"Produce your cause, saith the Lord, bring forth your
strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob."
........Isaiah 41: 21
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There are many today who put their trust in idols and vanity, and not in the living
God. In the days of the Old Testament, we see those who trusted in idols more
than the living God, and who were punished for the same. Today, the love of
money and the things which money can buy is still the root of all evil.
Pleasures of this world can also be worshiped by man and put before God.
Anything which men put before God becames idolatry, and is a sin.
Even family members can be put before the Lord at times, and become
as an idol in the lives of others. Sports is also a "god" in America today
which many put before the Lord Jesus Christ and His work. Our Lord
must be number one in our lives, as we seek His Kingdom first of all.
In Isaiah 41: 21, God spoke with a challenge and prediction as to the
"false gods"....He tells these to "produce their cause, and bring forth their
strong reasons, or arguments." Adam Clarke commentary says God
said: "Let your idols come forward which you consider to be so very strong."
Then the Lord goes on to say, "let them bring them forth; and shew us
what shall happen; let them shew the former things, what they be, that we
may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare unto us
things to come. Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know
that ye are gods; ye do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold
it together." Then the Lord says "Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work
of nought; an abominations is he that chooseth you. Jesus called the nations
to leave their idols and to worship Him who made the universe and all within.
The false gods are called upon to come forth and appear in person; and to
give evident demonstration of their foreknowledge and power by foretelling
future events, and exerting their power in doing good or evil. God challenged
these idols, yet they could not answer nor bring forth any cause.
Idols are "as nothing, and cannot produce strong reasons or their cause."
They cannot predict the future or reveal the past, as their work is of naught.
False gods are an abomination unto the Lord and are not to be chosen by man.
Idols cannot produce either a cause or strong reasons before Jehovah God.
There was no man to produce strong causes or reasons who was an object
to worship. There was no man to stand in the gap or to plead our cause.
But in the fullness of time, God sent Jesus, who pleads our case and has
declared us righteous before God. His strong reasons are His death and
blood shed on Calvary's cross. We are justified by faith and have the righteousness
of God in Christ, imputed to us by our Great Intercessor, who still pleads our cause.
Jesus makes intercessions for us according to the will of the Father.
He faced our sin squarely and said, "blame me and not them. Punish me,
not them. Look at my righteousness and not their lack of righteousness."
He took our place to plead our cause and gives us a right to a hearing.
God saw there was "no man"---"no intercessor" and therefore His arm,
(power)... brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained Him.
Jesus was the only one who was worthy to stand in the gap and make
a way back to God for fallen man.
Today, in heaven, Jesus still pleads the case of sinners and His blood will
never lose its power. He is the only "God" who can bring forth the strong
reasons, reveal the past, and predict our future. No other gods or souls
of men are able to do this for us. God holds the future in His hands.
Jesus filters our prayers and stands ready to help us in time of need ,when
we call upon His name. God hears our prayers, not because of who we are,
but because Jesus has presented strong reasons and our cause before
the Father as the one true God and Lord of all. It is only through
Jesus Christ, the Father listens to us, loves us, cherishes us, only for
who Christ is in us, not for who we are on our own merit.
We come to the Father through the Son, who ever lives to make intercession
for the saints, according to the will of God. Only He can plead our case
in true righteousness, as the one true God.
All idols will one day fall ,and none can answer the challenge of the Almighty God.
Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess one day that Jesus is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father. Until that day, we must worship the Lord God and Him
only, knowing that we are justified, heirs, and joint heirs in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
We can go boldly before the throne of God and know that Jesus is our
great Intercessor. He has produced and brought forth our cause, so that
we can ask in faith believing in His name. We have the reasons for our
justification because of who we are in Christ, and His imputed righteousness.
It's good to know we own nothing for our past sins, as we have been forgiven
by the price which he paid, and from any penality of our sins. both in heaven
and in earth. Thank the Lord for the finished work of our Savior and for
enlightening our hearts and eyes to behold His marvelous light and
to walk in it.
We can expect to receive, if the things we ask are according to God's will.
May "His kingdom come, and will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." The
Word of God is Jesus, who is "love." Truly, He is due all the kingdom,power,
and glory, now and forever, Amen!
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