Charles Spurgeon Commentary Isaiah 44:15-17

"Then shall it be for a man to burn; and he taketh thereof, and warmeth himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread: yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied; yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire. And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image; he falleth down unto it and worshippeth, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god." — Isaiah 44:15-17 (ASV)

Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take some of it and warm himself; indeed, he kindles it and bakes bread; indeed, he makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down to it. He burns part of it in the fire; with part of it he eats flesh; he roasts roast, and is satisfied. Indeed, he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm; I have seen the fire!” And the residue of it he makes a god, even his graven image; he falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.”

Did ever sarcasm – truthful and proper sarcasm – go further than this? Idolaters in various lands have frequently been convinced of the absurdity of their worship as they have read this very remarkable piece of inspired writing.

Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: and the residue thereof he maketh a god,

Oh, the folly of idolatry! Perhaps you do not see your own folly, you who are worshipping yourselves. A man who worships his belly is a worse idolater than the one who worships a god of wood. A man who worships gold and silver, if that gold and silver should take the shape of sovereigns and shillings, is not a bit more justified in his idolatry than if he had made it into the shape of a calf, and had bowed before it in idolatrous homage and reverence.

Yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: and the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.

And have we not seen hundreds of people adoring a doll, or a little picture said to be a likeness of the Virgin, or something of that kind? Alas! That even under the garb of Christianity the lowest kind of idolatry should still be common among our fellow human beings; may God grant that none of us ever fall into this deadly evil!