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Watching the singing of “Jesus I give you thanks”,I am struck by the many beautiful faces, hairstyles, clothes, glitz and glamour – and I find myself comparing them with the simple band of disciples who followed Jesus – not always clean, home spun clothes – such a contrast.

“ Yes there is a huge outward contrast – but they were just as human as the singers and everyone around you. They had the same desires for making a name for themselves, for entitlement and self-centredness as you have and everyone in my creation. That is why I came – I came to rescue them, to rescue you and all mankind from their sinful, selfish desires. Your position has nothing to do with your worth. I create people for different purposes and put them into the places I will use them for my kingdoms sake. All of them have this in common – I am rescuing them and changing them and you Romans 8:28. All things work together for the good of them that love me and are called by my name, but to make sure I’m not talking about giving just good things I remind the reader shortly after that, that I am good! Why? It is because it is easy to misinterpret that passage and think I’m handing out worldly goods – instead the greatest blessings you may experience come during the most difficult of times – and in the midst of that you need to remember– I am good and my intentions are for your good – to grow you to be more like me. Prince and pauper – the beautiful singers – their reality is deep down the same as the shack dweller – I have come to rescue all – no one is more valuable than the rest!

Coming now to Isaiah chapter 54, the writer continues to put the events of the previous chapter into the perspective of Israelites.They are depicted as a barren woman and compared with the new covenant which is now being introduced as a mother of a great and growing family.This family will not be confined to the people of Israel but will spread across all the nations of the world.

The certainty of the fulfilment of this prophecy is depicted by the husband of the woman who is actually Yahweh himself. The future relationship with God will be as close as a marriage.

In verse 10 the love of God in the new covenant will not be removed from Israel, but will continue and be greater than his wrath. Verses 13 and 14 God promises prosperity but that should not be confused with physical prosperity it will be a spiritual prosperity.

So we come to chapter 55 which opens with this wonderful invitation to come and partake of the benefits of this new covenant. I suggest that you read chapter 55 and consider the application of what is written there in terms of understanding what that reveals about the new covenant and how that relates to us. Then we can revisit that chapter on Monday and discover what we have been shown. Don’t hesitate to share your discoveries. That’s how we can teach each other.

In the meantime what has Jesus been saying to me from our reading today? The clearest word from him is that it’s not just good enough to know the truth of chapter 53 but that one must actually receive it for yourself. You must apply it to your heart.

We have a Father in heaven above,/ with eyes full of mercy and a heart full of love,/ He really cares when your head is hung low,/ consider the lilies and then you will know.

“Consider the fact – that you have a Father in heaven above. Consider My attitude towards you and all My children, an attitude of special care – I made you, I rescued you, I have always provided for you- spiritually as well as physically – that is Me! I do really care about you, just as you can see I care for the whole of My creation – I see when your head is hung low . I want to pick it up – I want you to start rejoicing – from the deepest part of your heart. You cannot start rejoicing when your head is hanging. So, by faith, trusting in Me completely – in My Fatherhood – pick it up and start rejoicing. I want you to fly with Me – stand on the roof-top and shout ‘This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it'”

Today with Easter approaching, we come to one of the most precious sections of the Old Testament; Isaiah 53. It was from this chapter that the Ethiopian eunuch was reading, in Acts 8 that led him to the Lord. There is so much in this chapter. I am going to give a few pointers and invite you to soak yourselves in it.

We start at 52:13. which brackets the whole section with vs with 53:12a at the other end. Up till now the identity of the “Servant” has not always been clear. Sometimes it seems to be the remnant of believers, sometimes the prophet and sometimes a figure far in the future. These bracketed vv clearly show us the identity of this Servant. He is High and exalted and given a portion among the great. It can be no other than the Messiah Himself.

Secondly we see that the whole thrust of the section is on the substitutionary nature of the servant’s suffering and death. This is the central doctrine of our faith. Over an over He is depicted as marred, stricken, rejected, oppressed and ultimately assigned to the grave. But His sufferings have a specific purpose. Vs 4 He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. Vs 5 He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, the punishment which brought us peace was on Him. Vs 6b The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Vs 10b The Lord makes Him a guilt offering.

Now I want to take you back to 51:22b “see I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger”. That is the cup, as we saw, of God’s wrath. God, Having reminded us of the reality of His wrath, then says He has taken the cup away (prophetically). Having shown us this important fact He now shows how He has done that in ch 53. He has asked Jesus to take it on our behalf. He was the only one that could do it, because He had never transgressed. Now the whole of Ch 53 depicts various aspects of Jesus suffering and death. How intense it was. Drawn out, ongoing, till He died.

I want to ask you to stop, as we approach Easter and consider. The cup of God’s wrath which is described as making us stagger, is what awaits every person who does not avail themselves of this vicarious death. By showing the extent of Jesus’ suffering, a picture of what God’s wrath is really like, should come home to us . That wrath that we have now escaped. In the inadequate words after taking communion service, “And be thankful”.

Thankful! How can we ever thank Him enough? There is no way we can repay Him. We must simply respond in love and thanksgiving. “Could my zeal no respite know/ Could my tears forever flow/ all for sin could not atone/Thou must save and thou alone/ Nothing in my hand I bring/Simply to thy cross I cling”. (Rock of Ages cleft for me). I invite you to come and cast yourself alongside me this Easter at the foot of the cross where He accomplished this and express our deepest thanksgiving, together.

Jesus, Name above all Names, Highly exalted!

“Come and take My hand and let Me show you”. Its as if God is leading me outside where I can see into the distance – even up into the unplumbable depths of outer space. “I have created all things in order – despite the disorder you see around you, which is ongoing because of sin. Despite that, there is a massive well-oiled order which is driving the whole universe. I am the King of Kings, I have the authority over all of this, because I made it, I own it. I have made you to fit into that order and am orchestrating it constantly. Now the true contentment that comes from being in harmony with that order does not only come from making the right big decisions – it comes from recognizing that you have nothing intrinsically to commit to that order. Only doing what I have laid out for you, can you contribute to the harmony of My order. The starting point of your usefulness in My kingdom, is recognizing – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God”. That is the starting point of true discipleship”.

Now back to Isaiah, from 51:9 to 52:12. There are three calls of ‘awake, awake’, which provide the structure. The first in 51:9 seems to come from the remnant, still in bondage in Babylon. They are feeling that God has abandoned them. Fallen asleep? So they are reminding Him of His relationship with them and His promises to them of their return to Zion. They are reminding Him of the great deliverance of the Exodus.

God answers “awake, awake” in vs 17. He puts their suffering into the context of His wrath. This passage strikes a special cord, as we read of God’s wrath being likened to a cup that makes you stagger v 22b. Look at the promise in vs 22 a. “See, I have taken out of your hand this cup”. How has He done that? Pause for a moment and allow your thoughts to go to a garden. The garden of Gethsemane and Jesus’ prayer. “take this cup away from Me, yet not My will but yours, O Lord” (Luke 22:42).

Prophetic words looking forward to the greatest event of all time, which started with the difficult submission of a Man/God to His Father’s will; to drink this awful cup on behalf of the whole of mankind, that we may have the opportunity of escaping the full effect of that wrath. See it is only God Himself that can take away the cup of His wrath so that we never have to drink of it again. (52:22 b).This little section illuminates that scene in the darkness of the night in he garden with the brightest of light, because it is only when we fully understand how awful God’s wrath is, that we can appreciate the full extent and value of what Jesus did there, taking it with Him to the cross.

That is why the last “awake, awake” (52:1), becomes so logical. This act of removing God’s wrath has made it possible for every one of us to be clothed with garments of splendour. These garments are further described in 61:10 “the garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness”. If we understand what this means, we will be the first to go out and proclaim what has happened 52:7. We will hasten to stand on a mountain top and shout it aloud. As we appreciate it we will burst into songs of joy as God comforts us while we “return to Jerusalem”, to His bosom.

Isn’t it wonderful how the Old Testament keeps referring us to the gospel. That is the key to life. That is the only key to life. The key that opens the door for God’s abundant blessings. We see also here how the word comfort is used to show how trusting in he gospel message brings the greatest comfort. Because comfort can only come when we are in a healthy relationship with the Lord.

Listening to Jesus, how does the promise of God’s comfort make you feel? Let us all rejoice together.

I am struggling today to understand how, on the one hand, I can trust God for the really big things, the important things in my life – yet can become so upset when I am faced with everyday irritating challenges, not seeming to be able to trust in God caring for those as well..

“I have given you a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone – through My Spirit. For you to receive the full benefit of the work I am doing in your heart, you need to stand back and relinquish your desire to control, to get revenge, to demonstrate your authority. You need to become completely humble – emptying yourself of all the desires you have to run your own life your way. Instead, as you relinquish that and humble yourself under My mighty hand, so that I can start guiding you and giving you love instead of revenge, obedience to Me instead of having things your way – then you will find true peace, as you find My way is always the right way. My outcome is always the one which will benefit you and My kingdom the most. All flesh is frail, take heart and take the first step again today by becoming completely humble.”

Last time we saw The Lord’s almost sense of frustration at the people He had chosen to be His witnesses, the heralds of His reality and love to the world. He ended the piece with a challenge to the people, suggesting that they did not really believe He had the power to carry out His plan. He reminded them of His great works of the past. In today’s section, as we look at 50:4 – 51:9, he once again puts forward His Solution to their problem of disobedience revealed in (50:1). He will raise up a Servant that will have the ability and desire to be obedient under the most trying circumstances. He declares that has not been rebellious (50:5b) despite being rejected and scorned.

Who is this Servant? The text certainly is used a number of times to describe Jesus in the New Testament. What is clear is that this person is coming in the power and through the action of the Lord God or the One, cf vv 4,5,7,8,9. When the text comes to vv 10 and 11 we are faced again with the responsibility that we have to make the right choice. Verse 10 shows us clearly, we must fear the Lord first, listen to the voice of His Servant, trust in the name of Yahweh and lean on Him. The alternative, in v 11, are those who choose their own illumination, which will take them to the place of torment.

There are a number of other pointers to follow. Jesus is the One who instructs us and can sustain us, if we listen to His word. He wants to and will wake you each morning to meet with Him. Just as he has been obedient, we need, through His power, to be obedient too. Then, as much as He was rejected we can expect that to also happen to us, in a world which is at war with Him. Yet he will vindicate us and He has taken care of the condemnation we face. there is much to absorb and meditate on.

These “servant songs” are a bit like an impressionistic painting, where there are splashes of colour which suggest the picture, without painting it in detail. Just so we see brief glimpses which reveal different aspects of our Saviour Jesus, as the prophet saw them, especially in these “Servant Sogs”, which we can complete in our imagination. As you sit back and meditate on them you can see the gorgeous masterpiece slowly being revealed, which is finally going to be revealed on the cross.

Chapter 51 begins with 9 vv which give the reader three incentives to make the right choice between 50:10 and 11 and spur us on to be obedient. See if you can identify them.

“Oh the goodness of Jesus. Your love has come like a mighty flood and it was that love that bound you to the cross, that took you to the grave, before you rose and it is that love that comes again to wash me clean.

“Come to Me, bring me your ‘righteousness’. You need to be cleansed from your own righteousness – you see your own righteousness is like filthy rags to Me. Any sense of your coming close to Me and spending time with Me depends on your own worth, your own ability to hear Me speak to you, your growth, your understanding of My word and obeying Me. If you are depending, in any measure on those things – they are as filthy rags to Me. The only merit you have is from Me – I cleansed you and started a new work in you. Any merit you have is entirely from My grace and because you are now ‘in Jesus’. It is only when you realize this fully in your deepest heart, will you know what it truly means to say ‘not my will but thou will o Lord”.

Thank you Lilly on your observation of being engraved on the Lord’s hands. It is really integral to the second part of ch 49 and how it flows into ch 50. The opening of a new thought is in 49:14. Zion says, “The Lord has abandoned me”, the Lord has forgotten me”. Obviously this refers to the exile and the feeling that the remnant would have had. In the face of the many promises of God’s care for them up to then, they find themselves in exile. Has God truly forgotten them? Has He abandoned them? So up to 50:3 He addresses this. He uses these various pictures of “being engraved on His hands” and a mother not forgetting her child from her womb, whom she is nursing, to show the sureness of His continuing love and concern for them.

Then He launches into a picture of the future blessings that await them and His revenge on those who have oppressed them. But notice His ultimate purpose in this relationship, in vs 26b. “Then all flesh will know that I, Yahweh am your Saviour and your Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob”.

In ch 50 then He again addresses their sense of separation from Him. Now He is saying they are not divorced from Him but are feeling separated from Him. He speaks of their being sold, not because of Yahweh, but because of their own iniquities. When He wanted a relationship with them they were nowhere to be found. Then he finally denies the thought that He did not have the power or ability to save them. That is why He reminds them of His mighty historic deeds in 50:2b, 3.

Back to square 1 then is it? No He is laying the basis for introducing the whole revelation of His “Solution” to this problem. A Servant is going to come. He will make all he difference to this apparent impasse. So this is the background against which the rest of ch 50 is to be seen, which we will look at next time.

Well what does that mean for us then? For me personally? Just as much as God would never abandon Israel, His chosen people, so He will never abandon us, who are also His chosen people, His loved ones. So Lilly has it completely right, we are engraved on His hands.. He will never forget us, we are completely secure. This is so important because there are times in all our lives when we may feel that He has turned away from us. The good news is that we now have the “Servant” which we will read about as we go on who is making all the difference, under the New Covenant. The One whom this is ultimately all about and the One who makes this all real to us.

“Broken”, the word comes to me over and over. Now I see a picture – a picture of a figure being mocked, His beard forcibly being plucked out, a crown made up of long thorns being rammed down with force upon his head, blood springs out and trickles down. I hear the thud as nails go through his hands and feet – his body jerking in agony every time the nails are struck. The cross lifted up and dropped in place with a thud – more agony. All the time voices clamouring, “crucify, crucify – He saved others let Him save Himself”. Darkness – sudden, inky, black darkness – forsaken – broken, completely broken, in body but also His contact with the love of His Father broken. Blood flowing down into the dust of Jerusalem.

“Broken for you Ian. My body was broken for you so that yours may be made whole again, your real self ‘you’ who you are – made whole. My relationship with the Father broken – so that yours may be healed. I have given all for you, now I expect your all for Me – there can be no half-measures, it is either ‘all or nothing’, if you wish to follow Me.”

I understand now, Jesus wants my complete self, not just that, which I can give without it disturbing my comfort.

Continuing in Isaiah 48 and into 49. One can sense this wonderful all-encompassing plan that God has had from the beginning, continually featuring in the background, as a framework for this prophecy . The plan that He voiced to Abraham written in Gen 12:1-3, which ends with the words, “All the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you”. His plan flowing from the physical descendants of Abraham, who would become the nation of Israel, was to bring a blessing to the whole world. In the process they would also be blessed.

One can almost sense God’s frustration in Isaiah 48:18, “If only you had paid attention to my commands, you would have been blessed with peace” and in vs 18, “your descendants would have been like the sand of he sea.” But they had not heard or obeyed so they would have no peace, “because there is no peace for the wicked”.

Yet in His grace, He had not given up on them. What is His plan for them and the world? This is revealed in Ch 49. It centers around a figure called, God’s servant in 9:3. It was always God’s plan vs 1,to raise this figure for His purpose. Notice in vs 2, he will be “like a polished arrow”. Now what are the features and purpose of an arrow? It flies straight at it’s target, to accomplish the archer’s purpose, especially one that has been polished. However he is hidden for the time being. (The mystery, which is revealed much later revealed in Ephesians 3:4-6)

So what is this purpose of God? It is worded so beautifully in vs 6: The servant will accomplish this hugely important task (no small thing). He will not only restore Israel, but become a light for the Gentiles, that He may bring salvation to the ends of the earth”. The language is confusing because there are times when the servant appears to be a single figure, then again he appears to be speaking of Israel as a whole. We should not be put off by this. It is prophetic language so you must see past it to hear the melodic thread, as it weaves its way through the text.

What is important, is to see the emphatic statement in vs 8. There will be a day of salvation. A day which will be the turning point in history but also a day which each one of us needs to experience on a personal level, which will be the turning point in our lives. At that moment, His covenant will be introduced. vs 8. His new covenant, a covenant by which He will set the captives free, and call those in darkness into light. vs 9.

The rest of the chapter continues to reveal the benefits of God’s saving covenant, much of which is in symbolic language. Yet there is plenty of food for thought for each of us to meditate on, in the detail of those vv. What is very important though, is the last vs 26 b: “Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord am your Saviour, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Can there be any doubt about who he is talking about and His ultimate purpose?

I have painted the picture with a vast sweep of a large brush to help us to keep our bearings. However down to a personal level now, what is Jesus saying to you? What is He saying to me? I am reminded that I, like each one of us, have a special part to play in His plan. To play that part it is more important to grow in who we are by keeping close to Jesus than what we must do, He will lead us continually into the place where He wants us to be most effective as His witnesses by fulfilling our role in that plan.

“Weary” the word comes to me several times.

“There are times when the traveler becomes weary, but be careful that you do not allow your mind to slip into a sort of self-pity, where you keep reminding yourself about how weary you are. I have promised that when you are weary and heavy laden – you can come to Me and I will bear that burden with you and lift it. But when you find yourself saying how weary you are – remind yourself that I have already told you that I will lift your burdens and grasp that reality – that Presence and believe and trust in it. I have also said, ‘If you hope in the Lord you will rise up with wings as an eagle’. Turn your mind, therefore away from your weariness and look to Me and receive My joy. Live in My joy and My hope and the weariness will slip away. But remember also, that I am always here so that when you are genuinely weary from pain, whether physical or emotional, from disappointments, separation etc – I am here and I hear you and you can bring that to Me as many times as you wish.”

As we continue reading Isaiah into chps, 47 and 48, we see once again, the strong element of judgement, which has lain heavily throughout Isaiah. In ch 47 God returns to His judgement on Babylon, with powerful words of warning that it is exactly the things they feel secure against cf vs 7 ff, that are going to be the areas where disaster will strike them. As I look at these descriptions I see so many of those attitudes around me today, in the secular world. Especially here where we live in Helderberg Village. However the main thrust of God’s anger seems to lie in the accusation in vs 6 that God had handed His people over to the Babylonians, to be chastised. They had however, been more ruthless and cruel than ever was necessary.

Ultimately he ends the chapter with the statement which echoes with Romans 3. “Each wanders his own way” and then the rider, “no one can save you”. To understand this alarming statement it is necessary to see that the first step to salvation is a realization that you are following your own way. In other words one has to understand how lost you are, to want to be saved. Even the “good” people are following their own way. God’s judgement, however, has always had the purpose of bringing people back to Him.

In ch 48 The word of judgement turns towards Israel, God’s own people. Here we need to sit up and take notice. The nation of Israel in the Old Testament represents the “visible” church of the New Testament. Note, NOT the real church, which is limited to believers. Look at some of God’s statements. Vs 1, they are not focused on the truth and righteousness. Vs 4Their necks are like iron, demonstrating their stubbornness. V 8 They have not been listening.

So He turns that around and has something important to say to His people. First note, however how He keeps repeating the word or concept of listening from vs 12, “Listen to Me oh Jacob”; vs 14 “Come together and listen”, vss15,16; “I, the Lord have spoken…. Come near to Me and listen to this”; vs 17 b “I am the Lord who teaches you……who directs you in the way to go”. vs 18, “If only you had paid attention…..” The underlying cause of their troubles is directly related to their stiff necks and foreheads like bronze. vs 4. They have heard these things… yet not paid attention.

The nation of Israel is in deep trouble. The underlying reason for that is their stubbornness which is reflected in their inability or unwillingness to listen. They hear the Lord speaking, yet don’t act on it. It is as if He has not spoken at all. How much of the huge troubles that pervade the visible church today are due to them bashing along, doing their own thing. Involved in peripheral issues and neglecting the precious gospel message.

To-day however, we must look inward. I must look at myself and say “How well am I listening to Jesus?” In 48:11 God says “for My own sake, I do these things….I will not yield my glory to another”. All God’s actions are ultimately there to give Himself glory and to take us to a place where we can live to His glory. What do you hear Him saying to you today? Is your life and your attitude towards life glorifying God? Are you complaining, deep inside your heart about issues? I have to ask myself that continually, when events are not working out exactly as I would like them to.

As I relax in the Lord’s presence, I find myself aware of my breathing – “Your breath is a sign of life – the life I have given you, but it is also a sign of the real life I have given you at your second birth – the breath of the Spirit, who is now present in you as a gift from Me – won on the cross at Calvary. Breathe easily and remember the huge benefits my Spirit brings to you – the difference that makes it possible for you rise up as on the wings of an eagle – with My Spirit in you anything is possible – the mundane falls away in response to My Presence. So breathe my Spirit, allow Him to take over your life and grow you to be like Me – then you will be a true and effective witness to Me and My love, but remember if you move away from My Spirit and Me, I won’t force you to come back – I will woo you – but in the meantime, if salt loses its saltiness – what use will it be – without My Spirit your life will be like salt without its saltiness.”

Isaiah 45:20 – 46:13. Throughout the bible there is one main theme – salvation. It is easy to allow the constant references to salvation to fade into the background. Here in this passage we are again reminded of this important and central aim of Yahweh. The passage is bracketed by two statements about His ability to save 45:21b and 46:13. This follows His statement in 45:20, where He contrasts this with those those who carry gods that cannot save, in a mocking way.

Now this action of God is not an intellectual description of a characteristic of His. It is grounded in the very fact of our real need to be saved. Therefore God demands a response from the hearers, not just a nod of approval. cf 45:22 “Turn to Me and be saved” and he addresses this to the whole world. We are then reminded that there will come a time when the whole earth will be faced with His reality and will be forced to respond in humility to Him. cf 45:23b-25. Remember Paul’s reminder of this to us in the passage in Phillipians ch 2.

His reference to “All the descendants of Israel being saved in 45:25” should be seen in the light of Romans 9:6 ff where Paul states “all Israel is not Israel” meaning that it is only those who have faith in God that are the true Israel. In he same way we become part of Israel when we become children of God by faith.

One or two more interesting facts from Ch 46: Nebo and Bel are two of the gods of Babylon. Throughout the whole bible, Babylon represents all that is evil in the world. Many of the kings of Babylon incorporated the names of their gods in their own names hence “Nebo(u)-chadnezzar”, indicating their absolute alignment with these imaginary deities.

What is significant in ch 46 is the description of the burden that the gods of the Babylonians were to them. They had to carry their gods 46:1,2, whereas Yahweh makes a strong statement contrasting His relationship with His people to this. He is real and does not abandon those who He has made, but carries them, Himself even into their old age 46:4.

So He is calling me today, to remember that He is the God who declares the end from the beginning and is therefore more than capable of accomplishing His central objective. That is to save and as I said last time, not like Nike, where we must do it, but through Himself. He will do it 46:11. What He has spoken, He will accomplish. What a comfort for each of us as we move into old age and this is not the end, it is just the beginning.

“It was finished upon the cross”. (Singing). Those words Jesus spoke on the cross are the most powerful and world-changing words. ‘Tetelestai’ – is is completed, it has been accomplished, the whole purpose of my mission here. The word comes from ‘teleo’ which means purpose. This was the purpose God sent Jesus to accomplish. I think of the ‘Nike’ slogan “let’s do it!” But Jesus says, “I have done it, now go out and live in that power!”

“Yes Ian that act was the ultimate act to bridge the gap between you and My Father. I have bridged that canyon and made it possible for you to have peace with Me and My Father, so that we are all on the same side. You must understand that the greatest difficulty that I needed power for on your behalf on the cross, was not so much My physical death, but facing off against all the forces of evil gathered against Me. Being prepared to take separation from My Father as punishment for your being on the side of ‘evil’. That battle has been won – it is complete, yet I have Allowed Satan room to move – because you need to be constantly faced with choices between good and evil. I put all the power of My word and My Spirit at your disposal, but you nevertheless need to continue to make the right choices so that you live for Me and My kingdom. So go out an do it, because I have already done it.”

Not wanting to rush through Isaiah my reading today is Isa 44:25 – 45:13. Once again it is as if Yahweh gathers His breath and blurts out in the full power of His word who He is. Just look at those vv 24-27. He, is the one who has created everything, allow your mind to wander through that statement again. Everything from the highest heavens to the smallest atom. That One formed you in your mother’s womb. He Chose you (Ephes1:4) to be ‘in Jesus”. To be part of His almighty plan.

Around you he makes fools of all those who think they are wise, who think they can conjure up the future. Who dare to set themselves against Him. Then He declares His immediate purpose which focuses here on the restoration of the cities of Judah. But, of course, the cities only represent the people who live in them. The interesting vs 27 where He speaks of drying up the sea and rivers, probably is the reminder of the Red Sea crossing from Egypt and the crossing of the Jordan into the Promised Land.

Now comes the mind-blowing bit: He is going to use Cyrus, an evil King, to accomplish His purpose. He even calls him “My shepherd” and further says He has anointed him. (45:1). God says he is firstly going to show him who He is. That He is Yahweh, the God of Israel. That there is no other God beside Him. Then He makes this astounding statement twice in vs 4 and 5: “though you don’t know Me”. Nevertheless He wants Cyrus to know that He is God.

Let us explore that a bit. God is dealing with His people who are being totally disobedient to Him. Because they are not responding, he chooses a total pagan king to accomplish what He wants to do. Which is to restore the cities of Judah. In His endeavour, He is revealing Himself to his ‘servant’ to the extent that this man must come to know that Yahweh is the Lord 45:3ff However, He twice makes the point that Cyrus does not know Him (personally). vv 4 and 5.

Now I find this interesting indeed. God is saying He will accomplish His purposes even if He must use someone from outside of His people to do it. But this does not necessarily mean that this man will come to know God personally. Mmmm So God will accomplish His purposes. If you and I are not hearing Him and obeying Him, He will find someone else to do what He wants. In fact, how many people out there know intellectually that God exists, but don’t know Him personally, yet are doing His work for Him?

Now comes the rider. Will His people be angry about this? He pre-empts this with His statement about them daring to argue with Him about what he chooses to do and how, in vs 9. In fact He reminds them of His souvereignty and that he can use anyone for His purposes, since He has created them and therefore they belong to Him. Vss 9-11. (Shades here of Romans ch 9).

For my bucket of information, it reminds me of the fact that God does not create puppets. He wants each one of us to make the right decisions willingly, in our walk with Him. Nevertheless He will accomplish what He wants done, irrespective of any situation where His people are not doing that.

I see my life this morning like a huge container filled with my personal agendas, failures, fears and plans. So I make the firm decision to pull the plug out. I can see all these things draining away. “I am empty now Lord, fill me with your desires for me, give me your hope for my life. I am quiet and wait on you”.

The song “Because he lives I can face tomorrow”, is ringing in my ears and heart.

“There is only one Reality and that is Jesus. Go outside and breathe the fresh air, touch the trees and the flowers, look out over the bay – that is not reality – that is going to pass away – it is here and it will be gone tomorrow. The only Reality that will last into eternity is Myself. You are scurrying around to see that your plans, your agenda is carried out. Stop fretting. The great plan I have includes the plan for your life – even the so-called insignificant details. Relax and trust Me. Stop trying to influence outcomes and rather know the security of being ‘In Me’ – and because I live, you need not fear tomorrow. Be a Mary and sit at My feet.”

Reading Isaiah 44:1-23 today. Firstly a timely reminder for myself and our blog. The opening vs admonishes Israel (He calls him Jacob, the weak unregenerated Israel), with the command “And now listen”. Then he reminds the people “this is the word of the Lord”. A refreshing reminder it is exactly because what we are reading is God’s word, that we should listen. Not superficially but in our hearts. To practice meditating on it and reminding ourselves that what we have heard God saying is personal, so that it becomes part of our lives.

Now, He addresses Israel (Jacob) in the most tender way, reminding them of His care for them and their intimate status as His servant. He desires to bless them and promises His Spirit upon their descendants. But perhaps the most potent word is in vs 5, His promise that there will be a time when they will know Him in a personal and intimate way. This refrain is picked up again in vs 21 where He adds His promise of forgiveness of their sins and an invitation to return to Him so that they can rejoice abundantly. This acts as a sort of bracket to include everything in between.

I am sure you can all see that this description goes way past the nation of Israel and embraces much of God’s promise of the New Covenant.

In the next few vv He once again presents Himself, as we have seen several times in the preceding chapters. After that there are 12 vv in which He mocks and ridicules the idols that the people have been worshipping.

I want us to focus on just two things He says about Himself here. vs 7(a) “Who like Me can announce the future?” Now, in that culture prediction of the future was huge and usually associated with special spiritual powers. God’s statement reveals that He not only has the foresight of the future. It is far more than that. He holds the future in His hands. He is the future. Everything that is going to happen in this world is part of the plan he has already prepared. Now friends, let me ask you, “What about us, how much do we want to know what the future holds?”. I want to suggest that much of our sense of security lies in “knowing” the future. Yes? What about our daily weather forecasts, political predictions, sports results, outcomes of relationships, family and babies, stock markets, oil prices? The list is endless. We live in a society which is half embedded in the future. Because these are so uncertain, we can easily live in the twilight of the “What if’s”. Do our lives reflect our understanding that we don’t need to find our security in predictions? Our security lies solely in the one who holds the future.

The other point I want to show you is in vs 9. Here God starts a mocking contrast of idols to the description of Himself as “The Rock”, steadfast and unmoving, in the previous vs (8). Once again we may shake our heads and laugh at those who trust in idols. But we don’t, do we? Well I suggest you reflect on how much time of your day you spend, excluding the Lord from your thoughts and plans. Worship is reflected by the time you spend in someone’s company and the importance you attach to them. How much of your future planning and thoughts involve in a total trust in the Lord.

I find it is easy to speak on these subjects, but when I examine my own mind and heart I realize how little I trust Jesus for the everyday part of my life. I continually want to control the outcome of what is happening. Do I cut a piece of wood and have a braai with half while I fashion a figure from the rest, so that I can worship it? Of course not. The devil is far more subtle than that. “Did God really say?” That is why we must keep listening in the right way to the Lord.