Dwell in the Word: Isaiah 44:1-8

Think on these questions as you dwell in Isaiah 44:1-8:

1. In this passage from Isaiah, God emphasizes that He chose Israel as His special people by grace, not because of their merit. How does this concept of God's sovereign choice relate to the idea of God's grace in Christianity, particularly in the context of salvation?

2. The passage mentions God's promise to pour His Spirit upon Israel's offspring and bless their descendants. How does this promise resonate with the idea of generational faith and the continuity of God's covenant throughout the generations in Christianity?

3. God declares that there is no other God besides Him and challenges anyone to declare what will happen and make it come to pass. How does this assertion of God's uniqueness align with the monotheistic nature of Christianity and the belief in the one true God?

Transcript:

So, here we see two very good reminders, not only for the people of God who Isaiah was addressing, but very good reminders for us. We've seen this on regular occasions throughout the Book of Isaiah, but it's always something that is very good for you and I to hear, and that is that Israel is the chosen of God, that God chooses His people, and that there is no other. Now, part of that is interesting because really it shows the grace that God has, right? As we think about this, as we lean into what we're seeing, if there are not these regional deities, if there is no God but the God of Israel, then they are a particular people. They are people that God has chosen. He didn't choose these people over here or these people over here. He chose this particular people to reveal himself to. This is all of grace. It's not that they have this God because of anything that they've done. There were probably more righteous nations among the people of the earth, but they did not worship God. They didn't have that part of the righteousness. Instead, maybe they were more morally upright.

Maybe their laws were good, it. But God didn't choose His people based upon their merit. He chose it because he is the God who comes to His people by His grace. That's good news for us, right? Because that's how God comes to us. Now, as we come to this text, we see here in verse two, an interesting word, Jeshurun. I don't think we've seen that. If we have, I haven't addressed it. But Jeshurun is another word for the Hebrew people, for Israel, or for the children of Jacob, and it means the chosen ones. That's the idea behind it that this is their special, and it's a poetic name, is what I saw referenced when I looked up what this meant. He's speaking to the one that he loves here. And so what do we see in verse three? For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground. When the land is dry and you pour water in it, it almost literally soaks it up, right? We see how badly it desires it. We've all seen dry ground get the rain that it needs. And you can see just how almost instantly the stuff that needs that water turns green and it becomes nourished.

And this is what God is saying He is going to do for His people. He also makes another promise here, and this promise goes back through the Old Testament. I will pour my spirit upon your offspring and my blessing on your descendants. Remember that perpetual promise, starting with Abraham, I will be a guide to you and to your children that this is what God is going to do. That's a promise that goes throughout the Old Testament, as I mentioned. This is an important thing, this legacy of God's grace, of what God is doing for His people continuing throughout the generations. This is not only for the people that are hearing this initially, it's for the people who are to come. He is their God. Well, who is this God? We see a whole lot of good stuff. I didn't know what to highlight here because it was all so good. I don't know that I'll reread all of it, but this is an important identifying paragraph for who it is that loves His chosen people. We see here, thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his redeemer, the Lord of hosts, I am the first and the last.

Besides me, there is no God. Really, that's the tangent, right? If God is the first and he's the last, then there is no other God. If there's no one before him, if he has the power to be in and of himself, then there are no others. This is not a battle in the heavens for who is going to be the most powerful God. We have to understand here, and we get this, I think, that the idea that there are multiple gods, that there are these multiple competing gods, that this doesn't work because one is bound to be more powerful than the other and will overtake or destroy the other one, even if this were possible, if there were more than one God, it is not something that is going to last. We see this spelled out for us as God speaks here in Isaiah. Who is like me? There aren't any other ones. If there was anyone like me, I take care of them, basically, right? Let them proclaim it, let them declare and said it before me. Is there anyone? God is all-knowing, all-powerful, omniscient, all those things, and He doesn't know who this other God is.

You would think that if anyone would know, it'd be Him, but yet He is declaring that there are none. We see this promise of redemption, this promise of God having a particular people for himself. Here, since I appointed an ancient people, let them declare what is to come and what will happen, God has appointed who his people are. He has spoken to them. He has revealed himself through this. He has shown through the prophetic words, through these people, that he has this particular identity for the people of Israel. Let's declare something else and let's see how that goes. Is that anything going to happen there? Well, no, it's not. We know the answer to that. If he alone is God, then there are no other prophetic words that can come to pass from of old. And so, what does God tell his people? Fear not, nor be afraid. Haven't I told you from of old and declared it, in other words, I'm doing and have done what I'm asking these other gods to do? I've done it. So, you don't need to be afraid. Whatever is happening, I've told you what's going to happen, and I have been faithful to do it.

And you're the witnesses. You are the witnesses to this truth that here is this God who is powerful, and there are prophetic words, and they come to pass, and He rescues His people. Because this has continued, this small band of people starting all the way back at the beginning, but particularly coming through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have continued, because they have survived as a particular people for this one true God, these people are the witnesses. Despite how the serpent has come up against them and tried to overthrow the plan of God, it hasn't happened. This is a witness to who God is. The statement is made. Is there a God beside me? You got to love this last line, There is no rock. I know not any. He is the only one. As we think about this today, may we remember that the fact that God has rescued us by His grace, we are witnesses to the truth of who God is. We know that we cannot save ourselves. We know that we would never come to faith in Him by our own volition, but He has come through His Holy Spirit, and He has given us the gift of faith.

And so, we are His witnesses. So may we remember that there is no God beside the God that we serve. There is no rock. We know not one. So may we relish in the grace that he has shown us in Christ and share it with the people that we come into contact with today.