To Whom Shall We Worship.... Isaiah chapters 44-46

The question is not if we worship, but who—we give our hearts to.

Scripture is painfully honest about this, and nowhere is that clearer than in Isaiah chapters 44–46. In these chapters, God speaks with urgency, love, and truth to the people of Israel who have slowly drifted away from Him. They still believed in God—but they were no longer worshiping Him alone.

And if we’re honest… This is not just Israel’s story.

 It’s ours too.

These notes focus on Isaiah chapters 44–46, where God repeatedly declares His uniqueness and exposes the foolishness of idolatry. We will move through selected verses to understand who God is, who He is not, and why He alone is worthy of worship.

• Isaiah 44:8 It says, "Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any."

• Isaiah 45:5-6 says, "I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no God. I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other."

• Isaiah 45:18 says, "For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (He is God!), who formed the earth and made it (He established it, He did not create it empty but formed it to be inhabited): 'I am the Lord, and there is no other.'"

• Isaiah 45:21 says, "Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me."

• Isaiah 45:22 "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God and there is no other."

• Isaiah 46:9 says, "Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me."

  
  

Between chapters 44-46, there is a repetition, over and over again, of how the Lord is unique in the universe. There is no other like Him, our God the Father; He is unmatched and unequaled compared to other gods. All other gods are fabrications, imitations, or deceptions

Only the God of the Bible is the true God. God repeatedly emphasizes this message through the prophet Isaiah. During this specific period in history, the Jewish people have turned away from the worship of the one true God and have instead embraced the idolatry of wooden and metal images. God, like a loving but firm parent, was warning them with urgent compassion: "These fake gods, these creations of your own hands, they cannot help you. They don't walk, they can't talk, they don't love you, they cannot save you.” It was a desperate plea for them to return, a warning that ignoring the true God would lead to devastating consequences – a captivity in Babylon that would test their very identity. God was, and still is, reminding us of His profound reality versus the utter unreality of anything we might elevate above Him.

Part of what God does in these chapters through Isaiah is to dismantle all of their thinking relative to idols. For instance, in Isaiah 44:12, God starts to point out their foolishness regarding these idols. "The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with a hammer and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint." God is painting a picture here. He is saying, "Do you really want a god that you can shape with a hammer? Do you really think this “god” will show up in your time of need? A blacksmith (ironsmith) has to fashion this god with a hammer. I hope this blacksmith has been eating some food and drinking, because otherwise he's going to faint. There's nothing worse than your god not being able to be fashioned because of a faint blacksmith."

"What kind of god is that?" (There's such ridiculousness in these idols.)

Isaiah 44:13 "The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil, he shapes it with planes and marks with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man to dwell in a house." God paints another picture. He is saying, "Do you really want a god that a carpenter can shape with a chisel?”  What kind of god is that?

Isaiah 44:14-17 "He chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar, and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man; he takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, 'Ahn, I am warm, I have seen the fire!' And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, 'Deliver me, for you are my god.'" God is saying, "Do you really want a god made from a tree, made from the same firewood you used to cook your meal and to warm you when you are cold? What kind of god is that? What kind of a god do you want to worship where you take half of the tree and you make fire with it and the other half into an idol?"

Isaiah  44:19 says, "No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood? '"So God is just pointing all of this out, saying, "Listen, this is ridiculous. Why are you worshiping these things?"

Isaiah 46:5-7 "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."

"What kind of a god is that?"

You look at these verses, and God is basically asking, "Do you really want a god that you have to melt to make? People are holding onto gold and silver. Do you really want a god that a goldsmith can make? Do you really want a god you can hoist to your shoulders and carry it? Do you really want a god that you can prop up in a corner? Do you really want a god that does not answer you or save you? Do you really want all that?"

What kind of god is that? That's not a kind of god at all!"

This whole concept of idolatry is foreign to us, but this was common years ago. Back then, they would make a sculpture and bow down to it and worship it.

Now, mankind has been created with an innate need to worship something. If you are not worshipping the one true God, I can guarantee you, you are worshipping some other thing that is either a fabrication, imitation, or deception.

Let me give you a couple of examples: 

• Some might worship self — When we elevate our own wisdom, our own understanding above God, making decisions based solely on our feelings or desires, are we not pushing Him aside? 

  Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Do not rely on emotions; instead, rely on the word of God that is true. We treat feelings as truth even when they deceive us.

• Some might worship relationships- Whether it's a friend, family, or a romantic partner, these become idols when their approval, their presence, their affection matters more to us than God. When someone else's opinion dictates how you feel, act, or even dress, aren't you granting their authority over God? We tragically disobey God, sacrificing our integrity, just to keep these relationships in our lives – an ultimate act of worship to another.

• Love, money and success can be an idol.Even the idea of love can become an obsession that eclipses God. Dreaming, imagining, obsessing more than God himself. And money, or success? Jesus Himself, in Matthew 6:24, delivers a warning: "You cannot serve both God and money." If the majority of your time and attention is poured into your career, your lifestyle, or accumulating wealth instead of spending that time with God, then you are actively worshipping these things, not Him. 

• Some might worship their phones, entertainment, and social media.These things consume most of our free time, shape our identity, or they become alters we bow to. For instance, we might be influenced by social media to change our appearance. This leads to spending more time maintaining our image than our spirit. We start caring more about how we appear than who we actually are before God.

• Sometimes we worship comfort and convenience. We avoid anything that challenges us spiritually. This can keep us from obedience, discipline, and growth.

• The Idol of Past Pain or Trauma: Some people unknowingly let their past wounds or trauma define everything; they revolve their life around it. But God longs to heal, not for our wounds to become our identity. He tells us in Isaiah 43:18, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." Don't let your past become your god.

• The Idols of Substances or Materialism: When our first instinct for comfort is to run to addiction or craving, we're relying on things besides God. And for materialistic things like cars, clothes, jewelry – Matthew 6:19 reminds us: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal." When all is said and done, what truly endures? Nothing here on earth, that's for sure.

• The Idol of Spiritual Performance: Even our "spiritual performances" can become idols. If our good deeds are driven by a hunger for praise, our heart is tragically misplaced. We can love the appearance of godliness more than God Himself, like the Pharisees Jesus spoke of in Matthew 15:8: "This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." Their religious actions became an idol, tragically replacing a genuine, living relationship with God.

  
  

Just ask yourself this:

• Who do you run to first for comfort, identity, validation, or guidance? Whatever answer that is, that's what you worship. It should be the God almighty.It's important for us to understand: If you don't worship the one true God, we end up worshipping some fabrication, imitation, or deception.

Reflect: 

Just imagine:  How utterly foolish, how negligent, would it have been for Isaiah to have remained silent in his day? To have looked at people blindly worshipping carved wood and metal and said, "Oh well, to each their own." Imagine the disservice, the lack of love, in such silence! Yet, why do we often find ourselves so passive, so hesitant, when it comes to proclaiming the one true God in our own culture, in our own lives? Isaiah needed to proclaim the true and living God. He wanted the people to be helped; he wanted the people to be saved; he wanted the people to know who the true and living God is. Isaiah wanted them to be rescued from their idolatry and their foolishness.

• We accept cultural idolatry by remaining silent about the one true God. There are many other gods that people are worshipping today. If you remain silent, it's not only doing a disservice to them but it's also an unloving thing. It's equivalent to Isaiah saying, "I don't care if you worship these idols of wood, gold, or silver. I know who the one true God is, but if that's your system and that's who you worship, then so be it."

  
  

John 13:34-35 says “ A new command I give you; Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are disciples, if you love one another.” If we really love one another as we should, do we not want them to know the one true God? The passion Isaiah talks about God should be the projection of our passion for Him in our generation. We want people to know that the one true God loves them so intimately that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for them. To remain silent about this most incredible, life-changing gift of having the opportunity of eternal life with the Father through Jesus is, quite simply, an unloving act. This isn't just a theological concept; it's the promise of eternal life to those who, with all their heart, believe that Jesus died for their sins and rose again. This is the profound truth of John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." People need to know this!

Some hearts will inevitably resist, as John 1:5 reminds us: "The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not understood it." But others will, with profound relief, welcome it. Our role is not to push, but to invite. For instance, there's a difference between "you need Jesus!!!" (pushes) and "Jesus changed my life, let me share with you what He has done in my life" (invites).

God never asks you to convince people — only to share His love. You plant the seed (the word of God), and God does the rest; God waters, God grows, and God saves. Our job is faithfulness, not results. The Holy Spirit will guide you on who to speak to and what to say.

Going back to the chapters of Isaiah, we hear God and His passionate call to His people, then and now. He's not screaming in anger, but in profound love – holding out His arms, pleading for us to realize that He alone is the God we need. He states so clearly: "Those other gods cannot save you; they won't answer you; they can't fix you. But I will!"

As the body of Christ today, we have the sacred privilege and opportunity to extend that same good news, that same loving invitation. Let's not be intimidated into silence. If you genuinely believe the truth of Isaiah 46:9 – "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me" – then how can we not passionately desire for every person to know this magnificent God who loves them, who sent His only Son to die for them? Our generation desperately needs to hear this truth, and we cannot remain silent.

As Romans 10:14 powerfully challenges us: "How are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" Paul reminds us that our silence can literally prevent others from hearing the life-saving message. This is why Jesus, in Mark 16:15, gave us a direct, active command: "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." And like Paul, who declared in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" – let us too live unashamed.

Let us continue to show Christ to people, not just through our words, but through the genuine, Christ-like way we live our lives every single day.

There is no other “god,” no other philosophy, no other power can accomplish what our living God does. 

There is no one like God. No other can claim they are the creator of the Universe.

• Isaiah 44:24 “ thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “ I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself….””

• Isaiah 45:12 “ I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hand that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.”

• Isaiah 45:18 “ For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens ( he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “ I am the Lord, and there is no other….””

Creation testifies about God. All you really have to do is examine carefully, and you will see the handiwork of a divine designer.

• Psalm 19:1 “ the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

• Romans 1:20 “ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal powers and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

  
  

If you look at Isaiah 44, you will see an incredible prophecy outside of the prophecy related specifically to Jesus. There's a prophecy about the King of Persia. Isaiah 44:24-28. Isaiah was in 700 BC, prophesying this: the temple is already there (the city of Jerusalem is inhabited). However, Isaiah is saying, "There will come a day, because of the Jewish people's unfaithfulness to God, the Babylonians will come and besiege Jerusalem. They will destroy the city, take the Jews captive to Babylon for 70 years."

So God is saying to Isaiah, "Let the people know that the city will be rebuilt. A guy in Babylon by the name of Cyrus is going to give an order to allow the Jewish people to return after 70 years of captivity in Jerusalem and rebuild their city and their temple. The city is not destroyed yet, but it will happen, but it will be rebuilt again."There's something incredible about this prophecy. See, when this is proclaimed, Cyrus won't be born for another 150 years. Isaiah prophesied about Cyrus by name even if he hasn't been born yet. Only God can predict the future!!!

God doesn't guess. He declares future events because He already sees them.

• Isaiah 46:9-10 "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.’”

His knowledge has no limits — past, present, and future.

There is no other God that can save you except the true and living God.

In Isaiah 45:20-22, it shares how we need to be saved and rescued. We all were at a point where we did not understand our desperate condition. We are all dying of the same terminal disease that's called sin. Sin is what destroys the human race. Sin entered the human race because of the sin of our forefather Adam, but it was dealt with on the cross by the second Adam,  Jesus. He died in order for us to be forgiven for our sins so that we might be right with God. We all need to be saved. There is no other that's legitimate or able, except the God of the Bible. A wooden god, silver god, gold god, Hindu god, Muslim god, Mormon god, Archangel Michael, any other saints, Baha'i faith, Buddhist god, the virgin Mary — none can save you.

There is no other real salvation that can save us. It cannot be earned or bought. It comes only through  Jesus. When we believe in Him and invite Him into our hearts/lives, we are saved from condemnation and brought into eternal life. It is through the sacrifice of the cross that our sins are forgiven. Through Jesus' sacrifice on that cross, our guilt, our shame, our punishment – it was all borne by Him, so that we could be set free, cleansed, and restored to fellowship with God the Father. 1 John 1:7 promises that "the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin." There is no other name, no other way (Acts 4:12), "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men] by which we must be saved,” and that name is Jesus.

When we courageously declare with our mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and truly believe in our heart that He rose from the dead, as Romans 10:9 assures us, "you will be saved." This is the beginning of a profound, personal relationship with God that transcends this life and extends into eternity. Jesus Himself, in John 14:6, states it unequivocally: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This isn't an exclusive, narrow statement designed to exclude; it's a loving, clear path offered to a lost humanity. 

Salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. No good works, religion, ritual, or human effort can save you. God has provided one way to be reconciled to Him: through Jesus.

If you want a relationship with God, it begins and ends with Jesus. 

May this truth settle deeply into our hearts. Amen!