Extending the theme begun in chapter 41, the Lord continues to make the case that there is no one like Him. The opening verse spotlights the Babylonian gods Bel and Nebo, showing their impotence to save the Babylonian peoples from captivity (1-2). Isaiah focuses on Babylonian gods since the Babylonians will one day overwhelm and exile Israel. For a time, it will seem their gods have won the day. But the day will come when the impotent idols, like those who worship them, will be carried “into captivity” (2).
The iconic representations of the so-called gods, Bel and Nebo, will sag and totter (“bow down”—1; “stoop”—1, 2) as they are carried on the backs of “weary beasts” (2). By contrast, the Lord wants Israel to realize that He is the God who has always carried them: “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been born by me from before your birth, carried from the womb” (3). From their inception as a nation, the Lord has carried the people He created.
Now the Lord promises the “remnant” who will live through the coming judgment “even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you” (4). The false gods have to be carried; the One True God carries His people: “I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” (4). As the Lord has created Israel, he will carry them. As He has saved them in the past (“former things of old”—6), He will save them again in the future.
In light of the contrast between Bel and Nebo who must be carried and the Lord who carries Israel, the Lord once again asks the question: “To whom will you like me and make me equal? (5, see 40:18,25). God has no equals or even rivals. Idols are simply the creation of craftsmen, impotent, immobile and mute (6-7). Those who “fall down and worship” their idols, will fall down (6).
After telling His people to listen, the Lord now calls them to “Remember this and stand firm.” When God’s people forget, they get in trouble. When they fail to stand firm in their faith, they (like king Ahaz) do not stand at all (8, see 7:9). The Lord speaks to a people who have gone astray (“you transgressors”), failing to keep in mind what He has done for them (“the former things of old”—8). They have lost sight of the most basic reality in life: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me” (9). Only the True God declares “the end from the beginning” (10), setting forth His purposes and carrying them out fully (10). As the Lord reminds His wayward people: “I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass, I have purposed, and I will do it” (11).
Again, the Lord seeks to shake and wake His hardhearted people, telling them to “Listen to me, you stubborn of heart, you who are far from righteousness” (12). God pledges to bring his righteousness “near” and to carry out His salvation without “delay” (13). He promises to “put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory” (13). The Lord will bring deliverance to the remnant exiled in Babylon. He will bring them Home, showing His righteousness and salvation in a way that reveals His own glory through the nation of Israel.
Behold Your God
The Lord makes and carries us; all other gods are made and carried by us. Again, in Isaiah 46, we see the Lord drawing a sharp contrast between Himself and all other so-called gods. Bel and Nebo, the Babylonian gods, are made by humans (6) and carried on beasts of burden (1-2). The Lord both made and carries His people (4). No wonder the Lord can ask, “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?” (6). No wonder the Lord can declare: “I am God, and there is no other” (9).
The Lord wants His people to listen and remember in order to stand firm in faith. Twice in this chapter, the Lord calls His people to “listen” (3, 12). He calls them to “remember” and “stand firm” in the truth of His uniqueness (8).
The Lord accomplishes His plans and purposes for His world. The things he declares “of old” come to pass (8). Why? Because the Lord makes sure His “counsel shall stand” (10). He can emphatically pronounce, “I will accomplish all my purpose” (10). When a “bird of prey” (Cyrus) arises to attack the nations, it is only because the Lord has called him to carry out His counsel and purpose (11). History is not careening out of control, driven by the capricious will of tyrants. As the Lord reminds His people, “I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it” (11).
The Lord purposes to put salvation in Zion. The remnant the Lord carries through exile will live to see God’s deliverance (salvation) come to Zion; they will return through the help of Cyrus to Jerusalem. But this promise to “put salvation in Zion” will be fulfilled in a fuller sense when the Suffering Servant provides salvation through his sacrificial death in Jerusalem (Isa 53; Luke 24). Finally, in the fullest sense, salvation will come to Zion when the Lord recreates the heavenly Jerusalem and dwells among His people (Rev 21-22)
Here Am I
I can trust the Lord to carry me through life until He brings me Home. As one of the “sons of Abraham” (Gal 3:26), I get in on the promise of being carried by the Lord through life. Even to my “old age” and “gray hairs” He will carry me. Even when I feel carried into exile, He will be carrying me. What security and stability this promise brings in an unstable world.
I do not want to be “stubborn of heart” when it comes to believing God’s Word. Israel is castigated by God for being “stubborn of heart” and “far from righteousness” (12). I don’t want to be one who fails to listen (3, 12). I want to hear His words and wait on Him to fulfill His promises. Lord, thank you for the way I am hearing your voice through this study of Isaiah.
I want to live with a biblically big vision of God. Throughout this section of Isaiah, the Lord declares and defends the truth that He has no rival or equal: “To whom will you liken me and make me equal?” (5). May I strengthen and stabilize my soul in knowing my great God.
Rick and Linda Reed 