Is there any God beside Me? I know of none.

Isaiah 43:6-26 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:

‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.
⁷ ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation.
And let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place.
⁸ ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?
And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me,
Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’”

⁹ Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. ¹⁰ Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no profit? ¹¹ Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame.

¹² The man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. ¹³ Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, so that it may sit in a house. ¹⁴ Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. ¹⁵ Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it. ¹⁶ Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” ¹⁷ But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.”

¹⁸ They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. ¹⁹ No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!” ²⁰ He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”…

²⁴ Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb,

“I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth all alone, ²⁵ Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness,
²⁶ Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers.

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.”       Many would argue that there is but one God. Some would even question that there is a God at all. Yet every one esteems and worships something, either the God who created the universe and everything in it, the creation itself or some part of it, the sun the moon, animals etc. Still others worship man, the human body or man’s philosophies, some even worship themselves. There are others who worship things. There is no one though who does not believe in. esteem, worship something.

God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah says:   ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation.
And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place.  ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?       Many today question and even mock the Word of God, saying it is just stories written by men, merely fairy tales or myths. They say it has little or no value, yet there is scientific wisdom and knowledge, mathematical intricacies and medical truth contained in the pages of the Bible, which still cannot be fully understood or comprehended today. But, more than that, God’s Word, the Bible, reveals God’s plan for man, from creation in Genesis, to the end of this age in Revelation and throughout eternity, God has revealed “the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place.”    Amos 3:7 says:   Surely the Lord God does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.    God’s Word, scripture the Bible contains God’s prophetic revelation of His will, His plan for the redemption, reconciliation and restoration of man. It has accurately predicted many things throughout history and continues to today and will forever.

The text today speaks to the futility of worshipping created things, idols made and fashioned by men.       Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow.  Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it.  Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”  But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.”        We may not today worship theses idols in the same way others did thousands of years ago. But many today do worship things created by the hands of men. We worship cars which are intended to transport us from place to place. We worship the houses we live in. We’ve made idols of our careers, and money. We work endlessly so that we can have more things. In the end though we don’t possess things, our things possess us. The things we devote ourselves to, materials things and possessions are not lasting things, though we spend our lives accumulating them, they can be gone in an instant. In Matthew 6:10-21, Jesus says:    “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;  for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The things we value, the things we treasure are the things that reveal our hearts. What we value and esteem is what we worship. It, whatever it is that we esteem, becomes our God. The psalmist says:    Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. (Psalm 37:4-5)     Today’s text says:  Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone,  Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness,  Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers.    Just as God has a plan and has revealed and executed His plan for man through His Word and through His Son Jesus, a plan to redeem, reconcile and restore man and all of creation to His perfect will, God also has a plan for each one of us, a plan which was made before He formed us in the womb. God says:  For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) 

Each of us must choose what we will value, esteem, yes what it is that we will worship, whether God or idols. For me, I’ll take God at His word when He says:    I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.  ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation.
And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place.  ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’”

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; Precious Holy Spirit, there is no God beside You, there is no other Rock. Surely I know of none. Thank You for all You have done and for the revelation of Your will through Your Word. I worship and praise You.     Amen