18 October 2020

‘I am the Lord, and there is no other;
besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,
so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.’

From Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6, NRSV

Throughout their long period in exile, the “Chosen People” of Israel knew that God was with them and guiding them. They looked on God as their own God. Now in Babylon, towards the end of exile, they have an important lesson to learn. The God who has been close to them all this while states clearly that there is only one God who is Lord of all. This would have required a big shift in their understanding and an acceptance of belonging to something much bigger than their nation. It would also have challenged any who held on to beliefs of the other gods still worshipped at that time

• • How would the people of Israel have felt to realise that they now had to accept that their God was God of the whole world and not just their nation?
  • Do you accept God as Lord of all – how does that affect the way you think and live?

Pray for those of our own time who are caught up in the pursuit other “gods” such as money, possessions or power.