Huge festival processions to the temple – ‘Mardok is re-enthroned’, ‘order returns’.

It is a spectacle. The re-enthronement is an important political act – guaranteed power to Babylon, the king is seen as Mardok’s, the chief Babylonian god, representative.

This represented and re-enforced the power of Babylon and Mardok.

To Israelites this re-enforced their powerlessness and the weakness of YHWH (as they and others saw it) – They/God have nothing, Babylon has Mardok, a king, a temple. Mardok is king.

Israel is in the middle of this huge empire, weak. Mardok is seen as more powerful than YHWH.

Danger of Israel trusting in Babylon’s gods, values, system, power. If they embrace Babylon and her gods, they will never be free, always in exile.

Now: Power of cultural values, system, spectacles (Olympic opening ceremony etc..), and etc. all represent values of culture. – Wealth, control, we feel powerless and drawn in. We’re in exile in this world.

The (un)reality of idols + ch. 44 – God shows them for what they are

They represent cultural values, dreams etc.. We write ourselves and our cultures on the heavens - Gods made in THEIR IMAGE.

They cannot answer

Idols are nothing, powerless. When the constructs fail, the system collapses. In the end the idols cannot deliver what they promise.

46:1 – Procession, gods carried on high, then scattered, fall to the ground and ‘crush people’.

(Also: 1Cor. 8-10 (esp. ch. 10) – Paul says that when you give offerings to idols, you are sacrificing to DEMONS)

v. 3: This God carries its people, not vice-versa like with idols.

God constructs His people, not vice-versa like with idols.

Fall of Jerusalem is not the fall of YHWH like they thought, but the demonstration of His value. We should represent His values, aspirations, dreams etc.. not vice-versa like with idols.

v. 4: Heavens with them at the beginning, will be with them to the end and carry them.

• God ALONE. We image God, not the other way around.
• vv. 11-13: God will act and work for His people’s salvation, will care for them.

Wealth and control and technology is our world, our carnivale, our gods, we trust them.

This text talks to the people of God.

• What are our idols?
• We are in a foreign culture.
• Modern idols can fit into church – money, power, fitting God into our image of how we think He should be.

Wealth, control, technology etc are all products of our culture and are not inherently evil, but if we trust them (and/or misuse them) they are our idols.

We should identify our idols and repent. Turn from idols, gods of this age, to the true, living God.