A Righteous God and A Savior

"[T]here is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.

'Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, "in the Lord alone are righteousness and strength."' All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame."

~Isaiah 45:21c-24 (NIV)

Today at my lunch break, I was continuing my study of Isaiah as a part of a one-year bible-reading plan (even if I'm behind by six months, but who says that I must read the entire Bible in a year?). When I read this passage, I felt that this is something that I had to write in the blog but this message might be offensive to you, but to me, this serves to be like "iron that sharpens another iron" (read: effective discipline) for us.

Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.

~Isaiah 43:10b-11

I think that the brief passage clearly states what the world keeps on missing. Lord is the ONLY God of the universe. He is the only one who has existed from the very beginning of time and will last to the very moment when time stops. He is the Eternal God. He alone is worthy of being called "Lord." Unlike many idols (let it be wooden, stone, or things that will pass away such as money, power, fame, etc.) which are formed by Men, God is the living Father who created the world and cared about His people. In this book, Isaiah speaks bitterly against the folly of people making idols to suit their own desires, self-centered pride and egoistical ambitions:

"'To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? Some pour out gold from their bags and weight out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles.

'Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'"

~Isaiah 46:5-10

I'm sure, by now, you must have noticed that there is repetitions of "I am God, and there is no other" and "there is none like me." It might be hard for you to accept that fact (but is accepted easily by the believers) and it is because you are "rebels" of God. Remember what He said in the first passage? All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame. When a gift is willingfully offered to you is rejected, the giver would be greatly offended.

So is the case with God.

He could have easily cursed us with His great wrath and end the life that we know of at this moment. He had many chances to do that throughout the history because His chosen people continually to craft idols and rebel against God through their debauchery, lewdful actions, and profane mouths. Why didn't He blot His chosen people from his presence? If somebody spit you in the face and beaten you half to death, you would attempt to avenge them for their actions, right?

God, the most powerful being of the whole universe that holds life and death in His hands, chose not to do that just like he did not for the Israelites. Surely they were sent into exile at different periods of history for their rebellious actions, but God always graciously forgives them for their past sins and brings them back to His promised land.

That's called Grace. And Grace is what saves rebels like us. That is what He offers to us today through Jesus Christ's death on the cross two thousand years ago.

Don't continue to rebel against Him. Don't continue to live out your lives crafting various idols made out of gold or bronze. Don't worship any of your things that you own today (let it be money, personal property, or any other things that you hold dearly). Bow down before His mighty presence, confess with your lips that He is your savior and the Lord of your lives.

And that is when you will receive His Grace. That's a promise.

Remember... if you choose not to bow down before Him, you will fall to your knees one day in horror as you realize that He is God. That's the reason why my heart is heavy with this message because many of you readers do not know God personally and it is my desire for you to reconcile with Him.

Experiencing His Greatness

"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighted the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?

Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weights the islands as though they were fine dust. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.

To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to? As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

'To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?' says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God'? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

~Isaiah 40:12-31

My mind always tears apart after trying to absorb God's matchless greatness. Today, as I read this passage, my mind was literally blown to pieces. All mountains in this world is big by our own standards... and He is able to weight it on a scale? A nation (imagine Russia) is like a speck of fine dust? The forests of Lebanon not enough for the altar fires?

What is so important about the forests of Lebanon?

This forest constituted mostly cedar trees and was situated along the Jordan River. They were so vast and so massive that the ancient world recognized that as magnificent trees and it was chiefly used for King Solomon's palace (the palace of Lebanon). Other than its vast size, it was also said to be the most beautiful piece of timber that one could find in the Ancient World. Imagine the trees in California. I could picture it similar to the forest of Lebanon.

The forests of Lebanon not enough for the altar fires? There was many sacrifices going on in Israel (as a way of honoring God) and it was not enough for the altar of God! The size of this fire must be massive if all the cedar trees of Lebanon was put together to burn in honor of God... but it was not enough! What more could you ask for? Even all the trees of this world would not be enough for Him! His greatness extends ever further than this!

All dirt of this world contained within a basket! Picture this... you have this little basket of any size and all the dirt of this world fits perfectly in there with more to be added later on even if there is none left. If you tried to dig a 6 by 2 feet hole, you will be left with a big pile of dirt. When somebody is building a house, a massive pile of dirt will reside nearby and you would be amazed at the amount that came out of the ground. Imagine this! ALL dirt of this world fits comformably in a basket... a small wicket basket!

God once told Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars of the heaven. Have you ever attempted to count how many stars there are during the night? I tried once and failed miserably many times. What is amazing here is that God knows how many stars there are up there in the heaven and NOT ONE is missing! That blows my mind away!

That made me appreciate how powerful and great He is and made me thankful that he is a Sovereign God who holds everything under control. Nothing happens beyond his control or knowledge. Remember how Isaiah said that there is nothing that God does not know... he knows everything (in the past, present and into the infinity). He knows what will happen to each one of us (6 billion people on this insignificant world) and he has everything planned out perfectly for us. Everything happens for a reason and He knows that it will happen because He is a sovereign God!

Let everybody who agrees proclaim with a loud voice so that the whole world can hear us with a simple word, "Amen!" or "So be it!"