“Do not fear, or be afraid. Have I not told you from that time and declared it? You are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.” Isaiah 44:8 (NKJV) There is no one or anything that could ever measure up to the magnitude of God’s love, power, and sovereignty. There are times in our life when we could stand to be reminded of this fact. How easy it is to drift away in our own mindset and attitude to allow our trust and focus to be placed on people, places, and things that distract us from the awesomeness of Almighty God. The reality that there is no God other than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is unique in some respect to the prophet Isaiah. The term “besides me” is found at least seven times within his prophetic writings. It is also found in the writings of Moses in the book of Deuteronomy. “To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord himself is God; there is no other besides Him.” Deuteronomy 4:35 (NKJV) It is from this frame of reference that God reminds Israel that He is still willing to reconcile, restore, and redeem them in spite of their sins by telling them not to fear nor be afraid. He further reminds them that He is not declaring anything to them that He had not previously declared. They were witnesses” the first time He declared it and nothing had changed. Please note, that God has not changed and there has not been any other to arrive on the scene that is like Him nor will there ever be. The question in the text is rhetorical. “Is there a God besides me?” God asks the question for effect and only to enhance His point. He did not necessarily expect an answer although it is quite obvious that the answer is a resounding “no!” God knows that He knows that there is no other God; but those of us who are witnesses or who bear the evidence of His goodness and grace should answer with Him in unison, “Indeed there is no other Rock.” God has the unequalled power to call or command events to happen, to declare them before they happen, and to decide their time and order of fulfillment. Who is like the Lord? One of the characteristics or perfections of God is that He is omniscient; which is to say that He knows everything. Yet the text reveals to us that there is one thing that He does not know. He does not know any other god that is like Him. If God, the all-knowing creator of the universe does not know of any god beside himself, then there is none. “You are my witnesses”, says the Lord. And my servant who I have chosen, that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am He. Before me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after me.” Isaiah 43:10 (NKJV) Who is like the Lord? Let every witness say, “Nobody!”
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 11:30:43 +0000
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