ISAIAH
Chapter 2:6-8


Isaiah 2:6-8

quote:

"For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with influences from the east, And they are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they strike bargains with the children of foreigners. 7 Their land has also been filled with silver and gold And there is no end to their treasures; Their land has also been filled with horses And there is no end to their chariots. 8 Their land has also been filled with idols; They worship the work of their hands, That which their fingers have made."

God had placed Israel in the crossroads of the world in order to influence those who traveled through its borders. However, it was the East that had its greatest influence upon Israel. By the east we are to understand this included the peoples of the Syrian dessert, Arabia and the Aramean lands of the Euphrates. By means of caravans crossing the dessert for trade, there had been an introduction to eastern ways of life. A nation that was once filled with the judgment and knowledge of God, is now filled with those who observe omens and worship idols.

What was it that caused Israel to pursue other gods? For one, the prosperity of the nation caused them to have confidence in themselves, rather than God. The increase in horses and chariots, clearly in opposition to the Lord's instructions, were a sign they had become self-reliant and no longer trusted God for their strength or deliverance. (Psalm 33:17,20)

Deuteronomy 17:14-17
"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, 'Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,' 15 be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again. 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold."

We can see there was spiritual reasoning for all of God's commandments and we see here in Isaiah the result of their defiance toward them. The words "no end to" in verse 7 indicates an insatiable desire for the accumulation of great wealth. The nation was willing to trade the riches of God's merciful promises for the treasures of the world, followed by the world's philosophical views and finally its idols. The influence of men and things became more important to them than the Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. The irrationality of idolatry is a favorite theme of Isaiah. To bow down to what man has made with his own hands is the height of absurdity and ignorance. And with their idolatrous practices they blatantly disregarded God's commandment:

Deuteronomy 5:7-10
"You shall have no other gods before Me. 8 You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 9 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments".

There was and is more to idolatry, however, than worshiping an object of wood, silver or gold. The pagan gods represented the needs of the people – rain, fertile crops, fertility, astrological objects (such as the sun, moon and stars), etc. So it was that the people would worship these false gods with the hope of manipulating them in order to get what they wanted. Worship became a means of manipulating deities for their own personal gain. Our God is all powerful and there isn't anything He cannot do, but if we worship Him chiefly for self interest, we are actually worshiping with pagan mentality. This is no more acceptable to God than worshiping Him with hypocrisy and insincerity. God is to be worshiped with our hearts bowed low in reverence and awe – with His interest in mind and thoughts of Him being our ultimate concern as in Psalm 34:1b-3 --
"I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul will make its boast in the LORD; The humble will hear it and rejoice. 3 O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together."