The Book Of Isaiah. Day 204, The Gods Of Babylon

In today's passage the Lord compares idols---useless blocks of wood or cast metal---to Himself---the living God.

He specifically names two idols of Babylon. "Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary. They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go into captivity." (Isaiah 46:1-2) Idols have to be moved from place to place: on the backs of pack animals, by cart, by human hands. They are nothing but a heavy weight. They are useless to the ones who are bearing them. They cannot rescue themselves or the people who worship them.

"Listen to Me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will carry you." (Isaiah 46:3-4) In contrast to idols, which were made by man, God made man. In contrast to idols, which must be carried, the Lord carries human beings. In contrast to idols, who cannot sustain anyone, the Lord sustains those He has created.

"With whom will you compare Me or count Me equal? To whom will you liken Me that we may be compared? Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they worship it and carry it." (Isaiah 46:5-6) How can a manmade idol be compared to the living God who made man? How foolish for man to worship the works of his own hands! The Lord created all the materials with which these idols are being crafted, and yet those who worship idols don't take this to heart.

"They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move." (Isaiah 46:7a) If the god existed, would it not have the power to move itself? Could it not endow its image with some sort of powers? And yet it can only be moved by man. It is unable to go anywhere on its own. But the Lord is everywhere all the time. He is able to see every person on the face of the earth, able to read their thoughts, able to hear their cries for help.

The idol can do nothing to help, no matter how many sacrifices and offerings are brought to it. No matter how much people cry out to it for help, it cannot answer. "Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save them from their troubles." (Isaiah 46:7b) But what does the Bible say about the living God? "I call on the Lord in my distress, and He answers me." (Psalm 120:1) "In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His ears." (Psalm 18:6)

The One who created us loves us and cares about our problems. He hears the cries of His children and He takes action. Just as a loving human father would never ignore the cries of his child, the Lord never ignores the cries of His children.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 203, Turn And Be Saved

Today's passage begins with the Lord calling upon everyone to witness that He alone can tell of things to come because He alone is God.

"Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods who cannot save. Declare what is to be, present it---let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but Me." (Isaiah 45:20-21) An idol of wood has to be carried from place to place. It cannot save anyone. It cannot even protect itself.

But there is a God who saves and it is to Him everyone should turn. "Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other." (Isaiah 45:22) It was God who made the tree from which the idol was carved. An idol is nothing. But the God who created all things is the source of everything good and righteous. He is the source of salvation and eternal life. In verse 22 He calls to "the ends of the earth" when He makes His offer of salvation because He wants all people---Jews and Gentiles---to be saved. 

"By Myself I have sworn, My mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before Me every knee will bow; by Me every tongue will swear." (Isaiah 45:23) The Apostle Paul quotes this verse in Philippians 2:10-11 in reference to God the Son, saying of Him that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

This does not mean that every person will turn to the Lord and be saved. It means that every person will have to bow before Him and acknowledge that He is indeed Lord. Let's think about how, in Isaiah's day, a person would come into the throne room of a king. It was customary to bow before a king and to address him by his title. If a person did not voluntarily bow before a king and address him with respect, he would be compelled to do so by the king's men. Even those who rejected the Lord all their lives long will be unable to deny that He is who He says He is when they see Him. They will be unable to keep from falling to their knees in the presence of His majesty. When this happens, "They will say of Me, 'In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.' All who have raged against Him will come to Him and be put to shame." (Isaiah 45:24)

Chapter 45 closes like this: "But all the descendants of Israel will find deliverance in the Lord and will make their boast in Him." (Isaiah 45:25) The religion of Israel (the worship of the one true God) will be the religion of the world in the eternal kingdom age.

Everyone is invited to "turn and be saved". It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, or what you've done. He calls to "the ends of the earth"---meaning everyone---to come to Him for salvation. There is no saving power in anyone or in anything else. In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength. 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 202, We Are Not Seeking In Vain

The Lord tells the people that He has not made Himself impossible to reach; He wants to have a relationship with them. He wants to interact with them and guide their lives and give them what they need.

In this first verse today Isaiah is not saying that the Lord does not make Himself available for mankind to know Him. It's that he's saying that the deeds the Lord has already done for mankind are not yet the greatest things He is going to do. Or we might put it like this, "We ain't seen nothing yet," because the Lord has great and beautiful plans for the descendants of Jacob and for the Gentile world. In Isaiah's day the northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria and he knows the southern kingdom will fall to Babylon; therefore, the glorious restoration of the nation is still in the future. Also in Isaiah's day the Messiah has not yet come. There is still much to look forward to.

Isaiah says, "Truly You are a God who has been hiding Himself, the God and Savior of Israel. The makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced; they will go off into disgrace together. But Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting." (Isaiah 45:15-17) People from all nations of the world will come to faith in Him. 

"For this is what the Lord says---He who created the heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited---He says, 'I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek Me in vain.' I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right." (Isaiah 45:18-19)

The Lord has revealed to us a great deal about Himself. We have His laws and His commandments. We have all these precious books of the Bible. He also revealed Himself through God the Son who is "the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being." (Hebrews 1:3a)

He wants to know us and be known by us. If we want to know the character and compassion of God, all we have to do is look to His Son to see what a loving heart He has for mankind. Think about how Jesus interacted with people. Think about how much love He displayed for people. This is who our God is! We are never seeking Him in vain. He wants us to come to Him with all our cares, casting all our cares upon Him, for He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7)

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 201, Prophecies Of Things To Come

In Chapter 45 the Lord speaks about Himself in His role of sovereign creator. He has already spoken about how He created all things exactly how they had to be. Now He talks about things that are to come, things He has already planned. 

"This is what the Lord says---the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question Me about My children, or give Me orders about the work of My hands?" (Isaiah 45:11) God is the only God. He has existed since eternity past and no one taught or counseled Him about how to bring the universe into existence or how to create life on earth. He possesses all wisdom and knowledge and power. That would be a bad thing if we had a God who is unrighteous, but we have a God who is righteous, holy, and perfect.

"It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts." (Isaiah 45:12) The Lord orchestrated all things to make the conditions exactly right to support life on earth. There are precisely the right amount of stars in the universe. There is the perfect amount of mass and gravity in the universe. Every single thing down to the smallest detail was done the way it had to be done. Because God could do all this, surely He can bring to pass the things He says next.

"I will raise up Cyrus in My righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild My city and set My exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the Lord Almighty." (Isaiah 45:13) Cyrus the Great will do what the Lord says he will do. Although he does not worship the God of Abraham, the Lord is going to raise him to a position of power and is going to make his pathway smooth so he can become a great conqueror---great enough to subdue Babylon and set the captives free. Not only will he set the captives free, but he will supply materials for the rebuilding project. He will acknowledge that the God of Abraham called him to do this; therefore, the Lord says he doesn't do these things for a price or reward. He does these things because the Lord told him to do them. We will study these events in more detail later in the Bible.

"This is what the Lord says: The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and those tall Sabeans---they will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you, coming over to you in chains. They will bow down before you and plead with you, saying, 'Surely God is with you, and there is no other; there is no other god.'" (Isaiah 45:14) Many scholars say that the chains spoken of here are not literal but that scores of people from the Gentile nations will want to identify themselves with the descendants of Abraham and with Abraham's God. They will want to be connected to the family of God. We have already seen some of the fulfillment of this prophecy, for there are people all over the world who have heard of and now believe in the God of Israel. Many more will come to believe in Him.

The Lord who created all things is true to His word. Some of the prophecies of the Bible still remain to be fulfilled but we can be certain they will come to pass.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 200, Woe To Those Who Quarrel With Their Maker

The Lord speaks about how He is the only God and about how He is the only source of righteousness and blessings. How foolish it is to rebel against Him! When we oppose Him we are being our own worst enemy because we are depriving ourselves of some good things.

"You heavens above, rain down My righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it." (Isaiah 45:8) The Lord wants to rain down blessings upon us. Like any good father, He wants to provide not only our needs but a lot of our wants too; it pleases Him to give us good things. But also like a good Father, He can't reward rebellion. 

"Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'The potter has no hands?' Woe to the one who says to a father, 'What have you begotten?' or to a mother, 'What have you brought to birth?'" (Isaiah 45:9-10) The potter is in control of the clay. It is in the potter's power to make a beautiful vessel of the clay. The clay does not criticize the potter; it would be foolish for the clay to anger its creator who can break the beautiful vessel if he chooses. In this same way, it is foolish to quarrel with God, to criticize how He has made things, to find offense in His holy laws and commandments. We are only hurting ourselves when we strive against what is good and right.

The phrase, "The potter has no hands," is probably a reference to those who say there is no God. The people in the paragraph above believe there is a God but they find fault with Him and think He could have done a better job of things. Saying, "The potter has no hands," is like the clay saying, "Nobody made me. I just came into being when the forces of nature and the laws of physics came together in just the right way. There is no God and since there is no God that means I am the master of my own life."

The third example given in today's passage is of someone who quarrels with their father and mother, saying something like, "Why did you conceive me? Why was I even born? Why did I have to inherit some of your faults and weaknesses?" This is like a person saying to the Creator, "I wish I'd never been born or that I'd been born as something better than a human. Why did You make me with a human body? Why do I have free will? Why do I sometimes fall into temptation? Why couldn't I have been a supernatural creature instead? Why didn't You make me with an immortal body that can perform great wonders and that would never feel tempted by anything wrong and that would never suffer with any problems?"

We don't know why God created everything the way He created it. We don't know why He gave us mortal human bodies. We don't know why He created us with free will. We don't know why He gives somebody else a talent we would like to have had, and vice versa. But what we do know is that He does all things well. He does all things perfectly. If there had been a better way to do it than how He did it, then He'd have done something else instead. Another thing I believe we can be confident of is that we could never know and love Him in the way we love Him now and in the way we will love Him in eternity if we had not inhabited human bodies that are prone to temptation and if we had not lived in a fallen world. Whatever it is He intends us to be in our eternal existence with Him, I do not believe it could have been fully achieved if we had not had the human experience. 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 199, Sending A Shepherd From A Foreign Land

The final portion of Chapter 44 and the first portion of Chapter 45 deal with Cyrus the Great, who will allow the people taken captive by the Babylonians to go free. 

We find the Lord referring to Cyrus as a "shepherd". Generally we tend to think only of Jesus as the shepherd but the word could apply to anyone who is a helper of God's people. For example, synonyms for the word "shepherd" include words like "attendant, caretaker, guard, guide, keeper, protector". Anyone who helps the Lord's people could be referred to as a "shepherd". When the Medo-Persian Empire conquers the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Cyrus will give the people permission to go home to rebuild their land.

The Lord says He is the one, "Who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, 'Let it be rebuilt,' and of the temple, 'Let its foundations be laid.'" (Isaiah 44:28) It's important to keep in mind that the prophecy didn't come true until over 200 years after the Lord gave the prophecy to Isaiah. Many decades passed between the lifetime of Isaiah and the lifetime of Cyrus and yet the Lord called him by name!

"This is what the Lord says to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." (Isaiah 45:1-3) The Lord made Cyrus the Great extremely successful in his conquest of many peoples, including the Syrians, Assyrians, Arabians, Cappadocians, Phrygians, Lydians, Carians, Phoenicians, Babylonians, Bactrians, Indians, Cilicians, Sacians, Paphloagonians, and Maryandines. In addition, Cyrus subjugated the Asiatics, Greeks, Cyprians, and Egyptians.

It is generally believed that the religion of Cyrus was Zoroastrianism. But the Lord called and anointed him to set His people free. It may seem strange to think of a person of a pagan religion being called and anointed by God, but the Lord can use anyone to help those who are His. As King Solomon said, the Lord can even make a person's enemies be at peace with them. (Proverbs 16:7) Cyrus saw himself as a liberator and therefore we could not accurately call him an enemy of the captive people of God, but the Lord can cause even someone who is our true enemy to do things that cause something good to happen to us. Remember how Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery and then later he became second-in-command to the king of Egypt and was the person who saved all of his kinsmen from famine? Joseph said that the Lord took what his brothers intended for evil and used it for good. (Genesis 50:20)

The Lord calls and anoints Cyrus to set His people free, even though Cyrus does not worship Him as the one true God. "For the sake of Jacob My servant, of Israel My chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge Me." (Isaiah 45:4) It is thought that Cyrus read or heard of the prophecy from the book of Isaiah, for in the book of Ezra he states that the God of Israel commanded him to build a house at Jerusalem in Judah. He decreed that anyone who wanted to go up to Jerusalem to rebuild could go, saying, "May his God be with him." Cyrus didn't convert and worship the Lord as the one true God, as far as we know, but he did believe that He exists.

The Lord says to Cyrus, "I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from Me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged Me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things." (Isaiah 45:5-7) The Lord can use even those who don't worship Him to help His children. He raises up leaders and deposes leaders to suit His divine will. Cyrus was given great power to conquer nations so he could set the captives free. 

The Lord may put someone in a position to help us who isn't even a believer. Non-believers can be good-hearted people and may actually want to help us. Conversely, some non-believers may not care a thing about us and may actually wish to do us ill, but the Lord will use their wicked intentions to bring about something good for us. People think they are in control of their own destinies but the Lord is Lord over all. He is easily able to use even a non-believer to bring about a good change in circumstances for those who are His.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 198, Redeeming Israel

The first two parts of Chapter 44 were about the foolishness of idolatry. We know that a large number of the descendants of Jacob fell into idolatry, which is why the Lord allowed the northern kingdom to be conquered by Assyria and the southern kingdom to be conquered by Babylon. But that won't be the end of these people. The Lord reminds them that He made them a promise that He is going to keep.

"Remember these things, Jacob, for you, Israel, are My servant; Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." (Isaiah 44:21-22) The correction sent to the people by the Lord will cause them to turn away from idolatry. When they return to the land we don't hear about them doing the pagan things we've seen them doing in the Old Testament. When they repent of their idolatry, the Lord will sweep their offenses away. 

"Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, He displays His glory in Israel." (Isaiah 44:23) The entire creation rejoices in the redemption of human souls. The hosts of heaven and the things on earth witness the Lord's awesome mercy and the glory of His work in redeeming souls.

"This is what the Lord says---your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by Myself, who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense, who carries out the words of His servants and fulfills the predictions of His messengers, who says of Jerusalem, 'It shall be inhabited,' of the towns of Judah, 'They shall be rebuilt,' and of their ruins, 'I will restore them,' who says to the watery deep, 'Be dry, and I will dry up your streams.'" (Isaiah 44:24-27)

This is not the end of the passage but we must stop here because the next segment of it involves a prophecy that was made many years before it came true and because it specifically names a person who will fulfill the prophecy in 200 years. So we will need to go into more detail about that.

But for today let us remember that we (like the descendants of Jacob) who have placed our trust in the Lord are also redeemed, are also His servants, have also had our sins swept away like a mere mist. To us the Lord also says, "I will not forget you." He sees us and He hears us and even when it may not feel like it, He is working on something on our behalf.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 197, The Foolishness Of Idolatry, Part Two

We continue on with the passage we began yesterday. The Lord is pointing out how illogical it is to make idols and worship them. As we closed yesterday He was speaking about a craftsman who cuts down a tree and uses part of it to carve an idol and part of it to build a fire for warmth and cooking. This is where we pick up today.

"Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, 'Ah, I am warm; I see the fire.' From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, 'Save me! You are my god!'" (Isaiah 44:16-17) This man has cut down a tree and used parts of it for common purposes and used part of it to make an idol. How then can the idol be holy? How can it help him? The tree was far more useful for heat and for cooking than to make a useless image. 

"They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds are closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, 'Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?" (Isaiah 44:18-19)

To use another example of how foolish this is, I like to make clay ornaments. So suppose I take a block of clay and make some ornaments out of it but then I take the rest of the block of clay and make it into an image to represent some sort of deity, then I bow down to it and worship it. How foolish this is! How can I worship something my own hands have made? How can I worship something that is made of earthly material?

The Lord says of the one who worships what his hands have made: "Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself or say, 'Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?'" (Isaiah 44:20) The craftsman cannot see that he is lying to himself. He's holding on tightly to the image in his right hand (the right hand being the place of honor) and asking it to help him. But no answer is going to come. The idol is no more helpful to him than the ashes left from the fire---the fire which was made from the same tree.

Anything or anyone we worship other than God is a lie. We are clinging to something that cannot help us, cannot forgive us, cannot save us, cannot give us a beautiful eternal life. Most of the idols of today's world take a different form than they did in Isaiah's day. People today worship relationships, possessions, prestige, money, power, substances, immorality, and the list could go on and on. Because they have neglected to put the Lord at the center of their lives, they are empty inside---they are feeding on ashes. Ashes will not only fail to fill a person up, but they can actually be toxic. Wood ash can contain carcinogens, along with heavy metals such as zinc, nickel, copper, lead, chromium, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. If a person eats ashes frequently, health issues will be the result. If a person worships something or someone other than God, spiritual health issues will be the result. 

Let's not feed on worthless and harmful things. Let's feed on the eternal truth of the word of God and let's give our hearts wholly to Him. He is the source of everything we will ever need.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 196, The Foolishness Of Idolatry, Part One

This next section is long enough that we will have to split it into two parts. The Lord is about to provide a logical, easily understandable discourse about the foolishness of worshiping an idol.

"All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame." (Isaiah 44:9) I presume that the artisans who produced idols were well-respected among the idol worshiping populace. But since an idol is nothing (as the god it represents is not real) then the idol maker is nothing either. 

"Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing? People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame." (Isaiah 44:10-11) Will they be able to defend themselves in the judgment? Will their idols stand up and testify on their behalf? 

An idol, in contrast to the living God, has to be created. This should cause people to stop and think about how that, if a deity needs a person to create an image of it, can that deity be very powerful? The living God was not created by anyone; He created all things. He points out the foolishness of worshiping what human hands have created. "The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint." (Isaiah 44:12) 

The blacksmith is so hard at work serving his false god that he doesn't even take a water break while he forges the image. If his deity existed, could it not prevent him from growing thirsty and faint while he works on its behalf? Or would his deity not have compassion on him and insist that he refresh himself? At the very least, if this god existed it would want him to be strong enough to finish the work. But it does nothing to help him.

Next the Lord talks about carved images, which are equally as foolish as cast metal images. "The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in human form, human form in all its glory, that it may dwell in a shrine." (Isaiah 44:13) The carpenter cuts down a tree, which was created by God. He carves it into the shape of a member of the human race, also created by God. Nothing the carpenter is using or fashioning is anything that was not made by God. The carpenter's deity didn't create any of this.

The carpenter considers only what he has made out of the tree to be holy; the rest of the tree he uses for other purposes. "He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. It is used as fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it." (Isaiah 44:14-15)

The Lord is trying to get people to use the logic He gave them. If a tree is useful for making a fire, for cooking, for building---in other words, for common purposes---how then can an idol made from it be holy? How can the idol be useful? The wood is useful for other purposes but not as an object of worship. And surely if the deity existed, no craftsman could do it justice by making an image of it. If the deity existed and had created the materials the craftsmen are using, how would this god be honored by man using materials the god created in order to make an image of it that will fall short?

The Lord commanded human beings not to make an image intended to represent Him. Nothing could possibly come close to depicting His glory. An effort to do so would reduce Him in man's eyes. Man would be making Him in their image rather than remembering we are made in His image. We would begin to think He is a lot like us instead of being motivated to be more like Him. If God is like us, then what is the motivation to be any better than we are? But instead He calls us to look to Him and to rely on Him to be something more than we could ever be on our own. 

Our next study session will continue presenting the case against idolatry but we will close today by thinking about what the Lord---the one true God---wants from mankind. He wants a relationship with us. He wants our love and our trust. He wants the best for us, which is something we can never have if we worship someone or something other than Him.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 195, Do Not Be Afraid

Before we start today's study I need to apologize for my absence here. I missed several days of Bible study last week and I'm sorry. I'm going through a tough season in my life and several things happened last week that caused me to run out of time to work on the Bible study in the mornings. I do the study in the mornings because my mind is sharper but I may have to switch temporarily to doing it in the evenings until some situations in my life are resolved.

In our last session we began Chapter 44 and it started out with the Lord assuring Isaiah's people that He has not forgotten them. He has not rejected them. He has not stopped blessing them. He has a glorious future planned for them.

"For I will pour out water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My spirit on your offspring, and my blessings on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams. Some will say, 'I belong to the Lord;' others will call themselves by the name of Jacob; still others will write on their hand, 'The Lord's,' and will take the name Israel." (Isaiah 44:3-5) We often need our souls refreshed just like dry ground needs refreshed by water. The Lord is able to pour the Holy Spirit abundantly upon us. In fact, the Lord Jesus used the same metaphor in comparing the Spirit to water when He said, "The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14b) When we receive the Lord Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to reside within us, to ever be with us, to ever guide us, to ever refresh our weary souls.

A time will come when idolatry will no longer be practiced among the descendants of Jacob. People will proudly announce that they are the Lord's---and not just the people of Israel but people from all over the world. Many from the Gentile nations will want to know the Lord and to identify themselves with the people of Israel. We have already seen a lot of this fulfilled. There are people from all over the world who have come to believe in the God of Israel and in His Messiah: the Lord Jesus Christ. Untold numbers of idols have been forsaken in favor of the living God.

"This is what the Lord says---Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no God." (Isaiah 44:6) No one created God. He is the only deity. None existed before Him to create Him. He will always be the only deity (in the form of the Holy Trinity) and therefore no other god will ever exist. Rather, He will exist forever. Just as He has always existed all the way into eternity past, He will always exist all the way into eternity future.

No one can provide proof that there are any other gods. The Lord issues a challenge for proof to be presented. No idol can speak up and defend itself. A person can take an idol and chop it up or burn it and there is nothing an idol can do to prevent this. Neither can the deity it presents, for the deity does not exist. No idol has ever spoken to mankind or done anything for mankind. "Who then is like Me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before Me what has happened since I established My ancient people, and what is yet to come---yes, let them foretell what to come." (Isaiah 44:7-8)

No idol and no priest of idolatry can tell them what they need to know. There is no help or guidance to be found there. Help and guidance is found in Almighty God who created everything that exists, who loves us, who wants the best for us, who wants us to place all our trust in Him so we can share in a glorious eternal existence with Him. "Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are My witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." (Isaiah 44:8)

No one can provide proof that any other god exists. And since God existed before all things, no other god could possibly exist unless He created one, and He did not. And if the god had to be created, is it even a god? The Lord is reassuring them that He is the only Rock and Redeemer. He is the only Helper. He is the only Provider. He is the only Healer. He is the only Savior. They can rest on that firm foundation. He knows that in our human frailty we sometimes harbor doubts and worries. I know I do and you probably do too. I've done some fear and trembling. I wish I could say I never have but that wouldn't be true. The Lord is so compassionate toward us because He is aware of our frailty. He remembers that we are made of dust. (Psalm 103:14) He understands that we need reassurance from time to time, which is why He says so many times in the Bible, "Do not fear." I feel like today's passage really speaks to my heart. I am the Lord's and because I am His child, He says to me, "Do not tremble, do not be afraid." He says the same thing to you too.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 194, Chosen By The Lord And Made Upright

As Chapter 44 opens we find the Lord reminding the people of Israel that He chose them. The Lord doesn't make mistakes. The Lord doesn't go back on His promises. He hasn't "unchosen" them. 

"But now listen, Jacob, My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen." (Isaiah 44:1) All of us who have placed our faith in the Lord can refer to ourselves as "chosen" because the Lord called to us and we answered His call. He makes the salvation invitation to everyone and in that sense everyone who accepts His offer of salvation is a precious and chosen child of God. 

Have you ever felt rejected? Have you ever felt like you were always picked last? We need never feel that way with God. He knew us before we were ever born and He already planned to hold out His hand of mercy to us. He has not rejected us or picked us last. He chose us before He ever created us.

The Lord continues His comforting message to the descendants of Jacob. "This is what the Lord says---He who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, Jacob, My servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen." (Isaiah 44:2) I believe that the name "Jeshurun" only occurs three times in the Bible and that it is always a reference to Israel. It means "the upright one". We know from our studies of the Bible that the people of Israel did not always behave in an upright manner. But the Lord bestows this title upon those who have placed their faith in Him; it is imputed righteousness. 

You may recall from our study of Genesis that Abraham believed the things the Lord told him and that, because he placed all of his faith in the one true God, righteousness was imputed to him. You and I are not perfect either, and yet the Lord looks upon us and sees the righteousness of faith. We have trusted in what God the Son did for us on the cross and when the Lord looks at us He doesn't see our sins. He sees us as "upright ones" because we have been cleansed by the blood of Christ and we are clothed in His righteousness. To reject us and consider us unrighteous would be to reject what His Son did for us. It would be like saying what Christ did wasn't enough to cleanse us. It would be like saying that living in Christ doesn't keep us in right standing with God. Certainly we will make mistakes but those mistakes don't rob us of our forgiveness, for the Apostle John assures us: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

We likely cannot recall every sin we've ever committed but there is a way to pray about that too. David prayed to the Lord like this: "But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me." (Psalm 19:12-13a) There are willful sins---things we go ahead and do even though we know they are wrong. And there are sins that we are not aware of---the ones David refers to as "hidden faults"---and we can pray for forgiveness for both types of sins. David prayed this prayer sincerely because he did not want his life to be ruled by sins and riddled with mistakes. And just as the Lord accepted his repentance, He will accept ours also.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 193, Blotting Out Our Transgressions

In our last study session the Lord promised to make a way through the wilderness for His people Israel. He made a number of beautiful promises, and yet many didn't turn away from idolatry or from mediocre spiritual living and place their trust in the Lord.

"Yet you have not called on Me, Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for Me, Israel. You have not brought Me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with grain offerings nor wearied you with demands for incense. You have not brought any fragrant calamus for Me, or lavished on Me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened Me with your sins and wearied Me with your offenses." (Isaiah 43:22-24) This is a scathing indictment. They have failed to do the things they were commanded to do and have instead done the very opposite of what was asked of them. It's bad enough when we fail to obey the Lord but they have gone out of their way to disobey Him.

Worshiping the Lord should be a delight. It should not make us feel "burdened" or "weary". The people were able to do the things He asked them to do but many were not even performing the bare minimum. There were some who were bringing the required offerings but were simply going through the motions, which is why the Lord called them "meaningless sacrifices", which you may recall from Chapter One. Going through the motions while our hearts are far from God is as bad as not bothering to show Him any honor at all.

The One whom they have forsaken is the only One who can provide for them, protect them from their enemies, forgive them for their sins, and grant them eternal life in His loving presence. "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more." (Isaiah 43:25) The Lord has promised to accept repentance and He will not break that promise. But they must repent! And when they do, they will never have to fear Him flinging their past mistakes in their faces and reminding them of the mess that's in their past. He "remembers your sins no more".

But have you ever met anyone who thinks they can stand before the judgment throne of a holy God and state their own case? Do you know anyone who believes they can successfully defend their lives before Him on the basis of having done more good things than bad things? Their thinking is in error. This is not the way God judges a person's life. He doesn't place our good deeds on one side of the scale and our bad deeds on the other side of the scale to see which one weighs the most. He looks at our hearts. Did we submit to Him as Lord or not? Did we accept what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us on the cross to redeem us from our sins? Nothing less than this will get our charges dismissed! Nothing else will cause God the Father to say, "Your sins were washed away by the blood of My Son. I will remember them no more."

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 192, The One Who Makes A Way

The Lord promises He will judge Babylon in time. We know from our study of the kings that the Lord allowed Babylon to conquer the kingdom of Judah because of the rampant idolatry into which so many of the people fell. But their captivity in Babylon is not permanent. It may appear to them as if there is no way they could ever return home and rebuild, so the Lord tells them in advance that He will make it happen.

"This is what the Lord says---your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; 'For your sake I will send to Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians, in the ships in which they took pride. I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel's Creator, your King.'" (Isaiah 43:14-15) The Neo-Babylonian Empire will be at the zenith of its power when it conquers Judah but kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall. Not that many years later Babylon will be conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire. Cyrus the Great will give the people permission to return to their homeland.

The Lord reminds them that situations which look impossible to human eyes are not impossible to Him. These people's ancestors were once trapped between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea but the Lord made a way for them to escape their enemies. "This is what the Lord says---He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and the horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, snuffed out like a wick." (Isaiah 43:16-17) The Lord delivered them from the army of Egypt; can He not also deliver them from the Babylonians? 

It is very helpful to us to recall all the times the Lord has delivered us. How many times has He healed us? How many times has He provided for us? How many times has He turned our circumstances around? 

After taking some time to reflect on all the ways the Lord has helped them in the past, the Lord now encourages them to look toward the future. It is not bleak. There is no reason to feel hopeless. There is no reason to believe their captivity will last forever. There is no reason to assume that He is finished with them. They must not allow their minds to dwell on such thoughts. He has many new wonders and blessings in store for them. "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:18-19)

"The wild animals honor Me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to My people, My chosen, the people I formed for Myself that they may proclaim My praise." (Isaiah 43:20-21) Just as the Lord provided food and water in the wilderness after He rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He will provide them with food and water on the long journey back from Babylon.

He makes mention of the animals who are supplied with food and water, which reminds me of what the Lord Jesus said: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you---you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:25-30)

Considering that God has all power and all resources at His disposal, and considering that He cares for us and wants to provide for us, Jesus says, "So do not worry." (Matthew 6:31a) Do not worry about the way things look because the situation at the Red Sea looked extremely dire and yet the Lord made a way for the Israelites to get to safety. Our circumstances may look bad, from a human standpoint, but the Lord looks at them from a different perspective, a perspective in which He is in control of all things. He knows how to provide for us. He knows how to solve problems. He knows how to soothe the weary soul and how to mend the broken heart. He is able to give us the hope and the strength to look toward tomorrow---toward the new thing He is going to do for us. 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 191, The Witnesses Of The Lord

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.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 190, Those Called By The Lord's Name

In our current chapter the Lord is reminding Isaiah's people that He called them by name and made a great nation of them. Now He goes on to remind them that many times He allowed their enemies to be conquered in order to preserve Israel.

"For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life." (Isaiah 43:3-4) It's important to remember that the Lord loves everyone. But it's also important to remember that, when He promised to make a great nation of Abraham's descendants, He vowed that anyone who cursed those descendants would be cursed and that anyone who blessed them would be blessed. So when other nations did harm to Israel or failed to help Israel, the Lord was willing to allow those nations to be captured in order to protect His people.

The same type of things happen in our lives today. The Lord sometimes demotes people in order to promote those who honor Him. The Lord protects us from those who intend us harm and turns their wicked acts back onto them. I've actually seen this type of thing happen a number of times. The Lord diverts the wickedness that someone intended against His child and causes the wicked person's deeds to come to light, but by contrast He pours blessings out on the one who has remained faithful to Him.

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring My sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth---everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made." (Isaiah 43:5-7) We know that, because they descended into a great deal of idolatry, the Lord allowed the northern kingdom of Israel to be conquered by Assyria and the southern kingdom of Judah to be conquered by Babylon. But He wants the people to know that this won't be the end of them. They will be scattered for a time but they will be regathered.

As we said a few days ago, discipline is for the purpose of correcting the one who is wayward; it is not for the purpose of destroying them. A parent doesn't impose discipline upon a child in order to destroy that child; the parent does it to correct wrong behavior. In this same way, the Lord disciplined Israel and Judah for a time but He did not make an end of them. After their captivity in other lands we never heard of them becoming idolaters again. They had developed other issues by the advent of Christ, such as a strict form of legalism that didn't leave much room for mercy and grace and compassion, but they did not bow to other gods. The idolatry was corrected by the discipline, just as a child's disobedience is corrected by a temporary timeout or a temporary removal of privileges or whatever the case may be.

The Lord knows those who love Him and He has His eye on them at all times. No discipline sent to a child of God is sent in order to beat them down and discourage them and make them feel like there's no use trying. It's sent to correct waywardness---which is harmful to us and to those around us---so that we can enjoy more abundant living as we walk in the will of God.

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 189, Summoned By Name

The Lord reminds Isaiah's people that He called them by name, that they are His, and that He is their Savior.

"But now, this is what the Lord says---He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine." (Isaiah 43:1) We know that Israel fell to Assyria and Judah fell to Babylon. But we also know that the Lord says that these people will never cease to be a nation before Him. (Jeremiah 31:36) Even while they are scattered, they are still a nation in His eyes.

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." (Isaiah 43:2) This is a beautiful verse for the child of God. We live in a world that looks like it is out of control but looks are deceiving. God loves us. God has redeemed us. God is for us.

One of the commentaries I studied pointed out that the child of God is walking through the fire in the verse above, not running. This creates in my mind the picture of the dearly loved child of God walking calmly, unscathed, down a path the Lord has created through the leaping flames. I am reminded of how the Lord protected Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who didn't even smell like smoke when they were retrieved from the fiery furnace.

The Lord never said that life on earth wouldn't have its share of troubles but He encourages us not to fear because He is with us. I am currently struggling through some troubles and I wish I could say that I have never given in to fear about them but that wouldn't be true. In our frail mortal bodies we have a tendency to give in to fear, and I deeply desire your prayers and would very much appreciate them to help me to stand strong against fear. 

Knowing the beautiful promises the Lord makes to His children is so important. We need these verses at our disposal when times get tough. We are never in the deep waters alone. We are never in the fire alone. The Lord who redeemed us will give us victory over these things. I can't recall who said this but I once heard someone say something like this, "The Lord doesn't just want to keep us from drowning in the sea; He wants to make us walk on the water." In other words, "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37) 

 

The Book Of Isaiah. Day 188, A People Spiritually Blind And Deaf

The remainder of Chapter 42 deals with a condition of spiritual blindness and deafness. It is not that Isaiah's people did not have the word of God to guide them or the wonders of God to convince them; it is that a number of them turned blind eyes and deaf ears to Him.

"Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! Who is blind but My servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one in covenant with Me, blind like the servant of the Lord?" (Isaiah 42:18-19) This is a deliberate refusal to see and hear. That's why the Lord says it is the most profound sort of blindness and deafness, far more profound than a physical disability. These are a people blessed with the law and the commandments---blessed by a covenant with Almighty God---but some of them don't want to acknowledge Him.

"You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen." (Isaiah 42:20) They have physical sight but refuse to acknowledge the works the Lord has done among them. Using the phrase "your ears are open" means that they have the physical ability to hear but they have heard the perfect and infallible word of God but have not been willing to allow it to minister to them. 

"It pleased the Lord for the sake of His righteousness to make His law great and glorious. But this is a people plundered and looted, all of them trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons. They have become plunder, with no one to rescue them; they have been made loot, with no one to say, 'Send them back.'" (Isaiah 42:21-22) The people of the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah ended up plundered and looted by their enemies. But they were already spiritually plundered and looted before that happened. In giving themselves up to idolatry and to the carnal things of this world, they were plundered and looted by unrighteousness. They were overcome by sin. They became spiritually unwell. The downfall of Israel and Judah as nations would not have happened if their spiritual downfall had not occurred.

Because so many exchanged their worship of the one true God---the righteous and holy and powerful God who loved them---for the worship of idols or the worship of self or the worship of carnal pleasures, the Lord gave them over to their enemies. Isaiah calls upon the people to take the message of the Lord to heart and to recognize that their troubles are a result of their sin. "Which of you will listen to this or pay close attention in time to come? Who handed Jacob over to become loot, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned? For they would not follow His ways; they did not obey His law. So He poured out on them His burning anger, the violence of war. It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, yet they did not take it to heart." (Isaiah 42:23-25)

The purpose of discipline is not to destroy but to correct. The Lord allowed Isaiah's people to be conquered not because He wanted to make an end of them as a people but to prove to them that He is the only God and that they are harming themselves by worshiping anyone or anything else. Their idols were not able to save them from their enemies. Their defeat was intended to prove that they had placed their trust in useless things. If they would take that to heart, they would turn back to the Lord and trust only in Him and receive mercy and help. The northern kingdom persisted in idolatry until it was conquered by Assyria. Judah's national downfall took longer because it's spiritual downfall took longer, but eventually it was conquered by Babylon. This was not the end of them as a people but Isaiah foresees the things that will happen between now, in Chapter 42, and the restoration of the nation.