Isaiah 8:19-20
And when they shall say unto you, Seek
unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that
mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? 20
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it
is because there is no light in them. (Isa 8:19-20)
19 Apparently in Isaiah’s day, many
people were seeking advice from those who claimed to be able to communicate with
the world of the dad or some other realm. In question form, Isaiah reminds them
how much better it is to seek counsel from a living God rather than from those
who are already dead.
20 Isaiah wants his audience to
turn to God’s law and the testimony of Him. Instead, Israel seems to be turning
to those who do not speak the word of God, and as a result they have no light
in them. Literally, this says that there is no drawn for them. (Kerry
Muhlestein, Learning to Love Isaiah: A Guide and Commentary [American
Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, Inc., 2021], 77-78)
Isa 31:3
Now the Egyptians are men, and not
God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit, When the Lord stretch out his
hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down,
and they all shall fail together. (Isa 31:3)
Isaiah contrasts the mortal and
temporary powers of man with those of God, which never end. Those who claim to be
the strong of the world, and those who rely on those who make that claim, will
all eventually fail. This contrasts with those who trust in God, who never
fails.
The imagery presents an irony. In
our view, flesh is so much more real and substantial than spirit. Yet in
reality, flesh is so fleeting and temporary and impotent when compared with the
Spirit. We must teach ourselves to look with eyes that can see things in this
way. It is ever our temptation to trust in that which is tangible or has immediate
effect rather than to trust in the thing less easily seen and less immediate.
Yet it is the things of the Spirit that are more powerful and enduring, and we
must learn to see them and recognize them. (Ibid., 265-66)
Isa 42:8 and 43:7
I am the Lord: that is my name:
and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
(Isa 42:8)
8-9 As He has done several times
in the preceding chapters, God once again makes it clear that no one should
confuse His power with that of false gods. As evidence of the difference, He
again points out that they have never correctly prophesied of the future, yet
God has done so regularly. (Ibid., 353)
Even every one that is called by
my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have
made him. (Isa 43:7)
Those who will be gathered are
those who are called by God’s name, which happens when we make a covenant with
Him and take His name upon us. All of this happens in order to increase God’s
glory. This idea is best understood when we remember that God’s work and glory
is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). (Ibid.,
359-60)
Isa 43:10-11; 44:6-8, 24; 45:6-7
10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the
Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and
understand that I am he: before me there weas no God formed, neither shall
there be after me. 11 I, even I, and the Lord; and beside me there is no
Saviour. (Isa 43:10-11)
10 Those who will gather when God
calls, and who will listen, are His people (servant), for they know His voice
and come when He calls. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they
follow me” (John 10:17). He wants His people to understand and to declare that
He is truly the on and only true God. Other nations will not understand this,
but His people will, and they will be willing to bear witness of Him. God’s
servants will bear witness of Him and His greatness (see C[ome]F[follow]M[e]).
11 We see here another use of a
title for God. God declares boldly what only His people will truly understand
and bear witness of (see CFM):
He is the only one who can save. Period. (Ibid., 360)
6 Thus saith the Lord the King of
Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last;
and beside me there is no God. 7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it,
and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? And the
things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. 8 Fear ye not,
neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it?
ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I
know not any. (Isa 44:6-8)
6 In a manner similar to what we
have seen in the preceding chapters, as Israel) and we enters into a covenant
with God, they declare their names (as just happened in the last verse), and He
declares His. In this case, He not only declares His name (a CFM theme) but
also does so in a way that says something about Himself (which is really the
purpose of the names). This is a return to the notion of describing God’s
character and His relationship with us by use of His names and titles. He is
the beginning and end, the One who saves us, the One who reigns over us, and
the only One who is God. This is the Being with whom we have such a remarkable relationship.
7-8 Following a pattern we have
seen in preceding chapters, as God declares who He is, He also proves He is the
only God by showing that He is the only one who has been able to foretell
things before they happened. These verses and those that follow contrast the
God who was described so well in the preceding verse with the nonsense of
idols. (Ibid., 367-68)
Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer,
and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that
stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
(Isa 44:24)
As God has noted frequently in
previous chapters, and even in previous verses in this chapter, He is the great
Creator. He certainly has the power to redeem us. (Ibid., 370)
6 That they may know from the
rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the
Lord, and there is none else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make
peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. (Isa 45:6-7)
6-7 There should be no doubt that
God and God alone is responsible for what is happening. While it seems quite
clear Cyrus accepts Jehovah as an important deity whom he should appease—and probably
even worship—it appears that Cyrus just fit Him into his already existing
polytheistic pantheon. Though God is clear that no other gods had brought about
Cyrus’s rise, this lesson did not sink in for the Persians. It did, however,
for the Jews, who believed firmly that Jehovah alone had brought all this
about.
The combination of the rising sun
with the west indicates that Jehovah is God of the whole earth. The word
translated as “evil” is a word that is often used to mean “difficult” or “disastrous”
or “calamitous” things. Frequently the scriptures speak of God bringing these
conditions about in His efforts to humble His people. (Ibid., 375)
