Topical Bible: Idolatry: Objects of Described as Wind and Confusion

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In the biblical context, idolatry is the worship of idols or the elevation of created things above the Creator. The Bible frequently condemns idolatry, emphasizing its futility and the spiritual confusion it brings. The prophets of the Old Testament often used vivid imagery to describe the emptiness and deception inherent in idol worship. Among these descriptions, idols are likened to "wind" and "confusion," highlighting their transient and misleading nature.

Wind

The metaphor of wind is used to convey the insubstantial and fleeting nature of idols. In Isaiah 41:29, the prophet declares, "See, they are all a delusion; their works amount to nothing; their images are as empty as the wind" . This imagery underscores the idea that idols, despite being crafted with human hands and often adorned with precious materials, lack any real substance or power. They are as ephemeral as the wind, unable to provide the stability or security that only the true God can offer.

The use of "wind" also suggests the idea of idols being driven by forces beyond human control, much like the wind itself. This reflects the biblical teaching that those who worship idols are often led astray, carried away by false doctrines and empty promises. The wind, in its unpredictability and lack of permanence, serves as a fitting symbol for the deceptive allure of idolatry.

Confusion

Idolatry is also described as a source of confusion, leading individuals and nations away from the truth of God. In Isaiah 45:16, it is written, "They will all be put to shame and humiliated; the makers of idols will go away together in disgrace" . The confusion here is not merely intellectual but spiritual, as idol worship leads to a disordered understanding of reality and a misalignment with God's will.

The confusion associated with idolatry is further illustrated in Jeremiah 10:14-15: "Every man is senseless and devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. For his molten images are a fraud; there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work to be mocked. In the time of their punishment, they will perish" . This passage highlights the folly of idol worship, as those who create and venerate idols are ultimately left in a state of disgrace and bewilderment.

The biblical portrayal of idolatry as wind and confusion serves as a powerful reminder of the dangers of turning away from the one true God. It calls believers to recognize the emptiness of idols and to seek the enduring truth and stability found in a relationship with the Creator.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 41:29
Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Concerning the Lord's Supper
... he turned the trees, and all other objects described as existing in ... that we shall
be in peril of idolatry if we ... to be carried about with every wind of doctrine ...
/.../luther/first principles of the reformation/concerning the lords supper.htm

The Preface to the Commandments
... [2] God is described by his ... Because we are led much by visible objects, and love
to have our ... By Egypt is meant a place of idolatry and superstition; by the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/1 3 the preface to the.htm

Homiletical.
... for the slaughter of their brethren, to punish idolatry. ... recognise the pettiness
of the common objects of human ... She is described as having said that women no ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/basil/basil letters and select works/iv homiletical.htm

The Northern Mountains
... what you call de washerwoman's.' It had been described to me ... that it is not a worship
of natural objects; not a ... But surely it is an idolatry, and not a nature ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter xi the northern mountains.htm

The Sibylline Oracles.
... that the gods sent a mighty wind and overthrew ... present arranged is a mass of confusion
and incongruity ... his eyes the abominations of Egyptian idolatry, and was ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the sibylline oracles.htm

Seances Historiques De Geneve --The National Church.
... establishing dynasties, falling down before objects of worship ... of some of the grossness
of idolatry; they effected ... or uncanonical books, are described as those ...
/.../seances historiques de genevethe national.htm

The Epistle of St. James
... i.13) the rise of temptation is thus described: First there ... things, and if people
miss their objects of desire ... of forsaking the true God for idolatry was called ...
/.../moffat/the general epistles james peter and judas/the epistle of st james.htm

A Discourse
... The tower of Lebanon is described as looking towards ... debauchery, inhumanity, profaneness,
superstition, and idolatry,' will be ... the eye out at, to objects at a ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a discourse.htm

The Saints' Privilege and Profit;
... His definition of the difference between grace and mercy is very striking: 'Mercy
signifies pitifulness to objects in a miserable condition. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the saints privilege and profit.htm

A Traveler's Note-Book
... only by the sacrifice of all objects of desire ... the prophets laid the disaster to
the idolatry or other ... occasion, at a later period, is described at length in ...
/.../merriam/the chief end of man/iii a travelers note-book.htm