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The Lord Controls
1Be silent and listen,
every island in the sea.
Have courage and come near,
every one of you nations.
Let's settle this matter!
2Who appointed this ruler
from the east?
Who puts nations and kings
in his power?
His sword and his arrows
turn them to dust
blown by the wind.
3He goes after them so quickly
that his feet
barely touch the ground—
he doesn't even get hurt.
4Who makes these things happen?
Who controls human events?
I do! I am the Lord.
I was there at the beginning;
I will be there at the end.
5Islands and foreign nations
saw what I did and trembled
as they came near.
What Can Idols Do?
6Worshipers of idols
comfort each other,
saying, “Don't worry!”
7Woodcarvers, goldsmiths,
and other workers
encourage one another and say,
“We've done a great job!”
Then they nail the idol down,
so it won't fall over.
The Lord's Chosen Servant
8 Israel, you are my servant.
I chose you, the family
of my friend Abraham.
9From far across the earth
I brought you here and said,
“You are my chosen servant.
I haven't forgotten you.”
10Don't be afraid. I am with you.
Don't tremble with fear.
I am your God.
I will make you strong,
as I protect you with my arm
and give you victories.
11Everyone who hates you
will be terribly disgraced;
those who attack
will vanish into thin air.
12You will look around
for those brutal enemies,
but you won't find them—
they will be gone.
13I am the Lord your God.
I am holding your hand,
so don't be afraid.
I am here to help you.
14People of Israel, don't worry,
though others may say,
“Israel is only a worm!”
I am the holy God of Israel,
who saves and protects you.
15I will let you be like a log
covered with sharp spikes.
You will grind and crush
every mountain and hill
until they turn to dust.
16A strong wind will scatter them
in all directions.
Then you will celebrate
and praise me, your Lord,
the holy God of Israel.
The Lord Helps the Poor
17When the poor and needy
are dying of thirst
and cannot find water,
I, the Lord God of Israel,
will come to their rescue.
I won't forget them.
18I will make rivers flow
on mountain peaks.
I will send streams
to fill the valleys.
Dry and barren land
will flow with springs
and become a lake.
19I will fill the desert
with all kinds of trees—
cedars, acacias, and myrtles;
olive and cypress trees;
fir trees and pines.
20Everyone will see this
and know that I,
the holy Lord God of Israel,
created it all.
Idols Are Useless
21I am the Lord,
the King of Israel!
Come argue your case with me.
Present your evidence.
22Come near me, you idols.
Tell us about the past,
and we will think about it.
Tell us about the future,
so we will know
what is going to happen.
23Prove that you are gods
by making your predictions
come true.
Do something good or evil,
so we can be amazed
and terrified.
24You idols are nothing,
and you are powerless.
To worship you
would be disgusting.
25I, the Lord, appointed a ruler
in the north;
now he comes from the east
to honor my name.
He tramples kings like mud,
as potters trample clay.
26Did any of you idols predict
what would happen?
Did any of you get it right?
None of you told about this
or even spoke a word.
27I was the first to tell
the people of Jerusalem,
“Look, it's happening!”
I was the one who announced
this good news to Zion.
28None of these idols
are able to give advice
or answer questions.
29They are nothing,
and they can do nothing—
they are merely
a passing breeze.
Reflect
God’s people are being mocked by their enemies and find themselves in captivity in their homes. Is this just? Will there ever be justice?
God convenes his court. The “coastlands,” Israel’s perennial enemy, are on trial and Israel is invited to watch or listen in. God is raising up Cyrus, King of Persia, to judge the nations and the coastlands are next.
But what is this? The coastlands are making an idol to try to save them. “Be strong,” they say to each other. “It is good,” they say of the idol and God’s judgment continues to approach relentlessly.
God turns to Israel, to Jacob, and describes them as “the offspring of Abraham, my friend.” It is always good news that God remembers, and especially good news when he remembers his friend.
Other people may call Jacob a worm, but God is there to protect them. He will make them like a threshing board – an agricultural implement consisting of a board with sharp blades underneath that was pulled over grain to separate the wheat from the chaff. They will thresh the mountains until the hills are reduced to chaff that is carried away on the winds. Moreover, God’s people in their poverty will not just have their thirst quenched, but God will satisfy their longings with rivers and fountains. He will even transform the desert of Israel’s present situation into a lush forest, a complete transformation!
Meanwhile, the coastlands on the other side of the courtroom continue to fuss and tend to their idols. These idols are “empty,” unable to “do good, or harm,” and yet the judgment approaches.
Very often we feel like a worm beside the prosperity of others. God convened a court case to give Israel perspective on reality. How is Israel’s future unlike its present? How does Scripture tell us our future will be different from our present?
Respond
Heavenly Father, Thank you that you go out of your way to reframe my present circumstances so that I can see what you have for me. I know in my present circumstances I’m as powerless as a worm, but I thank you that you’ve included me in your plans for the future and that I will yet know a situation where the mountains will be gone and my desert is transformed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Rick Hiemstra
Rick Hiemstra is Director of Research and Media Relations at the EFC. Prior to coming to the EFC, he served as a Wesleyan pastor and as a high school mathematics and computer science teacher. Rick speaks on Canadian church and cultural trends, including the new Renegotiating Faith research about emerging adulthood and faith formation. He has recently contributed to Canadian studies on Bible Engagement, local church missions engagement and emerging adulthood and faith formation. Currently he is leading a study on small evangelical churches and another on parental discipleship of children in the home. He holds a BMath from the University of Waterloo, a BEd from Ottawa University and an MTS from Tyndale Seminary.