Isaiah 40:21

"He who is too impoverished for such an offering chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks a skillful workman to set up a carved image for him that will not be moved."

Key Reflection

In Isaiah 40:21, God contrasts the idols of his people with His own greatness. The original audience would have recognized that when someone was too poor to offer a valuable sacrifice, they might choose a durable tree and hire a skilled craftsman to carve an image that would not easily be damaged or moved. This illustrates how even in their reduced state, people still sought to create permanent representations of what they worshiped, highlighting the temporary nature of such idols compared to the eternal power of God.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Have ye not known? -This is evidently an address to the worshippers of idols, and either designed to be addressed to the Jews themselves in the times of Manasseh, when idolatry abounded, or to all idolaters. The prophet had in the previous verses shown the manner in which the idols were made, and the folly of regarding them as objects of worship. He now turns and addresses the worshippers of these idols, as being without excuse. They might have known that these were not the true God. They had had abundant opportunity of learning his existence and of becoming acquainted with his majesty and glory.

More from Isaiah 40

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