Ashamed

O. T. #1651  "Ashamed"
March 18, 2020
Isaiah 44-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

God is the ultimate authority on divinity! (Falwell)

There is no God beside Thee. You are the King of kings, the LORD of lords, Redeemer, the LORD of Hosts, the First and the Last. (verse 6)

He is the True and Living God.

The MacArthur Bible Commentary states:
The Lord identified Himself as Israel's King (43:15), Redeemer (43:14), champion in battle (1:9), and eternal One (41:4, 48:12). Jesus is a direct affirmation of His deity, called Himself the First and Last (Rev. 1:17, 2:8, 22:13).

There is coming a day in Israel's future, some 140 years in the future, whenever they will admit that God is LORD.
Will we admit and proclaim that there is only One True Living God?
Will we trust in Him for our present and future?

LET IT GROW

In verses 9-20, God is challenging those who make and worship idols.
What materials did the people make their gods/idols/graven images? They used gold, silver, precious stones, and wood.

Those helpless idols leave their devotees without help or hope. (Falwell)

What word did He repeat 3 times in verses 9-11?
Ashamed, which means to pale; to be confounded; dried up.

Since those idols could neither see, hear, nor think, there was no use in people praying and worshiping them for they were inanimate objects. but, you know, it was the condition of their heart-rebellion.

The trees the men used to make idols were also used for a fire to keep warm by and to cook with. Isn't that foolish and ridiculous?!

Like eating ashes, which provide no nourishment, idolatry is a deception, from which the sinner gets nothing but judgment (Prov. 15:14, Hos. 12:11) (MacArthur)

The time will come when Israel will be proud of belonging to God.  Is we are truly God's, we should be unashamed and delighted to let everyone know about our relationship with Him. the 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 not proclaiming anything shoddy or unreliable. God is real and life with Him is best.
 (Life Application Study Bible)

LET IT GO
May I not be ashamed of myself when I stand before You, my God.
Help me do Your will, not mine.
Use me to share hope, love, and purpose in a life dedicated to You, Jesus.

*Friends, I would appreciate your prayers for my health. I have fungi in my throat and esophagus. Apparently, it is due my inhaler and mouth pieces for teeth. I rinse, but must not have done it correctly. A new doctor gave me a pill to help get rid of it. Anyway, it is affecting my heart, causing palpations. I see my cardiologist Thursday. Thanks so much dear ones.