Charles Spurgeon Commentary Isaiah 44:20

"He feedeth on ashes; a deceived heart hath turned him aside; and he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?" — Isaiah 44:20 (ASV)

A deceived heart has turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

If you worship the crucifix, or anything else that is visible, you are dishonouring yourself, and you are breaking the law of God.

Remember that, God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

He will have no similitude. This he abhors with his whole heart and will hold no one guiltless who worships an idol of any kind.

Even though the man has reverentially and sincerely bowed before it, he is transgressing against God. These are the false gods; now we will read of the one true God.

He feeds on ashes: a deceived heart has turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand!

The prophet concludes that madness must have taken hold of the minds of men, or they never could have fallen into the debasing superstitions which degrade them all over the world. Yet, even in this present century, old superstitions have come back to our country; it is strange that here, where so many martyrs were burned, the sons of these martyrs should actually be willing to go back again to the beggarly elements and superstitions of the former times. May the Lord have mercy upon this land, and deliver it from all forms of idol worship!