March 29, 2019 -- Isaiah 46:8 - 11 -- Sure God is real? Yes!
/“Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
9 remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
11 calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it.
Isaiah 46:8-11 ESV
How can God be real? The first objection is often made because people who appear to be good suffer. Remember that no one is good, not one. Every person sins in words, in thoughts, in action and in leaving good works undone. The second question related to “how can God be real?” is this: there is too much evil in the world. You can see it in the tyranny of rulers. You can see the evil in bloodshed and wars. (BTW there is great irony in this, many who ask it are evolutionists. Those who believe in evolution claim they do not actually believe in good nor evil, only in brute survival of the fittest. Pitiless time and chance govern all things. Yet all flesh, all men and women, are created in the image of God, the most godly right across the spectrum to the worst sinner, all of us bear the stamp of God on us so that good and evil tug against our conscience!)
This passage from Isaiah is so comforting. From the beginning God promised what would take place. Psalm 2 reminds us that rulers, for all their apparent power, will one day be thrown down. The prophets, like Jonah and Nahum, show how God is in charge of nations, even nations that refuse to acknowledge Him. The example is Nineveh. That warring, bloodthirsty, vicious nation had the LORD’s own prophet sent to them. They repented and believed. And they were spared. A few generations later Nahum predicted the fall of Nineveh and its defeat was catastrophic. The LORD told the end from the beginning.
The greatest promise of Scripture is that Jesus Christ would come: the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world. No matter the violence, the upheavals, the destruction of the nations of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and Judah (the two tribes torn away from Israel and remaining a kingdom under David’s grandson that continued for a number of generations separate from Israel) the Sovereign of Heaven and Earth kept His promise. Jesus came to this earth and by His blood we are cleansed from our sins.
When Jesus returns, all nations, all empires, all kings and paupers, all will be judged. All wrongs will be brought to justice. The Christian sees beyond the chaos of our days and the uneven dealings of corrupt rulers and knows it is King Jesus Who reigns. The Spirit of God guards and keeps believers so that we see the reign of Jesus as it is promised in Scripture. The Spirit of God allows believers to endure the suffering and hardships of our days with the clear and confident hope (not “I hope this or that will happen” but hope that is anchored in Christ Who is seated at the Father’s right hand—hope that is guaranteed) that they will see Jesus face to face. This world is not our final home or resting place. Our life and our future is bound up with Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
O God our Father, great is Your glorious wisdom. Mighty is Your power. Gracious are You, in showing us the end from the beginning, enough so that our faith can be truly anchored in Jesus Christ. Thank You, King Jesus, for Your steadfast love shown towards ruined sinners. Thank You, Jesus our Saviour for taking away God’s wrath against our sin by bearing the punishment for our sin on Your own body and mind and soul. Thank You, Spirit of God, for the riches of Scripture. Thank You, Spirit of God for opening the promises of the Word to believers so that we can see this world and our circumstances with the eyes of faith and know the victory is guaranteed in Jesus’ Name. Give us, as believers, boldness to proclaim the Truth to our lost family members and friends. Help us declare Your goodness as long as we live. Amen.
