No One Like Our God
By Emma Danzey
Isaiah 42:8 says, "I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.”
I Am the Lord, That Is My Name
The Lord makes it very clear in this verse that He is the only God. His name is the only name by which we can be saved. This parallels to Acts 4:11-12 which says, “This Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ ‘Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.’” In Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah is prophesying to the Israelites. He is calling them out for their rebellion and idolatry. In Isaiah 42, he is telling of Jesus’ coming.
When we think about the magnitude of the fact that we as believers are given relationship with God on high, this humbles us. We become overwhelmed by the sweet gift of knowing the Lord personally. We are in awe that the Creator and Savior loves us and wants to walk alongside us through life. He is the Almighty, He is the Everlasting God, He is the Alpha and the Omega, but He is also our Friend and Father.
And My Glory I Will Not Give to Another
Exodus 15:11 says, “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?”
Moses and Miriam led this song to the people of God once they crossed the Red Sea when the Lord delivered them from the oppression of their enemies. They recognized that no one could have done what the Lord did. There is no other who deserves glory. I love how in Isaiah, God says that His glory, He will not give to another. He is so sovereign, so perfect and so holy that He Himself is the only one who could even allow someone else to receive glory. Nothing is out of His control and His perfect hands.
In fact, He is so glorious that we cannot see His face or we would die. Exodus 33:20 says, “But,” He said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’” He is so glorious that on the Mount of Transfiguration, those who looked upon Jesus glorified saw Him glowing and his robes as bright as lightning. The voice of God even came in a cloud and it so scared and humbled the disciples that they fell on their faces before Him. God’s glory is so powerful and so mighty that we cannot stand in His perfect presence.
Nor My Praise to Carved Images
The Israelites were really good at creating idols for themselves or falling into the temptation to worship other idols from other nations. However, the truth is that we are all susceptible to this sin. Idolatry may not look like physical carved images for us today, but think about social media profiles, our houses, cars, popularity status, or hobbies. We can quickly have hearts that are not all about Jesus if we are not careful. Isaiah reminds us that our praise is to only go to the One True God, not to anything or anyone else.
Idols compete with our hearts. They might even be good gifts that God has given to us like family or friends. However, anything that takes the place of the Lord is an idol. We must be careful not to worship the gifts, but only the Giver of the gifts. We must be alert and aware of our areas of weakness so that we can glorify Jesus alone. He deserves total praise and the carved images of Israel and our own “carved images” today are considered spiritual adultery against our Savior. May we remember today and every day that our Savior and our Lord is the only one who is God. He deserves our complete hearts and our sole worship.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
How does knowing God is the only way make you feel? How can this bring comfort to you? How have you been glorifying the Lord lately? What “carved images” do you need to give up as idols to make room for the One True God?
Further Reading:
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