the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 3 of 5
Isaiah 44:1-13
These chapters take us back to the beginning of Israel’s history. The LORD had formed and set apart this people for Himself (Isaiah 43:21; Isaiah 44:2). They belonged to Him and He to them (v. 5). Then He had given them the law which began thus: "I am the LORD thy God . . . thou shalt have no other gods before me . . . Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image . . . (Exodus 20:1-4). The history of the nation teaches us to what extent these commandments have been broken. But idolatry is not the sin of Israel nor of pagan nations exclusively (1 Corinthians 10:14). By taking stock of the things we possess – and those we keep in our secret thoughts – we shall perhaps discover more than one idol firmly settled in our heart. That is the reason why the Holy Spirit is so often grieved and the blessing held back (cf. v. 3).
Let us continue to meditate upon the last two expressions of our reading on the subject of the idol. It is made "according to the beauty of a man" (contrast 1:6). Man takes pleasure in himself, worshipping and serving the creature more than the Creator (Romans 1:25). Secondly, it is made "that it may remain in the house" (v. 13). We each need to watch over our heart, that "secret place" in Deuteronomy 27:15, and also over our houses.
