Isaiah chapter 44 - Acts

If we were to look at the New Testament book of Acts we would find it to contain some major, identifiable elements. Most would remember the birth of the Church in chapter two, the stoning of Stephen in chapter seven and then, the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus and his missionary journeys taking the gospel to the gentiles.

This hardly mates with the subject matter of Isaiah forty-four, which is a presentation of just how ridiculous idolatry is. But, hidden among Isaiah’s words is a series of phrases that speak of the events we read about in the book of Acts, beginning with the day of Pentacost. Speaking of Israel, God says through Isaiah in verse three:

“For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:”

Isaiah was not speaking about the day of Pentacost particularly, but these words state what happened that day in direct correspondence with the description of the events of that day in Acts chapter two.

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:2)

God poured out his Spirit upon the apostles in this case, and as thousands of believing Jews were added to the Church, God poured out his Spirit again and again. Literally, this was the beginning of the Spirit’s continual presence on the Earth which continues until today. A second reading of Isaiah 44:3 shows us another event from the book of Acts.

“For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring”

We may not think of Saul of Tarsus as being thirsty for the truth of God, but he was. Saul was pointed in the wrong direction, but his thirst was evident from his exuberance
in the persecution of the believing Jews. On the road to Damascus, God simply changed Saul’s direction and gave him what? Water! The water of the Word of God.

Isaiah 44:5 gives us another phrase connecting to the book of Acts.

“One shall say, I am the LORD's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.” (Isaiah 44:5)

The word ‘Church’ is commonly said to derive from the Greek word ‘ekklesia’, but that word should better have been translated as ‘assembly’, as it is in some places. One of the origins of our word ‘Church’ comes through the Scottish word ‘Kurch’ which derives from Greek words meaning “the Lord’s”, as in those that belong to the Lord. Isaiah 44:5 says that some will refer to themselves as “the Lord’s” i.e. the Church.

What was happening in the book of Acts? God was extending his grace to include the whole gentile world. God, as the carpenter from Galilee had paid the redemption price, the Jews had rejected Jesus as their king, and now God reached out to the gentiles. That is not what Isaiah is talking about in verses thirteen and fourteen. Isaiah is talking about the making of idols for worship, but notice the words we find in those verses.

“The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house. He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.” (Isaiah 44:13-14)

“The carpenter stretcheth out his rule;”. God stretched out from the Jew to the rest of the world.

“and maketh it after the figure of a man,”. What is the figure of a man? A body, and the Church is often referred to as the body of Christ.

“which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.” God called out a people for himself, and he strengthens that people to his own glory. He plants and nourishes what he plants.

It should be noted too that in verse twenty-two, God speaking through Isaiah says: “for I have redeemed thee.”

It is not part of the book of Acts, but I think that it is significant that we find the following words in Isaiah’s forty-forth chapter concerning that which the carpenter has built. In the case of Isaiah forty-four, it is an idol, but in the case of the body of Christ, we may see here a picture of what many believe to be the basis of salvation.

“And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.” (Isaiah 44:17)

Many today have made the Church to be their benefactor. They as much as pray to the Church for salvation when they believe that their membership in their Church is what is going to take them to eternal life.

This is Isaiah Forty-Four and the book of Acts is the Forty-Forth book in the Bible. They are connected.