Isaiah 44:6-8 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 44:6-8 on biblegateway.com
Verse 6Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Verse 7Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be. Verse 8Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.
Devotion
When Moses, Hannah and David sang, they sang about rocks. When prophets delivered oracles, rocks were mentioned again. In Isaiah, we hear, “There is no other rock; I know not one.”
In song and prophecy, God is often called a “rock.” God is a rock of refuge; a fortress rock; a rock in the midst of a miry bog; God is the rock of salvation. And God can be at the same time both “a sanctuary” and “a stone one strikes against; for both houses of Israel he will become a rock one stumbles over … ” (Isaiah 8:14)
God’s unwavering faithfulness and unwavering demands for faithfulness and justice make the poet and prophet sing of “the rock.” When He was among us and died on the cross, He put flesh on this poetic word, “rock,” revealing love and hope for sinners that no word can contain and only faith can grasp.
Prayer
Gracious Lord, you give us a solid place upon which to stand when you give us faith in Your Son, Jesus. Fill us with hope, comfort, courage and love for our neighbor, through Your Word and Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.