# Isaiah 44 đ: The Folly of Idols
[[đ Explore the Bible Books]]
[[-Isaiah Overview]] | [[Isaiah 43]] | [[Isaiah 45]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Principles / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### The Lord Will Renew Israel
[[#Verse 01.]]Â âNow, listen, Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!â
[[#Verse 02.]] This is what the Lord, the one who made you, saysâ
the one who formed you in the womb and helps you:
âDonât be afraid, my servant Jacob,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
[[#Verse 03.]]Â For I will pour water on the parched ground
and cause streams to flow on the dry land.
I will pour my Spirit on your offspring
and my blessing on your children.
[[#Verse 04.]]Â They will sprout up like a tree in the grass,
like poplars beside channels of water.
[[#Verse 05.]] One will say, âI belong to the Lord,â
and another will use the name âJacob.â
One will write on his hand, âThe Lordâs,â
and use the name âIsrael.ââ
### The Absurdity of Idolatry
[[#Verse 06.]] This is what the Lord, Israelâs king, says,
their Protector, the Lord of Heavenâs Armies:
âI am the first and I am the last,
there is no God but me.
[[#Verse 07.]]Â Who is like me? Let him make his claim!
Let him announce it and explain it to meâ
since I established an ancient peopleâ
let them announce future events.
[[#Verse 08.]]Â Donât panic! Donât be afraid!
Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it?
You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me?
There is no other sheltering rock;Â I know of none.
[[#Verse 09.]]Â All who form idols are nothing;
the things in which they delight are worthless.
Their witnesses cannot see;
they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame.
[[#Verse 10.]]Â Who forms a god and casts an idol
that will prove worthless?
[[#Verse 11.]] Look, all his associates will be put to shame;
the craftsmen are mere humans.
Let them all assemble and take their stand.
They will panic and be put to shame.
[[#Verse 12.]]Â A blacksmith works with his tool
and forges metal over the coals.
He forms it with hammers;
he makes it with his strong arm.
He gets hungry and loses his energy;
he drinks no water and gets tired.
[[#Verse 13.]]Â A carpenter takes measurements;
he marks out an outline of its form;
he scrapes it with chisels,
and marks it with a compass.
He patterns it after the human form,
like a well-built human being,
and puts it in a shrine.
[[#Verse 14.]]Â He cuts down cedars
and acquires a cypress or an oak.
He gets trees from the forest;
he plants a cedar and the rain makes it grow.
[[#Verse 15.]]Â A man uses it to make a fire;
he takes some of it and warms himself.
Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
Then he makes a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.
[[#Verse 16.]]Â Half of it he burns in the fireâ
over that half he cooks meat;
he roasts a meal and fills himself.
Yes, he warms himself and says,
âAh! I am warm as I look at the fire.â
[[#Verse 17.]]Â With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships it.
He prays to it, saying,
âRescue me, for you are my god!â
[[#Verse 18.]]Â They do not comprehend or understand,
for their eyes are blind and cannot see;
their minds do not discern.
[[#Verse 19.]]Â No one thinks to himself,
nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:
âI burned half of it in the fireâ
yes, I baked bread over the coals;
I roasted meat and ate it.
With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?
Should I bow down to dry wood?â
[[#Verse 20.]]Â He feeds on ashes;
his deceived mind misleads him.
He cannot rescue himself,
nor does he say, âIs this not a false god I hold in my right hand?â
[[#Verse 21.]]Â Remember these things, O Jacob,
O Israel, for you are my servant.
I formed you to be my servant;
O Israel, I will not forget you!
[[#Verse 22.]]Â I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud,
the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud.
Come back to me, for I protect you.â
[[#Verse 23.]] Shout for joy, O sky, for the Lord intervenes;
shout out, you subterranean regions of the earth.
O mountains, give a joyful shout;
you too, O forest and all your trees!
For the Lord protects Jacob;
he reveals his splendor through Israel.
### The Lord Empowers Cyrus
[[#Verse 24.]] This is what the Lord, your Protector, says,
the one who formed you in the womb:
âI am the Lord, who made everything,
who alone stretched out the sky,
who fashioned the earth all by myself,
[[#Verse 25.]]Â who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers
and humiliates the omen readers,
who overturns the counsel of the wise men
and makes their advice seem foolish,
[[#Verse 26.]]Â who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants
and brings to pass the announcements of his messengers,
who says about Jerusalem, âShe will be inhabited,â
and about the towns of Judah, âThey will be rebuilt,
her ruins I will raise up,â
[[#Verse 27.]]Â who says to the deep sea, âBe dry!
I will dry up your sea currents,â
[[#Verse 28.]] who commissions Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd
to carry out all my wishes and to decree concerning Jerusalem, âShe will be rebuilt,â
and concerning the temple, âIt will be reconstructed.â
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
###### Verse 24.
###### Verse 25.
###### Verse 26.
###### Verse 27.
###### Verse 28.
## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Jeshurun (44:2) is a tender name for Israel meaning upright one. It also appears in Deuteronomy 32:15 and 33:5, 26.
2. The image of water and Spirit poured out (44:3) is echoed in Jesus' promise of living water (John 7:38-39).
3. Verses 9-20 are one of the sharpest satires of idolatry in the Bible.
4. The blacksmith gets hungry and weary while making his god (44:12), showing the idol depends on a weak human.
5. Half the wood cooks dinner, the other half becomes a god (44:16-17).
6. A deluded heart has led him astray (44:20) describes how idolatry blinds the mind.
7. Cyrus is named in 44:28, about 150 years before he conquered Babylon in 539 BC.
8. Cyrus issued a decree in 538 BC allowing the Jews to return and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-4).
9. God calls Cyrus His shepherd (44:28), a title usually used for kings of Israel.
10. The heavens, the depths of the earth, the mountains, and the forests are called to sing (44:23).
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the King of Israel and its Redeemer, the First and the Last (44:6; Revelation 22:13). He pours out the Spirit on His people (44:3; John 7:38-39) and wipes away sins like a cloud (44:22).
## đ Key Principles / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. God promises to pour out His Spirit on Israel's descendants (44:3). What does it look like for the Spirit to bring new life to a family or church?
2. Isaiah mocks the man who warms himself with half a log and bows to the other half (44:15-17). What are modern ways we worship things we have made?
3. God says, return to Me, for I have redeemed you (44:22). How does knowing you are already redeemed help you return to God?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verse 3: God will pour water on thirsty land and His Spirit on His people's descendants.
- đ verse 6: I am the first and I am the last; there is no God but Me.
- đ verse 22: God has wiped away your sins like a cloud; return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
## đ Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đ [[Revelation 22#Verse 12.|Revelation 22:12-13]] - I am the Alpha and the Omega.
- đ [[John 07#Verse 37.|John 7:37-39]] - Rivers of living water and the Spirit.
- đ [[Ezra 01#Verse 01.|Ezra 1:1-4]] - The decree of Cyrus.
- đ [[1 John 05#Verse 21.|1 John 5:21]] - Little children, guard yourselves from idols.
- đ [[Acts 03#Verse 19.|Acts 3:19]] - Repent so your sins may be wiped out.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Isaiah 44 - SOAP|God Uses Unlikely Sources]]
## đ Internal Notes