Isaiah 41:1-10, 12-15, 17-18, 20-29 NIV
“Be silent before me, you islands! Let the nations renew their strength! Let them come forward and speak; let us meet together at the place of judgment.
“Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service ? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow. He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before. Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord —with the first of them and with the last—I am he.”
The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward; they help each other and say to their companions, “Be strong!” The metalworker encourages the goldsmith, and the one who smooths with the hammer spurs on the one who strikes the anvil. One says of the welding, “It is good.” The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.
“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord , your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
“Present your case,” says the Lord . “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King. “Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; whoever chooses you is detestable.
“I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes— one from the rising sun who calls on my name. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay. Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’? No one told of this, no one foretold it, no one heard any words from you. I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’ I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news. I look but there is no one— no one among the gods to give counsel, no one to give answer when I ask them. See, they are all false! Their deeds amount to nothing; their images are but wind and confusion.
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Isaiah 41 is addressed to the Greek islands. Ancient Greece was a grouping of city states, each with their own king or government. The Greeks were idol worshipers like most of the nations at that time. Now Persia is on the rise as a world power. Babylon which conquered Assyria is the current champion and ruling power of the east, but soon Persia will conquer all.
This oracle is directed to the Greeks and their idols to shame them, while the Hebrew exiles listen in on God's message to the pagans through the prophet. But the oracle also directly communicates a message of hope to the Hebrews themselves. God will lead them out of Babylonian captivity! He will do this through Persian dominance.
Isaiah 41 first begins with God calling to the Greeks who live on their islands to come and meet with Him. The Lord asks them who has called up a leader from the east, who conquers every nation and continues his march westward? God answered His own question: "I, the Lord, the first and last, I am he."
The Greeks are alarmed by Persia's power and they band together, the many sovereign city states of the Greek isles, to prepare for war. They pray to their idols trusting the pagan gods they represent.
In contrast God suddenly speaks directly to the Hebrew exiles. They do not worship idols anymore. They were called out of the nations to worship the Lord who cannot be adequately represented by any graven image. God's message is kind and greatly encouraging. "I chose you. I haven't forgotten you. I will help you. I will strengthen you. I will restore you, and you will become a mighty nation. The poor within you will be cared for. The restoration of beaten and enslaved Israel will be a wonder to the rest of the world. When the Hebrew exiles return from Babylon and rebuild Jerusalem, again a sovereign power, the nations will hear and know that the Lord did this.
God turns His attention back to the Greeks. “Present your case,” says the Lord. Now God is belittling the idol worshiping Greeks by addressing their dumb idols. God wants the pagan gods to predict the future or instruct about things long forgotten so that the Greeks might be informed as to how to respond to the Persian threat. But alas the idols cannot. They are nothing. Whoever worships these worthless idols are fools.
So God informs them that He is responsible for Persia. Through His prophet He informs them about what will happen. The Lord was the first to bring the news of Persia's rising power. The idols have said nothing. Those who seek counsel from idols will find themselves misdirected and confused. The Greeks will be unprepared for Persia. They should learn to seek the living God who has established Persia as the new world power.
If I were an idol worshiping Greek concerned about the security of my people and I heard this message, I'd likely be irritated. None of us like having our beliefs challenged or our way of life belittled. But I wouldn't forget what was said either. So when Persia does conquer and Israel is restored as a vassal state under Persian rule, I would remember that the prophet said Yahweh, the God of Israel, accomplished this. If I'm wise I might turn from idol worship to serve the God of the Jews.
If I listen to Isaiah 41 as an exiled Jew, I might be filled with hope at the encouraging news. I might also harden my heart against the prophet's words because my suffering under Babylon has been long. Perhaps I have given up on God.
To apply this word I ask myself which group am I most like today? Am I more like the Greeks who seek direction and strength from something less than God? Do I trust in alliances with friends, but neglect a relationship with the Lord? Do I look for wisdom to guide my life in the self help section of the bookstore, but never open my bible? Do I listen to Oprah, or some other television personality, to counsel me? Am I feeling threatened that my life is somehow soon to be attacked? Am I rallying to meet some challenge to my future? How am I prepared for the test? Will my friends be able to sustain me? Do my sources for guidance, wisdom, and counsel truly help? Will today's horoscope hold the answer? If not, then why not turn to the God of the bible, the living God who still speaks through His word. There I will find direction that will not fail me. Through faith in Him I will be able to face any threat with confidence in the Lord.
Am I more like the Hebrews? Do I feel as if I am cut off from God? Do I feel like I am trapped in a life far away from home and everything good? Don't fall for the lies. If I'm being challenged it is for my benefit under God's guiding hand. If I'm humbled by circumstances it does not mean God has abandoned me. I must listen to the word of hope. God will strengthen me. God will restore me. The promises to Israel are promises I can believe in, because I am I included now with Israel as a child of God through faith in Christ. God speaks through His ancient word. The living God speaks afresh through the prophet and my heart is renewed with courage and strength through the hope He gives.
Whatever your situation, whether you are looking for counsel in all the wrong places, or you're feeling cut off from God and goodness, hear the word of the Lord and let your eyes be opened and your heart be filled with hope. God is good and He is at work in our world bringing about the blessed knowledge of God. Watch for His wonders and come to know Him.
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