Talk is Cheap (Unless You’re God)
Isaiah 43:8-13
I, even I, am the Lord,
and apart from me there is no savior.
I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign god among you.
- Isaiah 43:11-12
Have you ever met someone who is “all talk”? You know the kind of person. The incessant one-upper, who always knows better, does better, and "is" better than you. Is there anything more annoying? Or maybe it comes out during an intense competition in the form of the “trash-talker.” Arrogance seeps from their pores as you desperately plot how to shut down this braggadocious opponent.
Perhaps the only thing worse than the boasting itself is when it turns out that this person actually does have the credentials, skill, experience or knowledge to back up all the talk.
When I first read Isaiah 43:8-13 this is what I imagined. God spends these verses going on and on bragging about himself. But then I realized - if it is true, then is it really considered bragging? If anyone in all the cosmos can speak like this and get away with it, it’s got to be God, right?
“Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.” (vs. 10)
“I am God... from ancient days I am he.” (12b-13a)
“When I act, who can reverse it?” (vs.13b)
Whether these are God’s actual, literal words spoken through the prophet Isaiah, or Isaiah personifying God’s message through this writing, the point remains the same. Nobody holds a candle to our God. It’s not even close. In this war of words God calls out anyone and everyone to prove the worth of their false gods and idols, and compare them to himself. Who can stand against me? Prove it! I dare you! “Bring your witnesses,” says God “and I will bring mine.”
And that’s where we enter the scene. God brings us along to this epic showdown as his witnesses. Saying, “Come on Israel, you know my credentials. Tell them all about me. Show them what’s what. You’ve seen me in action. You know what I’m capable of. Go on, tell them!”
By way of application then, let’s consider these two questions prompted by the text for today:
What are the false idols in your life that you’re turning to right now in place of the One and Only God who saves?
How might you bear witness to God’s incomparable majesty, eternal power, and amazing grace in the various spheres of life God calls you into today?
Prayer: Father, thank you that you not only talk the talk, but that you came to earth & walked the walk. Help me do likewise, following in the footsteps of the Son, by the power of your Spirit living in me. Amen.