Seder 104: Isaiah 45:15-25---The Only Source of Salvation

 Isaiah 45:15-25 declares that the God of Israel is the one true God, the only source of salvation.  Anything else that humans might worship is something created by God.  One day everyone will submit to God.  

Christians and Jews agree on these things when they read Isaiah 45. But there also are differences in the way they understand this passage.  

For Christians the one God is triune.  The passage emphasizes salvation, and Yeshua, the Hebrew name of Jesus, means salvation.  Christians have always affirmed that one day all will submit to God by submitting to Jesus (Phil 2:9-11).    

Jews disagree, and in response to persecution by Christians have sometimes identified the "wooden idols" and "god that cannot save" in verse 20 with the cross and Jesus.

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on February 21, 2026, Kyle Kettering discussed the relationship between these two religions that have a tremendous amount in common along with important differences.  He posted a quote from Daniel Boyarin:  "Judaism in all its forms and Christianity in all its forms were part of one complex religious family, twins in a womb, contending with each other for identity and precedence, but sharing to a large extent the same spiritual food, as well."  

Christians from the nations owe much to the Jewish people, as the apostle Paul reminded his congregations (Eph 2:1-13; Rom 11:17-24).  Paul also foresaw a reconciliation between these brother religions in the future (Rom 11:25-36).  In the meantime, Christians can promote reconciliation by loving the Jewish people.  

Seder 61: Isaiah 47-48---Heeding God's Word

 A number of the cases in Exodus 21-23 make for challenging reading because of the wide gulf separating  21st-century Western culture and Ancient Near Eastern culture.  But the time we invest in studying them is worthwhile because this is precious revelation from God, showing God's thinking on moral and ethical issues.

The uniqueness and value of God's revelation are emphasized in Isaiah 48.  There God calls upon his people to "hear" him---that is, to pay attention to what he is saying and give a faithful response.  One reason that they should listen is that God is the Creator of the whole universe (vv 12-13).  He knows things that are not available from any other source.  

 In particular, since God created the universe, he rules the universe.  He knows in advance what will happen.  Through the prophets, he revealed that he would send the Babylonians to punish the kingdom of Judah.  Later he would bring down the Babylonians (Isaiah 47; 48:`14) through the Persians and their emperor Cyrus (Isa 44:28; 45:1). 

In addition, God wants the best for his people.  "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go," he states in Isaiah 48:17.  That teaching includes the Decalogue of Exodus 20 and the "covenant code" of Exodus 21-23 . 

Seder 54: Isaiah 46---To Carry or Be Carried?

 When the Israelites begin their Exodus from Egypt, God has one more mighty work planned---the parting of the Red Sea and the drowning of Pharaoh's army.  This miracle would send a powerful message to the Egyptians, the Israelites, and other nations about the strength of the God of Israel.  

Hundreds of years later, Isaiah had a message about another Exodus for Jewish exiles in Babylon.  God would rescue his people again, this time using a pagan king to send them back to the land of Israel.  He announced the name of that king in advance in Isaiah 44-45:  Cyrus.  

As in the time of the first Exodus, God wanted all nations to know that he was the one true God, the only one who could predict the future accurately and the only source of salvation.  

In Isaiah 46, God states that everyone has a choice to make, and there are two options.  One possibility is to follow other gods who have no power to save.  Those who choose that option will have to carry their idols around in order to save them (verses 1-2).  

On the other hand, the God of Israel does not need to be carried around.  Instead, he carries his people, faithfully watching over them all their lives and delivering them from harm (verses 3-4).  

So there are two options, to carry or be carried.  We can still think of our choices today that way.  We do not carry images of wood or stone, but we have our own idols---our stuff, our sources of entertainment, the reputations we want to maintain.  We chooses whether to carry these idols around or to give them up, place our trust in God, and let him carry us.  The choice is ours. 

Seder 79: Psalm 96---Praise for the King

 Psalm 96 calls upon all creation to praise God, the righteous king and judge.  

This psalm is largely repeated in 1 Chron 16:23-33, so it is associated with David's bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem.  

Commentator Willem VanGemeren observes that Psalm 96 shares a number of motifs with Isa 40-66, including 

• polemics against idolatry--Ps 96:5; Isa 40:18-31; 41:21-24; 44:6-8.
• creation--Ps 96:5; Isa 40:22; 42:5; 44:24; 45:12.
• nature's response to God's redemption--Ps 96:1,9,11-12; Isa 49:13; 55:12.
• the nations--Ps 96:3,10,13; Isa 45:20; 49:7; 56:3-8; 60:9-12,14,16; 66:18.

The psalm urges all to sing praises to God, and to ascribe to him the glory due to him.  He is the Creator of all and so also the ruler and judge.  

Seder 8: Gen 9:27---Watch your Antecedents

The only words of Noah recorded in the Bible are in Gen 9:25-27, when Noah invokes a curse upon Canaan (v 25) and blessings upon Shem and Japheth.  Here I want to focus on v 27:

"May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant."

The meaning of Noah's invocation depends upon the the intended antecedents of the pronouns in this verse.  One possibility is that "him" refers to Japheth.  In that case, "dwelling in the tents of Shem" could mean sharing in the blessing that God promises to Abraham, a descendant of Shem through whom all nations are to be blessed (Gen 12:3). 

On the other hand, "him" could refer to God.  In that case, God dwelling in the tents of Shem could refer to God dwelling with Israel, a nation that will descend from Shem, in the tabernacle and temple, and ultimately to God coming to "pitch his tent with us" in the person of Jesus the Messiah (John 1:14). 

Either interpretation is possible.  There are also two possibilities for "his" later in the verse.  If "his" means "Japheth's", then Noah is calling for Canaan to be a servant of Japheth.  On the other hand, if  "his" means "God's", then Noah could be calling for Canaan to ultimately become a servant of God.  Some Canaanites--e.g., Rahab--did become servants of God---and God's plan is for all to submit to him ultimately (Isa 45:22-23, Phil 2:9-11).

Gen 9:27 is one of several examples of pronoun ambiguity in the Bible.  When there is more than one possibility for the antecedent of a pronoun, it can be fruitful to explore all the possibilities and see what we can learn from them.  In some cases the ambiguity may be deliberate and may be a way of communicating the multiple possibilities in a succinct manner.