Who is "I" in Isaiah 44:6
Upvote:1
The reference to "the first and the last" is a conscious echo of Isaiah 41:4:
Isaiah 41:4: Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.
Isaiah 41:4 is, in turn, part of a narrative about the Creator -- the first person of the Trinity -- as we see in Isaiah 40:28:
Isaiah 40:28: Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
In verse 44:24 the narrative again reminds us that it is God, the creator of all things, who is talking:
Isaiah 44:24: Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
The importance of "no God beside me" is not a denial of the Trinity but of paganism. Most biblical scholars regard Isaiah chapters 40-55 to have been written during the Babylonian Exile by an anonymous prophet now known as Second Isaiah to distinguish him from Isaiah, son of Amoz. It was during this period that the priesthood began to assertively declare that there is only one God.
Upvote:1
In grammar, "I" is a personal pronoun referring to oneself. It is a first-person singular. It's important to understand the time in which Isaiah was written and for whom it was written. We can only work with what theology Isaiah provides us, so be not tempted.
Whether or not you believe in the Trinity, it can be agreed that YHWH is the Father. (See Isa. 64:8) A trinitarian view of there being no god besides YHWH is that the three persons share the same substance, and there is only one substance, not three.
The trouble you seem to be encountering is that if YHWH is the Father, and if the Father says he is the only one who is god, i.e., only he possesses this divine nature, then where is the room for his word and spirit? I think Justin Martyr said it best:
For He can be called by all those names, since He ministers to the Father's will, and since He was begotten of the Father by an act of will; just as we see happening among ourselves: for when we give out some word, we beget the word; yet not by abscission, so as to lessen the word [which remains] in us, when we give it out: and just as we see also happening in the case of a fire, which is not lessened when it has kindled [another], but remains the same; and that which has been kindled by it likewise appears to exist by itself, not diminishing that from which it was kindled.
Chapter 61. Wisdom is begotten of the Father, as fire from fire
More post
- 📝 Has any trinitarian these days ever come across an argument for proof of the deity of Christ that goes like this:
- 📝 Do any denominations teach that angels have, or do not have, free will?
- 📝 What is the difference between special revelation and (biblical) inspiration?
- 📝 According to Young Earth Creationists why would God create elements that decay if the creation was perfect?
- 📝 What is the Biblical argument against Limited Atonement?
- 📝 Does Eph 3v10 hint at Gods supernatural purpose for creation, humanity and our history?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for civil disobedience, by not wearing a mask in the midst of COVID-19, despite health department rules?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis of the belief that Earth is the center of the universe?
- 📝 What is the difference between a pastor, a priest, and a minister?
- 📝 How do Bible Literalists deal with trees older than the flood?
- 📝 What makes the spirit and body inseparable after the resurrection?
- 📝 What was the reasons for documentary hypothesis?
- 📝 How is the claim that the doctrine of Papal Infallibility has always existed within the Church substantiated?
- 📝 Although the N.T. often speaks of Jesus as the Son of God, what's significant about the way the Apostle John uses that title?
- 📝 Would Calvinists classify themselves as determinists?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for women being created in the image of God?
- 📝 Why are slaves and slave women mentioned distinctly in the Old Testament?
- 📝 Is there a rule, on how many Patron Saints a Catholic can have?
- 📝 Did the early church record other events of handing people over to Satan?
- 📝 Is Hell in the OT? Chronologically, when was the concept of Hell first mentioned in the Bible?
- 📝 What does the Bible say about "bad" words?
- 📝 According to the Roman Catholic Church, is halal meat being offered up to idols?
- 📝 Is receiving the Holy Spirit the completion of Salvation?
- 📝 Is testimony of a women equivalent to that of a man?
- 📝 Was Jesus circumcised and did he eat pork?
- 📝 Did Lot's daughters rape Lot?
- 📝 Is there Biblical support for the concept that 'Whenever a man lies with a woman...a transcendental relation is set up between them'?
- 📝 Why did Huldrych Zwingli oppose music in the worship service?
- 📝 Why isn't the Spanish bullfight immoral, according to Catholicism?
- 📝 What is the Bible basis for the idea of a temporary holding place?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 For those who deny the deity of Jesus Christ how do you explain Isaiah seeing Christ/Messiah with his physical eyes at Isaiah 6:1?
- 📝 Who is "I" in Isaiah 44:6
- 📝 How do Christians who believe that the saints enter a blissful state as soon as they die explain David, Isaiah & Job's pessimistic outlook on death?
- 📝 Who is being referred to in Isaiah 42:6?
- 📝 Did Isaiah prophesy the countenance of Jesus who was undergoing Passion?
- 📝 What happens to people who have never heard about Jesus?
- 📝 Who were the "giants" mentioned in the Bible?
- 📝 Who was Pharaoh when Moses lived in Egypt?
- 📝 Who wrote the Book of Revelation?
- 📝 For Catholics who object to Vatican II, what are the key issues?
- 📝 Who said "he would be called a Nazarene"?
- 📝 Who is a Christian according to the Russian Orthodox Church
- 📝 Is there evidence that Isaiah 53 was viewed as a Messianic prophecy within Judaism, or is it an exclusively Christian interpretation?
- 📝 Who was Melchizedek?
- 📝 According to Evangelicals, before the Reformation, who were Christians if “Catholics are not Christians”?
- 📝 What happens to unborn, unbaptized babies who die?
- 📝 What is the significance of Noah, after the flood, getting drunk and cursing his son who saw him Naked?
- 📝 Where did Noah find polar bears and penguins in Palestine, according to those who accept a global flood?
- 📝 Who are these people in this Catholic Reformation meme that are considered more influential than Martin Luther?
- 📝 Who was St. Joseph's Father? The New Testament seems to give two answers
- 📝 Who bought the Field of Blood, Judas or the Priests?
- 📝 Why does Jesus value leap of faith more than those who rely on direct evidence?
- 📝 Who were Jannes and Jambres?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for withholding communion from believers who are unbaptized?
- 📝 Who is the prophet Moses mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:15?
- 📝 How is it that someone who lived thousands of years ago can "represent" me?
- 📝 What does the Roman Catholic church teach about those who die having never heard of Christ?
- 📝 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - who is understood as the fourth person in the fire?
- 📝 Who never died in the Bible?
- 📝 According to LDS (Mormon) teaching, who was the first God who began the eternal progression?