Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20040229.htm

ISAIAH: GOD'S DIRECTIVES TO THOSE TROUBLED AT GOVERNMENTAL APOSTASY
Part XXXII: God's Saving REPEAT Messages To Believers INTIMIDATED By Evil Around Them
(Isaiah 44:6-45:25)
  1. Introduction
    1. We believers need God's truths to be repeated to us, for the evil with which we are confronted in this life often leads to the blocking of previous truths we have been taught, cf. Mtt. 13:19 with 2 Timothy 2:14.
    2. Isaiah 44:6-45:25 visits truths previously taught back in Isaiah 41:1-29 to encourage a coming generation that would be tempted to feel Israel's God was weaker than the gods of the Babylonians who held them captive in Babylon (as follows). This passage serves us with effective applications (as follows):
  2. God's Saving REPEAT Messages To Believers INTIMIDATED By Evil Around Them.
    1. Aware a future generation of God's people would feel intimidated as captives in the land of Babylon, and be tempted to think their God was weaker than Babylon's false gods, God prophetically reminded that future generation of His superiority by repeating what He had said in Isaiah 41:1-29:
      1. God once again claimed to be the only true God since He alone [of the gods] could precisely predict future events in Israel's history, cf. Isaiah 44:6-8 (see God's similar argument in Isaiah 41:21-29).
      2. God thus described the ways He was the only true God in superiority to false Gentile idols, 44:9-23:
        1. God noted Gentile idols did not help their worshipers as did Israel's true God, Isaiah 44:9.
        2. He noted such idols were made by men who are weak, so such idols were of no help, 44:10-11.
        3. God revealed those who made idols became tired and hungry in making them, the opposite of what a god is supposed to do for worshipers! Thus, these idols were futile versus Israel's God, Isa. 44:12.
        4. Idols came from nature where Israel's God provided the rain that makes the trees in nature to grow from which wooden idols were carved! How then could wooden idols compare to God? (44:13-14)
        5. God revealed idols came from materials from which men used to do non-noble things such as burn wood into charcoal to cook a meal or to keep man warm. How then could such idols compare to Israel's immutable, All- Sufficient and Ever-Providing God? (Isaiah 44:15-20)
        6. Israel's God could forgive sin, something idols were not thought willing to do; thus, God revealed He as Israel's true God was superior to such false, graceless' idols, Isaiah 44:21-23.
      3. God then claimed to be the only true God as revealed by His prophecy about the coming of Cyrus to deliver Israel from captivity and restore her to Canaan, Isaiah 44:24-45:8 (with Isa. 41:5-29; 42:2-4):
        1. God promised to use Cyrus like He would an anointed, Hebrew king, Isa. 44:24-28; 45:1a,b.
        2. God promised to give Cyrus great spoil in his conquest of other Gentile lands, Isa. 45:2-3.
        3. God promised to control Cyrus himself, naming him (to show God's sovereignty over Cyrus in naming him) even though Cyrus would not express faith in God for salvation, Isaiah 45:4-5!
        4. Such great control over the coming Cyrus, an unbelieving Gentile ruler, would show God's great power as Creator and omnipotent God of the universe, Isaiah 45:6-8!
      4. Hence, God claimed it was futile for any human being to strive against God to the contrary; God as Creator of the universe would make Cyrus restore Israel to Canaan from Babylon, Isaiah 45:9-13!
    2. Accordingly, God promised as the only, true God to make all Gentiles acknowledge Him as such before the people of Israel in the coming Messianic Kingdom, Isaiah 45:14-25:
      1. God through Isaiah predicted that, in the Messianic Kingdom, Gentile opponents of Israel will come before the people of Israel and humbly admit to them that their God was the only true God, 45:14a,b.
      2. Gentiles will then see their idols are false and Israel's unseen God was the only true God, 45:14c, 15.
      3. Gentiles who persist in pursing false idols will then be ashamed, confounded and destroyed, 45:16-19.
    3. God then called the Gentiles of the world to look to Him alone for salvation, Isaiah 45:20-25!
Lesson: Due to the DEBILITATING pressure of captivity in a false, DOMINATING Babylon, God went to great lengths to REPEAT His SUPERIORITY and OMNIPOTENCE as the ONLY, TRUE God so His people would be encouraged to TRUST Him REGARDLESS of being captives to great Babylon.

Application: (1) If GOD sees we are confronted by great, DOMINATING evil, HE works to REPEAT His TRUTH to COUNTER it so that we might trust and heed Him. (2) May we who TRUST in God REMIND weaker people of His TRUTHS that COUNTER the influences of DOMINATING evil!