46:1.
“Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon
the cattle: your carriages were heavy laden; they are a burden to the weary
beast.”
Bel, or Marduk,
was another name for Baal, Babylonian god of the sun, and his worshipers
didn’t see the absurdity of having to move their idol in a cart because he
was inert. How could such a god do anything for anyone!
Idolaters have
to carry their gods, but Jehovah carries His people.
46:2.
“They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but
themselves are gone into captivity.”
Taylor’s
translation reads, “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!”
46:3.
“Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of
Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the
womb:”
The tragic
irony was that they had been graciously carried and cared for through life
by Jehovah, whom they had rejected in favor of an immobile idol which
they had to carry from place to place.
46:4.
“And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you:
I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.”
Their care for
their idols was but a faint reflection of His care for idolatrous Israel
whom He longed to deliver from the consequences of their folly, as He does
every son of Adam, having given His own beloved Son to redeem their souls
from eternal torment in the lake of fire.
46:5.
“To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be
like?”
Again we are
indebted to Taylor for a clearer translation, “With what in all heaven and
earth do I compare? Whom can you find who equals me?”
Jehovah is
unique.
46:6.
“They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire
a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.”
They spared no
expense in the construction of their gods of gold and silver, imagining that
the more costly the idol the more worthy it was of their veneration. Their
generous giving rebukes the niggardliness and disobedience of professed
Christians who do not even give God the minimum tenth which is His due; nor
should we forget what is written in regard to giving, “... God loveth a
cheerful giver,” 2 Corinthians 9:7.
46:7.
“They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place,
and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto
him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.”
The
incongruity of expecting help from what is inert never occurs to the
idolater: he is so satanically blinded as to be incapable of coherent
thought.
46:8.
“Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye
transgressors.”
The idolater
is here commanded to ponder his conduct, for such thoughtful consideration
must inevitably expose his folly; and in the present context, to “show
yourselves men” means simply to think rationally.
46:9.
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I
am God, and there is none like me,”
Taylor’s
translation reads, “And don’t forget the many times I clearly told you what
was going to happen in the future. For I am God - I only - and there is no
other like Me.”
46:10.
“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my
pleasure.”
The NEB
translation of this verse reads, “I reveal the end from the beginning, from
ancient times I reveal what is to be ... My purpose shall take effect, I
will accomplish all that I please.” Nothing can thwart God’s purposes.
As noted
already, fulfilled prophecy is an irrefutable proof of God’s omniscience;
and relative to prophecy we are reminded, “We have also a more sure word of
prophecy; whereunto ye to dwell that ye take heed, as unto a light that
shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your
hearts,” 2 Peter 1:19.
46:11.
“Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel
from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I
have purposed it, I will also do it.”
The “ravenous
bird” was Cyrus whom God would make His instrument to deliver Israel from
the Chaldeans
46:12.
“Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:”
Here
“stouthearted” means “stubborn” rather than “brave”; and “far from
righteousness” means “evil.” Some versions translate it “fainthearted”; but
“stubborn” seems the preferable translation. The exhortation includes
unbelievers of every dispensation.
46:13.
“I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off (delayed), and my
salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion (Jerusalem)
for Israel my glory.”
“...
salvation” here means “deliverance,” as in the NEB translation, “I will
grant deliverance in Zion, and give my glory to Israel.”
