Isaiah 46:5

Isaiah 46:5 says, To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?  God asked to whom could the people compare Him.  There are people today who say that it really doesn’t matter which god we worship since they are all basically the same, but this was not true in Isaiah’s day and is not true today. There is but one God, and there is none that He can be compared to.

Verse six adds, They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.  God said that people weighed out gold and silver, hired a goldsmith and fashioned a god out of it.  We may not make the into actual idols, but sometimes today we worship gold and silver more than we worship God. 

Verse seven continues, They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.  God said that people would then carry this idol that they had made to a place of honor and bow down to it, but it could never help them.  Whatever we are bowing down to today instead of God is never going to be of help to us spiritually. We may think that having riches makes us better than other people and we may begin to worship our riches, but they will never help us spiritually.  Only a personal relationship with the only living God that we get by putting our faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, can help us spiritually, and the material things will never be of any permanent importance.  

Verse eight states, Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.  Isaiah said that God called on the people of Judah and Israel to remember Who He is and what He had done for them.  They were transgressors, but God was calling them to repentance.  We are all transgressors, and God calls us all to repentance.  If we have become a follower of Christ, we should never forget what He has done for us, but if we do and stray away from His will, God continues to call us back to Him one more.

Verse nine adds, Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,  God called on the people to remember things of the past, and that He was the God that called them into a covenant relationship with Him, and that He alone is God. Sometimes, we as Christians need to look back at what God has done for us, especially if our faith starts to falter. 

Verse ten continues, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:  God said He could declare the end of things even from the beginning, because He was both.  His counsel would always stand, and He would act at His pleasure to bring about His purpose.  Fortunately for us, it was His pleasure to create us and to provide a way of redemption when we failed.

Verse eleven says, Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.  This referred to Cyrus whom God was going to call to defeat the Babylonians who were enslaving His people.  Still, Cyrus was but a temporary deliverer who could only deliver the people of Israel from physical bondage.  God sent the only Savior Who can bring us everlasting salvation when He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die in our place. 

Verse twelve adds, Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:  God called on the stout hearted of Israel to listen to Him, even if they were currently far from righteousness. Matthew Henry says it could also refer to the proud Babylonians who felt that they were undefeatable.  I tend to believe that it is a call to the proud Jews who had so far refused to humble themselves before God.  Of course, both groups needed to do so.  If we become proud of our own abilities and don’t feel the need for God, whether we are a Christian or not, we need to hear God’s call to come humbly to Him once more. 

Verse thirteen continues, I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.  Isaiah said the God had stated that His salvation was not far off, and that His salvation would bring righteousness to the people who accepted it.  God’s ultimate salvation didn’t come for several hundred more years, though the physical deliverance from Babylonian captivity came much sooner.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, which is the only way to be made righteous before God, we are forever delivered from the power of sin and death, even if it takes many years before we are finally delivered to our home in heaven.  We just need to rest securely in that promise.