Isaiah 31:7 Study Bible: For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold--sin which your own hands have made for you.

◄ Isaiah 31:7 ►

For on that day, every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold that your own hands have sinfully made.

For in that day
This phrase points to a specific time of divine intervention and fulfillment of prophecy. In the Hebrew context, "that day" often refers to a future time when God will act decisively in history. It is a day of reckoning and restoration, a theme prevalent throughout the prophetic books. This phrase sets the stage for a significant shift in the spiritual and physical realities of the people of Israel.

each of you
This emphasizes individual responsibility and personal decision. In the Hebrew culture, while the community was important, there was also a strong sense of personal accountability before God. This phrase underscores that the call to repentance and change is not just corporate but personal, inviting each person to examine their own heart and actions.

will reject
The Hebrew root for "reject" conveys a strong sense of casting away or discarding something deemed worthless or offensive. This action is not passive but a deliberate choice to turn away from sin and idolatry. It reflects a decisive break from past allegiances and a commitment to align with God's will.

the idols of silver and gold
Idols made of precious metals symbolize the allure of wealth and materialism that can lead people away from God. In ancient Israel, these idols were often associated with the surrounding pagan cultures and represented a tangible temptation to forsake the worship of Yahweh. The mention of silver and gold highlights the value and beauty of these idols, making the act of rejection even more significant.

your own hands have sinfully made
This phrase highlights the culpability and active participation of the people in creating their idols. It is a reminder of the human tendency to craft objects of worship that ultimately lead to spiritual downfall. The use of "sinfully" indicates that this is not just a cultural practice but a moral failing, a direct violation of the covenant relationship with God.

for yourselves
The phrase "for yourselves" underscores the self-centered nature of idolatry. It reflects the human inclination to create gods in our own image, serving our desires and ambitions rather than submitting to the true God. This self-serving attitude is at the heart of idolatry, making the call to reject these idols a call to return to a God-centered life.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Isaiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah is the author of the book. He prophesied during a time of great political turmoil and spiritual decline in Israel and Judah.

2. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, which was often tempted to rely on foreign alliances and idolatry instead of trusting in God.

3. Idols of Silver and Gold
Representations of false gods that the people of Judah crafted and worshiped, contrary to God's commandments.

4. The Day of the Lord
A prophetic term often used to describe a future time of divine intervention, judgment, and restoration.

5. Sinful Hands
Symbolic of human actions and efforts that are contrary to God's will, emphasizing the personal responsibility in the creation and worship of idols.

Teaching Points

The Futility of Idolatry
Idolatry is ultimately futile and self-destructive. It represents a misplaced trust in created things rather than the Creator.

Repentance and Rejection
True repentance involves a decisive rejection of idols, both physical and metaphorical, in our lives.

God's Sovereignty
Trusting in God’s sovereignty means rejecting reliance on human-made solutions and idols.

Spiritual Renewal
The rejection of idols is a step towards spiritual renewal and a deeper relationship with God.

Personal Responsibility
Each individual is responsible for identifying and rejecting the idols in their own life.

Bible Study Questions

1. What are some modern-day "idols of silver and gold" that people might be tempted to rely on instead of God?

2. How does the concept of "sinful hands" challenge us to examine our own actions and creations?

3. In what ways can we apply the call to reject idols in our personal lives today?

4. How does the theme of repentance in Isaiah 31:7 connect with the broader biblical account of redemption?

5. What steps can we take to ensure that our trust remains in God rather than in human-made solutions or idols?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Exodus 20:3-4
The commandment against idolatry, which underscores the sin of creating and worshiping idols.

1 Kings 12:28-30
The account of Jeroboam setting up golden calves, illustrating the historical context of idolatry in Israel.

Hosea 14:3
A call to repentance and rejection of idols, similar to the message in Isaiah 31:7.

Acts 17:29
Paul’s teaching against idolatry, emphasizing that God is not like gold or silver images.

1 John 5:21
A New Testament exhortation to keep away from idols, reinforcing the timelessness of this command.

Sermons

Deep Disloyalty	W. Clarkson	Isaiah 31:6, 7
The Fire of Jehovah	E. Johnson	Isaiah 31:7-9

People

Egyptians, Isaiah, Israelites, Jeremiah

Places

Egypt, Jerusalem, Mount Zion, Zion

Topics

Cast, Despise, Gold, Gold-sin, Hands, Idols, Images, Silver, Sin, Sinful, Sinfully, Themselves

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Isaiah 31:7

     4333   gold
     4363   silver
     8771   idolatry, objections

Isaiah 31:6-7

6027 sin, remedy for

Library

Three Pictures of one Reality
'As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also He will deliver it; and passing over He will preserve it'--ISAIAH xxxi. 5. The immediate occasion of this very remarkable promise is, of course, the peril in which Jerusalem was placed by Sennacherib's invasion; and the fulfilment of the promise was the destruction of his army before its gates. But the promise here, like all God's promises, is eternal in substance, and applies to a community only because it applies to each …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Lord's Furnace
'The Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem.'-- ISAIAH xxxi. 9. This very remarkable characterisation of God stands here as a kind of seal, set upon the preceding prophecy. It is the reason why that will certainly be fulfilled. And what precedes is mainly a promise of a deliverance for Israel, which was to be a destruction for Israel's enemies. It is put in very graphic and remarkable metaphors: 'Like as a lion roareth on his prey when a multitude of shepherds is called forth …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

What God Is
John iv. 24.--"God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." We have here something of the nature of God pointed out to us, and something of our duty towards him. "God is a Spirit," that is his nature, and "man must worship him," that is his duty, and that "in spirit and in truth," that is the right manner of the duty. If these three were well pondered till they did sink into the bottom of our spirits, they would make us indeed Christians, not in the letter, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Of Conversion
Of Conversion "Be ye truly converted unto that God from whom ye have so deeply revolted" (Isa. xxxi. 6). To be truly converted is to avert wholly from the creature, and turn wholly unto God. For the attainment of salvation it is absolutely necessary that we should forsake outward sin and turn unto righteousness: but this alone is not perfect conversion, which consists in a total change of the whole man from an outward to an inward life. When the soul is once turned to God a wonderful facility is …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

Of Perfect Conversion, which is an Effect of this Method of Prayer --Two of Its Aids, the Attraction of God, and the Central Inclination of The
"Turn ye unto Him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted" (Isa. xxxi. 6). Conversion is nothing else but a turning from the creature to God. Conversion is not perfect, though it is necessary for salvation, when it is merely a turning from sin to grace. To be complete, it must be a turning from without to within. The soul, being turned in the direction of God, has a great facility for remaining converted to Him. The longer it is converted, the nearer it approaches to God, and attaches …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

That it is not Lawful for the Well Affected Subjects to Concur in Such an Engagement in War, and Associate with the Malignant Party.
That It Is Not Lawful For The Well Affected Subjects To Concur In Such An Engagement In War, And Associate With The Malignant Party. Some convinced of the unlawfulness of the public resolutions and proceedings, in reference to the employing of the malignant party, yet do not find such clearness and satisfaction in their own consciences as to forbid the subjects to concur in this war, and associate with the army so constituted. Therefore it is needful to speak something to this point, That it is …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

But Though Prayer is Properly Confined to Vows and Supplications...
But though prayer is properly confined to vows and supplications, yet so strong is the affinity between petition and thanksgiving, that both may be conveniently comprehended under one name. For the forms which Paul enumerates (1 Tim. 2:1) fall under the first member of this division. By prayer and supplication we pour out our desires before God, asking as well those things which tend to promote his glory and display his name, as the benefits which contribute to our advantage. By thanksgiving we duly …
John Calvin—Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of Faith

Scriptures Showing the Sin and Danger of Joining with Wicked and Ungodly Men.
Scriptures Showing The Sin And Danger Of Joining With Wicked And Ungodly Men. When the Lord is punishing such a people against whom he hath a controversy, and a notable controversy, every one that is found shall be thrust through: and every one joined with them shall fall, Isa. xiii. 15. They partake in their judgment, not only because in a common calamity all shares, (as in Ezek. xxi. 3.) but chiefly because joined with and partakers with these whom God is pursuing; even as the strangers that join …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Sennacherib (705-681 B. C. )
The struggle of Sennacherib with Judaea and Egypt--Destruction of Babylon. Sennacherib either failed to inherit his father's good fortune, or lacked his ability.* He was not deficient in military genius, nor in the energy necessary to withstand the various enemies who rose against him at widely removed points of his frontier, but he had neither the adaptability of character nor the delicate tact required to manage successfully the heterogeneous elements combined under his sway. * The two principal …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8

Exposition of Chap. Iii. (ii. 28-32. )
Ver. 1. "And it shall come to pass, afterwards, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." The communication of the Spirit of God was the constant prerogative of the Covenant-people. Indeed, the very idea of such a people necessarily requires it. For the Spirit of God is the only inward bond betwixt Him and that which is created; a Covenant-people, therefore, without such an inward …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Upbringing of Jewish Children
The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"--"son" and "daughter"--we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly--"born"--the "jeled," or, in the feminine, "jaldah"--as in Exodus 2:3, 6, 8. …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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