Remember who you are and who created you
Scripture References: Isaiah 44:1-2, 9, 12-18, 24. Proverbs 3:6, Colossians 1:16-17, Acts 17:28-29, Daniel 4:28-33.
Introduction:
“Aha! Look what I’ve created! I have made FIRE!”
If you’ve seen the movie Cast Away, then you probably remember this iconic line. After being stranded on a desert island for a considerable amount of time, Tom Hanks’ character in the movie shouts this out after he had just went through a painstaking process of starting a fire using the primitive ‘sticks and friction’ method. I may or may not have shouted this line a few times in my life when celebrating some sort of accomplishment. Why am I bringing it up?
This line went through my head during my study in the book of Isaiah…particularly in Isaiah 44. The content of this chapter prompted me to examine myself and ask some serious questions. Where in my life am I celebrating the work of my own hands and not directing that credit to God? Are there times where I worship what I’ve created instead of recognizing that I myself am a creation—made by a Creator?
The nation of Israel had this very problem and the word of the Lord through His prophet Isaiah addresses this head on. Let’s take a look…
Devotional:
Israel at this point is on the brink of exile due to breaking Covenant with God. They turn to Idol worship influenced by surrounding nations, rather than acknowledge their Creator, the Lord…the one who delivered them out of slavery in Egypt and made them a nation in the first place. Isaiah 44 begins with this reminder from the Lord:
“But now hear, O Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!
Thus says the Lord who made you,
who formed you from the womb and will help you:
Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
Jeshurun whom I have chosen. -Isaiah 44:1-2 ESV
The word of the Lord starts out by reminding them who they are and where they came from. ‘You are a chosen people, created by God.’ The chapter also wraps up with this same reminder:
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself, -Isaiah 44:24 ESV
In other words, this chapter has two bookends…two statements that give the same reminder to the people. ‘The Lord is your Creator. You exist through Him. Everything that was made, was made by Him.’
Now, if these statements are the ‘bookends’, then what is in the middle of the shelf?
“All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing?” -Isaiah 44:9-10 ESV
The center of this passage is a rebuke against idol worship. Men worshipping the work of their own hands. Isaiah poetically paints a picture of how absurd this is by describing the actions of two tradesmen: An ironsmith and a carpenter…
“The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” -Isaiah 44:12-18 ESV
I love this passage! The description of the carpenter is especially profound. Each step in the process of this skilled worker paints a picture, that we— especially those who work in a trade, could picture vividly! This carpenter went through a careful, labor-intensive process to get to a final product…in this case an idol. A false god. But in the end…he is worshipping a ‘block of wood’. “Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” (Verse 18). By the way, the line in verse 16: “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!”…that’s where my inner Tom Hanks chimed in.
We may work in different professions or have individual talents…and maybe we’re not working on a project with the sole purpose of creating an idol like the carpenter in Isaiah 44. But we need to stop and think about this: Am I worshipping, taking credit or glorifying myself for the work of my hands? For a carpenter, this may be a well-crafted piece of furniture. For an artist, this may be a gorgeous painting. For someone in the business world, this may be a beautifully organized excel spreadsheet. For an entrepreneur, this may be a successful business they started. For a student, this may be long awaited academic award. For a teacher, this could be a brilliantly structured lesson.
The point is this: Whatever the end result of our work…are we giving the glory back to God? Are we using our work for His glory?
“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” -Proverbs 3:6 ESV
My point is not that we shouldn’t be satisfied with a job well done, or that we shouldn’t be happy with a completed project. But there must be an acknowledgement of the source. The materials, processes and wisdom that we utilize can all be traced back to one source…God our Creator.
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” -Colossians 1:16-17 ESV
“ for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. -Acts 17:28-29 ESV
Scripture speaks for itself so clearly on this subject, that anything I could add seems like it would just be insufficient!
One piece of practical advice that we can pull from our Isaiah passage is found in the way the chapter is structured. Remember how I pointed out that the chapter has ‘bookends’? Well that structure again, looks something like this:
A: Remember who you are and who created you.
B:The foolishness of idol worship
A’: Remember who you are and who created you.
Takeaway:
-Every day, from start to finish…we need to remind ourselves ‘Who we are’ and ‘Who created us’. When that is our focus, then our work, our accomplishments and our triumphs become an offering of praise and worship to our Creator.
-When we lose sight of that truth, then we begin to glorify ourselves, worshipping the work of our hands. The truth is, God can decide to take those things away in the blink of an eye (See Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:28-33). Therefore, we must set our eyes on Him.
Remember who you are and who created you.
I close with lyrics to one of our worship songs this week. May God receive all glory, honor and praise…
“You deserve the greater glory
Overcome, I lift my voice
To the King in need of nothing
Empty-handed I rejoice
You deserve the greater glory
Overcome with joy, I sing
By Your love I am accepted
You’re a good and gracious King” – Good and gracious king by: CityAlight
Amen.
Sean Wagner