem to us most perfectly appropriate to the accomplishment of His designs. But He sometimes chooses means that appear unlikely to bring about what He intends to effect. Such was the method He adopted to cure the Jews of their idolatry. They were addicted to it for many generations. He caused them to be carried away captive to a country in which this degradation was practised universally! Yet it was there they became totally changed in this respect. Considered in itself, there was nothing in their captivity in an idolatrous country to secure this end; indeed it rather had a contrary tendency. But it was the grace of God working with their affliction that rendered it productive of this unexpected result. The warnings and instructions of the prophets accompanied the affliction, and the blessing of God rested on both; while they looked on the idolatrous practices, God’s messengers pointed out their absurdity, degradation, and danger. This chapter was designed for this purpose. But while our text refers to the folly of the idolater, it admits of easy and legitimate application to all the fallen children of Adam who are in their unrenewed state. They are turned aside by a deceived heart; they are feeding on ashes; they cannot deliver their souls, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
I. THE NATURE OF THAT DECEPTION BY WHICH AN UNCONVERTED PERSON IS INFLUENCED. “A deceived heart hath turned him aside.” The deception is therefore—

1. Fundamental in its character. It has its seat in the very centre of his being. It perniciously affects his governing principles. Principles determine action. True, bad men will sometimes, through the operation of outward causes, act contrary to their secret inclinations; and a good man, overborne by temptation, may act contrary to his settled principles (Romans 7:18). Peter denied his Master at the very time when his principles, if carried out, would have led him to come forward in His defence. But deception of the heart consists not merely in having the principles overruled by the force of temptation, but in the principles themselves being wrong. In this case, the very springs of a man’s action are out of place, and consequently wrong must be the rule by which he walks and the judgment which he forms. When the fountain is corrupt, all the streams that issue from it will be corrupt. When the heart is in error, all that depends upon its unaided decisions must be erroneous (Proverbs 4:23; H. E. I. 2689–2693).

2. It is powerful in the influence which it exerts. Whether a man will walk in the paths of virtue or of vice, depends entirely on the state of his heart, for in all cases it is true that “as he thinketh in his heart so is he.” His conduct will sooner or later be of the character to which that inclines. Such is the influence of the heart over the inferior faculties that, whatever resistance they may set up at first, it will be but feeble and temporary. There are instances on record—even in regard to good men, as David in the matter of Uriah, and Peter in denying Christ—in which the inferior faculties, not being fully subject to the heart, have, like a factious colony, revolted; but the heart, being right and strong, has exerted its sovereign power, and they have been again reduced to subjection, order, and obedience. On the other hand, in hypocrites and persons partially awakened, the inferior powers have been wrought upon to a great extent; but the heart not being changed, they have soon drawn back to its government and control. The intellect is curiously affected by the heart. How much the heart has to do with the opinions we hold! With what ease a person is brought to believe that to which he is inclined! (P. D. 119, 2382, 3057). How apt the judgment is to protest against that to which the heart is opposed! Such was the powerful influence by which the Jews, in the days of the Prophet, were retained in their idolatrous practices. It was seen to be equally efficacious in the days of our Lord. The corrupt hearts of the Pharisees were averse to His claims, and their aversion influenced their wills to reject and destroy Him; if at any time they found conviction stealing over them, it was met within by a powerful check. They saw, and yet they hated, both our Lord and His Father.

3. The existence of this deception is usually unsuspected, because it is so natural and easy in its mode of operation. Amongst all the reasons assigned for indifference about the state of the soul in the sight of God, this is not the least frequently assigned, that the mind is now at ease. Most persons think that nothing but fanatical zeal can make a man anxiously concerned for himself, or induce him deliberately to awaken suspicion in the reposing souls of others. But there is a quietness which deserves to be dreaded more than the greatest distress that can be experienced. It is the quietness of spiritual death—a false peace arising from the spiritual ignorance of its possessors, or the delusion of others by whom they are led (Jeremiah 6:14; H. E. I. 1327–1333). Though conversions are not all after one pattern, yet there are few whose present spiritual comfort, if it be worth anything, has not been preceded by a severe spiritual conflict.

What is required of every one who would avoid the delusion specified in our text? It is that he should act with regard to the momentous concerns of the soul as he does in reference to the interests of the present life. When a man is about to purchase an estate, he most carefully examines the title to it that is offered him. But how seldom are the Scriptures searched for the express purpose of bringing the heart to that test! But consider—

II. THE PROOFS OF THIS DECEPTION WHICH ARE TO BE FOUND IN THE SINNER’S LIFE AND CONDUCT. “He feedeth on ashes.” A deceived heart is known—

1. By the vitiated taste which characterises its possessor—by the utter insufficiency and impropriety of those things by which he, as an immortal being, seeks to satisfy the desires of his spiritual nature; just as, when we see a person craving after that which cannot be of any benefit to him, we conclude at once that there is a diseased condition of body, or a perverted state of mind. Only in God can there be found the satisfaction for the soul’s craving after happiness (H. E. I. 2379–2387, 4627–4630). But instead of looking to Him, the man of deceived heart endeavours to supply His place with inefficient substitutes—the things of this world. “He feedeth on ashes,” sensual enjoyments, schemes of worldly pleasure, delusive hopes (P. D. 1680).

2. By the injurious tendencies of the man’s practices. He who “feedeth on ashes” not only debars himself of what is good, but also inflicts upon his constitution a positive evil, by rendering himself incapable of relishing necessary future good when he may feel disposed for its enjoyment. As true of the soul as of the body! The longer repentance is delayed the more difficult it becomes; the longer vice reigns in the heart, the more arduous and painful is the work of its expulsion. [1417] “Feeding on ashes” must also affect the future. That there are degrees of glory we are clearly taught in the Scriptures; but by what rule are they regulated except by the measure of grace received and cultivated here? (P. D. 412, 1752).

[1417] To which of the saints can we turn who did not enlist under the banner of the Cross until late in life, and after a terrible course of error and profanity, who does not find, to his deep regret, that in the time of his former ignorance he was not only keeping himself from the proper nourishment of his soul, but also that the ashes on which he then fed have left behind injurious consequences, which now prevent him from enjoying so much as he otherwise would of the excellency of Christ and His Gospel? When the memory has been previously stored, and perhaps at a very early period of life, with the pernicious productions of a licentious press, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to forget them, and supply their place with better things. When the affections have been firmly set on the vanities of time and sense, and through a long period have exercised their strength upon a certain set of objects, it will be extremely difficult to prevent the intrusion of those objects; and that, too, when they ought especially to be annihilated. Many and painful will be the struggles between these and better things for the throne of the heart.—Slye.

3. It is seen in that contentment and satisfaction the man appears to possess. “He feedeth on ashes.” He does not take them as a medicine that has been prescribed for him; he sits down to them as a meal, as a matter of habit and choice! How pitiable!

III. THE DIREFUL EFFECTS OF THIS PRACTICE ON THE SINNER. “He cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?” If the body be diseased in some of its inferior or less essential parts, the vital organs being healthy and the constitution good, it may recover itself, and again perform its wonted actions; but if the seat of life be affected, there is no hope of recovery but by a miracle, or that which nearly approaches to it. It is just so with a deceived heart. Sin has untuned the instrument, and though it has still left the strings, they have no power to rectify themselves. In a dead body there are all the properties for action, and there may be some of the animal warmth, while there is no animation, but the lifeless mass cannot recover itself. No more can the man who has long fed upon “ashes.” The very desire, as well as the ability, to rise to a nobler life passes away from him (H. E. I. 1527).—James Slye: Home Exercises, pp. 33–66.

Mistaken notions of image-worship may lead us to regard it with an air of scorn, as too silly and infatuated ever to find a place in Christianised communities; but let us not be deceived; the pagan does not bow down to the mere material of which his god is formed; he believes it to be fraught with a divine power and intelligence, that in it or in his act of worship there resides a secret virtue; and whenever the symbol in Christian worship is believed to have in itself an efficacious virtue, whenever religious acts as such, religious ceremonies or places of worship, are supposed to be possessed of a peculiar sacredness and saving efficacy, we have only a refined species of image-worship. But if not images, we have our idols in abundance. The gods of our day may not have an outward embodiment, but not the less loyal are their votaries to them. Men are prone to make idols of mammon and worldly desires and selfish ambitions. Human nature is substantially the same in all ages. The follies of bygone times are continually being reproduced, and instead of exciting our ridicule, they should call us to examine our own conduct.

The text concludes the Prophet’s scathing exposure of the folly of idol-manufacture and idol-worship, which he traces up to “a deceived heart.” “So wrapped up is he in his delusion that he never thinks of examining the grounds of his hope.” May not this explain every false confidence, and every sinful course? As the long practice of idolatry blinds the idolater to its folly, so every sin and superstitious trust has a blinding effect. The lie in the hand becomes a lie in the heart, and the lie in the heart keeps the lie in the hand. Practice and belief have a reciprocal influence. Self-deception is at once the fruit and the seed of sin (H. E. I. 4538). Sin works spiritual blindness, so that the sinner is like a ship in a fog, or a traveller in a deep ravine who knows not his direction on account of the overhanging cliffs and dense foliage (Matthew 6:23); nay, he is worse, for not only is he unable to review his conduct and test his principles, he is indisposed to do so, and it never even suggests itself to him that he is possibly on a wrong track. Look at some of the causes and forms of self-delusion in regard to a sinful life and a foolish confidence, both of which are denoted by “the hand,” as that which acts and that which grasps:—

1. Ignorance of self and neglect of self-scrutiny. Men busy themselves in exploring the expanse of the sky, and ranging the bodies of the universe, while they neglect to scrutinise their own hearts. They recoil from self-examination because it is painful. “O grievous strait!” cries one; “if I look into myself I cannot endure myself; if I see not myself I am deceived, and death is unavoidable.” Surely it is better to open the wound than to let it mortify. If only the sinner would pause and reflect, he might discover the lie to which he is clinging and the deception that lurks in his heart (Psalms 139:23).

2. The false religions of the world. Even the heathen have a sense of guilt and a fear of retribution, and when they ask, “How can we obtain pardon and peace?” their own hearts cannot tell, nature gives no response; but the superstitions of the world come to their aid with soothing opiates for a guilty conscience. They are taught to propitiate the gods by bloody rites. So strong is the sense of guilt that the deluded Hindoo practises upon himself every form of torture, prostrating himself before the wheels of the car of Juggernaut. The Mohammedan is very scrupulous in his fasts and prayers, or undertakes a toilsome journey to the tomb of the false prophet, hoping thus to expiate his guilt and obtain a passport to paradise. The Romanist confesses his sin into the ear of a priest, and implores the aid of the Virgin and the saints. The indulgences which he can purchase are paper falsehoods, but so deluded is he that he does not ask, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” In these ways the false religions of the world encourage their votaries in sin and self-deception. All of them are offshoots and creations of depraved human nature (Deuteronomy 29:19).

3. The practice of giving soft and soothing names to sin to disguise its real nature. The lie in the hand is concealed by the lie in the heart, when plausible names are given to dishonourable actions. A man who ruins himself by some degrading vice is said to be “a good-hearted fellow, who harms no one but himself;” a shameful sin is but “a misfortune.” Thus are men led into the belief that there is no such thing as sin at all. They hide their eyes from its sinfulness, and live in the practice of it, because they think lightly of it.

4. The excuses of our own evil hearts (Jeremiah 17:9). In ancient times men ascribed their moral delinquencies to the influence of the stars under which they were born, casting their guilt upon the circumstances of their birth, and imagining that they were under a fatal influence which compelled them to sin (Jeremiah 7:10). Many still believe themselves to be the slaves of inflexible fate, and are bold enough to charge their Maker with their guilt, like Burns, who wrote—

“Thou knowest that Thou hast formed me
With passions wild and strong;
And listening to their witching voice
Has often led me wrong.”

They declare themselves to be the victims of circumstance, unable to help themselves (Genesis 3:12; James 1:13).

CONCLUSION.—

1. The degradation and disappointment of the self-deceived. “He feedeth on ashes,” which cannot nourish nor satisfy (Deuteronomy 32:32; Luke 15:16). No solid comfort nor abiding peace is found in the lies to which the natural heart has recourse. Foolish man is like the ostrich that tries to elude the pursuit of the hunters by hiding its head in the sand. Lies in heart and life shall have lies for their reward—ashes instead of food. In Doddridge’s well-known hymn, “O Happy Day,” there is a reference to our text, which in some collections has been tampered with. The verse runs—

“Now rest, my long-divided heart;
Fixed on this blissful centre, rest:
With ashes who would grudge to part,
When called on angels’ bread to feast!”

2. The helplessness of the self-deluded. “He cannot deliver his soul” by detecting the delusions in which he is ensnared. Nothing short of Divine power and heavenly light can break the spell under which he lies (John 16:8; Ephesians 5:13).—William Guthrie, M.A.