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46 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops;
their idols are on beasts and livestock;
these things you carry are borne
as burdens on weary beasts.
They stoop; they bow down together;
they cannot save the burden,
but themselves go into captivity.
“Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from before your birth,
carried from the womb;
even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.
“To whom will you liken me and make me equal,
and compare me, that we may be alike?
Those who lavish gold from the purse,
and weigh out silver in the scales,
hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
then they fall down and worship!
They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,
they set it in its place, and it stands there;
it cannot move from its place.
If one cries to it, it does not answer
or save him from his trouble.
“Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it.
“Listen to me, you stubborn of heart,
you who are far from righteousness:
I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off,
and my salvation will not delay;
I will put salvation in Zion,
for Israel my glory.”
(ESV)
The weight of holding onto our idols can be unbearable. Like a backpack full of bricks, the straps pull on our shoulders, twisting our back as we awkwardly try and move forward. With each step, there is seemingly never-ending pain. We desperately want to free ourselves from this baggage but we don’t know how. There is a reason Jesus says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Hold that thought.
In the opening verse of Isaiah 46, we read about Bel and Nebo. They were the false gods worshiped by Babylon.
Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over; Their images are consigned to the beasts and the cattle. The things that you carry are burdensome, A load for the weary beast.
Isaiah 46:1 NASB
Bel means “Lord” and was the official title of Babylon’s chief diety. Nebo was his “son” and was worshiped for his supposed influence in fate, writing, and wisdom. These heavy idols were carried in the annual New Year’s Festival procession in Babylon. This is not to be understood as a prophecy but as an illustration of the false power of these so-called gods.
Just like any other material possession, these heavy “paper weights” would be thrust over animals backs in order to be carried. If they are so powerful, why can they not carry themselves? Where are their fantastic powers and magnificent prosperity? In complete humiliation, they have been weighed and found wanting.
Even more humiliating is the humiliation of the people who walk beside them. They have given their entire lives to these idols which have crumbled before the One and Only God. What I find so ironic is that even in their humiliation, their pride will not allow them to throw the idols aside. They continue to move along with them strapped the backs of their animals. They continue to carry the weight even after being exposed.
They stooped over, they have bowed down together; They could not rescue the burden, But have themselves gone into captivity.
Isaiah 46:2 NASB
They could not rescue the burden. Here is the key phrase that really speaks to me today. Every idol we put into our lives (people-pleasing, food, addictions, popularity, comfort, sports, laziness, religion etc.) cannot and will not rescue the burden. It’s such a powerful phrase, yet, we continue to go back to these empty cisterns for our source of nourishment.