Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Isaiah 46:1-2 (NIV)
“Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary. They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity.”
Isaiah 46:1-2 (MSG)
“The god Bel falls down, god Nebo slumps. The no-god hunks of wood are loaded on mules and have to be hauled off, wearing out the poor mules—Dead weight, burdens who can’t bear burdens, hauled off to captivity.”
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“Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over; their idols are on the beasts [of burden] and on the cattle. Your burdens [of idols] are loaded [on them], burdens on the weary animals. They stooped over, they have bowed down together; they could not rescue the burden [of their own idols], but have themselves gone into captivity.” -AMPLIFIED
Isaiah 45 closed out with proclaiming:
“All will say of me,
‘Yes! Only in Yahweh do I find righteousness and strength!’
And all who were angry with me
will come before me and regret it!
In Yahweh, all of Israel’s offspring will triumph and shine!” -Isaiah 45:24-25 (The Passion Translation)
“In chapter 45 Isaiah declared that every knee will bow to the Lord, and here he pictures the gods of the great Babylon stooping low in humiliation.” ~Geoffrey W. Grogan
In chapter 46 we will see God comparing Himself to the gods of Babylon and showing them up badly. These Babylonian gods were supposed to be the saviors of the people of Babylon, their heroes, their protectors and defenders. We will see, compared to Yahweh, they were nothing. As Isaiah has already taught us, they are just a block of wood or a hunk of metal.
Note: Bel and Nebo were two of the chief Babylonian gods. Bel was another name for Marduk, the chief deity of Babylon. He was also known as Zeus, by the Greeks, and Jupitar, by the Romans, as well as Baal by the Canaanites. Nabu was supposedly Marduk’s son. He was the god of learning, and writing, known also as the Celestial Scribe. The Greeks called him Hermes, the Romans, called him Mercury, and the Egyptians knew him as Anubis.
“Bel and Nebo wobble and duck, as their images sway on the backs of oxen and donkeys—such a heavy burden for the weary animals—as they are carried about. These “gods” bow and sink together, unable to escape the coming invasion; they march off into captivity.” -(VOICE)
Immediately, we find Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, indicating that He will bring these false gods low. We need to understand that this passage is not directed towards the Babylonians, but towards the people of Israel, who had taken to worshiping the gods of other nations. Yahweh points out to them that as they are taken away into captivity, their false gods will be carried away into captivity as well. He calls attention to the fact that these false gods will not save them. In fact, these gods could not even save themselves from being carried off into captivity.
“The idols of Babylon, Bel and Nebo, are being hauled away on ox carts! But look! The beasts are stumbling! The cart is turning over! The gods are falling out onto the ground! Is that the best that they can do? If they cannot even save themselves from such a fall, how can they save their worshipers from Cyrus?” -(TLB)
“Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded: Isaiah pictures God’s people going into captivity, in a forced relocation. Loaded on to their beasts and carriages are their idols – even their idols are carried away into captivity, and loaded on the moving trucks! The bottom line is they could not deliver the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity.” ~David Guzik
At the very beginning of Israel’s interrelationship with Jehovah, He gave them this decree through His servant Moses:
“Listen, Israel! The Eternal is our True God—He alone.” -Deuteronomy 6:4 (VOICE)
Hosea prophesied about Jehovah breaking down the altars to the idols that Israel had erected. Hosea makes the point that the Israelites had been faithless, and because of this, they would be brought to shame. It should be duly noted that those “gods” that Israel was worshiping would/could do nothing to save them. Hosea records for us:
“A luxuriant vine is Israel, who produces fruit for himself.
Like the abundance of his fruit he has multiplied his altars.
Like the goodness of his land, they made beautiful sacred pillars.
Their heart became smooth. Now they will bear their guilt.
He will break down their altars. He will destroy their sacred pillars.
Surely now they will say: “We have no king, for we have not feared Adonai.
The king—what can he do for us?”
They spoke words—empty oaths to make a covenant.
But judgment springs up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
The inhabitants of Samaria will quarrel over the calves of Beth-aven.
Indeed its people will mourn over it, but its priests will tremble over it.
For its glory will surely depart from it. It also will be carried to Assyria as tribute to a warring king.
Ephraim will receive shame and Israel will be put to shame by its own counsel.” -Hosea 10:1-6 (Tree of Life Version)
“Babylon is a dominant world power in Jeremiah’s time that God uses to accomplish His purposes. The prophet says that even Babylon will answer to God. East of Chaldea, the Persian Empire will take over the region and conquer Babylon. This time the Persian King Cyrus will be used by God to alter the course of events.” ~VOICE footnote
Jeremiah also prophesied against Babylon, and the land of the Chaldeans. This is what he foretold of their end:
“Eternal One: Tell the nations of the world; announce it to them all.
Raise a flag—get their attention—tell them! Hold nothing back; tell them,
“Babylon has fallen; Bel has been put to shame:
Marduk has been shattered. Her images are disgraced;
There’s nothing left of Babylon’s idols but broken pieces.” Now it is Babylon’s turn to be attacked from the north; another nation will destroy her land. No one will live there; both man and beast will run away.” -Jeremiah 50:2-3 (VOICE)
The prophet Zechariah foretold that one day, Jehovah would be King over all the earth, not that He is not already, but one day all will recognize Him as their King and worship Him as their Lord. Remember how Isaiah 45 ended: “‘Truly every knee will bow before me and every tongue will solemnly swear allegiance to me!’” Well, Zechariah tells us this:
“And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord shall be the only one [worshiped], and His name the only one.” -Zechariah 14:9 (AMP)
“True and absolute freedom is only found in the presence of God.” ~Aiden Wilson Tozer
My friend, there is only one God, and His name is Jehovah. He is King and Lord over all. One day soon, all the world will understand this. Do not fall into the sin of trusting other things, or people to do for you what only God can do. He has already proved Himself as faithful and true. Trust only in the One, True God to save you.
“The more we depend on God the more dependable we find He is.” ~Cliff Richard
My Prayer:
Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, you alone are God, and there is no other. Your Holy Word tells me this, and You have proven it to be truth over and over. I chose to trust in you and no other, for people have let me down, things are just that, things. But, you Lord, are the One who is always with me, and always leading and guiding me. Why would I turn to anyone, or anything else to save me? Thank you, Lord, for being my All-In-All. I am expectantly looking forward to that day when every knee will bow in allegiance to you and will confess that you alone are Lord, King over all. Hallelujah! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Growing with God 