神所講說的是公義正直 (賽四十五）中英bilingual
石牌教會https://www.youtube.com/@TJChurchShipai
天母教會https://www.youtube.com/c/TJC_Tianmu/featured
The LORD, Speaks Righteous, Declaring Things That Are Upright (Isaiah 45)
June 6, 2026
“For thus says the LORD, ‘I am the LORD, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land; I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, “Seek Me in a wasteland”; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, declaring things that are upright.’” (Isaiah 45:18b–19, NASB 2020)
As God’s chosen people, Israel should have known more clearly than anyone else that there is only one God in heaven and on earth in whom salvation can be found. Why then does this chapter repeatedly say, “I am the LORD, and there is no other God besides Me”? What is God reminding us of?
“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—
An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth!
Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’” (Isaiah 45:9–10, NASB 2020)
At the end of the previous chapter, Cyrus was mentioned as God’s servant who would accomplish what pleased Him, commanding the rebuilding of Jerusalem and laying the foundation of the temple. This chapter continues by speaking of Cyrus as the one anointed and upheld by the LORD. Although he did not know God, God would use him to release the exiled people and bring them back.
The prophecy given here was spoken about two hundred years before Cyrus appeared, and Cyrus himself was a Gentile king. To many people, it would have seemed impossible that the captive people could be saved and restored through a foreign ruler. Yet this was God’s plan. Again and again, God declares that what He speaks is righteous and upright. What He has spoken will surely come to pass. God possesses absolute sovereignty. He works all things according to His own will. Whom He chooses and whom He uses are all within His perfect plan. How then can the created thing question or argue with its Creator?
Every person has different plans for life. We set goals and make arrangements for our studies, work, and daily living. Regarding church ministries and responsibilities, we may have our own aspirations, be willing to take on certain duties, or think ourselves suitable for particular work according to our experiences, education, or abilities. Yet life does not always unfold according to our expectations. The storms of life may leave us confused, and the ministries entrusted to us may sometimes come unexpectedly.
But “A man’s steps are ordained by the LORD, How then can man understand his way?” (Proverbs 20:24, NASB 2020). When standing before difficulties, do we truly know whom we have believed? Are we willing to continue trusting in God’s love even with present hardships? Are we willing to follow the teachings of the Bible and continue living godly lives in the Lord?
As Hymn 220 says:
“Though through fiery trials your pathway may lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be your supply;
The flame shall not hurt you; I only design
Your dross to consume and your gold to refine.”
Before becoming refined gold and a precious vessel, one must first pass through refining and shaping. May we, in our walk with Christ, respond to God with true faith. Though struck down, passing through valleys, or facing moments when answers seem insufficient, may we still take God as our refuge and trust, believing that His righteousness and uprightness will surely be revealed in the end.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9, NASB 2020)
by Yiwen Guo
留言
張貼留言