Scripture reading – Isaiah 44-48
Dear reader, As you will notice, today’s Scripture reading is lengthy. I will limit my commentary to a few brief thoughts.
We have read Isaiah’s prophetic warnings, that because of the people’s sin and rebellion, Judah would be conquered and the city of Jerusalem destroyed. Assyria was still the great power of the world; however, the armies of Babylon were being strengthened and under Nebuchadnezzar, the city of Jerusalem would be razed, the Temple destroyed, and the people taken captive.
Isaiah had prophesied that God would bring a great king from the east (41:1-4) who would conquer nations, and eventually defeat Babylon. The great king would set God’s people free to return to their homeland. Who was this king?
Isaiah identified him as “Cyrus…my shepherd,” more than a hundred years before his birth (Isaiah 44:28)!
Notice throughout today’s Scripture reading (Isaiah 44-48) the emphasis Isaiah placed on identifying the God of Israel as the Creator, Sustainer, Sovereign, and Eternal God.
Isaiah 45:18 is one of the great verses of the Bible that eliminates any possibility of evolution or the co-existence of both a Creator and an evolutionary process. This verse declares unequivocally, that the God of the Bible is Creator, LORD, Jehovah, Eternal, Self-existent God!
Isaiah 45:18 – “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain [lit. without form; confusion], he formed [made and shaped it like a potter shapes a clay vessel] it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.”
Proponents of evolution would have us believe the earth was a lifeless mass without form and that somehow, over billions of years, a process of evolution caused the earth to become an inhabitable place that would eventually support microscopic life forms and become our world. In my opinion, evolution takes a whole lot of blind faith in a “science” that cannot be tested or proved!
What does Isaiah 45:18 tell us about creation?
“The LORD created the heavens,” the sun, stars, moons, and planets (45:18a). The LORD “formed the earth and made it,” and fashioned and shaped it as a potter with a plan and design (45:18b). The LORD “established” the earth; in other words, He made it perfect according to His purpose (45:18c).
The LORD “created it not in vain;” unlike evolutionist who postulate the universe came into existence out of confusion, Isaiah declares exactly the opposite. God shaped and formed the world so that it was inhabitable from the beginning (45:18d).
To cap off the fact that creation reflects the glory of its Creator, God declares: “I am the LORD; and there is none else.”
Who is the LORD? Look at His creation and you will see a display of His greatness and glory.
Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”
Copyright 2020 – Travis D. Smith