Happy Thanksgiving! Did you have a good holiday? I’m excited to be moving into the Christmas season now. It’s one of my favorites. I love all the decorations, the lights, the anticipation of giving gifts to my family and friends, and the reminder of what God did for us in sending His Son to pay our debts so we could be with Him. 

I’ve been thinking about that one a bit more lately. Who is the God we serve? What role does He play in our lives? We get to know a lot about our God in Isaiah 46. He’s good. Responsible. Trustworthy. Loving and caring. He protects and saves. Rescues. And He shows us a lot about Himself in how He compares to the idols we create in place of Him. 

God talks a lot about the dangers of idolatry. They’re creations of our own hands that we put in place of God. Isaiah starts chapter 46 by calling out two of Babylon’s main gods, Bel and Nebo, and calling for them to bow down to the God of Israel as the one true God. Through Isaiah, God is showing the people that He is the God they’re seeking. He’s the only One who can save them. 

Created things depend on their creator. If we create an idol, it depends on us to carry it and it becomes a burden because it’s not something we were meant to carry. In the same way, God created us and He takes responsibility for us in carrying us. If we give Him our burdens instead of turning them into idols, He carries those too. And they don’t become burdens to Him because that’s His job. He’s meant to carry us and to carry our burdens. He takes on that role willingly. It’s not too heavy for Him.

Isaiah shows this in verses 6 and 7 as well. The people have to use a lot of gold and silver to have these idols made and then they fall down and worship the creation of their own hands. Verse 7 continues, “They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble.” 

Idols can be anything, not necessarily a statue we’ve created. We may not even mean to create them. They can be our finances, public opinion, our careers, even our ambitions. Anything that we let take the most important place in our lives and in our hearts, that becomes an idol. Anything that takes precedence in our decision-making, that becomes an idol. 

But God takes responsibility for us as His creation. He performs His role as Father very well. He’s not absent or distracted. He’s carried us from the time before we were born and will continue to carry us until the end of our lives. He doesn’t leave us for a moment. He’s a good, good God. A good, good Father. He’s committed Himself to us from before we were ever even created. 

God doesn’t require us to take care of Him. He’s the One who coordinates history, raises up or tears down kingdoms, who knows every event in history long before it’s happened. And not only does He know history, but He ordains it. Verse 11 says “I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” He’s confident in Himself and His ability. He alone can save. He even calls the Israelites, and us by extension, to “remember the former things of old,” all the things He’s already done for us. 

How has he already provided for you over the years? How has He already held you over the years? 

He’s gracious. In this chapter, He’s speaking to Israel who’s been in exile. Israel who’s been in captivity due to their own rejection of God. In verse 12 He calls them “you who are far off from righteousness.” God sees that we’re far off from righteousness on our own and He doesn’t leave us there. He doesn’t wait for us to clean up and come to Him. In verse 13 He says “I bring near My righteousness; it is not far off, and My salvation will not delay.” He comes to us. He doesn’t waste any time. He knows the best time. 

Sometimes the discipline is needed, the same as it was needed for Israel. So that they could see the difference, they could understand that they really truly did need God. And sometimes He disciplines us for the same reason. So we can see how much we truly need Him. He wants us to serve Him from a willing heart and for us to be willing, sometimes we have to see why we need Him. He calls Israel “stubborn of heart” for this and I know I can also definitely be stubborn of heart when I want to be. And He’s allowed me to be stubborn. To try my own way so that I can see why I need Him. He’s allowed me to fail in my own stubbornness in order to bring me closer to Him. And He’s never left me there. He always gives me that reminder, the same way a parent will let their child try something and then ask if they need help, God reminds me He’s there to help. He’s there to be my God as He always has been. 

He saves us. For His own sake. Not out of anything we’ve done. We don’t deserve it in the least. But He does it because of who He is. Because He is love Himself. We serve a good, good God. He is God alone. The greatest good we could ever possibly have. He knows us best as the One who created us. He takes personal interest in us, giving wholly of Himself out of pure love for us. And all He wants in return is us. That’s all He’s ever wanted. He’s self-sufficient. He doesn’t need anything from us and He says over and over in His word that He wants our hearts more than any sacrifice we could give Him. He wants you. Because He loves you. Are you willing to come to Him?