Every Knee Shall Bow
2003 : Week 10

There are times God says something that rocks our foundations. It's true, everything God says in the Bible is important, but some messages seem to resonate within us in a different manner. Today's passage is an example. The passage reveals several dimensions of our Almighty God, and all of them are to be revered. Make no mistake about it, for the unsaved, parts of today's message will be difficult to hear. We send it for the same reason God placed it in the Bible; He loves people and wants them to return to Him.

In Isaiah's passage, God is staking claim to the throne of the universe. Many religions believe in a different God. Still other religions believe in many gods; this is called polytheism. For these other religions, the God of the Bible has an answer for anyone who would listen, "There is no other God besides Me": period and end of discussion. Anyone who tells you differently is lying. We have seen this message before; it is a re-iteration of God's first two commandments in Exodus 20:3-4:

   Commandment (1) - "You shall have no other gods before Me."
   Commandment (2) - " You shall not make for yourself any idol."

Isaiah's passage is a reminder to the people of his time that God's rules still applied. God had not changed His commandments; idolatry was still forbidden. Likewise, nothing has changed from Isaiah's time to the present. This verse should serve as a reminder, there is only one God, and He still wants our worship.

Nothing should come between our relationship with God. Anything in life, a husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, other deity, job, car or money that comes ahead of God is an idol. God demands that we stop worshipping it and turn our focus back to Him. God gave us these commandments, because idolatry is a path to destruction. The things we chase and spend our lives gaining are hollow, and our lust for them keeps us separated from God. He loves us, so He wants us to focus on Him. In Him, we find joy, happiness and eternal life.

Sin separates us from God, yet, despite our wandering away, God continues to show us kindness and compassion. He asserts that He is a righteous God, and salvation can be had, simply, by returning to Him. Note, in verse 22, God hasn't turned away from us; He is still watching, waiting, and calling for our return. We are the ones who are running away from Him. Lovingly, God says 'turn back to me and be saved.'

This is the same picture of the loving father in the story of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32) While the son has gone astray and is sinning without concern, daily his Father waits for his return. When the son returns, his father rejoices. Likewise, Jesus tells us that, "…there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents." (Luke 15:10) God cares for every lost soul. Each one who repents and is saved is reason to celebrate in heaven.

To this point, the passage has revealed the compassion of our God calling us to salvation, but the tone of the message changes in verse 23. Verse 23 becomes a stern warning. In it, God swears that 'every knee will bow and every tongue swear allegiance to Him.' Please don't miss what God is saying here. The passage states that everyone will bow down before Him: believer and non-believer alike. God has sworn it. It doesn't matter how strong a person is, one day they will realize what true power and strength means. Their pride and arrogance will melt away as they stand before the creator of the universe. It will be too late to change their lot then; their judgment is before them.

We all have a choice in preparation for that day. We can go to the loving Father, repent of our sins, accept His forgiveness and worship Him. Conversely, we can pass through this life and ignore this message and the countless other times He has called us. For those who ignore the call, there will be a time when they feel the full weight of God upon them: they will have no defense, they will have nothing to say, they will understand, fully, who they are before, and they will crumble to their knees. God gives this warning out of love, as He calls to a lost world.

For the Christian, sure of their salvation, this message should impact you as much as it should the non-Christian. It should touch you to preach the Gospel to the world. It should make you work for the Lord to make sure that all have heard of the good news of Jesus; He loves us, and He died for our sins. We should do what we can to share God's message. We should try to make every knee bow willingly before God; the alternative is tragic.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and always…

* Words of Jesus from scripture appear in red.

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