Isaiah 46:7
They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble. They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.
The idol described is utterly helpless, having to be lifted onto the shoulder and carried about and set down in its place by its worshipers. Once put there it stays where it was put, because it cannot stir itself or remove itself from its place. When a person cries to it in trouble it cannot give any answer, nor can it save or rescue him out of his trouble. This helplessness stands as a contrast that proves and testifies that God is God and there is none else and none like Him.
The Lord proves He is God by declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things not yet done. He declares that His counsel shall stand and He will do all His pleasure, bringing to pass what He has spoken and purposed. He declares that He will bring near His righteousness and place salvation in Zion for Israel. The verse belongs to that part of Isaiah's prophecy beginning with chapter 40 that carries the reader forward to Christ's sufferings and the glory of His reign.
The verse applies to the veneration of religious images, such as a carried painting honored in Lima that people must carry and place yet that cannot answer those who call or rescue them from trouble. It applies likewise to Balazi, a man-made idol of gold fashioned by human hands and supported by its worshipers' offerings, which must be carried and set in place and cannot move, answer, or rescue.