"'Present your case,' says the Lord. 'Set forth your arguments,' say's Jacob's king. 'Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods.'" (Isaiah 41:21-23a) No idol (or the deity it represents) can tell us the things that happened in ages past; only God can because He was there. No idol can predict the things to come; only God can because He knows the future.
In the Bible we find many prophecies and a number of them have already been fulfilled. They came about just as the Lord said they would. It doesn't matter how far ahead He gave the prophecies, whether the event was predicted to come within days or within hundreds of years or within thousands of years, for there is no point so far in the future that God cannot see it. These things have unfolded exactly as He said they would. This is proof that He is God. This is proof that He is God alone; no idol ever predicted anything. Indeed, no idol has ever done anything.
The Lord continues His speech to the mute and useless idols of this world. "Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; whoever chooses you is detestable." (Isaiah 41:23b-24) If we were to paraphrase the Lord's taunting words to useless idols, it might go something like this: "Don't just stand there! Do something! Amaze us with signs and wonders. Shake the ground underneath our feet. Display amazing sights in the heavens above. If you really are anything, prove it!"
Of course all the idols remain standing exactly where they are, doing and saying nothing. In contrast, let us consider the mighty works of our God! He spoke the word and created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. He holds all of creation together. He works on behalf of those who love Him. He knows the future and can guide our decisions accordingly so we don't get off track. He knows our weaknesses but loves us anyway, choosing to provide a way of redemption for us. He did not withhold anything good from us. But idols---what have they ever done for anyone?
Idols in modern times are usually not graven images. If someone brought an idol into my house and set it up on a pedestal and ordered me to bow down and worship it, I would be horrified. I would resist. Everything in me would recoil from such an act. That's why the enemy of our souls has chosen to dress idolatry in different clothing than it wore in ancient times. Today's idols are things like money, status, popularity, ambition, possessions, relationships, substances, habits, and so on. I daresay we have all knelt at some type of altar at some point in our lives, perhaps not even realizing it. But can any of these things save our souls? Can any of these things provide us with a lasting source of peace? Can any of these things work miracles in our circumstances? Can any of these things change the hearts and lives of those around us? I'm not saying it's a sin to make a good living or to enjoy relationships with our loved ones or to have a nice house. But we have to keep in mind that those things are only the icing on the cake. And if we were to lose those things today, were they all we had? Or do we have the Lord and is He the bedrock of our lives?
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