ISAIAH 38-46 NO OTHER GOD2013 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Isaiah 38-46 No Other God

We're going to be here in Isaiah chapter 38, looking through chapter 46 this evening, covering the chapters that we read through the Bible in three years this week. And

As we look at this portion, we're looking at Isaiah the prophet, who's the first of the major prophets. The major prophetic books are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. And these are called the major prophets.

simply because they have a lot of material as opposed to the minor prophets which have a lot less material that they wrote. And so this group of books is not, you know, that one is more important than the other necessarily but just that they wrote a lot more or prophesied a lot more on behalf of the Lord.

Well, as we look at Isaiah, this is the writings of the work of Isaiah as God was speaking through him. He ministered from about 745 to 695 BC. That was during the reigns of King Uzziah, King Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and then finally Manasseh, which were the kings of Judah during his time of ministry. And also alongside of him during those times, Hosea and Micah were prophesying at the same time.

Now as we look at these chapters this evening, as we consider what was happening, I just lost control. Hang on one second. Okay, I think we should be good. There we go. We're good? Alright. So considering the timeline, the chapters we're looking at, 38 through 46 this evening, were...

taking place around this time period. So in 726, Hezekiah took the throne. He reigned. We talked about last week the threat of Assyria that came against Judah. And so that was going on during Hezekiah's reign and how God miraculously wiped out the Assyrian army and did all of that. Well, it was around that time period and soon after that, that

Isaiah was speaking forth and writing these things that we're studying this evening. And so the northern kingdom, Israel, had been conquered, but Judah, the city of Jerusalem, had not yet been conquered. And so Isaiah is prophesying to them immediately before or after this great threat of Assyria. And that's the context in which he was speaking forth these things.

This is what it looks like visually on the timeline. So you can see there the ministry of Isaiah. The northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed and conquered by the nation of Assyria. They were led away captive. Judah watched what was going on and God used that as an illustration to say, hey, this is where you're headed if you don't repent.

And turn back to me. And so Isaiah was one of those instruments that God was calling them to repentance as they watched what was happening to the northern kingdom. Now Israel one time was a united kingdom under King Saul, David, and Solomon. But after Solomon, the kingdom split in two. And so on the left there you see the northern part kept the name Israel. The southern part took the name Judah.

And Israel has been conquered by Assyria at this time in Isaiah's writing. And Judah has been reduced to one city basically, the city of Jerusalem. That's what we saw happen last week as the strongholds in Judah were taken. And so Judah was the last holdout. It was pretty much the last city of

Jerusalem was the last city of Judah. So although it kind of looks big on the map, that was initially, but they've been reduced greatly. Even so much so, remember, Assyria was taunting them that they would give them 2,000 horses if they could find men to put on those horses. So you can understand, their numbers were greatly reduced. They didn't even really have 2,000 soldiers to put on the horses.

And so Assyria was the great threat as Isaiah was writing these things. Now that was the world power of the day. And that's the map on the top right there. You see the territory that was conquered by Assyria.

After Assyria, which is well after the life of Isaiah, Babylon rose to power, overtook Assyria, and took even more territory than Assyria had. And so Babylon is the coming threat, and it's going to be a big subject of what Isaiah is talking about. But then he's also talking about, in our chapters this evening...

So you have Assyria, then comes Babylon. After Babylon comes the Medo-Persian Empire. And that rises to power and overcomes Babylon and becomes the world power of the day. And Isaiah is really dealing with all three of those nations in his prophecies, which is pretty amazing. And we'll see that as we go through our passages this evening. So we begin now in chapter 38, verse 5 is the key verse. It says...

Go and tell Hezekiah, thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. Surely I will add to your days 15 years. Here as we jump into chapter 38, we're right in the middle of a historical passage in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah, of course, primarily is prophetic passages. It's Isaiah speaking forth the words of the Lord. But

Starting in chapter 36 through 39, we have a historical account of King Hezekiah, the attack from Assyria. We finished with that last week. And now we're looking at a time where Hezekiah receives this announcement that he is going to die. And so here in verses 1 through 3, we see this historical account being played out.

that Isaiah goes to Hezekiah and announces, you are going to die. He had a boil. He had some kind of disease. And so as a result of this, he was about to die. And as he receives this news from Isaiah, can you imagine, you know, you're sick. You got some kind of issue. You're at the hospital. And then Pastor Greg Laurie shows up in your bedroom or, you know, your hospital room and says, you're going to die. Okay.

What would you do? You know, the prophet of the Lord, the word of the Lord comes, you know, and the word is you are going to die. Well, Hezekiah, interestingly, he doesn't just accept it and say, okay, I'm going to die and let me set my affairs in order. Instead, he prays. He prays to the Lord. He asked God to grant him more life that he would not die, but that he would continue to live. Is that what you would do?

I don't know. I'm not sure for myself. Depends on how painful the death would be. I think that would be my primary concern. But it reminded me of what the Apostle Paul talked about in Philippians chapter 1. You remember there he said, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. And he's telling the Philippians, if I live on in the flesh, then I'll have fruit from my labor and

But what should I choose? I can't really tell. I'm not sure. I'm torn between the two, Paul is expressing. He says, I'm hard pressed between the two. Having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better, but then to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. So I have this tension. I want to go be with the Lord, but to be here with you, it's necessary. I still have lots of work to do.

I can still help you a lot. I can still minister to you greatly. And so I'm torn between these two. And so Hezekiah, not sure what his view of eternity was, but he's not ready to end his life. He's not ready to just go be with the Lord. He wants more time. Whether or not that's a good thing or not is a subject of a little bit of discussion and something you could talk about later on because it's

Well, the Lord adds 15 years to his life. It says in verses 4 through 8, he answers Hezekiah's prayer. He adds 15 years. But again, it's a question of whether or not it's a good thing because it's during that time period that Manasseh is born, who becomes the next king of the nation of Judah. And he was the wickedest of the wicked kings of the nation of Judah. And so...

You know, people look at that and say, well, see, maybe he shouldn't have lived 15 more years because that was when, you know, the worst of the worst was born and he's going to take the throne of the nation of Judah. The Bible doesn't say that, but there's some speculation that people say as a result of that. So interesting to think about

but no sure, you know, no final decision from the Lord on whether or not that was a good thing. But it is a good thing, I would say. Hezekiah, when he receives this news, he turns to the Lord, he seeks the Lord, he calls out to the Lord, and God answers him and gives him a sign. He doesn't just say, Hezekiah, I'm going to take care of this

believe me at my word, he also says, I'm going to give you a sign so that you can know that this is for sure going to take place. And it wasn't a little tiny, you know, itty bitty sign like Gideon asked for, you know, the water on the fleece and the water not on the fleece. I mean, in comparison, this is quite a big substantial sign. God says, I'm going to take the shadow on the sundial back 10 degrees. Now,

Sounds like an easy thing to do. You know, maybe God just like shifts the clouds a little bit or something. But when you think about what does it take to take back the shadow on the sundial? It's not like adjusting a watch, you know, or a clock. It's a little bit more complex than that because...

Well, the rotation of the earth would have to be affected. And so God's saying, I'm going to give you a sign. It's going to be a substantial sign. The rotation of the earth is going to be affected. And there's going to be a 20-minute reverse, a 20-minute delay. This 10 degrees would be about 20 minutes in the way that they kept time. And so it looks like, as you kind of consider these things,

This is when the days of the year changed. If you'll notice in Bible prophecy, it's always based on 360 day years.

But we, of course, have 365 and a quarter day years, right? But it seems like that at this time, that was changed as a result of this 10 degree change. And smarter people do the math and add it up and say, there it is. That's the five and a quarter days. This 10 degrees back on the sundial, this is when it happened. And so it's quite a substantial thing that happened. God says, I want you to know that I'm giving you these 15 extra years on your life.

Well then in verses 9 through 22 we get a little bit of insight into the behind the scenes. Hezekiah writes and he gives us insight into what he was thinking, what he was praying, what he was going through as he was, you know, realizing he was going to die and as he was crying out to the Lord. In verse 11,

He says, I shall not see Yah the Lord in the land of the living. I shall observe men no more among the inhabitants of the world. He's talking about what he's going through in his mind, recognizing that he's about to die. Verse 12, my lifespan is gone, taken from me like a shepherd's tent. I have cut off my life like a weaver. He cuts me off from the loom. From day until night you make an end of me. And so he's coming to grips with this.

His death. But he's asking God for more time. And God grants it to him. Now again considering the timeline here. I don't know what's going on. I keep losing control. I apologize.

So considering the timeline here, this all took place actually probably a little bit before Assyria's attack on Judah and before the Assyrian army was wiped out. The dates get real fuzzy when you go this far back and there's a lot of discussion between scholars on exact dates that events happened.

But Hezekiah's illness was probably about 710 BC or 711 BC, somewhere around there. And then it was extended then for 15 years. And it was around 697 BC when Manasseh began his reign in Judah. And he was 12 years old. And so you can see that he was born during that last 15 years of his life.

All right, Isaiah chapter 39 now, verse 1 is the key verse. It says, Here in chapter 39, we're finishing up the historical account in the book of Isaiah. And we're finishing it up with

Not so good on Hezekiah's part. Not such a good account. Where he actually makes a pretty big blunder here. And as a result, we're going to see the consequences later on, even as we go into the book of Daniel. And so what happens is, he was sick, he prayed, God extended his life.

And Babylon hears about it. Now, at this time, Babylon is not a threat. Babylon is a small kingdom, but under the rule of Assyria, but desiring to revolt against Assyria. And so in their desire to revolt against Assyria,

They are trying to make alliances. They're trying to team up with nations and kingdoms. They're trying to, you know, build up these alliances so that they can overthrow Assyria. And so they see this as a good opportunity. Hey, he was sick. Now he's better. Let's team up with him and, you know, we can join forces and unite against Assyria.

And so he sends messengers with a gift to say, hey, you know, we're happy that you got better. Verses 1 through 2, we see that Hezekiah shows his treasures to the men from Babylon. And so what happens is he sends these messengers. Hezekiah receives them. He's like, oh yeah, you know, I'm healed. And check out all this stuff I got, you know. It's like a kid showing him his toy room, right? It's like, look at all these wonderful treasures I have.

And so as Babylon is beginning to plan to rebel against Assyria, now they're like, well, look how we can finance this. And so they kind of get their eyes on the treasures. And so the prophecy is in verse 3 through 8, Isaiah tells Hezekiah that Babylon will carry away all the treasures. And so all of everything that Hezekiah showed them, Babylon is going to carry away.

And so Hezekiah gets caught up in his treasures and trusting in his treasures. He shows it instead of glorying in the Lord, he glories in his stuff. And as a result, Isaiah says they're going to carry it away. We see in verse 7, it says, So,

Isaiah tells him. Not only are they going to take the stuff. But they're going to take away the people. And some of your sons Hezekiah. Will be eunuchs. In the palace of the king of Babylon. Which is interesting. Because. Daniel. The prophet. Was. A eunuch. In the palace of the king of Babylon. And so it's.

likely that Daniel was a descendant of King Hezekiah. At least it's a possibility. So whether or not, you know, it was Daniel specifically or maybe Shadrach, Meshach or Abednego, you know, those guys were taken. They were served. They were serving in the kingdom of Babylon, just as Isaiah said that they would.

Here's what it looks like on the map. So there in the green you have Babylon. It's kind of like ancient Babylon. This is 1700 BC, a long time before what we're talking about here in Isaiah. But the green and the purple together is the extent of Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. And so he was the king who, you know, brought Babylon to its glory, to its height, and who ultimately led the final attack on Jerusalem and destroyed it. And so

Isaiah here is talking about Babylon coming to conquer Jerusalem and take away all the treasures and the people captive. Now, that's really significant when you consider the time frame. So again, this is all happening about 710 B.C. That's around the time when Hezekiah was ill. He recovered. About 612 B.C. is when Babylon conquers Assyria.

So you understand then that it's about a hundred years later that Babylon becomes the world power. It's not an immediate thing. It happens a long time later. And then in 587 BC is when Babylon actually conquers Judah for the last time. They conquer them actually three times, but they conquer them and then lead them away captive. And so Isaiah is prophesying about these things, right?

And I don't know why it is for me, but sometimes it's more substantial for me to see prophecies that were fulfilled a couple hundred years later than it is to see prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled. I guess that's because they were fulfilled. And it's amazing to me to think about Isaiah prophesying 150 years later what he says comes to pass.

It's just incredible to consider and it's a big part of what God is going to be saying throughout the rest of our chapters this evening where he repeats over and over again, I'm the one who says what's going to happen. I'm the one who tells the future and declares what is to come. It's God's signature.

And so it's amazing to see these things take place just as God said that they would. And maybe I shouldn't be amazed because God said that they would come to pass, yet still every time it's fascinating to me. Look at those dates. He said it in 710. 150 years later, exactly what he said came to pass because he was a prophet speaking on behalf of God.

And that's the kind of God that we serve. And that's the kind of God that he wants to remind us that he is in the next few chapters. Now as we head into chapter 40, you're going to notice a tone change. We've been looking historically, but before that, we were looking at the prophecies of Isaiah that were primarily announcing judgment.

Judgment on Judah, judgment on Israel, judgment on Egypt, judgment on Edom, judgment on Babylon, judgment on all the nations, the Philistines. It was an announcement of judgment after announcement of judgment. He would include glimmers of hope, you know, little shout outs to Jesus, you know, those things that would be coming up with, that would be fulfilled by Jesus. But then also things regarding the kingdom that is to come, the millennium.

But primarily he's focusing on judgment in the first 39 chapters. Now as we go into chapter 40 through 66.

Primarily, he's dealing with hope. He's giving hope. It's prophecies about the kingdom that is to come when Christ will reign. There is some judgment that is announced, but it's kind of, you know, the flip-flop. So primarily it was judgment before with a little bit of hope, and now it's primarily hope with a little bit of judgment. So it's a pretty significant change that you can see as you read through it.

Now it's interesting, Isaiah has 66 chapters and many make the correlation. The Bible has 66 books. After 39 books of the Bible begins the New Testament.

And so there's a significant change from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Just like there's a significant change from chapters 1 through 39 through 40 through 66. And so there's some interesting parallels there. I would encourage you to, you know, that's a cool thing to consider. But don't take it too far. Some people try to, you know, well chapter 1 is in Genesis and then chapter, no. You know, I

Remember that the chapters are man-made. You know, they were added later on. They weren't part of Isaiah's original script. And so I wouldn't read too much into it, but it is a cool thing to consider. And God could orchestrate it that way, but he didn't say that he did. So I kind of hold on to it a little bit skeptically. All right, chapter 40. Here in verse, well, the key verse is verse 1. He says, "'Comfort, yes, comfort my people,' says your God."

So now as we go forward into chapter 40, again, the tone changes and we see it right here in verse 1 where God says, comfort.

Yes, comfort my people, says your God. I want to give you a message of comfort, God says. And for the next few chapters, it's basically just God speaking to his people and to the world around them as well as to us. It's God speaking and setting forth his case, his reminder that he is God and he's going to accomplish everything.

his purposes this would have been a great message for the people of judah in the city of jerusalem who just survived a crazy attack from assyria they watched their sister nation israel be led away captive and they were threatened but god preserved them um they also had the coming threat of babylon but god wants them in the

But also, if you extend a little bit beyond that, so then Babylon conquers Judah, takes away all the inhabitants captive to Babylon. This would have been a great message of comfort. And there's hints at God telling them, I'm going to bring you back to the land of Judah. Even though you were taken away captive, I'm going to bring you back. But at the same time, it's also foreshadowing and speaking about things that will be fulfilled in Jesus, as well as

Things that will be fulfilled during the millennium. So there's a whole mix of all kinds of things that are happening in these chapters where God is saying, I am God. And I tell you the end from the beginning. And we see that all throughout. He's talking about the end and the beginning and then the beginning and then the end and goes back and forth. Talking about all kinds of different aspects of the comfort that is to come and the fact that he is God. So we start out in verses 1 through 11.

Isaiah, speaking on behalf of the Lord, says, Prepare the way of the Lord. Prepare the way of the Lord. Does that sound familiar? Prepare the way of the Lord. Verse 3 says, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. This is the message of John the Baptist. He said, and you can read about it in Matthew chapter 3, He says, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

And Matthew tells us this is the one who Isaiah was talking about when he said, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight. And so again, we can see this pointing to the ministry of John the Baptist as he announces the Messiah to the nation of Israel. I mark this as partially fulfilled because it's also yet to be fulfilled when the ultimate fulfillment is when Jesus returns to establish his kingdom and

And the way is prepared by the tribulation period. And as he returns, he establishes his kingdom. And that's when the majority of these things will be ultimately fulfilled. Verse 10 says, Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. When Jesus came the first time, he didn't come to rule with a strong hand. He came to die upon the cross for sins.

But when Jesus comes again, it will be to rule with a strong hand. And so that's why it's partially fulfilled. He came, but then he's also coming again to rule and to reign. Well, then in verses 12 through 17, we're reminded that nations before God are as nothing. One of the big themes that we see in the following chapters is that God is big. Check out verse 12.

He says, Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand? Measured the heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure. Weighed the mountains in scales and hills in a balance. Who's measured these things, he says. Who's measured, I like this one, he says, and calculated the dust of the earth. Has anybody calculated how much dust there is in the earth?

Well, there's been some studies and there's been some attempts to calculate how much sand there is in the earth and all the beaches and all the deserts. And they got together some smart minds and they calculated that there is seven quintillion grains of sand on the earth. But notice what it says here. God's not talking about a math equation here. He says, who's calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?

That is, you know, you get your one cup, you know, your measuring cup. You pack it in. You put your brown sugar in there or whatever it is that you're measuring. You have your measure there. Now, who's calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? In other words, who has a measuring cup that big to hold the dust of the earth? The point is, God is big. Who has, you know, on your scale in your bathroom, who's weighed the mountains?

I know maybe it feels that way. Sometimes you look down and go, oh, there's mountains. But who's weighed the mountains? Sometimes we forget how big God is. And you need to remember, God can weigh the mountains. And he has a measuring cup for the amount of dust on the earth. Not literally per se, but you know what I mean. He's capable of that. He could do that. He has the resources. He has the strength to

He has the power. He is big. So much so that he says in verse 15, Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket and are counted as the small dust on the scales. Look, he lifts up the aisles as a very little thing. It always amazes me whenever I see phrases that we use today, like sayings that we use today, a drop in a bucket, and then to see, you know, kind of the roots in the scriptures is interesting.

But he says it's the nations that are as a drop in a bucket. So you picture a bucket. It's got all kinds of water in it. And how much difference is one drop? Or you picture an empty bucket and you put one drop of water in there. And how much is that? It's nothing. In the same way God says, I'm not threatened by nations. I'm not threatened by, it doesn't matter how much land you have or how many people you have. It's like a drop in the bucket. It's nothing. Nothing.

Nobody can come against me. Nobody can thwart my plans. Nobody can do anything against me. I am God. And I have a measuring cup for the dust of the earth. He goes on in verses 18 through 26 to say, to whom will you liken God? And again, this is a dominant theme in these chapters that we're looking at this evening. As he says, who's like me? Is there anybody like me? And why is God asking that? Well, because the nation of Judah is

was caught up in idolatry. They were worshipping all kinds of gods. The surrounding nations as well were worshipping all kinds of gods. And he's going to be dealing with that throughout our passages this evening. And so God is challenging them and saying, okay, you worship all these gods, but which of your gods is like me? And throughout this time, he also is pointing out the foolishness

Of the gods that they worship. Verse 19 he says. The workman molds an image. The goldsmith over spreads it with gold. And the silversmith casts silver chains. Verse 20. Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution. Chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks for himself a skillful workman. To prepare a carved image that will not totter. You ever have a chair you know just doesn't quite sit right.

I hate it when that happens to my God too. Like I just can't sit there flat. The ridiculousness is illustrated here. How much God can you afford? How much God can you afford? He says you take gold, you melt it down, you make it into an image. But hey, if that's too expensive for you, you can't afford that kind of contribution. You can't tithe that much. So then you take a block of wood and you're hoping this guy is skillful enough who's carving it so that it doesn't totter, it doesn't fall over.

How much God can... Do you want that kind of God? Is that the kind of God that you want? Now as we talk about this, of course they're worshipping actual images, but there's much more to those images than just that it's a statue. There's more going on there. They're worshipping the things that these statues represent. And so their idols were representing power, money, pleasure, sex, you name it. It's...

Was just an object for them to be able to worship. To say, I want to pursue. I want to give my life to these things. I want more pleasure. I want more of this in my life. Warren Wiersbe puts it this way. An idol is a substitute for God. Something that we value and serve other than God. We trust it. We sacrifice for it. But in the end, it can do us no good.

And so idolatry was not just a problem way back then. Idolatry is an issue today. And it's an issue I would say that we have to watch out for in the church and in our own hearts as believers. It's not just something, you know, before you became a Christian, but it's something we have to guard against because we will begin to worship other things. And God's point is, I'm much bigger than anything else you can worship. I'm far greater than anything else you can worship.

He points that out in verse 22. It is he who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He says, I'm the creator. I like how he says, I stretch out the heavens like a curtain. I picture, you know, can you imagine stretching out the heavens like a curtain? And he doesn't need someone on the other side. Can you hold up that side for me? Stretch out the heavens like

He's big enough. He holds both ends. He sits above the circle of the earth. He's not tied to this earth. He's beyond it. He's far greater than it. He is the creator. And so he says in verse 25, who are you going to liken me to? In verse 26, he says, look, I hold the stars and I named the stars and I sustained the stars. They're there because I hold them there. He wants Judah. He wants us to remember Judah.

That he is big. That he is all powerful. That he reigns on high. That he sustains all of creation. Who is like our God. Well then in verse 27 through 31 we have the famous passage. Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. Very famous passage. And instead of talking about it, I'm just going to read it. Verse 28. Have you not known? Have you not heard?

Verse 1.

They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. God says, I'm big. I'm the creator. There's no one else like me. So wait on me. Trust in me and I'll take care of you. We go on now into chapter 41 verse 9 is the key verse.

He says, you whom I've taken from the ends of the earth and called from its farthest regions and said to you, you are my servant. I have chosen you and have not cast you away. Here in verses 1 through 7, God says, I am the Lord or I the Lord and the first and the last. Again, God is continuing on with this idea of who's like me. He says in verse 4, I am the first and the last. Who's like me that is...

Called out the generations from the beginning. Who's been able to speak ahead and tell what is going to happen like I am? In verse 8 through 16 he says, fear not for I am with you. And so he's speaking to his people and he's saying, look I'm big. Wait on me. Trust in me. You'll mount up with wings like eagles. Who can tell the future like I can? So don't fear God.

He says, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Fear not. Why should God's people not fear? Because God says, I am with you. And I'm big. Remember that they...

mostly believed that gods were local gods you had the god of corona the god of riverside the god of norco that's what they believed their gods had jurisdictions and they weren't really strong in other areas but they were really strong you know in the hometown but god is saying i'm not just strong in one little location i sit outside of that i'm far greater than that so don't fear

because I'm with you. He's not saying don't fear because you're really awesome and you got a lot more strength than you think. And he reminds us of that in verse 14. He says, fear not you worm, Jacob. Yeah, you're a worm. You don't have strength. You're little. But God says, I will help you. I'm your redeemer. It's not your strength. It's not your greatness. That's not why you should fear because you can do anything that you set your mind to or anything if you believe strong enough.

No, do not fear, God says, for I am with you. Verse 17 through 20, he says, I will open up rivers in desolate heights. He says, this is the kind of work I'm going to do. Desolate, barren, dry wasteland. I'm going to open up rivers there. I'm going to do radical changes. I'm going to do radical things. Why? Verse 20, he says, that you may see and know and consider and understand together that the hand of the Lord has done this.

I'm going to work miracles so that you can know this is me. In verses 21 through 24, he continues to challenge the idolatry. He says, let them declare things to come. Prophecy is God's signature or it's his fingerprint so that he could declare this is genuine. This is for real. I'm telling you the future before it happens. And if those gods that you worship are real, he says in verse 22, let them bring forth and show us what will happen.

Let them declare to us the things that are yet to come. Now here's the thing. False gods cannot declare the future. They could guess. They could speculate. They could try to spin it or deceive so that, you know, it seems like what they said was what came to pass. But they cannot declare the future.

And as he's challenging them, again, I would say this isn't just an ancient problem. This is something that I think you and I need to consider today. What are you investing in? What are you pouring yourself into? What are you pursuing? Where does your time go? What is receiving your passion and your attention? And I would challenge you to consider as you think about what it is that you're investing yourself into, ask yourself the question,

Can that declare things to come? The main thing that you're focused on, whatever it might be, well, I'm just really, you know, focused on taking care of the kids. Can they tell you the future? Well, I got to get my career in order. I got to get these things in order and get successful and accomplish this. Can it tell you the future? Well, I need to get into the house. Can it tell you the future? There's a lot of things that we'd like. There's a lot of things that

We're entertained by it. There's a lot of things that we could pursue and invest ourselves into. There's a lot of things competing for our attention, our devotion, our passion. What are you investing in? And can it tell you the future? Because that's something only God can do. And so it's a challenge to make sure that the main focus of your life is not in idolatry, in something that's lesser than God. Make sure that what is most important to you

Is the one who can declare the things that are yet to come. And to emphasize that he goes on in verses 25 through 29. He says I raised up one from the north. And he's going to be talking about in these chapters here. A man named Cyrus. Who he calls his servant. Who's going to accomplish his work in setting his people free. He's also going to be talking about a servant that we know as Jesus.

Who is setting his people free in a much greater way. By dying upon the cross for our sins. And so he's declaring the future before it happens. Because he's God. Chapter 42 verse 1 he says. Behold my servant whom I uphold. My elect one in whom my soul delights. I have put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth justice to the Gentiles. In verses 1 through 9 here he says. Behold my servant. Behold pay attention to look at my servant. Behold.

Now, in Matthew chapter 12, we see that this is fulfilled as it's applied to Jesus. A bruised reed he will not break. A smoking flax he will not quench. He will bring forth justice for truth, it says in verse 3. It's applied to Jesus. God's servant is Jesus. So behold him. Pay attention to him. It might also be that in addition to talking about Jesus, he's talking about Cyrus. Not in the same way that Cyrus is, you know, the Messiah, but Jesus.

That Cyrus is his servant. He does talk about Cyrus as his servant throughout these chapters as well. Well then in verses 10 through 13 he says, Sing to the Lord a new song. God says, I'm providing a savior, my servant. So sing a new song. Just like Ronnie taught us a new song tonight, right? By the way, that's his song. So congratulate him on it. He wrote that. But worship is always fresh because God's doing a new work. That's what he's saying. I'm providing a savior. I'm doing a new work. So sing a new song. Praise me.

respond to this work that I'm doing. And so it's going to be a new song because God's doing a new work. Then in verses 14 through 20, he says, they shall be greatly ashamed who trust in carved images. Again, you see the theme, right? He's challenging these idols, this idolatry. If you trust in things that are not God, you're going to be greatly ashamed. You're not going to be a little bit ashamed. You're going to be greatly ashamed. In verses 18 through 20, he says, look, they're all blind and they're deaf.

And he goes on to make the point Israel is blind and deaf because they're trusting in blind and deaf gods. Here's a point that we got to grasp hold of. You will never be greater than your God. And so if your God is blind and deaf then you're going to be blind and deaf too. You're not going to be able to have sight if your God is blind. You will always be a slave to your God. And you have a God.

Whether or not it's King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Jesus Christ, you have a God. I have a God. Everybody has a God. We all worship. We all devote ourselves to something. And we are the slave of that God that we worship.

And you will never be greater than your God. So the point is, if you're pursuing pleasure, that's the main focus of your life. That I just, I just got to be fulfilled and have lots of fun. And that's what I'm pursuing. That's what my life is all about. That God cannot tell you the future, can't protect your future, can't give you eternal life. It's a God that's blind and deaf.

And as a result of pursuing that God, you're going to be blind and deaf. And you wonder, well, how come I don't know what to do in this situation? How come I'm blind and deaf? Well, because your God is blind and deaf. Or you pursue this other God of success or power or position. It's blind and deaf. And you get into a situation, you're like, I don't understand. How come I'm blind and deaf? Well, because your God is blind and deaf. He can't provide for you life. He can't speak life. He can't tell the future. It's a dead God. It's a false God.

You will never be greater than your God. You will always be lesser. And so when you worship a God that is not God, you're even lesser than that blind and deaf God. In verse 21 through 25, he says, the Lord will exalt the law. God will exalt righteousness and truth. And you could submit to his truth. You could submit to righteousness or he will bring you into submission. But one way or the other,

His law will be exalted. You can exalt it by submitting to it or he will exalt it by bringing judgment because you will not submit to it. Up to you. Chapter 43 verse 1 is the key verse. But now thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel, fear not for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine. So in verses 1 through 7 he says, fear not for I am with you.

He doesn't want his people to fear. He says fear not over and over and over again. Stop freaking out. I'm with you. The key for us is to be with God and not to be pursuing these other false gods. But God says I'm with you.

I've formed you. I've redeemed you. As he's speaking to the nation, he's saying, I know things look bad. You've gone from one great powerful nation to one city now. You don't even have 2,000 soldiers, but don't fear. This isn't the end. You're not going to be obliterated from history. I'm going to preserve you. I'm going to take care of you. Fear not. I'm going to bring you back from Babylon when you go into captivity. I'm going to bring you back.

When I set up my kingdom here on the earth, after great tribulation falls upon the earth, fear not, I'm going to bring you back. You will continue to exist as a nation. I'm going to preserve you. In verses 8 through 13, he says that there's no God before or after me. Again, we see this emphasis. I'm the only God. There's no other God. He says, gather the nations in verse 9. Who can show us former things? Who can tell us about the things that have already come to pass? Who can tell us about creation?

Who can tell us about the beginning? How things were made? Science can't tell us that. Only God can tell us that. Who can tell us the things that are yet to come? Only God can tell us that. He says in verse 11, I even I am the Lord and beside me there is no Savior. He says in verse 13, Indeed before the day was, I am He. There is no one who can deliver out of my hand. And I work and who can reverse it? He's going back to Genesis 1. God said, Let there be light.

He established day and night. He says, before there was day, I was there. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. He began everything. There's no God before Him. In verses 14 through 21, He says, I will do a new thing. I'm going to do a brand new work. Again, He's... And we see the dual fulfillments, right? We can see the fulfillment as they're released from Babylon later on and brought back to the land of Israel, which is a great miracle. And then He says,

We could see perhaps a fulfillment as the nation of Israel becomes a nation again in 1948. But the ultimate fulfillment is in the millennium when he rules and reigns. And he really does do a new thing. Verse 22 through 28 he says, but you have not called upon me. So he's announcing, I'm the Lord. There's no one like me. There's no one before me. I'm God. There's no one who could tell the future. There's no one who could tell the past. But verse 22, you've not called upon me.

And verse 25, he says, I'm the one who blots out your transgressions. And I'm not going to remember your sins, but you haven't called out on me. And so he says in verse 26, put me in remembrance. Remember me. Come back to me. He's calling them to repentance. Come back to repentance. Get right with God. Because I'm your God. I'm with you. I've not given up on you.

Well, chapter 44, now verse 3 is the key verse. He says, Here in verses 1 through 5, he says, And we see this fulfilled in Acts chapter 2 as the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the church. The Jews who are gathered together there in the upper room.

Now there's also a greater fulfillment one day when the whole nation of Israel as a whole receives the Holy Spirit. Again, those are things that are yet to come and so there's a lot of fulfillments that are taking place throughout the time that is to come. In verse 5 he says, He's talking about the time when the nation of Israel as a whole will attach themselves to the Lord.

That has not yet been fulfilled. There's some who have believed of the nation of Israel. But Israel as a whole has not believed. They've not attached themselves to the name of the Lord. But that's going to happen. And he's going to pour out his Holy Spirit upon them. And there's going to be a glorious work yet to come. In verse 6 through 8, he goes back to the theme, besides me there is no God. He says, who can proclaim as I do? Again, prophecy is my signature, he says. It's my fingerprint. It's my proof. I really am God.

There is no other God. There is no other Savior. There is no other religion. I alone am God. Verse 9 through 20. He says, who would form a God that profits him nothing? He goes back to this idolatry. He says, verse 9, those who make an image, all of them are useless and their precious things shall not profit. They are their own witnesses. They neither see nor know that they may be ashamed. The people who are pursuing these false gods are

Not just the statue, but what it represents. These pursuit of things that are not God, that are not of God, they're useless, he says. There's nothing that compares to God. He talks about the wood, you know, the guy, he chops up the wood, he warms himself. Oh man, thank goodness for the fire, you know, I can keep warm. I'm hungry. Okay, let me put some bread on the fire. Let's bake some bread. Hey, I've got a little bit of wood left over. I'm going to make a god and I'm going to worship it. Like, that doesn't make sense.

You're like, well, so what? I don't worship wood. Well, so just put money in there. You pay the electric bill to warm up the house and then you spend the money to get the food and the rest of it you worship. I get to fulfill myself. I get to do whatever I want to do. I got all this money left. There's all kinds of things that we pursue instead of God and that's what he's challenging us with. Who's like God? And why would you pursue that thing that cannot profit you?

Well, maybe there's a little bit of fun and sin for a season, but it doesn't last very long. He says in verse 20 that when we do that, we deceive ourselves. And so again, I would ask, what are you investing yourself into? What are you pouring your life into? What's important to you? Can it tell you the future? Can it provide for your needs? Can it protect you for eternity? So in verses 21 through 23, God says, return to me. Return to me. He says in verse 21, you're not going to be forgotten by me.

I'm not giving up on you. I haven't forgotten about you. Come back to me. They've been in rebellion. They've been ignoring God. They've been running from God. They've, you know, the whole thing. But he says, I haven't forgotten you yet. Return to me. Come back. You know, there's the old saying, no matter how many steps you take away from the Lord, he's only one step back. All you got to do is turn. Return to me, he says.

Then in verses 24 through 28, he now talks about Cyrus. He says, Cyrus shall perform all my pleasure. He names this guy Cyrus. He says in verse 24, I'm the Lord. I'm redeemer. I'm creator. I stretch out the heavens all alone. I don't need someone on the other side to hold up the other side. I can handle it. He's got the whole earth in his hands, you know, the universe in the span of his hands. He's a big God. And as this big God,

Creator of the universe, God that he is, he says, I'm appointing Cyrus. He's my shepherd. He's my servant. He's going to perform my pleasure. And it says in verse 28, he's going to give the command to rebuild Jerusalem. I'm going to use him to give the command to rebuild the city of Jerusalem.

Now again, this is just amazing to me. So this is about 710 BC. Hezekiah is ill. He recovers. Isaiah is prophesying. He talks about a man named Cyrus who's not born yet. And the thing that he talks about is fulfilled like 170 years later. In 539 BC, Persia conquers Babylon led by Cyrus. And so what he's talking about is fulfilled now.

170 or so years later on, after Isaiah is dead, well before Cyrus is born, but he calls him out by name. It's pretty amazing. That's the kind of God that he is. He knows those details. He declares that which will be. He is the creator. Chapter 45 now, verse 1. Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held.

To subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings. To open before him the double doors so that the gates will not be shut. Here he says in verses 1 through 8, I'm going to subdue nations before Cyrus. He's my shepherd. I'm going to give him kingdoms. I'm going to take care of him and pave the way so that he can conquer nations. And it's amazing how this is fulfilled because when Cyrus took Babylon...

It wasn't a battle that he didn't have to build siege mounds or anything like that. It wasn't like a scene from Lord of the Rings or anything like that. What he did was he diverted the Euphrates River and then they went inside the river and marched into Babylon. Now, there was a gate inside the river that is locked and shut and, you know, so it wouldn't be a possible thing. But without any explanation...

That river gate was unlocked. And so they marched up the river, which was greatly reduced because they diverted the water. And the gate was unlocked. And so they just marched right into the city. They didn't have to worry about penetrating the walls or getting over them. They just marched right in. And what does it say there in verse 1? To open before him the double doors so the gates will not be shut. You can read about it in Daniel chapter 5 too. It was fulfilled exactly the way that God said 170 years before it took place.

And he says in verse 5, I am the Lord. There is no other. There's no God beside me. God works in people's lives even if they don't know him. Cyrus wasn't a believer, but he can move nations even if they don't worship God. God is big. Warren Wiersbe says, if God can use a pagan ruler to serve his people and fulfill his word, you have no reason to be afraid of what people may say or do. Yeah, you might get freaked out about that boss because you're like, well, he's a pagan. He doesn't care about God.

Well, that doesn't matter. He's still in God's hands. God will still accomplish his work. Verse 9 through 13, he says, woe to him who strives against his maker. So think about this picture, right? God's big. He's creator of the universe. He spreads it out. He doesn't need help holding it up. Woe to you if you strive against that guy. I mean, it doesn't even make sense. Why would you strive against the Lord? Remember what the Lord spoke to the Apostle Paul before he was the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus?

As he's persecuting the church, God says, it's hard for you to kick against the goads. You're striving against your maker and it's hard and you're miserable. Surrender to me. Don't make yourself miserable by trying to resist me. I'm the creator. I hold the stars. Submit your life to me. Verse 14 through 19, he says, Israel shall be saved by the Lord. Again, his message is to Israel of comfort.

I've got you. I'm taking care of you. I'm going to bring you back into the land. I'm going to establish you. I still have great plans for you. I haven't forgotten about you. So verse 20 through 25, look to me and be saved. He says, every knee will bow before God. Every knee will bow. So look to me, bow right now that you might be saved.

Here's a quick look at the map of Babylon once again. It's a vast nation. But God is saying they're going to be brought down by Cyrus. And Cyrus is going to lead the Persian Empire. Which God says, I'm going to pave the way. Just take a look real quick here. So here's Babylon. You can see Babylon. You can see Jerusalem. You can see the extent of their territory. Now look at Persia. You can see we have to zoom out a little bit. Oops, I went too far.

There you go. You have to zoom out a little bit. Babylon and Jerusalem are still there, but Persia conquered a lot more territory, just like God said.

He said he paved the way that nations were going to bow before him. And that's what happened. Shushan is the capital of the Persian Empire as it gets established. But he conquers Babylon without a real battle. He takes over all of these territories. It was a great work that God did that he said in advance he would do. And he says, I'm telling you in advance...

I'm doing all this so that you can see 170 years later, it was fulfilled exactly the way that I said, so that you could know that I'm God, so that you would surrender to me and return to me and not keep resisting your maker, but know that I'm God. Now as we go on into chapter 46, verse 1 is the key verse. He says, "...bell bows down, nebo stoops. Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, a burden to the weary beast."

In verses 1 through 4, God says, I will carry and deliver you. I'm going to carry you. But he's painting a picture here. He's giving us a contrast. He talks about Bel and Nebo. Now these were two of the gods of Babylon. So they worshipped Bel, they worshipped Nebo. And as they went in battle against all these other nations, they brought their gods with them. So what did that mean?

That means they had to pick up the statue, you know, put it on a beast, have the beast carry this heavy statue to all the places where they would go to battle. And God says, that's not how it is with me. You don't have to pick me up and carry me around. No, it's the other way. I carry you around. Now again, what kind of God do you want? A God, well, depending on what you can afford, whether it's gold or wood. Do you want a God that's blind and deaf?

Do you want a God that you have to carry around, that you have to prop it up, that you have to fasten it so it doesn't totter? You have to carry it from place to place. Is that the kind of God that you want? Or God says, I could carry you. I'm not a dead God. I'm not one that you have to carry around. I'm one that, well, I'll take care of you. And again, I would ask the question, what are you investing in? Are you investing in and pursuing things that you have to carry and you have to maintain that thing that you're pursuing?

You know what it's like, right? When you have to maintain it and that's difficult. It's work. It's hard. And there's great stress and anxiety now because it's all on you. You have to carry it. Listen, if there's a lot of anxiety in your life, you need to think about, am I carrying my God or is God carrying me? Who's my God? If I'm stressed out, who's my God? Worship the one who carries you. Verse 5 through 11, he says, to whom will you liken me?

Again, he talks about molding gold, hiring a goldsmith, putting it together, making a god, putting it on your shoulder to carry it around. You would compare that to me, God says, the creator, the one who declares the end from the beginning? In verse 12 through 13, he says, listen to me, you stubborn hearted. Listen to me, you stubborn hearted who are far from righteousness. Listen. God speaking to Judah, speaking to his people, speaking to us tonight says, listen to me. It's foolish to

To pursue things that are not God. It's foolish to invest yourself in things that are not God or not of God. It's foolish to be captivated and consumed by the things of this life. It's foolish to have a God that you have to carry. But why do we do that? Even if we know that it's foolish. Even if we know it produces anxiety. Why do we do it?

He says, listen to me, you stubborn hearted. As we finish up this evening, I would ask. I would ask you to ask yourself, am I soft hearted or stubborn hearted? So many times we just refuse to let go. We insist on our way. We want what we want. God says, soften your heart. Submit to me. You're far away from righteousness, he says.

Because you're resisting me. You're resisting my work. You're stubborn. You won't change. Just let me change you. Let me do my work. I've not forgotten you. I've not cast you off. I'm not done with you. But come back. Return to me. Listen to me. That's what God's asking for. The amazing thing about God is he does the work. As soon as we deal with that stubbornness,

And so, okay, Lord, I'm surrendering to you. Now, that's not a one-time thing that, okay, Lord, I surrender to you and then for the rest of my life, I'm fully surrendered. No problem. No, that doesn't work that way. It's a constant thing, surrendering to the Lord. But as I continue to surrender to the Lord, He does the work because He's God. He's creator. He spans the heavens. He doesn't need someone on the other side to hold it up. He's got it. He's big. He's awesome. He could do it.

He's just waiting for us to listen, to return, to let him do the work that he wants to do. And so the choice is ours. Invest in things that we have to carry and prop up and give us anxiety and stress us out and things that cannot satisfy us and make us miserable where we invest in God and we pursue him and we make him the most important thing in our life. And as we listen to him, he says, I'll take care of you. Let's pray.

Lord, you're amazingly gracious to us and patient with us and our stubborn hearts. And Lord, we thank you for that. And I pray, Lord, that you would soften us. Lord, that you would help us to overcome this pride in our hearts that keeps us in this position of refusing to listen to you, refusing to put you first, refusing to do things your way.

We have to insist on our way. It's better to pursue this, to pursue that, to make that more important, to spend my time here, to do that over there. We insist. Lord, help us to recognize that, to see that. Lord, we're blind and deaf because we've been pursuing these false gods that are blind and deaf. I pray, Lord, that you'd open our eyes. Lord, that we would see clearly what we're investing ourselves in. Lord, that we might stop being stubborn and listen to you.

And I pray as we turn to you, Lord, that you would do a radical work in us. Transform us, change us, and make us more like you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.