Sermon Tone Analysis
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Copyright May 22, 2022, by Rev. Bruce Goettsche
You likely live your life by certain foundational principles, regardless of whether you realize it.
These principles impact what you do and why you do it.
Some have principles such as,
· Always look out for number 1 (meaning themselves)
· You only live once (which generally means embrace pleasurable things now and don’t worry about consequences).
· You can never have too much money (meaning you live as inexpensively as possible) and build up as big of a nest egg as possible).
· Don’t trust anyone but yourself.
· Treat others as you want to be treated.
· Family is the most important thing.
These are not all wrong principles.
However, the point remains: the principles by which you live your life will lead you in wildly different directions because they change what you value most.
In Isaiah 41, God speaks to the lands outside of Israel.
He gives them some principles that will be good for us to hear and apply in our own lives.
As I read the passage, it seems like it is set up in a typical style of the prophets.
We see the first principle affirmed, then the second, and then the third, and then we have the second stated a little differently, and then the first once again.
The First Principle: God is in Control (1-4; 25-29)
1 “Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea.
Bring your strongest arguments.
Come now and speak.
The court is ready for your case.
2 “Who has stirred up this king from the east,
rightly calling him to God’s service?
Who gives this man victory over many nations
and permits him to trample their kings underfoot?
With his sword, he reduces armies to dust.
With his bow, he scatters them like chaff before the wind.
3 He chases them away and goes on safely,
though he is walking over unfamiliar ground.
4 Who has done such mighty deeds,
summoning each new generation from the beginning of time?
It is I, the Lord, the First and the Last.
I alone am he.”
The Lord invites the nations to be ready for a trial.
In a sense, it is a trial to see which god(s) is most trustworthy.
It is similar to Elijah’s contest with the Prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. Isaiah said, “Let’s see which God is the true God.”
The Lord challenged the nations to come and bring their arguments against Him.
He is not afraid of any group, idea, or attempt at intimidation.
He laughs.
It is as silly as me standing in the batter’s box against a major league pitcher.
I’m not sure I would even see the ball, much less hit it!
God explains the foolishness of their antagonism.
Historically, a lot was going on.
Cyrus was a rising new King leading the Kingdom of the Medes and the Persians.
He is the “king from the east” in verse 2.
He was quickly taking over nations.
He hasn’t taken over yet, but He is a major threat.
In the Book of Daniel, we read how the empires changed literally overnight.
So between last week and this week, a lot has happened on the political front.
Cyrus would eventually issue a decree that allowed the Jews to return to their homeland.
God says this all will happen because He would make it happen!
Keep in mind that Isaiah is writing all of this 100 years before the birth of Cyrus!
At the end of the chapter, God taunts those who oppose Him.
25 “But I have stirred up a leader who will approach from the north.
From the east he will call on my name.
I will give him victory over kings and princes.
He will trample them as a potter treads on clay.
26 “Who told you from the beginning
that this would happen?
Who predicted this,
making you admit that he was right?
No one said a word!
27 I was the first to tell Zion,
‘Look!
Help is on the way!’
I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news.
28 Not one of your idols told you this.
Not one gave any answer when I asked.
29 See, they are all foolish, worthless things.
All your idols are as empty as the wind.
Our God is in ultimate control of history.
We may try to veer away, but detours will not thwart His will being done.
God was using even the world's rulers to accomplish His purposes.
The world around us cannot accept a God who did not come from within our system!
But the true God is above the system.
He created it and sustains it.
This is why He can speak about the future in such positive ways.
All Other “Gods” are Worthless (5-7; 21-24)
While all these world events are going on, Isaiah says,
Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war.
6 The idol makers encourage one another,
saying to each other, “Be strong!”
7 The carver encourages the goldsmith,
and the molder helps at the anvil.
“Good,” they say.
“It’s coming along fine.”
Carefully they join the parts together,
then fasten the thing in place so it won’t fall over.
(5b-7)
If you have ever gone to a tourist site such as New York City, Washington D.C., Downtown Chicago, and Mt.
Rushmore, you know you can stop in the gift store and get a miniature statue of what you had just seen.
You can get little Statues of Liberty, Washington Monuments, the White House, John Hancock Center, City Skylines, or the Presidents of Mt.
Rushmore.
Though these things may be treasured keepsakes, they are not the real thing.
God speaks to the idol workers next.
They saw world events unfolding as Cyrus swept across the land, and their response was to double down on the production of more idols!
The Lord scoffed at these efforts.
He taunted and encouraged them to make sure they made these ‘gods’ so they would not fall over.
At the end of the chapter (21-24), the Lord taunts them more, saying: “Let them show what they can do.
Let them tell us what the future holds . . .
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