November '26
“Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it” (Is 46:8–11).
Isaiah is writing to disobedient Israel. They have broken covenant with God and have some tricky times coming down the pipeline. God’s promise to Abraham included the blessing of land, and they will lose their land, just like Adam did. The Assyrians defeated the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon began to take exiles away from the Southern Kingdom in 605 BC.
But God does not leave them to interpret the times by themselves. Caleb spoke a couple of Sundays ago about how we can’t over-read our circumstances. It could be that hard times are God refining you. It could be that the good times are fattening you for the slaughter. Without God telling us, who’s to know? This situation is like that. What is Israel supposed to make of these circumstances? That God is against them? No! God speaks in advance so they will know what’s up. They’re not left guessing. Further, this speaks to our situation. The New Testament tells us the ultimate fulfilment of this is in the coming of Christ and the ultimate end of exile, which is the new world. So what are they told in this text?
1. God is sovereign.
“I am God, …declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’” (vv. 9–10). God’s people were not to view what was happening as though God were defeated, history were running off course, or the foreign gods were more powerful than Yahweh. No, all of this was brought about by the orchestration of God, for their refining, and afterwards, their redemption. This is true for us in our exile too. We can view bad news as intrusions and diversions from God’s best. In some sense, that’s not wrong. But in the sense of this passage, God is pruning us and changing us. Lean into it. What is to be done in response to this thing blocking your path? Is this a moment of extension, growth, or change from the hand of God?
2. God is sovereign over political leaders.
“…calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country” (v. 11). This is referring to the rise of Cyrus the Great, the Persian leader who vanquished the Babylonian empire in 539 BC and a year later would let Jewish exiles return to the land. A couple of years after that, they were able to start work on rebuilding the temple, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians. Cyrus had his own agenda. He was not a God-fearer. Behind his rise, though, was the work of God. Unexpectedly, it was to be for the good of His people. This is true today for God’s people too. It’s true in Christ, who, like Cyrus, is called God’s anointed (Isaiah 45:1). King Jesus is the most unexpected political win for God’s people in the history of the world. But it’s also true of the political leaders of this world’s kingdoms. God pulls surprising rabbits out of hats. Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.
I’m human. I have hopes about how the 2026 election will go. But it may not go that way. What is not in doubt, though, is that God will use whatever happens for the good of the Kiwis who love Him. Our fate rests in the hands of the King of Kings.
3. We must remember.
“Remember who you are,” says Mufasa to Simba. “You are my son. You are the king.” We too are called by Isaiah to remember. But more important than remembering who we are is remembering who God is. God’s work is God’s work. He’ll get you to where He needs you to get to. But you can have a miserable time along the way, or you can know your God. My kids love to know the plan for the day. On Saturday morning, they want a detailed itinerary. God likewise has an agenda for us. We can take comfort as we remember what the lay of the land is and where we’re going: “
“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Is 51:11).
Remember your God this month, Redeemer Church.
-Pastor Phil