44:5The time will come when Israel will be proud of belonging to God. If we are truly God’s, we should be unashamed and delighted to let everyone know about our relationship with him (44:8).
Life Application Study BibleIsaiahChapter 44
Isaiah 44
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1160, 1161, 1162, 1163
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
44Isaiah 44
1Israel my chosen one.
2The LORD who made you and helps you says:Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant,O dear Israel,* my chosen one.
3For I will pour out water to quench your thirstand to irrigate your parched fields.And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants,and my blessing on your children.
4They will thrive like watered grass,like willows on a riverbank.
5Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the LORD.’Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of Jacob.’Some will write the LORD’s name on their handsand will take the name of Israel as their own.”
The Foolishness of Idols
68This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies:“Tam the First and the Last;there is no other God.
7Who is like me?Let him step forward and prove to you his power.Let him do as I have done since ancient timeswhen I established a people and explained its future.
8Do not tremble; do not be afraid.Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago?You are my witnesses—is there any other God?No! There is no other Rock—not one!”
9How foolish are those who manufacture idols.These prized objects are really worthless.
The people who worship idols don’t know this,so they are all put to shame.
10Who but a fool would make his own god—an idol that cannot help him one bit?
11All who worship idols will be disgracedalong with all these craftsmen—mere humans—who claim they can make a god.They may all stand together,but they will stand in terror and shame.
12The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool,pounding and shaping it with all his might.His work makes him hungry and weak.It makes him thirsty and faint.
13Then the wood-carver measures a block of woodand draws a pattern on it.He works with chisel and planeand carves it into a human figure.He gives it human beautyand puts it ina little shrine.
14He cuts down cedars;he selects the cypress and the oak;he plants the pine in the forestto be nourished by the rain.
15Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire.With it he warms himself and bakes his bread.Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of itand makes himself a god to worship!He makes an idoland bows down in front of it!
16He burns part of the tree to roast his meatand to keep himself warm.He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.”
17Then he takes what's leftand makes his god: a carved idol!He falls down in front of it,worshiping and praying to it.“Rescue me!” he says.“You are my god!”
18Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think. 19The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, “Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?”
20The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes.He trusts something that can’t help him at all.Yet he cannot bring himself to ask,“Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”Restoration for Jerusalem
21“Pay attention, O Jacob,for you are my servant, O Israel.I, the LORD, made you,and I will not forget you.
22I have swept away your sins like a cloud.Thave scattered your offenses like the morning mist.Oh, return to me,for I have paid the price to set you free.”
23Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done this wondrous thing.Shout for joy, O depths of the earth!Break into song,O mountains and forests and every tree!For the LORD has redeemed Jacoband is glorified in Israel.
24This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer and Creator:“Tam the LORD, who made all things.Lalone stretched out the heavens.Who was with mewhen I made the earth?
25I expose the false prophets as liarsand make fools of fortune-tellers.I cause the wise to give bad advice,thus proving them to be fools.
26But I carry out the predictions of my prophets!By them I say to Jerusalem, ‘People will live here again,’and to the towns of Judah, ‘You will be rebuilt;I will restore all your ruins!’
27When I speak to the rivers and say, ‘Dry up!’they will be dry.
28When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,’ he will certainly do as I say. He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’; he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.” Cyrus, the LORD’s Chosen One 45:1 4 5 1 This is what the LORD says to Cyrus, his anointed one, Ps 73:23 whose right hand he wil! empower. Jer 54:11, 20, 24 Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never to shut again. a
“I will go before you, Cyrus,and level the mountains.*I will smash down gates of bronze
Textual footnotes
- by destroying them or by giving them as an offering.
- 44:2 Hebrew Jeshurun, a term of endearment for Israel..
- 44:11 Hebrew were brought down to Sheol.
Life Application Notes 6 notes
44:8,9The manufactured idols were guilty of false advertising. They made big promises, but they were worthless and helpless. in contrast, God fulfills his claims and delivers on all his promises. God challenges us to be his witnesses. When we share our faith with those who can find no meaning in life or have no hope of eternal life, we are nat proclaiming anything shoddy or unreliable. God is real and life with him is best. Pray for boldness in your life to share your faith in Christ with friends, relatives, and neighbors.
44:9-20Here Isaiah describes how people make their own gods. How absurd to make a god from the same tree that gives
44:21God said that we should serve our Creator (17:7; 40:28; 43:15; 45:9). Idolaters do the opposite—serving or worshiping what they have made rather than the one who made them. Our Creator paid the price to set us free from our sins against him. By contrast, no idol ever created anybody, and no idol can redeem us from our sins.
44:25,26False prophets were people who claimed to bring messages from the gods. Because God is truth, he is the standard for all teachings. We can always trust his Word as absolute truth. His Word is completely accurate, and against it we can measure all other teachings. If you are unsure about a teaching, test it against God's Word. God condemned the false prophets because they gave advice opposite to his.
44:28\saiah, who prophesied from about 740-681 B.C., called Cyrus by name almost 150 years before he ruled (559-530 B.C.)! Later historians said that Cyrus read this prophecy and was so moved that he carried it out. Isaiah also predicted that Jerusalem would fall more than 100 years before it happened (586 B.C.) and that the Temple would be rebuilt about 200 years before it happened. It is clear these prophecies came from God, who knows the future.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 1161
TODAY'S IDOLATRY
Isaiah tells us, “Who but a fool would make his own god—an idol that cannot help him one bit?” (44:10). We think of idols as statues of wood or stone, but in reality an idol is anything natural that is given sacred value and power. If your answer to any of the following questions is anything or anyone other than God, you may need to check out who or what you are worshiping.
• Who created me?
• Whom do I ultimately trust?
• Whom do I look to for ultimate truth? @ Whom do I look to for security and happiness?
• Who is in charge of my future?
firewood. What are the gods we make—money, fame, or power? We deceive ourselves if we expect them to empower our life.
🗺 This feature includes a map, chart or picture — view the original page image.
Study feature · page 1163
canner errr re re ee eS dom spread across 2,000 miles (the largest of any empire then 45:7 God is ruler over light and darkness, over good times and known), including the territories of both the Assyrian and the bad times. Our lives are sprinkled with both types of experiences, Babylonian Empires. Why did God anoint Cyrus? Because God and both are needed for us to grow spiritually. When good times had a special task for him to do for Israel. Cyrus would allow come, thank God and use your prosperity for him. When bad God's city, Jerusalem, to be rebuilt, and he would set the exiles times come, don’t resent them, but ask what you can learn from free without expecting anything in return. Few kings of Israel this refining experience to make you a better servant of God. or Judah had done as much for God’s people as Cyrus would.