June 7, 2026, Isaiah 41:21-29

June 7, 2026, Isaiah 41:21-29

²¹ Set forth your case, says the Lord;
    bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.
²² Let them bring them, and tell us
    what is to happen.
Tell us the former things, what they are,
    that we may consider them,
that we may know their outcome;
    or declare to us the things to come.
²³ Tell us what is to come hereafter,
    that we may know that you are gods;
do good, or do harm,
    that we may be dismayed and terrified.
²⁴ Behold, you are nothing,
    and your work is less than nothing;
    an abomination is he who chooses you.

²⁵ I stirred up one from the north, and he has come,
    from the rising of the sun, and he shall call upon my name;
he shall trample on rulers as on mortar,
    as the potter treads clay.
²⁶ Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know,
    and beforehand, that we might say, “He is right”?
There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed,
    none who heard your words.
²⁷ I was the first to say to Zion, “Behold, here they are!”
    and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news.
²⁸ But when I look, there is no one;
    among these there is no counselor
    who, when I ask, gives an answer.
²⁹ Behold, they are all a delusion;
    their works are nothing;
    their metal images are empty wind.

Isaiah 41:21–29 reveals the utter worthlessness of modern and ancient idols by putting them on trial, demonstrating that anything we worship outside of God is silent, powerless, and completely incapable of predicting the future or altering reality.

 

We may not bow to statues of wood or stone, but we often worship modern idols like career success, financial portfolios, or romantic relationships. When your world shakes, do these "idols" speak comfort into your soul, or do they remain completely silent and powerless like the gods in verse 23?

 

God dares the idols to "do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified." In what ways are you currently relying on an earthly safety net that is actually incapable of doing anything substantial to save or protect you?

Robin Adams