(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Isaiah 44:1-28)
1 “But now listen, Jacob, My servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 This is what the Lord says, He who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you:
‘Do not fear, Jacob My servant,
And Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring,
And My blessing on your descendants;
4 And they will spring up among the grass
Like poplars by streams of water.’
5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
And that one will call on the name of Jacob;
And another will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the Lord,’
And will give himself Israel’s name with honor.
6 “This is what the Lord says, He who is the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of armies:
‘I am the first and I am the last,
And there is no God besides Me.
7 Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
And, let him confront Me
Beginning with My establishing of the ancient nation.
Then let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place.
8 Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?
And you are My witnesses.
Is there any God besides Me,
Or is there any other Rock?
I know of none.’”
9 Those who fashion an idol are all futile, and their treasured things are of no benefit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. 10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no benefit? 11 Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them be put to shame together.
12 The craftsman of iron shapes a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 The craftsman of wood extends a measuring line; he outlines it with a marker. He works it with carving knives and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of mankind, so that it may sit in a house. 14 He will cut cedars for himself, and he takes a holm-oak or another oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel tree, and the rain makes it grow. 15 Then it becomes something for a person to burn, so he takes one of them and gets warm; he also makes a fire and bakes bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and bows down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat, he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 Yet the rest of it he makes into a god, his carved image. He bows down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.”
18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. 19 No one remembers, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I bow down before a block of wood!” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
21 “Remember these things, Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant,
Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.
22 I have wiped out your wrongdoings like a thick cloud
And your sins like a heavy mist.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
23 Shout for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
Break into a shout of jubilation, you mountains,
Forest, and every tree in it;
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And in Israel He shows His glory.
24 This is what the Lord says, He who is your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb:
“I, the Lord, am the maker of all things,
Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth alone,
25 Causing the omens of diviners to fail,
Making fools of fortune-tellers;
Causing wise men to turn back
And making their knowledge ridiculous,
26 Confirming the word of His servant
And carrying out the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’
And I will raise her ruins again.
27 I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Dry up!’
And I will make your rivers dry up.
28 It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he will carry out all My desire.’
And he says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 This is what the Lord says, He who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you:
‘Do not fear, Jacob My servant,
And Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring,
And My blessing on your descendants;
4 And they will spring up among the grass
Like poplars by streams of water.’
5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
And that one will call on the name of Jacob;
And another will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the Lord,’
And will give himself Israel’s name with honor.
6 “This is what the Lord says, He who is the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of armies:
‘I am the first and I am the last,
And there is no God besides Me.
7 Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
And, let him confront Me
Beginning with My establishing of the ancient nation.
Then let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place.
8 Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?
And you are My witnesses.
Is there any God besides Me,
Or is there any other Rock?
I know of none.’”
9 Those who fashion an idol are all futile, and their treasured things are of no benefit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. 10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no benefit? 11 Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them be put to shame together.
12 The craftsman of iron shapes a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 The craftsman of wood extends a measuring line; he outlines it with a marker. He works it with carving knives and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of mankind, so that it may sit in a house. 14 He will cut cedars for himself, and he takes a holm-oak or another oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel tree, and the rain makes it grow. 15 Then it becomes something for a person to burn, so he takes one of them and gets warm; he also makes a fire and bakes bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and bows down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat, he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 Yet the rest of it he makes into a god, his carved image. He bows down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.”
18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. 19 No one remembers, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I bow down before a block of wood!” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
21 “Remember these things, Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant,
Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.
22 I have wiped out your wrongdoings like a thick cloud
And your sins like a heavy mist.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
23 Shout for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
Break into a shout of jubilation, you mountains,
Forest, and every tree in it;
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And in Israel He shows His glory.
24 This is what the Lord says, He who is your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb:
“I, the Lord, am the maker of all things,
Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth alone,
25 Causing the omens of diviners to fail,
Making fools of fortune-tellers;
Causing wise men to turn back
And making their knowledge ridiculous,
26 Confirming the word of His servant
And carrying out the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’
And I will raise her ruins again.
27 I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Dry up!’
And I will make your rivers dry up.
28 It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he will carry out all My desire.’
And he says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
God doesn't just save us for all eternity and then leave us alone to fend for ourselves, He helps us in the meantime. Even with the rebellious Israelites, God prophesies in this passage that one day Israel as a nation will believe in the Lord and follow Him as their King, Lord and Savior. This will happen in the Millennium, and the Lord Himself will establish and rebuild the kingdom for them. As well, because Israel had just been devasted by Babylon, God prophesies that Jerusalem, and their temple would be rebuilt in the meantime with the help of another nation, by the Lord's prompting.
The all-knowing God is so thorough as to give us hope for both eternity as well as for our immediate future. There is no need to know more than what God tells us. He wants us to go to Him for His help and guidance, and then trust and rest in Him. So why would we feel the need to go to some fortune teller or false prophet who just make things up and tell you what you want to hear?
And why would we choose to create or find some manmade product to trust in and worship - a product which is unworthy, weak and temporary? God has created us so that we may have a personal relationship with Him, our Creator! So we may with utmost confidence worship the One who is worthy, all-mighty and eternal! There is nothing or no one who can give us such assured hope as the Lord Jesus Christ!
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