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“You will be ashamed of your idol worship in groves of sacred oaks. You will blush because you worshipped in gardens dedicated to idols. You will be like a great tree with withered leaves, like a garden without water. The strongest among you will disappear like straw; their evil deeds will be the spark that sets it on fire. They and their evil works will burn up together, and no one will be able to put out the fire.”
Isaiah 1:29-31 NLT

Oaks are wonderful examples of trees in our deciduous woods because they are slow-growing and can live for centuries if conditions are right. They were commonly used as a source of timber in any application requiring a hard and durable wood, but in the UK today, they are treated with more respect and are even protected in some cases. I came across several wonderful and very old examples at the West end of Loch Tay in Scotland, oaks gnarled and twisted into almost grotesque shapes, yet with a longevity that seemed to have a determined, almost aggressive personality all of their own. In Israel, oaks were not a common tree, and when one was found, they could find themselves involved in idolatrous worship practices that even included sexual immorality. In the UK, oak trees held a central, sacred position in pre-Christian pagan worship, serving as focal points for rituals, gatherings, and spiritual veneration. Primarily associated with the Druids—whose name may derive from a Celtic word for “knowing the oak”—these trees were revered as “kings of the forest,” symbolising strength, endurance, and wisdom.

Isaiah’s vision warned those in Israel who practised idol worship that before oak trees, they would become like one of them, only with their source of water cut off. Trees in such an environment don’t die straight away, but instead take steps to contain the water loss from the leaves so that they wither and die, falling from the branches, and presenting an autumnal appearance. The saddest thing was that the idolatrous Jews also went through the motions of worshipping God with their sacrifices and offerings, not making the connection that such behaviour would not end well. In Isaiah’s vision, the Lord called them prostitutes and likened their behaviour to those in Sodom and Gomorrah, so many years before. 

Isaiah continued to warn the Israelites with an analogy involving straw, the dried stalks that remain after grain harvesting. It is highly flammable and only needs a spark to ignite, leaving very little behind but fine ash. This was what was going to happen to the idolatrous people, and Isaiah warned that they, “and their evil works,” would burn up together in a fire that could not be extinguished. A picture of hell if ever there was one.

Jesus taught us much about hell, and in one passage, his words are recorded as, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’ “For everyone will be tested with fire.” (Mark 9:43f). 

We pilgrims perhaps read these verses in Isaiah and wonder how the Jews could have got things so wrong. But before we start climbing onto the moral high ground, claiming we would never do such a thing, and behave in such an idolatrous way, we must pause and consider that idols are not just something like an oak tree, or perhaps a statue made of wood, but can be anything that takes the place of worship to God alone. Are we involved in anything that takes priority over God? Yes, we have to work for a living, and we have families to look after, but where are they in our lives compared to God? Many years ago, I was taught that the order of priorities in life was God first, our work and families second, and anything else last. It has remained with me ever since. 

Paul wrote about fire in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, “Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames”. The foundation is Christ, so what are we building on Him? In the context of 1 Corinthians 3, the verses mostly apply to leaders and teachers; if their teaching is of poor quality, it will not survive the fire to come. But for those Christians who aren’t leaders and teachers, what are they building? Each believer is given a gift from the Holy Spirit – how is it being used? In our families. In the church we attend. In our community. Paul wrote in Romans 14:10b, “… Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God”. In 1 Corinthians 5:10, we read, “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body”. 

So, Isaiah’s warning to the Jews in 740 BC still has an application today for us pilgrims. A solemn warning about idolatry and the works we do. But before we go down the tubes, we remember that God hasn’t just left us to get on with our lives, parentless like orphans. We have a loving Heavenly Father who delights in us and who is more than willing to answer our prayers for help. He will show us the way and will help us in the works that He has asked us to do.

Dear God. We pray with David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life”. Thank You. Amen.