With God Nothing Is Impossible

The Lord has revealed to us that He is greater than images created by people. Human images are useless. God is a real. He is tangible. He is touchable. He creates out of nothing. He tells us things to come before they happen. For example, in the passages that follow, the Lord gives the name of a pagan king to the captives of Babylon. This pagan king has not yet come to power. He tells them that his name will be Cyrus. The Lord also declares to them that though their sins are as thick as a dark cloud, He blots them out. Praise the Lord!

“Who raised up one from the east? Who in righteousness called him to His feet? Who gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? Who gave them as the dust to his sword, as driven stubble to his bow? ...I, the Lord, am the first; and with the last I am He.” Isaiah 41:2, 4

The one from the east is King Cyrus. The Lord will mention him by name at the end of chapter 44. He is a pagan king, but just as the Lord raised up Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to chastise Israel, He also raises up Cyrus of Persia to liberate them. This miracle confirms what Proverbs 21:1 says, “In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that He channels toward all who please Him.” And Psalm 22:28 says that the Lord “is the governor of the nations.”

“You, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, you are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:8-10

When the Lord remembers His friend Abraham, He wants to bless Abraham’s offspring. Israel has been scattered to the farthest ends of the earth by the Assyrians and Babylonians who invaded their nation and threw up into the wind like a winnower throws grain into the wind to blow out the chaff from among them while the wheat falls back into his winnowing tray. They were like chaff because they were no longer abiding in Him. They lost that which made them Abraham His friend... relationship. God wanted a personal relationship with them, but they preferred to make gods that they could stick on shelves or hang on walls so they did not have to work at quality interpersonal relationships with God and with one another.

The Lord challenges their false gods...

“Present your case, says the Lord. Bring forth your strong reasons, says the King of Jacob. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; yes, do good or do evil, that we may be dismayed and see it together. Indeed you are nothing, and your work is nothing. He who chooses you is an abomination.” “Indeed they are all worthless. Their works are nothing. Their molded images are wind and confusion.” Isaiah 41:21, 23-24, 29

Their idols cannot show them the things to come. Their images are nothing, and they do nothing. They are an abomination to God.

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law.” Isaiah 42:1-4

In Matthew 12:18-21, Matthew quotes the above passage as being fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is God’s elect Messiah. In Matthew 3:17, a voice from heaven said of Jesus, “This is My Son, whom I love. With Him I am well pleased.” Jesus will not come as ruler who barks out orders, nor seeks to be popular for popularity’s sake, He comes for the bruised reed and the for one who is about to flame out. He comes to brings justice where there is none. No amount of confrontation will dissuade Him from His mission because HE IS LOVE. Love for people leads Him to teach them right from wrong according to the Word of God.

“I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house. I am the Lord, that, is My Name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:6-8

Jesus made a new covenant with God’s people. The new covenant is that He will be their Passover Lamb. His flesh and blood will be the perfect sacrifice that takes away their sin forever. He opens eyes that could not see God before to see Him. He sets captives free from being Satan’s unhappy servants to serve the Living God. He does a new thing. He gives people new hearts to love a personal God and to loathe lifeless idols.

“Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the ends of the earth...” Isaiah 42:10

The Lord by His Spirit puts a song in our hearts. Songs of His redemption and blessings!

“Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you; therefore, I will give men for you, and people for your life.” Isaiah 43:4

The Lord affirms to us our worth to Him. He loves us. He gives people to aid us on our journey towards Him. He wants us to be with Him in His Father’s house.

“I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior.” “Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?” Isaiah 43:11, 13

I am so glad that there is only one Savior and that He has made Himself known to us in the Bible. And when He delivers us from our sin, no one can reverse it. The devil might falsely accuse us, but his accusations are lies. God tells us the truth. God saves us.

“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: for your sake I will send to Babylon and bring them all down as fugitives—the Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships. I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.” Isaiah 43:14-15

So here, the Lord makes clear the context of these promises. The people are captives in exile. They are in Babylon. But the Lord is about to turn the tables so that the Babylonians are treated as criminals and they, His people, are redeemed by His hand... His nailed pierced hand.

“Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. ...I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise.” Isaiah 43:19-21

Our circumstances can be dry like a desert, but then He brings the rain. At one point, there is no road to travel, but then, a road appears. He reminds us through these miracles that He formed us and created us to worship Him!

Before the Lord intervened, His people became weary of serving Him and began to backslide into sin, but even though they failed Him, He did not fail them...

“You have not called upon Me, O Jacob; and you have been weary of Me... nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. ...You have burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities.” Isaiah 43:22-24

What did God do after such treatment? He showed them mercy and grace...

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25

He gave them His Holy Spirit...

“I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring. They will spring up among the grass like willows by the watercourses. One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s;’ another will call himself by the name of Jacob; another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and name himself by the name of Israel.” Isaiah 44:3-5

When the Holy Spirit comes, He helps us to know that our identity is with God. It is in Him that we survive and thrive. We have an identity. It is the Name of the Lord. We are His and He is ours. His banner over us is LOVE!

“Remember these, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!” Isaiah 44:21-23

When the Lord blots out our sin and we no longer carry the burden of its guilt, it is a wonderful! The dark clouds depart from us. It is a new day. It is time to sing songs of joy!

“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb: I am the Lord, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself... who says of Cyrus, he is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, you shall be built, and to the temple, your foundation shall be laid.” Isaiah 44:24, 28

The Lord loves us. He formed us in our mother’s womb. For Israel He raised up the Persian King Cyrus who wanted the foundation of the Lord’s house laid in Jerusalem. He wanted the Lord’s house to be rebuilt.

“Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings... I will go before you and make the crooked places straight... I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, that they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.” Isaiah 45:1-7

The Lord empowered Cyrus to subdue nations and to inherit riches so that he could help His people Israel. With God nothing is impossible!

“I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city and let My exiles go free, not for price nor reward, says the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 45:13

The Lord raised up Cyrus. To the Lord belongs the glory!

“In the Lord all the descendants of Israel shall be justified and shall glory.’” Isaiah 45:25

The ultimate victory for Israel was that God forgave their sins against Him and He declared them righteous based on His redemptive work on their behalf. This victory is not Israel’s alone because now by faith in Christ Jesus, we Gentiles, have become joint-heirs with Israel. When we trust in the merits of Christ His sacrifice on the cross is applied to us. He blots out our sin and we share in His resurrection from the dead. In John 11:25, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live!”