Isa 41:22-23 | KingComments | STEP | At the beginning of this chapter the LORD declares the fact of His Godhead in exercising His absolute power to arouse a ruler who subdues nations and that He controls the rise and course of generations. Now He declares His Godhead by stating that He alone knows and can foretell the future. Earlier He challenged the idolaters, now He challenges the idols themselves, the gods of the nations. The LORD and His people – for He is “the King of Jacob” – stand on one side and the idolatrous heathens stand on the other side ( ). Let their gods come forward and prove to them that they are gods if they can. Then let them declare “to us” – that is the LORD Who as King represents His people and connects them with Himself – what the future looks like ( ). This concerns both the near future, “what is going to take place”, and the distant future, “what is coming”. Let them at least do something, whether “good or evil,” so that they at least give some sign of life ( ; cf. ). Then, says the LORD, we will at least have a foothold, a face that we can imagine, something we can measure ourselves against and possibly even fear. Then let the idols speak now to prove their deity! That does not happen, of course, because they cannot do it. Hence the destructive judgment on them and their creators ( ).

‏ Isaiah 41:22-23

The LORD Challenges the Idols

At the beginning of this chapter the LORD declares the fact of His Godhead in exercising His absolute power to arouse a ruler who subdues nations and that He controls the rise and course of generations. Now He declares His Godhead by stating that He alone knows and can foretell the future. Earlier He challenged the idolaters, now He challenges the idols themselves, the gods of the nations.

The LORD and His people – for He is “the King of Jacob” – stand on one side and the idolatrous heathens stand on the other side (Isa 41:21). Let their gods come forward and prove to them that they are gods if they can. Then let them declare “to us” – that is the LORD Who as King represents His people and connects them with Himself – what the future looks like (Isa 41:22). This concerns both the near future, “what is going to take place”, and the distant future, “what is coming”.

Let them at least do something, whether “good or evil,” so that they at least give some sign of life (Isa 41:23; cf. 1Kgs 18:27). Then, says the LORD, we will at least have a foothold, a face that we can imagine, something we can measure ourselves against and possibly even fear. Then let the idols speak now to prove their deity! That does not happen, of course, because they cannot do it. Hence the destructive judgment on them and their creators (Isa 41:24).