The Contrasting Fate of Genuine Believers
3“Listen to me, all Israel who are left; I have created you and cared for you since you were born. 4I will be your God through all your lifetime, yes, even when your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and be your Savior.[1] (Isaiah 46:3–4)
The Fate of True
Believers is the Exact Opposite of the Fate of Idolaters.
Down through the centuries, the Israelites
had suffered terrifying trials and enormous loss of life due to oppression and
warfare. As Isaiah foresaw the future Babylonian conquest and captivity, he saw
that few Israelites would survive the slaughter of the war and the harsh
deportation of the survivors. Those who were taken captive and dispersed
throughout the Babylonian Empire would suffer greatly. However, note God’s
admonition to listen to Him, for He had a tremendous promise for Israel, particularly
those who truly believed and followed Him.
The Israelites were God’s creation as
individuals and a nation. From their very conception, the Lord had taken care
of them. From the day of their birth, He had carried them, nurturing and
nourishing them (v. 3). Remember that Israel’s birth as a nation
occurred when the people were delivered from Egyptian slavery and given God’s
law at Mount Sinai. Down through the centuries, the Lord had always looked
after and protected His people. When they suffered defeat and destruction at
the hands of enemies, it was always due to their wicked behavior and the need
for God to discipline them.
Nevertheless, even in times of disaster and
chastisement, the Lord looked after His people. He was using the discipline to
correct them lest they bring further harm to themselves or others. Although the
discipline sometimes seemed oppressive and destructive, the Lord had always
brought His people through harsh ordeals.
The Israelites were about to face more grave challenges, and the Lord wanted them to know a significant fact: He would always be with His people, even to their old age (v. 4). He is the Lord (Jehovah, Yahweh), the only living and true God, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (He. 13:8). Therefore, He would continue to carry His people through their hardships. He would sustain them, hold them up, and give them the strength to walk through all the trials and temptations of the future. Just as He has done for the believers of the past, He will do for the present and future believers. The Lord will protect, guide, and provide whatever we need throughout life, even to our old age.
V “Let your conversation [conduct,
behavior] be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye
have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we
may boldly say, The Lord is my
helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (He.
13:5–6).
V “Ye have seen what
I did unto the Egyptians, and how I
bare you on eagles’ wings and brought you unto myself” (Ex.
19:4).
V “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall
thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them” (De. 33:27).
V “Thou hast also
given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and
thy gentleness hath made me great” (Ps. 18:35).
V “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart
trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore, my heart greatly rejoiceth; and
with my song will I praise him” (Ps. 28:7).
V “But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God” (Ps.
40:17).
V “For he shall give
his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee
up in their hands, lest thou dash thy
foot against a stone” (Ps. 91:11–12).
V “Fear thou not; for
I am with thee be not dismayed; for I
am thy God: I will strengthen thee;
yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my
righteousness” (Is. 41:10).
V “Fear not: for I
have redeemed thee, I have called thee
by thy name; thou art mine. When thou
passest through the waters, I will be
with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou
walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame
kindle upon thee” (Is. 43:1–2).
V “And even to your old age I am he; and
even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even
I will carry, and will deliver you” (Is.
46:4).
V “Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up” (Is. 50:9).[2]
Ver. 4. —God’s
care for the aged. “And
even to your old age, I am he,” etc.
What a contrast between God and man!
Concerning how many may it be said that they are forgotten in old age!
Sometimes even children are faithless to their parents, and age has died in a
workhouse when children have been well-to-do. But change comes, too, in other
relationships. The world does not want us when we are worn out. Its sweet songs
can charm no more. The cunning of the worker’s hand fails. The preacher faints.
A new generation of strength and health has won the palm. Then, mark—
I. The surprise. Even. At the
time when the world draws off, God comes nearer. Weakness is always welcome to
him. He loves to comfort. His infinite strength is not weakened by all
outgoings of help to others. Wherever, in age, sickness confines us, or
solitude keeps us, there is our Father. Even
then, when heart and flesh faint and fail. He has not merely promised this, but the Jacobs of the
world can attest the truth: “All my life long.” And apart from promise and
experience, it is God’s nature so to
do.
II. The reasons. 1. “I have made.” God will not, as Job says, forget us, because “thou hast a desire to the work of thy hands.” 2. “I have rescued.” What else says the prophet? “I will carry and deliver you.” What we could not bear away, God, in the person of his Son, will do for us. “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!” Hoar hairs may have their perfect whiteness, but hoar hearts have not, and we need a Saviour to the end. Nor is this all. Old age has its sorrows as well as its sins. The young have not always sympathy with the old. They do not understand what it is to feel so “alone,” with buried generations behind, who once joined in the race of life with them, and who worshipped with them in the house of God. Those who admired and understood and loved them are gone, and a generation has risen up who knows not Joseph. Beautifully does the next verse begin, “To whom will ye liken me?” “Even to your old age, I am he.” Always a Father, always Saviour, always a Friend. —W. M. S.[3]
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah: Chapters 36–66. Vol. II. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
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