Isaiah 44

Isaiah prepares this chapter to describe the glorious future of the faithful remnant of spiritual Israel at the End of Time and into eternity. This ability of predicting a future event very long before it happens is the core opening words of Isaiah and God. The fact that God has the ability to see the end from the beginning is the key to pass it on to his prophet and it becomes the key in the understanding of the pop-up of Cyrus in 690 BCE (v. 28) although he only came in 538 BCE. Rationalists chose the path of atheism and cut out the supernatural from the Bible and also the ability to predict. Scholars tapped from their suspicion and supported their axioms of doubt and the educational establishment since the French Revolution only wants to canonize these skeptical ideas. The leap of faith over the abyss of non-Reason is called for in the acceptance of the Word of God and Isaiah as true as a starter. This is the purpose of Isaiah in vv. 1-8. Accepting the ability of God to know the future means that the rationalistic substitution of God for gods of reason and empiricism is to join atheism. Isaiah is satirical about this substitution in vv. 9-20. God is Redeemer (vv. 21-23); Creator (vv. 24); causing omens of Esarhaddon to fail for him and others (v. 25). A number of cuneiform tablets from Niniveh dealt with Esarhaddon asking priests and magicians to consult the oracles whether he should go on a Holy War. A number of letters were writing to the king to express their anxiety for his role in society after the defeat. Have the gods gone crazy! The utterances of God’s prophets came true (v. 26) for example rebuilding of Jerusalem (v. 26c); for example rivers to dry up (v. 27); for example the coming of Cyrus and his work (v. 28). Even though Isaiah appealed for God’s ability in lengthy descriptions and repetitions modern scholars is hard-bend to follow their own deceptive way. Josephus had no problem with Isaiah’s ability to predict so long in advance and says of Cyrus “This was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind of his prophecies”. Think about it: why would someone after Cyrus use the future tense of the verbs to describe his actions that already took place? The Septuagint and Targum did not recast these future tense verbs into past tense verbs. It is better for us to follow God’s Word, Isaiah’s description and our own faith and to believe that God means what He says. Isaiah grabbed a Synonym Dictionary again and selected a number of similar terms: Jacob is Israel (v. 1a-b); servant is chose one (v. 1a-b); made is formed (v. 2a-b); Jacob is Yeshurun (v. 2c-d). Yeshurun is Israel in another language than Hebrew since the Egyptian form of Ashkelon is isrḳun on the Karnak temple wall and Israel on the Merneptah stela is isri3r or yisri3r. The /n/ may have been the substitute of /l/ in Demotic Egyptian. Isaiah mentions that water and streams are the same (v. 3a-b); My Spirit is the same as My blessing (v. 3c-d [the Targum renders it as Holy Spirit rwḥ qwdšy]); offspring is also descendants (v. 3c-d); I am the Lord’s is the same as belonging to the Lord (v. 5a and c); King of Israel means also Lord of Hosts (v. 6a-b); things that are coming is the same as events that are going to take place (v. 7d-e). Isaiah used judicial procedure language: assemble; stand up; tremble; put to shame. He selected from the dictionary terms of a technician: engrave; a tool; coals; hammers (v. 12). Terms of a carpenter: wood; stretches; line; marks; stylus; carving tools; compass (v. 13). He selected from the dictionary names of trees: cedar; cypress; oak; fir (v. 14). The creative actions of the Lord are formation; making; stretching and spreading (v. 24). Isaiah’s passion is flowing from the beginning of the chapter to describe the chosen care God has for His remnant. At the End of Time He will again pour out His Spirit on them in the Latter Rain and the remnant will “spring up among grass like poplars by streams of water” (v. 4a-b). They will be sealed with the Holy Spirit and write on their hands the mark “belonging to the Lord” (v. 5c) which will be the opposite of the mark of the beast of the human vicarius filii dei belongers, on the forehead and hand. The God of prophecy emphasized that He is the alpha and omega, just as He repeated to John in Revelation (v. 6-7). Therefore, since God cannot be compared to another, Isaiah venture into the human fabrication of idols for worship in satirical form. It is irony that Iron technicians shapes iron and get tired (v. 12). It is irony that woodcarvers shapes wood and make idols (v. 13). Isaiah mocks with them by pointing out the irony that they some wood is for himself to burn (v. 15) and warms himself. He also utilize the wood for his own purposes to make bread. Then with the rest he makes a god falls down and worship it. This irony is repeated three times by Isaiah. The second time is in vv. 16-18. After eating and warming himself he makes an idol with it and prays before it and asks it to deliver himself/herself. Irony in the highest sense. Idol satire of Isaiah. Powerful and convincing. He repeated it the third time in vv. 19-20 in no uncertain terms “he feeds on ashes a deceived heart has turned him aside” (v. 20). And yet modern liturgical churches are packed with statues, even Peter’s toe is kissed away. Isaiah has no impact on them. God calls on the remnant to return to Him and He will wipe out their transgressions like mist (v. 22). The Creator God is described in vv. 24-25. God makes the evil more foolish on earth and for the remnant He promised rebuilding of Jerusalem and the coming of Cyrus nearly two centuries later (v. 28).

Dear God

Grant that we will be not impressed by modern pieces of art divine or secular or that a feeling of sacred awe touch our hearts in deceptive manner. That we will cling to the only Creator of heaven and earth and believe Your Word as the true witness for our lives. Amen.