“Bel bowed down, Nebo stooped. Their idols are upon the beasts, and upon the cattle; the things that ye carried about are made a load, a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together, they could not deliver the burden; and themselves are gone into captivity.” (Isaiah 46:1-2)
Idols as ego's fantasies and illusions are indeed burdens we carry at the expense of the vitality and strength of life, which in the Prophet's metaphors are symbolized by cattle. God didn't create our life as a beast of burden to carry idols heavy to bear. Hence we can't deliver burdens we don't need, which also keep us in captivity. There is no freedom with burdens that separate us from our Essence and true identity.
“Hearken unto Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, that are borne [by Me] from the birth, that are carried from the womb. Even to old age I am the same, and even in your old age will I carry you. I have made [you], and I will bear [you]. Yea, I will carry [you], and I will redeem [you].” (46:3-4)
It seems we doubt not only our Creator's power and dominion over His Creation, but also His loving kindness with which He sustains it. We resist His Love when He calls us time and again to return to His ways and attributes. He clearly tells us that we are part of Him, for He carried us from the womb. We are His children He loves by making us, holding us, carrying us, and redeeming us, in spite of our choice to separate from Him. This is the greatest Love of all!
The Prophet continues quoting God (46:5-9) reiterating again His dominion over all His Creation, to make us aware of the futility in making gods of gold and silver. These are the idols we depend on that will never deliver us from addictions, attachments and obsessions we have for them. God points out ego's fantasies and illusions as the transgressions that separate us from Him, and also reminds us that He is the cause and purpose of all that is:
“I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying: 'My counsel shall stand, and all My pleasure will I do'.” (46:9-11)
This statement must resound in every dimension of consciousness, for the reason, cause and purpose of all that exists is God. Everything else is the illusion we create out of His Creation. Hence “there is none else” and “none like God”. The Torah is His instruction for us to be, have and do within the limits of our wisdom, understanding and knowledge, for us to become aware in the material world of our Essence and true identity. The Torah is God's counsel that shall stand according to His will.
In this awareness we must understand and manifest our connection and relationship with the Creator. Thus we dissipate the clouds of our materialistic fantasies and illusions, and begin to live under the clear skies of righteousness as the cause and effect of Love's ways and attributes as the goodness God wants us to make prevail in the world. This is the nearness to His righteousness that is not far off our consciousness, for we already know what goodness is.
“Hearken unto Me, ye stout-hearted, that are far from righteousness. I bring near My righteousness, it shall not be far off, and My redemption shall not tarry. And I will place redemption in Zion for Israel My glory.” (46:12-13)
Thus we realize that goodness is our Redemption. We redeem ourselves with the goodness from which God's Love created us, and this awareness is Zion as the permanent connection to Him. In Zion we honor and glorify God, for we are the goodness with which we glory Him.
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