During a vacation when I was eight or ten years old, our family stopped in Nashville, Tennessee, where we walked through the replica of the Parthenon there. Although I do not recall a great deal about the visit, I clearly remember the statue of Athena that stood within this re-creation of the temple from Athens. I remember being awestruck at the immensity of it. Even at that young age, though, I realized that the statue of Athena was simply that, a statue, not a goddess or even a representation of something greater.
During the time in which Isaiah prophesied to the people of Judah, the people were faced with a constant idol-dilemma. Despite the fact that God had clearly prohibited the creation or worship of such images of gods, the Judeans continued to fall prey and turn their hearts and minds away from the Lord as they worshiped that which was not their Creator. In this scripture, Isaiah delivers words of comfort to the Chosen People, reminding them that they will be redeemed, when he asks them the question, “With whom, then, will you compare God?”
Isaiah uses the illustration of an idol that has been formed by human hands, either with precious metal or a wood that will surely become subject to the elements. I am struck by the absurdity of the notion that we think we can worship something we ourselves have created.
One of my deepest joys is the realization that God is greater than anything I could ever imagine. He is incomprehensible in enormity. My greatest limitation in seeking to understand Him comes from the simple fact that I cannot put God into mere human terminology without losing sight of the majesty of our Creator.