Isaiah 45:18
For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
The Lord Himself created the heavens and formed, made and established the earth to be inhabited, not as something empty, desolate or without purpose. He is the LORD and there is none else, the one true God and Creator above the gods of the heathen and unlike idols, in whom alone are salvation, righteousness and strength. Though the earth given to man as his kingdom was betrayed into Satan's hands, the great plan of redemption restores all that was lost by sin, when God renews it and frees it from sin and sorrow to be the eternal home of holy, happy beings who dwell in it forever. Because He is the Creator His creative power establishes His claim to reverence and worship above the nations, and the Sabbath stands as the memorial and sign of that Creator-creature distinction. Those who seek Him do not seek in vain, so wisdom is to be sought from God rather than from finite men, by following on to know the Lord and trusting His promised care.
Creator and Creation
The Lord who created the heavens Himself formed, made and established the earth to be inhabited, not as something empty, vain, desolate or purposeless. His original purpose in forming it for habitation stands, and it is fulfilled when the earth is restored as the eternal home of holy, happy, redeemed beings who inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
He Himself is the LORD and there is none else, the one true God and Creator to whom all other beings owe their existence. He is above the gods of the heathen and unlike idols, for He can save, He speaks openly and He declares what is right. In Him alone are found salvation, righteousness and strength, rather than in finite human wisdom, and His people are directed to seek wisdom from Him rather than from finite people.
By divine wisdom the arrangements of the world were prepared to supply man's mental as well as physical wants. Its ever-varying scenery and majestic works display an Infinite One of unlimited power, a living God revealed in marvelous works of majesty. Nature was formed and fashioned to have an important bearing on man's intellectual and moral character, as a school to educate mind and morals, to give a vast field for study, to refine the soul, to soften human roughness and to help in character building. The rocks and mountains with their broken surface also register that God exercised His power to destroy the wicked from off the earth by a flood because of wickedness in transgression of His law.
Promise and Restoration
Isaiah 45:18 belongs to God's revelation of His purpose for His people, set within the promises and covenant running through Isaiah 44 and 45 and onward. That section shows what the Lord has done and what He will do for those who follow on to know the Lord, whose going forth is prepared as the morning, and it is to be read with greater appreciation and studied prayerfully. There the Lord alone is declared to be God, who redeems His people, and salvation, righteousness, and strength are found in Him rather than in finite human wisdom. His people are therefore directed to seek wisdom from God rather than from finite people and to trust His promised care. That encouragement of what He has done and will do is too little appreciated, and appreciation for it should awaken missionary work and a missionary spirit in the churches, for God uses His people so His name can be glorified even in the highways and hedges.
The earth was first given to man as his kingdom, was betrayed into Satan's hands and long held by the foe, but the great plan of redemption brings it back, so that all that was lost by sin is restored. God created and established the earth to be inhabited, not to remain empty, vain, desolate, purposeless, or pointless. That original purpose is fulfilled when the earth is restored and made the eternal home of the redeemed. This takes place when God renews the earth by His power and frees it from sin and sorrow. It was made to be the home of holy, happy beings, and the redeemed inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
The duty to worship God rests on the fact that He is the Creator and that all other beings owe their existence to Him. His creative power establishes His claim to reverence and worship above the gods of the heathen and the gods of the nations, by the evidence that He created the heavens and formed and made the earth, and that He alone is Jehovah with none else. The Sabbath is the memorial and sign of this Creator-creature distinction, so the call to worship the Creator especially calls people to keep the fourth commandment.
Study and Response
The verse presents the greatness of God's love and compassion in the loftiest themes of thought, expressed in pure, excellent language and elevating, ennobling principles. It stretches the faculties of the mind, calling for them to be put to the stretch to comprehend it. It belongs to a chapter that is a valuable study of God's works and purposes. That study is better than romance or fables and should be put in form and brought into schools. The promises running through Isaiah 44 and 45 and onward, showing what the Lord has done and will do for those who follow on to know the Lord, should be read with greater appreciation and studied prayerfully.
It directs thought to the heavenly home and to the city being sought, whose Builder and Maker is God. Heaven is home and citizenship is above. Lives therefore must not be devoted to a world soon to be destroyed. Instead the Word of God must be revealed in living characters.
The verse directs people to seek wisdom from God rather than from finite people and to rely on His wisdom rather than finite human wisdom. Unlike idols He speaks openly, declares what is right, and can save, so those who seek Him do not seek in vain. It calls them to follow on to know the Lord, whose going forth is prepared as the morning, and to trust His promised care in the covenant of what He has done and will do for His people. That encouragement is too little appreciated. Appreciation for it should awaken missionary work and a missionary spirit in the churches, for God uses His people so His name can be glorified even in the highways and the hedges.