Return to the Worship of Jehovah, Chapter Seven

WHEN Israel is exiled in Babylon, she will be surrounded by false worship.  During Isaiah's time, Jehovah's people are still in their own land, and they have the temple and the priesthood.  Yet, many of God's dedicated nation have succumbed to idolatry.  It is vital, then, to prepare them in advance so that they will not be overawed by the false gods of Babylon or be tempted to serve them.  Hence, speaking prophetically of two of the main Babylonian gods, Isaiah says:  "Bel has bent down, Nebo is stooping over; their idols have come to be for the wild beasts and for the domestic animals, their loads, pieces of luggage, a burden for the tired animals."  (Isaiah 46:1)  Bel is the chief idol god among the Chaldeans. Nebo is venerated as god of wisdom and learning.  The respect that many have for these two god is seen by the fact that their names are incorporated  into a number of personal names  of Babylonians-Belshazzar, Nabopolassar, Nebuchanezzar, and Nebuzaradan, to mention just a few.

Isaiah says that bel has "bent down" and Nebo is "stooping over."  These false gods will be laid low.  When Jehovah brings his judgment acts against Babylon, these gods will be unable to come to the aid of their worshipers.  They will not even be able to save themselves! Bel and Nebo will no longer be carried in the honored place in processions, such as during the Babylonian New Year's Day festival.  Instead, they will have to be carted off like common luggage by those who worship them. Praise and adoration of them will give way to derision and contempt.

 What a shock for the Babylonians to learn that their cherished idols are no more than a burden to be carried off by wild beasts!  Similarly today, the world's gods-the things in which people put their trusts, (the government, all four branches, the sports, the computers, the pictures of virgin Mary, Jesus  Military, etc.,)  and in whose behalf  they expend their energy and even give their lives- are an illusion. Wealth, armaments, pleasures, rulers, the fatherland or symbols thereof, and many other things have come to be objects of devotion. (including what I mentioned; the flag, game boys, IPhone, whatever you spend more time on than worshiping God are considered gods/idolatry, and too many more to mention, includes this time we are in now.)  The emptiness  of such gods will be exposed in Jehovah's due time. -Daniel 11:38; Matthew 6:24; Acts 12:22; Philippians 3:19; Colossians 3:5; Revelation 13:14, 15.

Further highlighting the utter failure of Babylon's gods, the prophecy continues:  "They must stoop over; they must each alike bend down; they are simply unable to furnish escape for the burden, but into captivity their own soul must go."  (Isaiah 46:2)  Babylon's  gods seem to "stoop over" and "bend down" as if wounded in battle or decrepit with age.  They cannot even lighten the load or furnish escape for the lowly beasts that carry them. So, should Jehovah's covenant people, even though captive in Babylon, give any honor to them? No! In a similar way, Jehovah's anointed servants, even when in spiritual captivity, gave no honor to the false gods of "Babylon  the Great,"  which were unable to prevent her fall in 1919 and will be unable to save her from the calamity that will befall her during the "great tribulation." -Revelation 18:2, 21; Matthew 24:21.

True Christians today do  not bow down to idols of any kind.  (1 John 5:21) Crucifixes, prayer beads, and images of saints do not make the Creator more accessible.  They cannot intercede  in our behalf.  In the first century, Jesus taught his disciples  the proper way to worship God when he said:  "I am the am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it." -John 14:6, 14.

Next time: "Carried From the Womb"

From the Book Isaiah's Prophecy Light for all Mankind, Volume II, 2001