To the Moles and to the Bats!
When Christ and grace come to a person's heart, they bring holiness and purity, leading to the abandonment of sinful idols.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes the transformative power of God in the lives of His people, illustrating how, in a day of divine exaltation, believers will reject their idols--symbolized by silver and gold--with such fervor that they will cast them away into dark and filthy places, akin to the homes of moles and bats. This act signifies a deep disdain for their former sins and a desire to abandon all that distracts from holiness and grace. The sermon calls for a radical rejection of anything that stands in the way of a true relationship with Christ, urging believers to embrace purity and righteousness.
Text
"In that day, a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his
idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to
worship, to the moles and to the bats!" Isaiah 2:20
In the day when God shall exalt Himself in the souls of
His people, and before the eyes of His people, they shall
express such disdain and indignation against their idols,
that they would not take only those made of trees and
stones--but even their most precious and costly idols,
those which were made of silver and gold--and cast them
to the moles and to the bats; that is, they should cast
them into such blind holes, and into such dark, filthy,
nasty, and dusty corners, as moles make underground,
and as bats roost in.
So when Christ, and grace, and holiness comes to be set
up in men's hearts and lives, then all their darling sins, their
bosom lusts--which are their idols of silver and their idols of
gold--these are with a holy indignation cast to the moles
and to the bats! They are so loathed, abhorred, abandoned,
and dismissed, that they desire they may be forever buried
in oblivion, and never more see the light!
Sermon Outline
- The Day of God's Exaltation
- The Nature of Idols
- The Fate of Idols
- The Power of Christ and Grace
- Christ brings holiness and purity
- Grace leads to the abandonment of sinful idols
Key Quotes
“In that day, a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats!” — Thomas Brooks
“They are so loathed, abhorred, abandoned, and dismissed, that they desire they may be forever buried in oblivion, and never more see the light!” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- Recognize and abandon sinful idols in your life, casting them away with holy indignation.
- Desire to be free from the power of sinful desires and lusts.
- Seek Christ and grace to bring holiness and purity to your heart and life.