12, 13. Why can man not craft any image worthy of worship?

¹² Can physical matter somehow acquire holiness because it has been crafted to become something to be worshiped? Isaiah reminds us that making an image is just a human endeavor. The tools and techniques of an image maker are the same as those used by any other artisan: “As for the carver of iron with the billhook, he has been busy at it with the coals; and with the hammers he proceeds to form it, and he keeps busy at it with his powerful arm. Also, he has become hungry, and so without power. He has not drunk water; so he gets tired.

Isaiah 44:12,

¹³ The true God made all the living creatures on this earth, including man. Sentient life is a wonderful testimony to Jehovah’s Godship, but of course, everything that Jehovah created is inferior to him. Is it possible that man can do better than that? Can he make something superior to himself​—so superior that it is worthy of his devotion? When a man makes an image, he gets tired, hungry, and thirsty. These are human limitations, but at least they show that the man is alive.