Title: God as the only savior / Isaiah 44
God as the only savior
Isaiah 44
1. Notice of Certainty of Salvation (1-5)
① Blessing of restored Israel (1-4)
Isaiah uses two names for Israel. One is Jacob and the other is Jeshurun. Jacob is used as a pronoun of sin as a deceiver, and Jeshurun is used as an honest giver of God's grace. In other words, he is saying that he is a sinner, but that he is saved by the grace of God.
God will revive the souls of the people of Israel, which have been dried up by their sins, and lead them to become the most prosperous of all nations.
② Expansion to another room (5)
This blessing of God will lead to the conversion of Gentiles beyond Israel.
2. The uniqueness of God revealed through the folly of idolatry (6-20)
① God is the only God (6-8)
Isaiah calls God the King and Redeemer of Israel, the first and the last. In other words, only God is the true God, and he is the savior.
Israel, who experienced God's salvation in the past, must not only overcome fear by looking to the only God who will achieve salvation in the future, but also become a witness to all nations of God's salvation.
② The folly of idolatry (9-20)
In particular, Israel must have had a shaky heart about God's salvation in captivity. Therefore, Isaiah is more strongly satirizing the folly of idols.
They make idols out of wood, and use the wood for peace, to warm them up, and to make food.
3. The Smear of Sin and the Appearance of Cyrus (21-28)
① The proclamation of the blotting out of sin and the demand for praise (21-23)
As the Creator of Israel, God promises to never forget them and to blot out their sins and transgressions to save them. Therefore, the whole world is demanding that God's wonderful salvation be praised.
② Reasons for hymns (24-27)
God the Creator, God the Savior
③ Cyrus as God’s representative (28)
Finally, Isaiah reveals that Cyrus is God's instrument of salvation, and although he is a Gentile, he is God's servant for God's work of salvation.