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Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides Me there is no god. Who is like Me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before Me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are My witnesses! Is there a God besides Me? There is no Rock; I know not any.” (Isaiah 44:6-8)
Some time ago I deliberately went looking in ancient literature, because I was wondering: How did those who worshipped idols feel about their gods? What was it like to worship Ishtar or Marduk or Baal—from the inside?
I can’t claim to have made an exhaustive search, but I did look around for quite a while, trying to find some writing that would answer my question. I finally found one poet—a woman named Enheduanna, who was a high priestess of the moon goddess Inanna. And she wrote about her goddess. So I settled down to read her poetry.
And I was horrified. Because there was plenty of praise, as you’d expect—praise of Inanna’s beauty, of her power, and so forth. But then there were sections that amounted to “You murder really well!” I couldn’t find anything that looked like more than simple flattery—the kind of thing you’d write if you were buttering up someone you thought was real, and strong, and dangerous. The poet treated her goddess kind of like a hungry tiger, but an intelligent one.
What was missing? Well, the love relationship that we know with the Lord. There was no mention of any compassion, mercy, pity, or lovingkindness. And so it was no surprise that the poet showed no signs of loving her goddess, either. How could you love someone who didn’t love you? At most you’d want to placate them—keep them happy through praise and sacrifices, so they wouldn’t destroy you.
Maybe that’s why the Lord goes to such lengths in today’s reading from Isaiah, explaining to His people that there are no other gods. “There’s nobody out there for you to be afraid of,” He says. “I’m the only God, and all the idols you’ve been afraid of are fakes. Stop worrying. Stop flattering them and sacrificing to them because you’re afraid. Don’t be afraid anymore! Come to Me, because I’m real, and I love you, and I care for you.”
That is the difference between the Lord and the ancient idols. They keep their worshippers in fear; the real God says, “Fear not, nor be afraid.” They demand sacrifices; the real God sacrifices Himself in order to redeem His people. They take lives; God gives us life through His own suffering, death, and resurrection.
And what about our modern idols? What about money? Power? Military might? Social clout and popularity? We aren’t much more advanced than our ancestors, are we? Because none of those idols will give us the love, the kindness, the everlasting life that we crave, either. When it comes to a choice between the Lord and the idols, ancient or modern, there’s only one God worth loving. And He is the One who came into our world to save us.
WE PRAY: Dear Lord, bring me to know You better, that I may love and trust You without fear. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
- Which idols are the biggest temptations to you? Why?
- When you think of God, what comes to mind first—love, or terror? Why?
- What do you know about the Lord that leads you to love Him?
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