Isaiah 41:1

Keep silence before me, O islands, and let the people renew their strength. Let them come near, and then let them speak... Who raised up the righteous man from the east? Who called him to his feet? Who gave the nations before him and made him rule over kings?... Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last, I am he.

The God who tells the past and foretells the future stands alone—and He calls the silent idols of the nations to judgment.

From the Promise of Strength to a Summons of the Nations

At the close of chapter 40 we see that great truth: those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. This promise of renewed vigor comes on the heels of a spoken judgment by God coming at the hand of the Babylonians.

The children of Israel in Judah and Jerusalem had seen years and years of war—with every generation more battle, more conflict. That is the world we live in. Jesus, in Matthew 24, speaking of the world's condition until He comes, says there shall be wars and rumors of wars, kingdom rising against kingdom, nation against nation. In every generation there is conflict.

They had just seen the finish of the war against the Assyrians at the close of chapter 39. But then judgment is announced as coming through the Babylonians. It would be more than 150 years before that judgment fell, yet God prophetically announced what was coming. And right after that He says, "Comfort, comfort ye my people." Ultimately that comfort was not merely the finish of physical war, but a salvation—a spiritual finish of war. He promised in verse 29 that He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

"Keep Silence Before Me"

In verse 1 of chapter 41 His attention changes. He speaks to the nations—the "islands" or isles, those surrounding God's people, all who do not wait upon the Lord. To them He says, "Keep silence before me." The nations so quick to rage against one another, God commands to be quiet and get ready, because He is going to enter into judgment with them. "Be still for a moment, because I have something to take up with you. Renew your strength and come near and speak. We're going to contend together."

This is similar to what God spoke to His own people in Isaiah 1: "Come now, let us reason together." There He called His own people to reason out their departure from Him. Here He calls the nations surrounding His people to come near, so that they can enter into judgment.

Who Is the Righteous Man from the East?

Then God asks a series of questions in verses 2 through 4: Who raised up the righteous man from the east? Who called him to his feet? Who gave the nations before him and made him rule over kings? Who pursued them and passed safely? Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? And He answers for them: "I, the Lord, the first and the last, I am he."

The answer to "Who?" is clearly God. But the deeper, more difficult question is who this righteous man from the east is. Commentators are divided. Some say it is Abraham, called by God out of Ur of the Chaldees in Genesis 12. Others say it is Cyrus, called from the Medo-Persian Empire 150 years after Isaiah. Adam Clarke, Wiersbe, and others all land in different places—but they generally single on either Abraham (what God did in the past) or Cyrus (what God will do in the future).

Cyrus becomes a key player in the next several chapters. In chapter 39 God said He would use the Babylonians to judge Judah and Jerusalem, and Hezekiah turned a blind eye, glad it would not happen in his day. He was right—that judgment under Nebuchadnezzar would not come until 586 BC. But God said He would then judge the Babylonians and set His people free by Cyrus. In Isaiah 45 God names him by name—one of the most powerful prophecies of the book. We think first of the virgin birth or chapter 9's child to be born, but naming Cyrus, who wasn't even born when God said it, is staggering.

Honestly, I lean toward Abraham being in view. In this passage God speaks of both past and future. He says, "This is what I've done; this is what I'm going to do." And He contrasts His work to show that the gods of this world are nothing.

The Foolishness of Idolatry

Isaiah 40 through 46 presents the foolishness of idolatry. God says to the nations: you bow down to images carved of wood or graven in gold and silver, and they are absolutely useless. Can they tell you what happened in the past? Can they tell you the future? Can they do anything now? No. But God on the throne in heaven knows the past, declares the future, and rules sovereignly over the affairs of men right now.

God's prophetic utterance—whether foretelling the future or declaring the past—is one of the greatest proofs of the divine inspiration of Scripture. When God says Cyrus will come more than a hundred years before his birth, and then names him as Israel's deliverer before they even go captive, and these things come to pass, you can point back and say, "God said it." And it's not veiled or ambiguous. Every year you see the tabloids with the "prophecies of Nostradamus the nation doesn't want you to know about"—weird and ambiguous things no one can decipher. But God's word is accurate and specific.

Consider Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel. He saw a statue—head of gold, chest and arms of silver, body of brass, legs of iron, feet of iron and clay—but forgot the dream when he woke. He demanded his wise men tell him both the dream and its meaning, on pain of death. They sweated; their degrees couldn't help them. Daniel was brought in, and said his God could reveal it. God showed him the dream, and Daniel told the king: you are the head of gold, Babylon; after you, the Medo-Persians, the silver; then the Greeks, the brass; then the Romans. So accurately, so beautifully. And all of it would be destroyed by a stone cut out of a mountain—Christ. Daniel spoke of things still being fulfilled, because God's word is truth, and the gods of this world cannot do that.

The God of Creation Versus the God of Science

Today we have the god of science, which tells us that billions of years ago a big bang produced everything we see. But God tells us what really happened: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the darkness, and God said, "Let there be light." God, who was there and created it, tells us what science cannot figure out. And He tells us how it ends—the elements will burn with fervent heat; there will be a "big bang" at the end.

God also reveals He is sovereign over the affairs of men right now. In Isaiah 41:26, "Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know?... there is none that shows." In Isaiah 43:9, "Let all the nations be gathered together... who among them can declare this?" In Isaiah 44:7, "Who, as I, shall call and declare it?" In Isaiah 45:21, "Who has declared this from ancient time?... Have not I the Lord? And there is no God else beside me, a just God and a Savior." God's prophetic utterance reveals He is greater than everything men bow down to.

The Right Response, the Wrong Reaction

What is the nations' response to God's sovereign power in verses 2–4? In verse 5, the isles saw it and feared—which is the right response. The ends of the earth were afraid; they drew near and came. But then they helped everyone his neighbor, saying, "Be of good courage." The carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and they fastened the idol with nails that it should not be moved.

So they had the right response—fear—but the wrong reaction. Seeing God's awesome power, instead of drawing near to Him, they ran to the carpenter and goldsmith to make sure their gods couldn't fall over. Often when men see a demonstration of God's power they respond in fear, but instead of drawing near they flee the other way.

We see this in the Gospels. Jesus raised Lazarus, healed Jairus's daughter—people were afraid: who can do such things? But the religious leaders set out to kill Him, because He would undo their power. We saw it in our own day. After 9-11, churches across the nation were filled. People were afraid. But did they use that fear properly, drawing near to God? Largely no. They let fear drive them away from the true God and made themselves silver and gold gods instead.

Now, there's no sense in being foolishly courageous. Foolish courage is the person bringing a knife to a gunfight, telling himself, "Be of good courage, you can fight"—no, you're going to be dead. These idol-worshipers, seeing God's mighty power, simply made sure their gods couldn't fall over.

Dagon Falls, but Men Cling to Their Idols

There is a great demonstration of this in 1 Samuel 4. Israel went out against the Philistines and got beaten. That night they speculated about what went wrong, and an elder had a "bright idea"—we forgot God. So they sent to Shiloh for the Ark of the Covenant, wanting to use God as a good-luck charm, like a rabbit's foot. When the Ark arrived, they shouted so loudly the ground shook, and the Philistines were afraid: "The gods of the children of Israel are come among them." Notice—"gods," plural; Israel had been a poor witness, worshiping false gods when they should have worshiped the one true God.

The Philistines told themselves to "quit themselves like men"—man up. The next day Israel was beaten worse, and the Ark was captured. The Philistines set it in the temple of Dagon at Ashdod. The next morning Dagon had fallen on his face before the Ark; they propped him back up. The next morning Dagon was down again—head and hands broken off, only the stump remaining. Their response? Not submission to the true God, but to get rid of the Ark and prop Dagon back up.

This is the foolishness of man. When the gods of this world totter before God's presence, instead of submitting, men want to get rid of the true God and find stronger idols. We've seen this in our own nation. As I noted in Isaiah 19, when God moves against a nation in judgment, one of the first things to tremble is whatever the nation trusts in. We may not bow to silver and golden images, but an idol is simply whatever you put your trust in. For us it's money, the economy, the Dow Jones.

I believe God has removed His hand of protection from our nation. In October 2008 the stock market dropped 777 points in one day—seven percent of the Dow—on the Feast of Trumpets. Could God be saying something? And what was our reaction? Not to humble ourselves and cry out, but to throw as much debt as we could at it to prop it back up. "We've got to trust the Dow Jones, because that's our god." It's a scary day when your trust is in the G20.

"Fear Thou Not, for I Am with Thee"

In verse 8 God turns to His own people: "But thou, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, my friend... Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I'll strengthen you; yea, I will help you; and I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness."

Israel means "governed of God." Here He speaks to His chosen, His servants, His friends—the descendants of Abraham His friend. He uses three terms: you are Israel, you are My servant, you are the seed of My friend Abraham. To these He says, do not be afraid.

Such words are only a comfort if they're backed up. It's like a four-foot-two, ninety-pound buddy saying, "Don't worry, I've got your back." But God says don't be afraid—why? "For I am with you." Jesus says the same to His servants today: "Go into all the world... and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Second, God says, "I am your God." The fact that God is God strikes fear into many. Some are atheists simply because they don't like the idea that there might be a God—it scares them, and it should. James says even the demons believe there is one God, and they tremble. But it is no terror; it is a comfort, when He is your God. As Jesus told His disciples in John 14, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions."

"I Will Strengthen You; I Will Help You; I Will Uphold You"

Third, "I will strengthen you." God desires that we come to the proper recognition of who we are—weak, having nothing, able to do nothing apart from Him. In John 15 Jesus says, "Apart from me you can do nothing." When many of us first came to the Lord, we thought, "Lord, You really chose a good one." A good desire—but as we walk with Him we realize we have nothing. God allows us through difficult trials to bring us to total reliance on Him.

Paul learned this in 2 Corinthians 12. After crying out for the thorn to be removed, God said, "My grace is sufficient for you; my strength is made perfect in weakness." So Paul concluded, "When I am weak, then I am strong." In Philippians 4:13 we can do all things through Him who strengthens us; in Ephesians 6:10, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." The idol-worshiper strengthens himself in the work of his own hands; the friend of God strengthens himself in God alone.

Fourth, "I will help you." Psalm 54:4: "Behold, God is my helper." And He says, "I will uphold you." Psalm 54 continues, "The Lord is the one who upholds my soul." Psalm 37:17, "The arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous." And Psalm 63:8, a favorite of mine: "My soul follows hard after thee, and your right hand upholds me."

"Fear Not, Thou Worm Jacob"

Verses 11–16: "Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded... they that war against you shall be as nothing... For I, the Lord thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto you, Fear not; I will help you. Fear not, thou worm Jacob... and I will make thee a sharp threshing instrument having teeth."

God says those angry with you will be put to shame and humiliated. Those who think they are something will be shown to be mere mortals, destroyed, vanished away. Remember His promise to Abraham in Genesis 12: "I will bless him who blesses you, and curse him who curses you." It is not good to stand against God's people, because God contends with those who contend with you. You will look for your enemies and not find them—because God fights on your behalf.

Notice He calls them "worm, Jacob." Jacob means "heel catcher"; he was born grasping his brother's heel, and his name matched his deceiving character—until Genesis 32, when he wrestled all night with the One I believe was the Lord Jesus, who touched his hip out of socket. Clinging to Him, crying "Bless me," he was asked his name—"Jacob," deceiver—and was told, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with man and have prevailed." A transformation took place.

Why call them a "worm"? Like a worm, they were exposed, about to be trampled, defenseless. A worm is not what comes to mind when you think of something dangerous. They were despicable in their own eyes and their enemies' eyes—esteemed as nothing. Yet God says, do not be afraid, you mere mortals; you are not as defenseless as you think, because I will stand with you. Their courage came not from trite expressions but from the fact that God was their God.

"That They May See and Know"

Verses 17–20: "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none... I, the Lord, will hear them. I will open rivers in high places... I will make the wilderness a pool of water... I will plant in the wilderness the cedar." God says I will hear, I will not forsake, I'll provide water for the thirsty and shelter in the forests. The desolate land will become a fruitful forest.

Why? Verse 20: "That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it." God's work is for God's glory. He wants His own people to know He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). And He wants those outside, of the nations, to see that He fights for His people and provides for them—a strength to the weak, a shelter to the weary.

"Produce Your Cause" — The Silent Idols

Verses 21–23: "Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons... show us what shall happen... that we may know that you are gods; yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed and behold it together." God calls the idols, their makers, and their worshipers to show what has happened, what will happen—to do anything that would prove they are real.

This reminds me of 1 Kings 18, Elijah at Mount Carmel against the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 of Asherah. Fleeing wicked Ahab and Jezebel for years, Elijah was told, "No more hiding." He gathered the nation and said, "If the Lord be God, serve Him; if Baal, serve him." Two altars, two sacrifices—whichever God answers by fire, He is God. The prophets of Baal called all day, cutting themselves, bleeding everywhere—the first emo kids in the Bible—while Elijah mocked: maybe your god is on the toilet, or on vacation. No fire came. Then Elijah repaired God's altar, drenched it with water, prayed a simple prayer, and fire fell, consuming the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the water. Everyone saw that day that God is God. That is exactly what Isaiah calls for here: false gods, show up, do something.

Verse 24: "Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you." Psalm 115:4 says the idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands; they have mouths but speak not, eyes but see not, ears but hear not. And those who make them are like them—and so is everyone who trusts them. Deaf, dumb, and blind.

In Isaiah 45 and 46 God puts it like this: a man goes into the woods, cuts down a cedar, uses part for a fire to cook his bread and warm himself, and with the rest carves a god and bows down saying, "Thank you for feeding me." How foolish. Those who make them are like them.

"I Have Raised Up One from the North"

Verse 25: "I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come... and he shall come upon princes as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay." Most commentators agree Cyrus is in view—the one God would use to set Israel free from Babylon. We'll meet him more fully in chapter 45. God says, I've called him by name, and he will tread down the kingdoms of this world.

Verses 26–29: Where are the false gods who could have told us Cyrus would come? They are not there—because they are nothing. God alone was first to declare it, first to bring good news of salvation. He gave the idols opportunity to plead their case, but they held their peace, kept silent—just as in verse 1. Why? "Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing; their molten images are wind and confusion."

It is interesting—talk to those who follow the Latter-day Saints, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, Buddhism, or Confucianism, and as they explain what and why they believe, it is wind and confusion. We have a reasoned faith; study the Scriptures and you find it is reasonable, because we have the one true God who is alive. All these other gods are false—in reality, demonic. They lead to demonic things, like strapping bombs to oneself to kill others. But they are nothing; they are vain. There is one God, and He alone can save, and He shows Himself mighty against the gods of this world again and again.

Why does He do these things? That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together that the hand of the Lord has done this; the Holy One of Israel has created it. We serve an awesome God. He is our God, and He calls us His chosen friends—yes, His servants, but more than that, His friends. "Let not your heart be troubled... I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also." We serve an awesome God. Amen?

Closing Prayer

Father, we see the foolishness of idolatry time and time again, not only as we look through Your word, but as we look around the world. We see the futility of following after the gods of this world. The gods of this world are silver and gold, the work of men's hands, and ultimately they are nothing. But God, we pray You would shine brightly through us as we serve and follow You, that You would show Yourself alive as You transform our lives, making us more and more into the image of Your Son. Shine through us, Lord, that this world would see our good works and glorify You, our Father—that they would see and know and consider and understand together that You are God. We praise You and thank You. In Jesus' name, Amen.