October 21, Isaiah 44
Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel,
for you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be
forgotten by me. I have blotted out your
transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like
mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.
- Isaiah 44:21-22
As I write these essays, I often ask myself “What’s the one thing you’d want your readers to know and remember from this chapter?” It helps me to ask, “What do I want them to know, and why is it important for them to know it ? Guided by those questions, let me suggest three things, all important, that I want us to remember.
First, let’s remember that God’s word is superior to all other counsel and all that professes to be wisdom. God’s word is sure. When he says something is going to happen, we can trust that it will be just as he said. Near the end of this chapter, the Lord names the Persian king who would overthrow Babylon and release the captive Israelites in Babylon to return home. Some folks find out whether their baby is going to be a boy or a girl and name the child before he or she ever arrives in the world. That’s one thing. But it’s quite another for the Lord to name Cyrus as the one who will free the Israelites 150 years before it happened. That’s not just naming a child before he is born. It’s naming a child probably before his grandparents were born! God’s word is just that sure. We do not need to doubt or wonder if God means what he says and if his counsel is the very best of all possible counsels for us.
Let’s also remember that idolatry is ridiculous. There are many passages that warn about and prohibit idolatry in the Scriptures. But no passage exposes the folly of idol worship as well as Isaiah 44. A man selects the tree that will provide the original material for the idol. He cuts the tree down and chops it into pieces. He uses some of the pieces for firewood, uses others for heat and cooking. Then he sets aside one piece of the same tree to make the idol that will become his god. Artists and other skilled workers shape and decorate the wood. When they are finished, they all fall down and worship their own creation and plead with their idol god to save them.
It’s hard to imagine how anyone could do such a ridiculous thing, isn’t it? The true and living God made his worshipers and their world. The worshipers of idols make their own gods, using materials from their world and using their own skill and imagination to make their so-called god. But God showed that idol worshipers were blind and lacked understanding to realize the folly of worshiping their own creation.
Our idols today are probably not made in the woodworking shop. But men and women still invent and devote themselves to gods of their own creation and imagination. They still count on something other than God to take care of them. Modern idolaters may imagine themselves to be much more sophisticated than their ancient counterparts, but at the core an idol is still a human-made thing and is really no god at all. That’s good for us to remember, too.
But if I could only choose one thing for us to remember from this chapter, I’d want us to know, remember and believe what it reveals to us about the grace of God. God made Israel, chose them, blessed them and made great promises to them. It was God’s gracious choice and love that set Israel apart from the rest of the nations around them. It was God’s grace that promised to send his Spirit to dwell in us in the times of Messiah’s kingdom. This promise and all the others came not to deserving, faithful people, but to rebels and disobedient people. God promised forgiveness that he did not owe us. He remembers us, but blots out our transgressions and sins. He loves us and wants to bless us with his best, not because we are worthy, but because he is gracious. All these spiritual blessings are realized when people come to Christ. When we believe in Christ we humble ourselves, and turn from sin to obey his will instead of our own. His grace grants that repentance. When we confess him as Lord, we learned that truth from the gospel of grace. When we obey him in baptism and go on to walk in the footsteps of Christ, it is by his mercy that we can know how to live and please him.
God would glorify himself in Israel. The faithful remnant would realize that Jesus was the long- awaited Messiah, and come into his kingdom. We Gentiles would be invited to come to Christ as we share in God’s salvation with the faithful Israelites. Remember, fellow Christian, that you and I are God’s people by the grace of God. Just as surely as Israel of old was chosen and set apart by the Lord for himself, so are all his people in Christ today. Be thankful, not proud. Trust him, love him, obey him. Give God the glory for all you have and all you are in Christ.
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—October 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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