Earlier in our chapter the Lord talked about those who have eyes but don't see and take to heart the wonders He performs on behalf of mankind. He talked about those who have ears but who don't take the word of God and apply it to their lives.
Continuing with that theme, the Lord says, "Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of their gods foretold this and proclaimed the former things?" (Isaiah 43:8-9a) Whenever the Bible uses the phrase "the nations" we know that this is a reference to the Gentile nations, who were heathen idolaters in those days. They trusted in their false gods to tell them what to do and to reveal to them what the future holds. A number of the people of Israel and Judah also got pulled into idolatry and engaged in occult practices of divination. But did any of these gods prove themselves to be real? No, no one but the Lord has ever proven Himself to be real.
By Isaiah's day a lot of things had already come to pass that the Lord had predicted long ago. Did any pagan god ever do the same? The Lord predicted a lot of things in the Bible that have come true by our day. Did any pagan god ever do the same? Some things remain to be fulfilled, in the last days, that the Lord predicted. Those prophecies can be counted on to come true just as all the others have.
The Lord calls upon idolaters to bring proof into his courtroom that any heathen god has ever done anything for anyone. "Let them bring their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, 'It is true.'" (Isaiah 43:9b)
What can the children of God bring into His courtroom to prove that He has been truthful and trustworthy? They can bring their testimonies of His goodness, of His works on their behalf. They can tell of how He delivered them time and time again. He is the only god who has ever spoken to them, who has ever given them directions for righteous living, who has ever extended a hand of mercy to them, who has ever promised them redemption from their sins. Because the people have seen and heard the mighty things of the Lord with their own eyes and ears, they are witnesses for Him.
"'You are My witnesses,' declares the Lord, 'and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from Me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed---I, and not some foreign god among you. You are My witnesses,' declares the Lord, 'that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am He. No one can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it?'" (Isaiah 43:10-13)
The Lord is the only God. The Lord is the only Savior. He wants a personal relationship with each one of us---to know us and to be known by us. He has specifically called and chosen each of us and He knows every single thing about us and yet He loves us with a love so great we cannot comprehend it. He knows us better than we know ourselves (the good, the bad, and the ugly, as the saying goes) and yet He thought we were worth paying the ultimate price to redeem us and bring us into His family as His precious children.
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