Faithful on Fridays Blog

Part Six

It’s said that repetition is the ‘key to learning’, if that’s true then God wants all of His people to remember some key truths found in Isaiah 43-46 beginning with the declaration ‘we belong to Him’. Over and over again God wants us to remember that He created, formed, preserved, called, chose His image and likeness bearers. We are not our own the Heidelberg Confession says, but belong to our faithful Savior Jesus Christ. You may read these chapters and think, well, those words are for Israel, they’re not for Gentiles like us. That’s not true, the LORD and Savior of verse 11 is Jesus, the Redeemer of verse 14, the Holy One, Creator, and King of verse 15. Most striking is God who repeats this phrase, “I, I am He …” five times and refers to Jesus our Redeemer who blots out our sin and has no memory of them. Don’t miss reading this chapter!

Repeating these truths in Chapter 44 Isaiah wrote down many promises God makes for His chosen people, any believer in Jesus, but also makes a comparison in verses 9-20 to idols that people create. Clearly they can’t see, know, or profit you so why use the elements God created, iron or wood, to worship when you can worship the One who formed even you? Idols are nothing and God wants us to remember and return to Him from our idols today. Anything that takes more of your time and energy than God is an idol: internet, exercise, vacations, food, shopping, your look, possessions, or even time on social media. Ouch. 

Moving into Chapter 45 God names a Persian ruler, Cyrus (also in 44:28), whom He will use to set His people free some 150 years later. God wants this chosen man, His shepherd, to fulfill His purposes by completing Israel’s 70 year exile in Babylon since the Persian Empire came to power. Only God could know those far future details using the prophetic telescope. Additionally in this chapter God repeats, yet again, that He is El Yatzar, the God who formed us (vs. 9) like a divine Potter and His clay. In fact, this Hebrew word for ‘formed’ is used sixteen times in today’s four chapters with the Apostle Paul picking it up as well in Romans 9:19-24. Basically these verses tell us that we have no right to question what the Potter creates, whether for honorable or dishonorable use, including us whether Jew or Gentile. 

Closing with Chapter 46 God repetitively calls out the idols who have no power and and focuses on the truth that there’s no other god than Yahweh (vs. 8-11) who possesses all power. We are not to forget that if God promises anything, then He’s responsible to do it. He promises salvation (vs. 13) and He did it. That’s always the ‘big picture’,

She will bear a Son and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Matt. 1:21