Old Testament - Isaiah 46-47 - September 22, 2022

 9/22/2022 – Isaiah 46-47

Isaiah 46: In this chapter the Lord is still working to teach the Israelites that idols have no power, no love, no care for them, and no way to help them along their way.  In v ‘s 3-4 the Lord tells them that He known them from the time they were in the womb, and that He will carry them, and bear them, and deliver them throughout their lives –even throughout their old age. I love that verse, for we have felt Him near us throughout the rigors of our old age!

And then He switches from describing Himself and instead describes how their idols are created, and points out while the idols might be covered with gold, they are all made by man. They may cry unto the idol, but “yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.” (v 7). The He confirms Himself in v 8 by telling them to “remember this”, for they are doing the wrong thing now by going to idols. It is a waste of their time and their energy. He then reinforces in v 9 for them to “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else: I am God, and there is none like me.” He continues on telling them that He has always prophesied, and his prophesies have always been proven to be true. He assures them: “…yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” (v11) He then tells them that they need to listen to Him because they are far from righteousness. But that they can come near to Him and that He is not far off and that with Him they will find salvation. He is trying to teach [and us] them that if they simply trust in the Savior, He will carry and deliver us.

Richard G Scott: “This life is an experience in profound trust—trust in Jesus Christ, trust in his teachings, trust in our capacity as led by the Holy Spirit to obey those teachings now and for a purposeful, supremely happy eternal existence. To trust means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning ( Proverbs 3:5-7). To produce fruit, your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience”

Isaiah 47: Then Isaiah tells the Israelites that “Babylon and Chaldea shall be destroyed for their iniquities”. And then he tells them that they must “come out of darkness.”(v 5) In v 10 he warns them if they trust in their current thoughts and feelings, then “shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.” (v11)  

None of us need to stand alone. All we have to do is to rely upon the Lord, serve Him, and serve our fellow man. It doesn’t take long to begin to feel His sweet and quiet presence.


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