Isaiah Chapter 46
Isaiah 46, Dead Idols and the Living God
Isaiah 46 contrasts the helpless idols of Babylon with the living God of Israel. Bel and Nebo, the false gods of Babylon, are pictured bowing down, stooping, and being loaded onto beasts like baggage. They cannot carry anyone. They must be carried. They cannot deliver anyone. They themselves go into captivity. In contrast, the Lord reminds Jacob and Israel that He has carried them from the womb and will carry them even to old age and gray hairs. The chapter then calls God’s people to remember who the Lord is, He alone is God, He declares the end from the beginning, His counsel shall stand, He will do all His pleasure, and He will bring His promised deliverer. The notes provided cover Isaiah 46:1-13, including the humiliation of Babylon’s idols, the Lord carrying His people, the foolishness of idolatry, the call to remember, and the promise that God’s salvation will not linger.
Isaiah 46:1-2
Isaiah 46:1-2, KJV, “Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon beasts, and upon cattle: your carriages heavy loaden; they burden to weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.”
Isaiah names the false gods of Babylon, Bel and Nebo. This is direct and personal. The Lord does not speak of idolatry only in general terms. He names the gods that Babylon trusted. Bel was associated with lordship and supremacy in Babylonian religion, and Nebo was associated with wisdom and writing. Their names are preserved in Babylonian royal names such as Belshazzar and Nebuchadnezzar. Yet Isaiah shows that these so called gods are powerless before the Lord.
The language is humiliating, “Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth.” In Isaiah 45, the Lord declared that every knee would bow to Him. Now the gods of Babylon are pictured bowing down, not in worship, but in defeat and shame. The idols that men exalted must stoop.
The scene is almost comical. The idols are loaded onto beasts and cattle. The carriages are heavy with the weight of these false gods. Instead of carrying the people, the idols must be carried by animals. Instead of delivering the worshippers, the idols become baggage. They are a burden to weary beasts.
This exposes the nature of idolatry. A false god does not lighten the load. It increases it. Idols promise help, but become burdens. They promise freedom, but bring bondage. They promise meaning, but create slavery.
Jeremiah 10:5, KJV, “They upright as palm tree, but speak not: they must needs borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also in them to do good.”
Idols must be carried because they cannot go anywhere. They cannot do evil in true sovereign power, and they cannot do good in saving mercy. They are helpless.
Isaiah says, “They could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.” The idols cannot save Babylon. They cannot even save themselves. When Babylon falls, her gods are carried away with her. The idols share the captivity of their worshippers.
This is a direct challenge to every false object of trust. Whatever a man trusts besides the Lord will eventually fail him. Money cannot deliver the soul. Power cannot deliver from death. Pleasure cannot deliver from guilt. Government cannot deliver from judgment. False religion cannot deliver from sin. Any god that must be carried cannot save.
Psalm 115:4-8, KJV, “Their idols silver and gold, work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so every one that trusteth in them.”
Those who trust dead idols become spiritually like them, blind, deaf, silent, helpless, and lifeless. Isaiah 46 begins by showing the end of idolatry, captivity and shame.
Isaiah 46:3-4
Isaiah 46:3-4, KJV, “Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all remnant of house of Israel, which borne by me from belly, which carried from womb: And even to old age I 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.”
The contrast is sharp. Babylon’s idols must be carried, but the Lord carries His people. The false gods are burdens. The true God bears the burden. The idols go into captivity. The Lord delivers from captivity.
God calls His people to listen, “Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel.” The remnant may be small, weak, and threatened, but they are not forgotten. The Lord speaks to them as the One who has borne them from the belly and carried them from the womb.
This means God’s care for Israel did not begin late. He carried them from the beginning. He formed them as a people, brought them out of Egypt, sustained them in the wilderness, gave them the land, preserved them through judgment, and would carry them through exile and return.
Deuteronomy 1:31, KJV, “And in wilderness, where thou hast seen how that LORD thy God bare thee, as man doth bear his son, in all way that ye went, until ye came into this place.”
The Lord carried Israel like a father carries his son.
The promise continues, “And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you.” God’s care does not expire. He does not carry His people in youth and abandon them in age. He does not begin a work and then grow weary. From womb to gray hairs, He remains the same covenant God.
Psalm 71:17-18, KJV, “O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto generation, and thy power to every one that to come.”
The aged believer can still trust the Lord who carried him from youth.
The Lord says, “I have made, and I will bear.” Creation and care belong together. Because God made His people, He will bear them. He does not create and then neglect. He does not form and then forsake.
This also answers fear. If God made His people, knows them, values them, and claims them, then He will carry them.
Luke 12:6-7, KJV, “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them forgotten before God? But even very hairs of your head all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
The Lord’s care is detailed and personal. He numbers hairs and remembers sparrows. His people are of greater value.
The verse ends with three strong promises, “I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” The Lord carries the burden, carries the people, and brings deliverance. This is the opposite of idolatry. The idol says, “Carry me.” The Lord says, “I will carry you.”
The essential question is simple, do you have to carry your god, or does your God carry you?
Isaiah 46:5-7
Isaiah 46:5-7, KJV, “To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may like? They lavish gold out of bag, and weigh silver in balance, and hire goldsmith; and he maketh it god: they fall down, yea, they worship. They bear him upon 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 Lord asks, “To whom will ye liken me?” There is no comparison between the living God and idols. No created thing can represent the Creator adequately. No image made by human hands can be equal to the Lord.
The idolater spends money and labor to make a god. He lavishes gold, weighs silver, hires a goldsmith, and the craftsman makes it into an idol. Then the worshipper falls down before what he paid another man to make. This is spiritual blindness.
Isaiah 44:17, KJV, “And residue thereof he maketh god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou my god.”
The same absurdity continues here. A man funds the making of his god, then asks that god to deliver him.
Verse 7 emphasizes the helplessness of idols. “They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him.” The idol does not move itself. It is set in place, and there it stands. “From his place shall he not remove.” The idol is fixed, silent, and powerless. It cannot come when called. It cannot pursue the lost. It cannot intervene in trouble.
Worst of all, “one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.” Idols fail at the point of deepest need. They cannot answer prayer. They cannot forgive sin. They cannot deliver from judgment. They cannot comfort the dying. They cannot raise the dead.
1 Kings 18:26-27, KJV, “And they took bullock which given them, and they dressed it, and called on name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon altar which made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he god; either he talking, or he pursuing, or he in journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must awaked.”
Baal could not answer. The idols of Babylon could not answer. Every false god is silent before real trouble.
The Lord is completely different.
Psalm 34:17, KJV, “The righteous cry, and LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”
The living God hears and delivers. That is why He cannot be compared to idols.
Isaiah 46:8-10
Isaiah 46:8-10, KJV, “Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring again to mind, O ye transgressors. Remember former things of old: for I God, and none else; I God, and none like me, Declaring end from beginning, and from ancient times things that are not done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.”
The Lord now calls His people to remember. “Remember this, and shew yourselves men.” Spiritual courage comes from remembering truth. Much weakness, fear, compromise, and defeat come because God’s people forget what they already know.
They are called “transgressors,” which shows that the rebuke is serious. Forgetfulness of God is not harmless. It leads to sin, idolatry, fear, and unbelief. The Lord commands them to bring truth back to mind.
The first thing to remember is, “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me.” This is the foundation. There is no rival deity. There is no second god. There is no equal power. There are false gods, metaphorical gods, demonic deceptions, and idols, but there is only one true God.
Deuteronomy 6:4, KJV, “Hear, O Israel: LORD our God one LORD.”
The second thing to remember is that God declares “the end from the beginning.” The Lord knows and announces the end because He is sovereign over the end. He is not guessing. He is not reacting. He is not merely observing. He declares from ancient times things not yet done because all history is under His rule.
This has been central in Isaiah’s argument against idols. Idols cannot declare the future. The Lord can. Predictive prophecy proves the Lord’s uniqueness and sovereignty.
Isaiah 41:22-23, KJV, “Let them bring forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew former things, what they, that we may consider them, and know latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Shew things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may dismayed, and behold together.”
The idols cannot do it. The Lord can.
The third thing to remember is, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” God’s plan cannot fail. His counsel is not advice that may be ignored. It is His settled purpose. What He determines, He accomplishes.
Psalm 33:10-11, KJV, “LORD bringeth counsel of heathen to nought: he maketh devices of people of none effect. Counsel of LORD standeth for ever, thoughts of his heart to all generations.”
Human plans fail. God’s counsel stands forever.
This truth gives strength. The believer is not living in a random world. History is not an accident. Nations are not outside God’s hand. Suffering does not surprise Him. Judgment does not escape Him. Deliverance does not arrive late. The Lord’s counsel stands, and He will do all His pleasure.
Isaiah 46:11
Isaiah 46:11, KJV, “Calling ravenous bird from east, man that executeth my counsel from far country: yea, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it.”
The “ravenous bird from the east” refers to Cyrus, whom God would use to conquer Babylon and release His people. The imagery of a bird of prey emphasizes speed, power, and certainty. Cyrus would come swiftly and effectively, but he would come because God called him.
He is also called “the man that executeth my counsel from a far country.” Cyrus was not acting independently of God’s plan. He was executing the Lord’s counsel, even if he did not fully understand all that God was doing. The Lord can use a pagan king as an instrument of His purpose.
Isaiah 45:13, KJV, “I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith LORD of hosts.”
God raised Cyrus, directed his ways, and used him to release the captives.
The Lord then makes the certainty unmistakable, “I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it.” God’s speech and action are inseparable. What He speaks, He fulfills. What He purposes, He performs.
Numbers 23:19, KJV, “God not man, that he should lie; neither son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
God does not lie. If He has spoken, He will make it good.
This is comfort for God’s people and terror for His enemies. Babylon could not prevent what God had purposed. Cyrus could not fail to accomplish what God appointed. Israel could trust the promise because the Lord Himself would bring it to pass.
Isaiah 46:12-13
Isaiah 46:12-13, KJV, “Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that far from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness; it shall not far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.”
The chapter closes with another call to listen, this time to the “stouthearted” who are “far from righteousness.” Stouthearted here means stubborn hearted, hard, resistant, and proud. These are people who need righteousness but are far from it. They must stop trusting idols, self, nations, and human strength.
The Lord says, “I bring near my righteousness.” This is grace. The people are far from righteousness, but God brings His righteousness near. Man cannot climb up to God’s righteousness by his own effort. God must bring righteousness near to man.
This points forward to the gospel, where the righteousness of God is revealed and received by faith in Christ.
Romans 3:21-22, KJV, “But now righteousness of God without law manifested, being witnessed by law and prophets; Even righteousness of God which by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there no difference.”
The righteousness of God is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
The Lord says, “my salvation shall not tarry.” God’s deliverance may seem delayed to His people, but it is never late. His timing is exact. He brings salvation at the appointed time.
Galatians 4:4-5, KJV, “But when fulness of time come, God sent forth his Son, made of woman, made under law, To redeem them that were under law, that we might receive adoption of sons.”
Christ came in the fullness of time. God’s salvation did not tarry.
Finally, the Lord says, “I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.” Salvation comes to Zion because God has chosen to glorify Himself in Israel. Israel’s final hope is not in her strength, righteousness, or history of obedience. Her hope is in the Lord’s saving purpose.
This also points to the Messiah, who comes from Israel and brings salvation.
Romans 11:26-27, KJV, “And so all Israel shall saved: as written, There shall come out of Sion Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”
The Deliverer comes out of Zion. God will fulfill His covenant promise.
Isaiah 46 therefore ends where it began, with the complete difference between idols and the Lord. Idols must be carried into captivity. The Lord carries His people from the womb to old age. Idols cannot answer or save. The Lord declares the end from the beginning and brings salvation near. Idols are burdens. The Lord is Redeemer.
