Isaiah 44:1-28
This is what the Lord says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
This is what the Lord says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
“Remember these things, Jacob, for you, Israel, are my servant. I have made you, you are my servant; Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”
I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself,
These chapters continue the themes that run through the whole section: Israel as God's servant, the object of his love; God as lord of history, the only one able to draw back the veil on the future; ridicule(嘲笑) of the lifeless no-gods that humans worship; God's promise that he will set his people free.
We are taken a stage further. The general promise that God will rescue his people becomes specific. In the reign of Cyrus, Jerusalem and its Temple will be rebuilt.
Why?
No God but God; the forecast of Israel's return.
Israel is servant of the Lord, is the chosen one.
God asked his people return to Him, for God has redeemed him. So as we when we turn to the Lord and through Jesus Christ we are like Israelites, God has redeemed us.
Do not like those who understand nothing, their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
How?
No one like God, who can redeem me and save me. Praise his Holy name forever!
No comments:
Post a Comment