Isa 45:21-23 | KingComments | STEP | As in , the restoration of Israel is followed by offering blessing to the nations. These nations that have escaped judgment on the world and been brought into the realm of peace have not been worshipers of the beast, for those nations have all been wiped out by judgment ( ; ). It is not about Israelites who have escaped the nations – which “fugitives of the nations” might suggest – but nations who have escaped the judgments that have been exercised on them. They are again summoned by God in a lawsuit to make a verdict. In the light of that future blessing, God resumes His protest against their idols and once again says how foolish it is to expect redemption from an idol. Nor can these idols say anything about future things, something that God challenges them to do in order to make clear their utter inability to do so ( ). Only He is capable of this and no one else. He alone is both the righteous and the redeeming God. As the righteous God He must and will judge sin. As the redeeming God, He redeems through His Son, Who has fulfilled His righteous requirements by suffering judgment for everyone who confesses to be a sinner. The God of Israel is the God Who created heaven and earth. Therefore He is the only true God. Therefore He also is the Only One Who is able to redeem Israel. For the nations, this is another call to recognize the God of Israel and thereby participate in the blessings of the realm of peace together with the people of Israel ( ).

‏ Isaiah 45:21-23

The Idols and the LORD

As in Isa 45:14-17, the restoration of Israel is followed by offering blessing to the nations. These nations that have escaped judgment on the world and been brought into the realm of peace have not been worshipers of the beast, for those nations have all been wiped out by judgment (Isa 45:20; Rev 14:9-11).

It is not about Israelites who have escaped the nations – which “fugitives of the nations” might suggest – but nations who have escaped the judgments that have been exercised on them. They are again summoned by God in a lawsuit to make a verdict.

In the light of that future blessing, God resumes His protest against their idols and once again says how foolish it is to expect redemption from an idol. Nor can these idols say anything about future things, something that God challenges them to do in order to make clear their utter inability to do so (Isa 45:21). Only He is capable of this and no one else.

He alone is both the righteous and the redeeming God. As the righteous God He must and will judge sin. As the redeeming God, He redeems through His Son, Who has fulfilled His righteous requirements by suffering judgment for everyone who confesses to be a sinner.

The God of Israel is the God Who created heaven and earth. Therefore He is the only true God. Therefore He also is the Only One Who is able to redeem Israel. For the nations, this is another call to recognize the God of Israel and thereby participate in the blessings of the realm of peace together with the people of Israel (Rev 14:6-7).

With the LORD Is Righteousness

The statement of God in the lawsuit concerning Himself in the preceding verse is followed by the commanding invitation to the nations to turn to Him for salvation (cf. Mt 11:28). In this way one will receive the blessings of the realm of peace (Isa 45:22). For the third time He declares: “I am God, and there is no other.” After His glorious presentation in Isa 45:21 as “a righteous God and a Savior” which He wants to be for Jew and Gentile, He solemnly declares by swearing an oath that the moment will come when He will be acknowledged worldwide as God (Isa 45:23). This will happen in the millennial realm of peace.

Bowing the knee speaks of acknowledging and submitting to the authority of the LORD as opposed to bowing the knee before the idols and acknowledging their authority. The names of the idols will be eradicated (Zec 13:2). Confession with the tongue indicates consent to the infallibility and righteousness of His judgment. That this word will not be turned back means that there will be no failure to fulfill what has been spoken (cf. Isa 55:11).

Paul quotes this verse in connection with an evil quality of us as believers that we judge others so easily (Rom 14:10-12). Through this verse of Isaiah he is already placing us, as it were, before the judgment seat of God. When we think of the judgment seat of God before which we will be standing in the future, we would like to live as if we are standing before it now. Then we would like to be accountable to God right now, at this very moment.

The result of this thought is that we will come to the conclusion that we should not (any longer) judge each other. We will then leave that to God. Each person will bow down before God and acknowledge Him as God. That makes us very small. From another quote Paul makes from this verse it is clear that the Lord Jesus is the One to Whom every knee will bow (Phil 2:10). This is another proof that the Lord Jesus is God.

The great acknowledgment in the future day is that everything can only be found with and in the LORD (Isa 45:24-25). He will be acknowledged and accepted in all His attributes, power and actions. In these verses the emphasis is repeatedly placed on God’s righteousness as the basis of His actions. In Isa 45:21 it is righteousness and salvation. Here it is righteousness and strength (Isa 45:24). Strength comes only when we walk in righteousness, in a righteous way before Him. From all sides of the world men will come to Him, but those who are angry at Him will be put to shame.

The offspring of Israel will be justified, not by works of the law, but “in the LORD” (Isa 45:25). They will joyfully acknowledge their Messiah in Him through their connection with Him. In Him they will boast and not in their own exaltation and power. And Israel will have a spiritual offspring, descendants who are all justified by the atoning sacrifice on Calvary.