Isaiah 43:1-28
Friday, 10 February 2023
“You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "and My servant whom I have chosen, that You may know and believe me and understand that I am He.—” -Isaiah 43:10
Here is an exuberant declaration of the glory of God expressed by Himself- HE is GOD and there is no other! See the thrill in the words: “I, even I, am the LORD, and besides Me there is no Savior!” Isaiah is overawed by the truth that God is God. “Are you?” Is there any outburst of wonder, awe and amazement in you that God simply IS- and that He is God? When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He introduced Himself: “I AM WHO I AM!” (Exodus 3:14) He is delighted with His own deity and sovereignty and so should we be. But we must ask ourselves, does God awaken this wonder in us, just to be private experience- to keep it to ourselves? No! It is to turn it into worldwide witness. God means to evolve a witness from our wonder. He nurtures our wonder by showing us that He is a sovereign God; and then He makes our wonder into a witness for all the world. We learn three things from these verses:
· We are Chosen by the Sovereign God
If you personally know God and believe God and understand that He is God, it is because He chose you to know, to believe and to understand that He is God. In His sovereignty, He chose us! Ephesians 1:4 says:”…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…”
· We are Chosen as Servant-Witnesses
Why does God light the fire of our knowing Him and believing Him and our sense of awe that He is God? To make us shine. He has chosen us not only to know; chosen us not only to believe; chosen us not only to grasp the glory that God is God; but chosen us as servant-witnesses: "You are my witnesses and my servant whom I have chosen."(V.10). No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel. (Luke 11:33) God doesn't amaze people with His deity and sovereignty for just personal experience, but God sparks our wonder to make us a witness.
· We are Chosen to Bear Witness to God
The subject of our witness is God. This is the unmistakable emphasis of this text: God lights the flame of worship so we will bear witness to Who He is. To be more specific, God lights the fire of wonder so that we witness to God's absolute existence, God's sovereignty and to the truth that God alone is God. We witness to the truth that God is eternal, and God has spoken. We witness to the truth that this great incomparable God saves- He is the Savior of the world! He says: “…Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior.” (Isaiah 43:10-11) Now what does this mean for us today? God is God and being His witnesses is undeniable. Is not this Scripture telling us that our basic need in witness is to know God in such a way that we become His true witnesses to the world?
Prayer: O God, let me know You in such a way that the fire of wonder in me becomes an unquenchable flame of witness to those around me and to the world. Amen
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