I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.  I am going to be on vacation through August 10th.  I have prepared my daily Bible Studies for each day throughout that time in advance since I will have limited access to the Internet during this time.  The timing on when I publish these blogs may be erratic during this time. 

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 48-51.

Usually I am skeptical that God provides prophecies like that recorded here, where Isaiah calls out by name as the conqueror of Babylon a man who was not yet born when Isaiah died.  However, this passage explicitly states that God is making a prophecy so that those who heard it could not doubt His power.  No image or other god could have done what God did through Isaiah.  God does not usually make such prophecies, but He is not bound to not do so.  God does not usually give such specific information about the future, but that does not mean that He is unable to do so.  Nor does it mean that He did not do so this time.

Chapter 49 contains another portion of Isaiah’s Messianic prophecy, but in some ways that portion applies to everyone who serves God.  God called Jesus while He was still in the womb, but He has also called each and every one of us.  First let us look at how more of this applies to Jesus.  As an adult, He never traveled more than 100 miles from where He grew up.  The movers and shakers of the world never heard of Him before His death.  At the time He was crucified, it would seem as if His life amounted to nothing.  Yet, His ministry brought God’s salvation to the ends of the Earth.  Our work may seem useless. but God sees it differently.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.  I am going to be on vacation through August 10th.  I have prepared my daily Bible Studies for each day throughout that time in advance since I will have limited access to the Internet during this time.  The timing on when I publish these blogs may be erratic during this time.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 43-47.

The God of Abraham created the world and there is no other god.  That is the main theme of this passage.  Isaiah makes a few other points in this passage but he keeps coming back to that one.  Isaiah starts today’s passage with God’s promise to be with the descendants of Jacob no matter what difficulty they may experience.  When they go through deep waters, they will not drown because God will save them.  When they walk through fire, they will not be burned up.  He makes clear that these are metaphors for whatever troubles they may face.  The prophet tells us that God traded others lives for those of the people of Israel.  But what of us who are not descendants of Jacob?  Isaiah gives us God’s answer to that as well.  God has called to bring the people of Israel together and includes with them everyone who claims Him as their God.  God has chosen as His own all who claim Him as their God.

And for what purpose has God chosen us?  He has chosen us to know Him, to believe in Him, and to know that He alone is God.  We are witnesses to the fact that there is no other god.  God has shown us His power and calls on us to proclaim that fact.  The prophet spends a few paragraphs illustrating why worshiping an idol made with human hands is silly.  Then he goes on to predict the restoration of Israel from an Exile that has yet to happen (I will note that there are those who believe this section was written after the return from Exile, but the starting point for making that case is the disbelief that the prophet could have predicted the return).  God predicted through His prophets that the people of Israel would go into exile and, through those same prophets, He predicted that they would return.

Those who seek God will find Him.  He does not have secrets which He hides from those who wish to know.  Those who claim to have secrets from God which only they know are liars.  God does not whisper obscurities in dark corners.  He boldly proclaims His promises and His wishes.  There is no secret hidden code which you need to discover to understand what God has to say.  The prophet spells this out clearly for us in Isaiah 45:19, but really that theme is throughout today’s passage along with God’s declaration that He alone is God.  The time will come when every knee will bow before God and declare allegiance to Him.  No one will be able to claim that they did not know. 

I want to wrap up by coming back to the twofold theme which is central to this passage.  God created all that exists and is sovereign over all of it.  There is no other which can challenge His sovereignty.  The first addresses those who believe there is no God.  The second addresses those who believe there are other gods, other Truths.