The Audacity of Man and the Supremacy of God
The Audacity of Man and the Supremacy of God
Isaiah 46-50
“I am God, and there is no one like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established and I will accomplish all My good pleasure; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly, I have spoken; truly, I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.” (46:9-11).
The audacity of man is to think that we can conform God to our perspective and that we can be the masters of our own destiny. Israel, like us, had turned their back on God to pursue the gods of their own making. Rather than conform to the character and standard of God, they created their own idols. When we look at all the religions today, they focus upon the teachings of a man and worship one who lived and died. We find them appealing because they help us feel in control and align with our desires. Our country has now embraced the god of human reason. Rather than conform to the God of the Bible and his standard, we reject what we do not like and confirm only what we desire. We reject his holiness while affirming his love. Our idols are not made of gold and wood, like the idols of the pagan religions in Babylon. Today, we no longer worship idols; we now worship ourselves. Isaiah points to this self-worship in 47:10 when he states, “you have said in your heart, IAm, and there is no one besides me.”
Yet, even as we worship ourselves, we fail to recognize the love and holiness of God and the supremacy of his reign. Isaiah now turns from condemnation to an appeal for people to turn back to the living God. He alone is unique and unequaled (46:9). He controls history from the beginning to the end. We are not the masters of our own destiny; he is. Before the beginning of time itself, God declared what would transpire, when creation and the history of man would begin, and when he would bring the end to this world (46:10-11). The events of the world are not arbitrary; they are not determined by our choosing, nor are they under our control.
Instead, history is the outworking of God’s sovereign plan that he established long ago (48:3). Because he does not change his word and his purpose is unchanging (46:4), this is both a warning and a comfort. It is a warning that God will bring judgment upon all who reject him. Even when we claim to be followers of God, if we walk in disobedience and disregard for his truth, we will face the certainty of judgment (48:1-5). Yet in the words of Isaiah, we also find the most significant promise of God’s comfort and salvation. Even though we embraced sin and rebelled against God, God provided hope by promising a servant who would come to bring salvation and delieverance of sin. In Isaiah 49:1-3 and 50:4-11, we find the first two of four servant songs that point us forward to the Messiah who would come to bring us salvation.
Even though people will reject him, he will bring restoration to those who seek him (49:7; 50:4-9). When we realize and embrace the salvation the Servant will bring, instead of judgment, we will experience the unquenchable love and compassion of God (49:13-16).
Thus, we are left with a decision: will we continue to pursue man’s wisdom as our god, which leads to judgment, or will we accept and embrace the salvation that God offers us through his Servant, the Messiah, who is Christ, and experience his grace and compassion? The Audacity of man is to think we can control our own destiny and dictate our own morality. The folly of man is to believe that God will not see and will not judge (47:10). The supremacy of God is that he controls the universe and he determines the destiny of humanity. God wonders that he offers us the hope of salvation and the promise of eternal life if we just see him.
Isaiah 46-50
“I am God, and there is no one like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established and I will accomplish all My good pleasure; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly, I have spoken; truly, I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.” (46:9-11).
The audacity of man is to think that we can conform God to our perspective and that we can be the masters of our own destiny. Israel, like us, had turned their back on God to pursue the gods of their own making. Rather than conform to the character and standard of God, they created their own idols. When we look at all the religions today, they focus upon the teachings of a man and worship one who lived and died. We find them appealing because they help us feel in control and align with our desires. Our country has now embraced the god of human reason. Rather than conform to the God of the Bible and his standard, we reject what we do not like and confirm only what we desire. We reject his holiness while affirming his love. Our idols are not made of gold and wood, like the idols of the pagan religions in Babylon. Today, we no longer worship idols; we now worship ourselves. Isaiah points to this self-worship in 47:10 when he states, “you have said in your heart, IAm, and there is no one besides me.”
Yet, even as we worship ourselves, we fail to recognize the love and holiness of God and the supremacy of his reign. Isaiah now turns from condemnation to an appeal for people to turn back to the living God. He alone is unique and unequaled (46:9). He controls history from the beginning to the end. We are not the masters of our own destiny; he is. Before the beginning of time itself, God declared what would transpire, when creation and the history of man would begin, and when he would bring the end to this world (46:10-11). The events of the world are not arbitrary; they are not determined by our choosing, nor are they under our control.
Instead, history is the outworking of God’s sovereign plan that he established long ago (48:3). Because he does not change his word and his purpose is unchanging (46:4), this is both a warning and a comfort. It is a warning that God will bring judgment upon all who reject him. Even when we claim to be followers of God, if we walk in disobedience and disregard for his truth, we will face the certainty of judgment (48:1-5). Yet in the words of Isaiah, we also find the most significant promise of God’s comfort and salvation. Even though we embraced sin and rebelled against God, God provided hope by promising a servant who would come to bring salvation and delieverance of sin. In Isaiah 49:1-3 and 50:4-11, we find the first two of four servant songs that point us forward to the Messiah who would come to bring us salvation.
Even though people will reject him, he will bring restoration to those who seek him (49:7; 50:4-9). When we realize and embrace the salvation the Servant will bring, instead of judgment, we will experience the unquenchable love and compassion of God (49:13-16).
Thus, we are left with a decision: will we continue to pursue man’s wisdom as our god, which leads to judgment, or will we accept and embrace the salvation that God offers us through his Servant, the Messiah, who is Christ, and experience his grace and compassion? The Audacity of man is to think we can control our own destiny and dictate our own morality. The folly of man is to believe that God will not see and will not judge (47:10). The supremacy of God is that he controls the universe and he determines the destiny of humanity. God wonders that he offers us the hope of salvation and the promise of eternal life if we just see him.
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