Isaiah Day 135 - A Humbling Word

45:8  “Rain down, you heavens, from above,

And let the skies pour down righteousness;

Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,

And let righteousness spring up together.

I, the Lord, have created it.

9  “Woe to him who strives with his Maker!

Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!

Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’

Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?

10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’

Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’”

11 Thus says the Lord,

The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:

“Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons;

And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.

12 I have made the earth,

And created man on it.

I—My hands—stretched out the heavens,

And all their host I have commanded.

13 I have raised him up in righteousness,

And I will direct all his ways;

He shall build My city

And let My exiles go free,

Not for price nor reward,”

Says the Lord of hosts.

Can you see the struggle here? Can you sense how deep the prejudice of the Jewish nation was? God was promising deliverance at the hands of a "heathen" king; the head of a "heathen" nation. It was too much for them to swallow. Couldn't God raise up another hero from among them? Wouldn't another Moses be better than needing deliverance from an idol worshipping pagan?

God knew their hearts and their thoughts. You can see it in His words. Before they ever had a chance to argue against this humiliating prophecy, He countered their arguments. He is the Creator. All humanity is the work of His hands. If He decides to work through Cyrus for their benefit who are they to argue? Can the clay argue against the Potter?

What does any of this have to do with us?

Are there not times when God works in ways we don't understand? Can we be honest enough with ourselves to admit there are times we don't agree with what He is doing or not doing? Can we admit that most of our prayers are us telling Him what He should be doing? Can we admit that instead of being workable clay, we want to sit as an advisor to the Potter?

God did raise up Cyrus and even though his beliefs didn't look very Jewish he was a man of integrity. He was a man of humility. He was a man who had great respect for the Divine even if his understanding wasn't as technically accurate as the Jewish perspective.

It's better to be faithful in little than to be arrogant, proud, and conceited.

Really I have two choices. I can argue with Him or I can follow Him.