Scripture Reading(s)
Isaiah 44:6-8
44:6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
44:7 Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be.
44:8 Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.
Reflections
Here there is the proclamation being made that Jesus is Lord over all and there are no other “gods” that exist. There is the challenge for the nation to find a “god” who is like Him. The answer to that challenge is that there is no other God. He is the ruler and creator of this world. He brought this world into existence and created human kind into His image. This is a God who spoke the trees, seas, sky, animals into being with just using His words. He declares it and it is so. We know this from the account we read in Genesis 1. From verses 3-30 each time God created something the phrase “And God said” is used. That alone speaks to the solid and only truth of just how great and powerful He is, there is no other God besides Him.
This same God also takes care of our every needs and worries. His power and love know no bounds or limits. He is able to maintain the stability of this world and all the while attending to our needs. This passage declares that we serve the one and only true living God. All throughout scripture we see different accounts of His power, love and devotion to His people. From leading the nation of Israel safely across the red sea, to shutting the mouths of Lions from destroying Daniel, to using Queen Esther to save the Jewish people from being killed, saving His devoted servants ( shadrach, meshach and abednego) from burning to death in a fiery furnace without one burn or scar, and sending His son Jesus to die, save us from sin and raise Him on the third day, we can with full confidence say that we serve the one, true, awesome powerful God.
Our God is not bound to the rulers of this world. He does not answer to anyones authority and He is not constricted by man’s will or plans. Time is not outside of His control and His authority and will prevails no matter what circumstances come about. He is not thrown off by our tragedies and He rejoices in our victories. He gives us strength when we are weak and sustains us through our times of good. Let us always declare who this God is with our lives so that others may see that we serve the only one, true living God.
Unfortunately, God’s children have been prone to wonder. God used the prophet Isaiah to rebuke His wayward children. Moments later in the prophecy, God begins to detail their transgressions.
They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? (Isaiah 44:9-10)
Like Israel we have a tendency to create our own gods and put them first in our lives. We worship the pursuit of money. We worship the pursuit of power or fame. We worship sexual immorality and the pleasures of this world. We are as wayward as God’s chosen nation of Israel. Yet, the Lord has redeemed us even though we transgress that every angle. In typical manner, moments after accusing His children He forgives them.
I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. (Isaiah 44:22)
We should be both overjoyed and humbled that the Lord casts out our sin and chooses to redeem us, even knowing that we are capable and likely to sin again. May we never get to proud of our new life in Christ as it is only by God’s grace that we can stand in His presence. For, He has chosen to forgive all our transgressions even though we deserve no such thing.
[Featured image from timothyhinc.deviantart.com]