Study Desk

People will see this and know that I, the Lord , have done it. They will come to understand that Israel's holy God has made it happen."

God created the heavens and stretched them out; he fashioned the earth and all that lives there; he gave life and breath to all its people. And now the Lord God says to his servant,

"I alone am the Lord your God. No other god may share my glory; I will not let idols share my praise.

Let the desert and its towns praise God; let the people of Kedar praise him! Let those who live in the city of Sela shout for joy from the tops of the mountains!

God says, "For a long time I kept silent; I did not answer my people. But now the time to act has come; I cry out like a woman in labor.

The Lord is a God who is eager to save, so he exalted his laws and teachings, and he wanted his people to honor them.

For I am the Lord your God, the holy God of Israel, who saves you. I will give up Egypt to set you free; I will give up Ethiopia and Seba.

God says, "Summon my people to court. They have eyes, but they are blind; they have ears, but they are deaf!

"People of Israel, you are my witnesses; I chose you to be my servant, so that you would know me and believe in me and understand that I am the only God. Besides me there is no other god; there never was and never will be.

I predicted what would happen, and then I came to your aid. No foreign god has ever done this; you are my witnesses.

I am God and always will be. No one can escape from my power; no one can change what I do."

Israel's holy God, the Lord who saves you, says, "To save you, I will send an army against Babylon; I will break down the city gates, and the shouts of her people will turn into crying.

I am the Lord , your holy God. I created you, Israel, and I am your king."

And yet, I am the God who forgives your sins, and I do this because of who I am. I will not hold your sins against you.

The Lord , who rules and protects Israel, the Lord Almighty, has this to say: "I am the first, the last, the only God; there is no other god but me.

Do not be afraid, my people! You know that from ancient times until now I have predicted all that would happen, and you are my witnesses. Is there any other god? Is there some powerful god I never heard of?"

It does no good to make a metal image to worship as a god!

A person uses part of a tree for fuel and part of it for making an idol. With one part he builds a fire to warm himself and bake bread; with the other part he makes a god and worships it.

The rest of the wood he makes into an idol, and then he bows down and worships it. He prays to it and says, "You are my god—save me!"

It makes as much sense as eating ashes. His foolish ideas have so misled him that he is beyond help. He won't admit to himself that the idol he holds in his hand is not a god at all.