God Alone

Mark 10:17-27

17As he was meeting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” 20He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22When he heard this, he as shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

23Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easy for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” 27Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God

Isaiah 46:3-13

3Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from your birth, carried from the womb;

4even to your old age, I am he, even when you turn gray I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.

5To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, as though we were alike?

6Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales - they hire a goldsmith, who makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship!

7They 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 out to it, it does not answer or save anyone from trouble.

8Remember this and consider, recall it to mind you transgressors,

9Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is not other; I am God, and there is no one like me,

10declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill me intention,”

11calling a bird of prey from the east, the man for my purpose from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have planned, and I will do it.

12Listen to me, you stubborn of heart, you who are far from deliverance:

13I bring near my deliverance, it is not far off, and my salvation will not tarry; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory.

This is the Word of the LORD

Thanks be to God.

Two armies stare at one another across the ancient battlefield. Each has its own ritual to prepare for battle. Each has its own superstitions and sacred sayings. Each cry out to God and consecrate their warriors, assuming that above them, on some sort of spiritual plane, the gods of Babylon and the God of Israel are similarly staring across a heavenly battlefield. The God who wins the heavenly battle will their power by giving the earthly armies victory, and the world will see whose God is greater, Bel and Nebo, or the LORD.

The armies of Babylon crush the armies of Judah. They pour through the holy capital and defile the temple of the LORD. All who stand in their way are slaughtered. Their victory is complete.

Does this mean the gods of Babylon are more powerful than the God of Israel? Babylon certainly thinks so, and they mock the people of Jerusalem as the carry them into captivity. “Sing us your holy songs, sing the songs of the God who couldn’t protect you from the might of our gods, our empire.”

But God speaks through the prophet Isaiah, revealing a new thing to the people who survived the disaster of the Babylonian conquest. “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from your birth, carried from the womb;” Once the people have recovered from the disaster enough that they can imagine again, God shows them something new.

I’m a big grammar nerd.

Like a BIG grammar nerd.

Like I correct the grammar of William’s children’s books while I’m reading to him. If you’re wondering, they’re particularly bad at “whom.”

But the funny thing about grammar is that it’s not written in stone. Grammar is a tool to describe how language gets used. Which means when people use language in new ways, grammar nerds like me get to write new grammar.

Theology works the same way. Theology tries to describe God, and when God does something unexpected, believers get to write new theology. Allowing Babylon to conquer Jerusalem was unexpected. The old understanding that “My god beat up your God,” didn’t work anymore. It didn’t describe their experience of God. So they got to write new theology. They got to describe God in a new way.

God let the conquered people in on a secret that would help them to last through the captivity: There is no god but God. “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me as though we were alike?” The LORD has not been conquered or defeated. The LORD has not been carried off like stolen treasure. The LORD reigns over all creation. There is no other god. Which gives a captive people a sense of pride. They’re being punished for their sin, but punishment comes to an end. The LORD is still reliable, still faithful, still carrying the people the way a mother carries her child. God promises “even to your old age, I am he, even when you turn gray I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” The maternal image here is important, reminding the people that they came from God. Their heavenly mother labored with them to make them into they are, and will not abandon them.

Most of us are more accustomed to calling God “Father,” but this is one of several places in scripture when God is described with feminine imagery. Remember that God created both male and female people in the image of God. God nurtures the people of Judah while they are in captivity, and reminds them that God has loved them since before they were born. The LORD will also love them and care for them into their old age, and every moment in between.

But that assurance works in captivity, because Judah now knows that the LORD is God, and there is no other. Babylon may rule, but the LORD reigns. There is no cosmic duel for the fate of the world, God alone is in control. There’s no pantheon of divine beings who govern the events of history. God alone reigns. There’s no superstitious dealmaking that will deliver people from danger. God alone saves. There is no reason to make offerings or prayers to idols for a little extra “luck” in our lives. God alone is worthy of worship. Those who worship other “gods” aren’t a threat, as they were treated in former times, they’re laughable.

The prophet Isaiah portrays a goldsmith fashioning an idol for a customer, and it’s played as a joke. How can this hunk of metal compare to the LORD? It’s ridiculous. “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, as though we were alike? Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales - they hire a goldsmith, who makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship!” How are going to worship as a “god” something you fished out of your pocket not long ago? Just because some craftsman melted your shiny metal together and shaped it like an animal or something, suddenly it’s divine? Silliness.

Isaiah keeps going, “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 out to it, it does not answer or save anyone from trouble.” They build their own “god,” but then they have to carry it around and put it in its place. Why would someone carry their idol when the LORD promises to carry her covenant people? The idol cannot move from it’s place, but the LORD goes with the people, even into exile. When the people cry out for deliverance, God alone hears their prayers and promises to save. The fancy ingot continues to sit, gold and silver cannot hear or act. It simple gathers dust and begins to need polishing.

In spite of all the silliness Isaiah describes, idolatry outlives the Babylonian empire. “Our world offers as many glistening, golden idols as did the ancient world of Babylon...But in the moment of deepest need, they are silent as they weigh down upon their devotees with crushing, ruthless force.” Our 21st century idols are more subtle. Instead of gold, our idols are made of glass and plastic and silicon, and we never leave home without them. Our idols are wood and steel, polymer and aluminum, and we trust them to save us from violence. Our idols are people whom we have idolized, such that we cannot imagine them doing wrong. Our idols are the ideas that cannot be questioned, the traditions that cannot be changed. It’s so easy to rationalize our 21st century idolatries. It’s easy to say “I love x,” but I don’t worship it. Therefore I’m good. I love my new phone, but I don’t worship it. I trust my firearm to keep me safe, but I don’t worship it. My father is always knows best, we all have to trust him. But we don’t worship him. My politics are solid, and any question of my position is an attack upon me personally. But I don’t worship it. I love my tradition, we should keep it the same. But I don’t worship it.

But we know better than that. We know that God alone is love. We know that God alone keeps us safe. We know that God alone is always faithful. We know that God alone is worthy of worship. Those other things are not necessarily bad, until they take the place of God, whom alone we must worship and serve. That kind of thing is just silly, because God alone has already saved us.

Remember all that we have done, and all that God has done for us. Even though we feel stuck, or are captives, or are in exile, God has the final outcome firmly in hand. “I bring near my deliverance, it is not far off, and my salvation will not tarry; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory.” We are living in exile right now, and God alone is saving us from destruction.

But God has a firm hold on us all, and will not let us go. Not even death even death on a cross, can separate us from the love of God. We can’t keep God on a shelf, and we can’t keep Jesus in a tomb. “No one is good but God alone,” Jesus says. “For God, all things are possible.”