What does it mean that in Isaiah 46:1, Bel bows down and Nebo bends?
The ineffectiveness of the Babylonian false gods Bel and Nebo are contrasted with the majesty of God un Isaiah 46. When Isaiah made his predictions, Babylon was the world’s most powerful and influential country, a bastion of idolatry and national pride. God will bring judgment on Babylon for its sins, even as He had exalted it for a certain period of history. God is the Supreme Ruler of the Universe; there is no other God (Isaiah 45:18). Only He is God; no others compare (Isaiah 45:21). All humanity has just One genuine God to turn to for salvation, and it is He alone that the world must turn to (Isaiah 45:22). With that backdrop established, God claims that Bel bends down and Nebo stoops (Isaiah 46:1). (Isaiah 46:1).
Bel, also named Marduk (or Marodech in Jeremiah 50:2), was the chief of the Babylonian gods and signified the nation’s power and global leadership. Whenever Bel is referenced in the Hebrew Scriptures, it is in the context of judgment or defeat. Jeremiah says that Bel would be put to shame (Jeremiah 50:2) and would be punished (Jeremiah 51:44) as part of Babylon’s wrath for its sins against God and His chosen people, the Israelites.
Nebo was a famous city and mountain in Moab, but it appears that the connection here is to Nabu—a false deity rather than the city and mountain in Moab. Nabu was also a renowned Babylonian deity, second only to Bel (or Marduk) (or Marduk). Besides Nisaba (Sumerian), Thoth (Egyptian), Apollo (Greek), and Mercury (Roman), Nabu/Nebo has been linked to several additional deities (Rome).
Bel and Nebo were emblematic of Babylon’s hubris, but they would both be humbled. Bel leans down and Nebo stoops (Isaiah 46:1). (Isaiah 46:1). These Babylonian gods assume a dejected and humiliated stance as their pictures are taken by livestock out from Babylon (Isaiah 46:1). (Isaiah 46:1). Those who counted on these gods to deliver them learned that those pictures went headlong into captivity with them (Isaiah 46:2). (Isaiah 46:2). Those gods could not rescue anybody, but the genuine God could. God had created the country of Babylon, and He might rescue them (Isaiah 46:3–4). (Isaiah 46:3–4). So people should turn to Him and believe in Him rather than the false idols of Babylon. Those phony deities would go on their knees and pray. Isaiah 46:1 says they would become “burdens on tired animals,” meaning they would be unable to save themselves.
As the Sovereign Creator of everything, the Yahweh of the Bible tells the people of Israel that they might rely in Him. There are many idols and pretend deities out there vying for our attention even now, but just like in Isaiah’s day, we may put our confidence in God. He is the One who can rescue. And just as Isaiah cautioned Israel not to place their faith in Bel and Nebo (because Bel genuflects and Nebo stoops), so too should we not put our reliance in what is untrustworthy. For instance, in Matthew 6:19, Jesus taught that instead of putting our trust in the things of this world—such as money, clothes, and other material possessions—we should put our faith in God (Matthew 6:24).
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