He Who Holds Tomorrow

Ira Stanphill wrote: "Many things about tomorrow/ I don't seem to understand/ but I know who holds tomorrow/and I know who holds my hand." While we sing about it, the question is: "do we really believe it?" In Isaiah 46, Isaiah was the mouthpiece for a conversation the LORD carried on with His covenant people. The subject of the conversation is who holds tomorrow.

In the context, the LORD talked about the Jewish proclivity toward idolatry. In the first two verses of Isaiah 46, the LORD described how they had to carry their idols. "Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together. They could not deliver the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity." These foolish people, who were addicted to idolatry had to carry their gods.

Now listen to the contrast our Lord drew in verses 3-4. "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb: even to your old age, I am He. And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear, even I will carry, and will deliver you." In effect God asked, "Do you want a god you have to carry or a God who can carry you?"
The crux of the chapter is a question the LORD asked in verse 5. "To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal, and compare Me, that we should be alike?"

In our text, our LORD told us why no idol could ever represent Him.