Now Hear This!

Isaiah 46:3-13

  

According to Wikipedia, the phrase "Now hear this" is used in the United States Navy to instruct personnel to give their “full attention to an order or command that is about to follow”. When Navy personnel hear this phrase, they are to immediately stop what they are doing, listen closely and follow the instructions without question.

 

In today’s passage, Isaiah wrote his own version of “Now hear this”. Actually, it was God’s version.

 

³ “Listen to me, all Israel who are left; I have created you and cared for you since

you were born. ⁴ I will be your God through all your lifetime, yes, even when your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and be your Savior.       

 

⁸ “Don’t forget this, O guilty ones. ⁹ And don’t forget the many times I clearly told you what was going to happen in the future. For I am God—I only—and there is no other like me ¹⁰ who can tell you what is going to happen.

 

¹² Listen to me, you stubborn, evil men! ¹³ For I am offering you my deliverance; not in the distant future, but right now! I am ready to save you, and I will restore Jerusalem and Israel, who is my glory.”    TLB

 

 

God spoke these words through Isaiah to the people of Israel in a specific historical context. He was speaking to the remnant of Israel that had been taken as captives into a totally different culture including pagan idols and gods.

 

Now God was about to bring the remnant back to the Promised Land and He was reminding them of who He was, and who they were. But you get the definite feeling that the people of Israel have a history of being hard headed, stiff necked and stubborn.

 

Does that sound familiar? It does to me. How many times has God had to tell me something before I got it?

 

Now hear this Joe!

 

I have created you and cared for you since you were born. ⁴ I will be your God

through all your lifetime, yes, even when your hair is white with age… For I am God—I only—and there is no other like me… ¹³ For I am offering you my deliverance; not in the distant future, but right now!

 

Look at your own life. God is sovereign. He is always at work in your life. There is no other like Him. There are many pretenders, but none can match Him. He is always with you, ready to deliver you; to bring victory to you.

 

Now hear this!