WWUTT 2044 Who Calls Forth the Generations from the Beginning (Isaiah 41:1-29)

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Any event that happens in history, in the present, in the future, has been decreed by God.

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He is the one who is working out the end from the beginning and there is no one who can take credit but give

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Him glory when we understand the text. This is

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When We Understand The Text, teaching through a New Testament book on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, an Old Testament book on Thursday, and a

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Q &A on Friday. With our Old Testament study today, here's Pastor Gabe. Thank you,

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Becky, and greetings all. We come back to our study of the book of Isaiah, and today we are in chapter 41.

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Still in this part of Isaiah that goes from chapters 40 to 48, where God is going to put the false gods on trial, and we're going to see those first questions of the false gods asked here in this particular chapter.

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So let me begin by reading this first section, then I'll show you how the chapter breaks down and then look at the substance of the chapter.

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Here's Isaiah 41 verses 1 -9 out of the Legacy Standard Bible. Hear the word of the

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Lord. Coastlands, listen to me in silence, and let the peoples gain new power, and let them come forward, let them speak.

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Let us draw near together for judgment. Who has awakened one from the east, whom he calls in righteousness to his feet?

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He gives up nations before him and has dominion over kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, as the wind -driven chaff with his bow.

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He pursues them, passing on in peace. By a way he had not come with his feet.

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Who has worked and done it, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, Yahweh, am the first, and with the last,

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I am he. The coastlands have seen and are afraid. The ends of the earth tremble.

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They have drawn near and have come. Each one helps his neighbor and says to his brother,

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Be strong. So the craftsman strengthens the smelter, and he who smooths metal with the hammer strengthens him who beats the anvil, saying of the soldering,

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It is good, and he strengthens it with nails so that it will not be shaken. But you,

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Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, seed of Abraham, my friend, you whom

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I have strongly taken hold of from the ends of the earth and called from its remotest parts and said to you,

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You are my servant. I have chosen you and not rejected you.

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So here's how chapter 41 breaks down. We have three addresses here. First to the coastlands, and that's verses one through mostly nine.

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I'd say one through seven here. It's almost like at the very beginning, we're going to address everybody.

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So that's what's in reference to the coastlands. But then God focuses on Israel, addressing

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Israel, his child, verses eight through 20. And then God is going to appeal to the false gods to make their case in verses 21 to 29, really speaking to the powers behind those idols.

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And I'll explain that when we get there. Overall, this chapter means to show to us that it is

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God who controls the end from the beginning. He is the one who has his hand over all of human history.

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Nobody is making any decisions that God has not already foreordained.

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God alone guides history, and he does this for his glory and even for the benefit of his people.

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This still pertains to us, even though we're looking at this in the context of the

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Jews who have been sent into exile, Jacob, Israel. Yet there are promises here, an assurance that applies to us, his church.

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So let's come back to the beginning in chapter 41, verse one, where it says, Coastlands, listen to me in silence.

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So everybody be quiet and listen to what the king of history has to say. Let the peoples gain new power.

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Let them come forward. Then let them speak. Let us draw near together for judgment. So it's almost as if God is inviting everybody, whether it's all of the people on earth or even spiritual powers, angels and forces of darkness to come together at this place and we're going to render judgment.

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God has already determined these things. He alone sits as judge over everything, but he in his grace is giving everyone an opportunity to see what it is that he is doing.

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So let's all sit in judgment together. And the way that God is inviting them into the judgment is to ask them questions.

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And then you answer those questions and you see by the questions that I ask what it is that I have done.

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How much power do you really have versus what God has already determined by his sovereign will?

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And so he invites everybody to come to the judgment. Let's kind of look over history together. Let's look even at the present and see how things are transpiring.

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So in verse two, he says, who has awakened one from the east whom he calls in righteousness to his feet.

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He gives up nations before him and has dominions over kings. He makes them like dust with his sword as the wind driven chaff with his bow.

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Now we have this question who's awakened one from the east. We have another question that comes up later on in verse 25 or rather a statement in verse 25.

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God says, I have wakened one from the north. So we have two different directions here.

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We have the east in verse two and one from the north in verse 25. But this is actually in reference to the same person.

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The east was Persia and the north is Medea or the Medes and the

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Persians. And there was one ruler over both the Medes and Persians and that was Cyrus the great. God is using

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Cyrus to accomplish what he means to have accomplished for his people. And no one else is influencing him but God alone.

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So he says, who is awakened one from the east whom he calls in righteousness to his feet.

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Who has done this? Who stirred Cyrus to act? It is the Lord God who has done so.

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And then in verse 25, he says, I've awakened one from the north and he has come from the rising of the sun.

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He will call upon my name. I have awakened him. So God's showing that he is the one who has arranged these pieces toward his decreed outcome.

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In verse two, or sorry, I just read verse two, verse three, he pursues them passing on in peace by a way he had not come with his feet.

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So it's not that he stirs himself to do these things. God is the one who has brought him into action.

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Verse four, who has worked and done it calling forth the generations from the beginning. I, Yahweh, am the first and with the last,

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I am he. So then it's like God pulls back and looks at all of history. We're talking about this event right here in which we're in, which we are at the present.

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But overall, looking at all of human history, who's acted in any way to bring about the events that occur the way that they do.

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God calls forth the generations from the beginning. Yahweh alone is the one who works and does it.

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So now we go to verses five through nine. The coastlands have seen and are afraid the ends of the earth tremble.

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So everybody outside of the Medes and Persians look upon this empire and whatever it is that they're going to do, whatever

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God accomplishes through this empire is going to be done and nobody's going to be able to come against it or thwart it.

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They have drawn near and have come. Each one helps his neighbor and says to his brother, be strong.

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Now this is what's going to happen for Israel because they're going to come out of this pagan land and come back into the land of promise, the land that was given to Abraham.

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We have Abraham mentioned here and they're going to come back into this place at the blessing of Cyrus, at the blessing of the

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Medes and the Persians. Cyrus was not a man that feared God. He did not know God. He used godly language like he used language that sounded like he was a

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God fearer. You look at the beginning of the book of Ezra and Cyrus says,

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Yahweh, the God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

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Now that sounds like Cyrus is speaking like a Christian, you know, somebody who fears

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God. And he says, God has given me this appointment and now I am going to give to you that you might go into your land and build your temple.

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He goes on in Ezra 1 3 to say, whoever there is among you of all of his people, may God be with him.

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Let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah and rebuild the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel. He is the

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God who is in Jerusalem, but God is working through Cyrus to bless the people in this way.

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This isn't Cyrus who has suddenly come into his own and recognize that God is God. He still worships his own pagan gods, but, but so that the people would see that Cyrus means well for them.

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He acknowledges, gives homage to their God and may he bless you as you go back on your way to the land that you came from.

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So God is the one who has arranged all of this. Even though this king continues to be pagan, why would his heart incline himself toward God's people in this way?

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Because it's the Lord God that has done it. Even to the point that each one help his neighbor and each says to his brother, be strong so that the, the

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Medes and the Persians give all that is needed to the Jews that they may go back and repopulate their land.

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So in verse seven, the craftsman strengthens the smelter and he who smooths metal with a hammer strengthens him who beats the anvil saying of the soldering, it is good and he strengthens it with nails so that it will not be shaken.

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Now this isn't in reference to the idol makers that's coming up. This is in reference to those who are going to help the

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Jews with building, rebuilding Jerusalem and building a house unto God.

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And so in verse nine, God says, you whom I have strongly taken hold of from the ends of the earth and called from its remotest parts and said to you, you are my servant.

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I have chosen you and not rejected you. Even though Israel was being punished for their sins and their rebellion against God, God reassures them that I am not against you.

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I am for you and I am arranging these pieces of history to come together for your benefit, for your blessing, but ultimately for God's glory.

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Now this is not God just acting in time, like the circumstances that are present,

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I'm going to manipulate these circumstances and make them work out to my benefit. God had foreordained this from before the beginning of the world, that these things would transpire in this way.

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He doesn't just step in the midst of things that are happening and works it out to the benefit of his people.

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He has planned this from the start. Hence the statement he makes in verse four, who has worked and done it, calling forth the generations from the beginning,

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I, Yahweh, am the first and am with the last. I'm from the beginning of history to the end of history.

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I am he and no one else can possibly purpose these events to happen the way that they do.

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Only God can. Only he who created time and space, who stands even outside of time and space.

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It is the Lord God who has done this. He worked things out so that the Assyrians would come against Israel.

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He worked things out that the Babylonians would come into Jerusalem. He worked things out that it would be the

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Medes and the Persians that would overthrow the Babylonians. That way the Israelites could return back to their land.

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God has arranged for all of this. And he puts the false gods on trial, basically to say, which of you has done this?

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Who of you can possibly manipulate events to bring these things about that I've purposed from the very beginning?

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And so we go into the next section where God is addressing specifically his people in verses 10 through 20.

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Do not fear for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you for I am your

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God. I will make you mighty. Surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

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Now even though God is speaking to Israel at a particular time and place, sending them back to their land and giving them a house where they may worship him, so on and so forth, we must understand those things in that context.

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But these are still promises and assurances that are given to us in the present. The Holy Spirit speaking through these words that we may know the character of God and we would not anxiously look about us.

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We would know that God means to make us mighty and he will help us. It was at the end of the previous section where God says, you

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Israel my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, seed of Abraham my friend.

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Who is the seed of Abraham? The church. The church is the seed of Abraham.

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For as it said in Galatians chapter 3, it is those who are of faith who are the children of Abraham.

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We who have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ are more the children of God than any ethnic

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Jew that is alive on the earth today. No one by their ethnicity is a child of God.

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We are children of God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So as God had given these promises to Israel in the past, we can know that those promises are even for us in the present here 2 ,500 years later because we are in Christ Jesus.

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We have come into fellowship with God, have been adopted into his family. We are his children and heirs to eternal life through Jesus Christ.

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The Lord says to Israel in verse 11, behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored.

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Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish. You will seek those who quarrel with you but not find them.

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Those who war with you will be as nothing and non -existent. For I am Yahweh your

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God, who strongly takes hold of your right hand, who says to you, do not fear,

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I will help you. Again same promise to us. There will come a day in which we will not find those who will be our enemies, who will try to come against us.

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God's judgment will be upon them and we know that God is our savior who helps us.

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Verses 14 to 16, do not fear you worm Jacob, you men of Israel.

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And that statement, you worm Jacob, of course they had sin and rebelled against God, but it's a reminder that you are not automatically worthy of these blessings that I give to you.

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It is because I am gracious and merciful. And the Lord goes on to say,

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I will help you declares Yahweh and your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

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Behold I have made you a new sharp threshing sledge with double edges.

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You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them and will make the hills like chaff.

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You will winnow them and the wind will carry them away and the storm will scatter them but you will rejoice in Yahweh.

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You will boast in the Holy One of Israel. So whatever you put your hands to, to take over, you will be successful at it and it won't be to your glory but to God.

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You will boast in the Holy One of Israel that he has given these things to you. Verse 17, the afflicted and needy are seeking water but there is none and their young is parched with thirst.

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I Yahweh will answer them myself as the God of Israel I will not forsake them.

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I will open rivers on the Bear Heights and springs in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water.

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I will put the cedar in the wilderness, the acacia and the myrtle in the olive tree. I will place the juniper in the desert together with the box tree and the cypress.

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That they may see and know and establish and gain insight as well that the hand of Yahweh has done this and the

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Holy One of Israel has created it. Even as we walk through various wildernesses and dry lands, yet God will make it bountiful for us.

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As said in Romans 8, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. We can take even the most difficult of trials and use it to our sanctification and to the glory of God because it is

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God who does this, who works in these events for our benefit and for his glory. And so now we get to this final section, we've had the first part where God calls everybody, coast lands, listen, and then he has the promises for his people in verses 10 through 20.

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Now in this last part, verses 21 to 29, God turns to address those false gods and puts it to them.

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Verse 21, bring near your case, Yahweh says, bring forward your mighty arguments, the

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King of Jacob says. Let them bring it forth and declare to us what is going to take place.

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As for the former events, declare what they were, that we may establish our heart on them and know their outcome, or cause us to hear of what is coming.

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Declare the things that are to come afterward, that we may know that you are gods, indeed do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together.

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So God is putting the false gods on trial to show that he is the one who has arranged these things.

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Which of these other false gods have brought these things about? Remember what had happened during the time of King Hezekiah, when you had the

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Rabshakeh who came to Jerusalem on behalf of Sennacherib, the King of Assyria. And they had tried to intimidate the

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Jews by saying, God is not with you, and he doesn't have the power to work these events.

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He's not going to save you. You need to come to us, and then the King of Assyria will give you all of these lands and help you prosper and all of this kind of thing.

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So remember, there was that blasphemous statement that was made about God by Sennacherib, sent by the

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King of Assyria. And what did God do? He struck down over 100 ,000 Assyrians by his own hand.

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And so the way that God is addressing now the people of Israel, it's so that they—well, addressing the false gods rather—but it's so that the people of Israel will see, these false gods don't manipulate events and bring them about.

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In fact, it was the hand of a carpenter that brought these idols about. So how can they be the ones to work things out from the beginning to the end?

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So God goes on to say of these false gods, Behold, you are nothing and your work is nonexistent.

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He who chooses you is an abomination. I have awakened one from the north and he has come.

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This is verse 25 now. I've awakened one from the north and he has come. Another reference to Cyrus. Again, as I said earlier, the east representing

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Persia and the north representing the Medes. So you have the Medes and the Persians. From the rising of the sun he will call on my name and he will come upon officials as upon mortar even as the potter treads clay.

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And we see that's what Cyrus does at the beginning of Ezra and at the beginning of Nehemiah, working things out that the people may return to their land and build a temple.

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Verse 26, who has declared this from the beginning that we might know or from former times that we might say he is right.

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Surely there was no one who declared. Surely there was no one who caused those words to be heard.

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Surely there was no one who heard your words. God saying of the false gods because the false gods are mute.

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They don't say anything. Now, even though God is speaking as though unto idols, he's still addressing the powers that are behind those idols.

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And that is the manipulative work of Satan in the hearts of sinful man. And so going on to say in verse 27, formerly

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I said to Zion, behold, here they are in Jerusalem. I will give mess. I will give a messenger of good news.

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But I look and there is no one and there is no counselor among them who, if I ask, can respond with a word.

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Behold, all of them are false. Their works are nonexistent.

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Their molten images are wind and utter formlessness. Now, that statement in particular is in reference to those who make the idols.

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So remember, the Jews had betrayed God. They had disobeyed him and had built gods or temples on the high places and worship false gods.

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And so God brought the Babylonians against them to punish them because of their rebellion and their and their idol worship.

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Yet he has shown mercy to the descendants of Abraham. And that's the address you have in verses 10 through 20.

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It's the same as what God said to Moses. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom

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I have compassion. So it is God who has done this, not because Israel has earned it.

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Where are the messengers among Jacob who can say this is what we have purposed?

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We have we have we are the ones who have arranged that this might happen in these these gods that we have formed.

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They are doing it for us. Well, where are they? Let one of them step forward and say, I predicted this from before and none of them can do it.

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So that the people will see God is merciful and he is the one who has delivered them.

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And he had planned this from the beginning. Who in the world could have turned Cyrus's heart to be a blessing upon God's people, but only the

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Lord and had done so that it would be through the Medes and the Persians overthrowing the Babylonians that God's people would be set free once again, setting

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God's people free. We have been set free from the bondage of sin and death.

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And there is no one who can purpose this for us. It is God who has done it. No one can tell us our future, but the

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Lord alone. And we have the future written down for us in the pages of Scripture. There are so many Christians out there today who will resort to listening to false prophets of people of Israel did it.

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And there are professing Christians today who will do it. They will listen to false prophets say Trump is going to win the 2020 election.

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They will listen to false prophets who cannot even predict one of the most upending events that has happened in generations concerning the whole

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COVID panic and what that had done to the economy on the world stage, not just in the

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United States, but all over the globe. Yet there was not one prophet that predicted that was going to happen in 2020.

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These people are false. They cannot tell you your future. God is the one who is purpose.

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These things that take place from the beginning, trust in him. You continue to listen to these false prophets.

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It's just going to lead you to despair and anxiety. The very thing that God says, don't look around and be anxious because you will know that I am mighty and I will be the one who helps you.

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So let us trust in the Lord and whatever circumstances or occasions come our way.

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These are things that would make us draw all the more near to God and trust him that he is sovereign.

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He is in control over this and he will deliver us with his mighty right hand. Do not trust in men.

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Do not consider their devices. Trust in the Lord God. Know that your sins are forgiven by faith in Jesus Christ and you have been made a fellow heir of his eternal kingdom.

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All of these things will pass away, but God and his promises remain forever.

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Let's finish there with prayer. Heavenly father, we thank you for what we've read here in Isaiah 41 and as you had promised to your people in the past, so we know that you mean good for us even in the present and for our futures.

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So let us put our trust in you, though the whole earth may give way and we be exiled into somebody else's possession.

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Just as Israel came into the possession of the Babylonians and then the Medes and the Persians. We're exiles.

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We're strangers here on the earth, but may we continue to look toward our eternal home with you in glory.

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We continue to hold fast to those promises, not the promises of earthly prosperity, but a promise of heavenly life, seeking first the kingdom of God and your righteousness, living in holiness in the present day and all the things we need you will give to us as well.

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It's in Jesus name that we ask these things. May his name be glorified in the nations today.

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Amen. For more about our ministry, visit us online at www .utt .com