Isaiah: No Other God

Isaiah 44:6—45:25

I first learned about a restaurant called Raan Jay Fai on a food show. (Yes, I’ll admit I watch these shows occasionally!) Their signature dish, a crab omelet, is masterfully made by the owner, who cooks wearing oversized goggles. So, when I went with a ministry group to Thailand and we had a long layover in Bangkok, it was the perfect opportunity to experience the specialty, and I couldn’t wait! We hired a driver and headed downtown, and wouldn’t you know it? The restaurant was closed that day!

After I shed a few tears, we walked about half a block down from Raan Jay Fai and discovered a shop that sold Buddhas—from statue sizes that would take up a front yard to ones you could set on a small table. Each one was made from plaster, wood, or metal. These statues, designed from common materials, are placed in special areas, so lifeless figures can be prayed to. That is sad!

Idol worship is illogical and absurd. These images are lifeless manmade statues. God is the Creator of heaven and earth. That’s a definite contrast that God drives home in our passage today.

In Isaiah 44:6-8, God is emphatic that he alone is the sovereign, living God. He further emphasizes this truth by his titles. He is the “Lord, the King of Israel” (Isa. 44:6a). He is the “Redeemer” and the “Lord of hosts” (Isa. 44:6b). He is the “first” and the “last” (44:6c). There is no one like him and no one even compares to him (Isa. 44:7, 8b). That is why those who follow him will “fear not, nor be afraid” (Isa. 44:8a).

Because God is God alone, “idols are nothing.” In Isaiah 44:9-20, God highlights the triviality of idols by the process of how they are made.  A man cuts down a tree using the wood to warm himself, roast his meat, and “the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, ‘Deliver me, for you are my god!’” (Isa. 44:17). In comparison, Israel has a God that formed her!  

The God who formed Israel (Isa. 44:21, 24) would redeem them, that is, bring them out of captivity (Isa. 44:23). They belong to God, and he will never forget them (Isa. 44:21). Their present state in Babylon was due to their sin. However, God graciously says:

Isaiah 44:22
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. 

God shapes us, redeems us, and forgives us because he is “the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by [himself]” (Isa. 44:24). He alone is worthy of our worship!

God foretells who will work on his behalf, a man named Cyrus. Just let that sink in for a second. Bible scholar John Martin marvels at this prophecy:

The fact that God predicted more than 150 years in advance that a man named Cyrus would release the Jewish exiles points to God’s uniqueness. To approach the Bible with an antisupernaturalistic bias and say that the references to Cyrus were added later, after he released the captives, causes the passage, as stated earlier, to lose its emphasis on God’s uniqueness in predicting the future. This would mean that God is no different from idols-the very point Isaiah is disproving!^[1]

Let’s think through what is going on here. Before Cyrus was born, God chose this pagan ruler as his instrument. He calls him, “my shepherd, and he shall fulfill my purpose” (Isa. 44:28), “his anointed…, whose right hand I have grasped” (Isa. 45:1). The word “anointed” was used to describe King Saul and King David (1 Sam. 10:1; 16:12). So, it seems that because Israel is in captivity, God will use Cyrus as an “anointed” ruler. And God has grasped his right hand, meaning that he, the Lord, is in complete control.

Here are actual dates to illustrate how this unfolded in history. Nebuchadnezzar broke through the walls of Jerusalem and took the people captive in 586 BC. Cyrus rose to power in 559 BC, conquering the Medes ten years later. In 539 BC, he conquered Babylon and a year later issued a decree for the Jews to return home and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1). The temple was rebuilt in 515 BC under Ezra’s leadership. The walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt in 444 BC under Nehemiah’s leadership. God sovereignly directed each move. Since God accomplished what he predicted in his prophetic word to Isaiah, we know he continues to accomplish his good and perfect will through world events today.

Isaiah 45:5-7
I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things. 

Now, some may argue, God, you shouldn’t do that! You shouldn’t use a pagan king for your purposes! God nips this argument in the bud! He reminds Judah that the clay does not ask the potter, “What are you making?” or “Your work has no handles?” (Isa. 45:9). We see Paul using this verse in Romans 9:20-21 to explain God’s sovereignty. God is the Creator, in control of all things and works all things to complete his purposes (Isa. 45:9-13).

God told Israel that one day all the nations that had opposed them would serve them and acknowledge that there is no God besides Israel’s God (Isa. 45:14). Israel would know that God saves “with everlasting salvation” (Isa. 45:17). He is the Lord and there is none like him (Isa. 45:18-21). Furthermore, he is the God of all nations. He says, “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isa. 45:22).

One day, every person who has ever lived will know that God is God and there is no other. Here’s our Anchor Point: 

Isaiah 45:23
By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’ 

Now, fast forward to the New Testament. God became man, lived on earth, and then Jesus went to the cross to die for our sins. The apostle Paul used Isaiah 45:23 to remind us that Jesus is God in the flesh, God our Savior, the Suffering Servant that Isaiah wrote about, and he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Philippians 2:5-11
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Isaiah 44:6-45:25. Focus on our Anchor Point—Isaiah 45:23 and Philippians 2:5-11.

Talking to God:  This section of Isaiah is a reminder of the worthlessness of idols in contrast to the sovereignty of God. Ask God to reveal any idols that you are bowing before. Then determine, with his help, to turn from the emptiness of false gods and praise him as the One who is God alone. 

Have Questions?
Please send your questions to our team. We are happy to assist you as we study God's Word together. Submit your question below, and we'll reply soon. Let us know if you’d like to learn more about a relationship with Jesus or desire spiritual counsel.

Every day is a day of spiritual renewal as we follow hard after Jesus.