What is the meaning of Isaiah 46:5? To whom will you liken Me • The Lord starts with a searching question that exposes the futility of idol-making (Isaiah 46:6–7). • He is inviting His people to remember past deliverances—how He carried them “from the womb” (Isaiah 46:3–4)—and recognize that no carved image ever rescued anyone (Psalm 115:4–7). • By asking “to whom,” God reminds us that every alternative deity is nothing more than the work of human hands (Jeremiah 10:6–7). • Isaiah echoes the same challenge in 40:18, underscoring that any likeness we attempt inevitably shrinks His majesty. or count Me equal? • Equality implies shared power or shared glory, yet the Lord declares, “I am the LORD, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:5). • Pharaoh’s magicians once claimed equality with Moses’ God, but they quickly confessed, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:18–19). • Scripture repeatedly asserts that no being stands on the same plane as the Creator (Deuteronomy 33:26; 1 Chronicles 17:20). • Any attempt to place God on a level field with idols or human authorities is exposed as false worship (Romans 1:22–23). To whom will you compare Me • Comparison is how we measure worth, yet every comparison falls short because God alone is infinite (Psalm 89:6–8). • When the Philistines set the ark beside Dagon, their idol toppled twice (1 Samuel 5:2–4), illustrating how every rival collapses before Him. • Isaiah 46:7 pictures people lugging gods on their shoulders; by contrast, the living God carries His people (Isaiah 46:4). • Even heavenly beings cannot rival Him; seraphim cover their faces in His presence (Isaiah 6:2–3; Revelation 4:8). that we should be alike? • “Alike” suggests shared nature, yet God proclaims, “I am God and not man, the Holy One among you” (Hosea 11:9). • His uniqueness spans every attribute: – Eternity: He alone declares “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). – Sovereignty: What He purposes, He accomplishes (Job 42:2). – Holiness: Light unapproachable to sinners except through His grace (1 Timothy 6:16). • Idols may resemble humans or animals, but the Creator transcends all categories (Romans 11:33–36). • Because He is unlike us, only He can save us; every substitute leaves us burdened (Isaiah 46:1–2). summary Isaiah 46:5 demolishes every notion that God can be rivaled, reduced, or replicated. He alone is incomparable, unequaled, beyond all comparison and utterly unlike His creation. Remembering this truth frees us from the weight of false gods and invites us to rest in the One who carries us from birth to old age. |
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