Yesterday I mentioned that ours is the Deus Absconditus, the God who hides himself. So often we can't see God's love and power at work in our lives and in the world around us. 

Our readings today highlight that he is also the God Who Reveals Himself. 

I'm amazed as I read Isaiah 46-48 and see the LORD reveal himself in clear prophecies.

First of all, remember the historical background.

• Isaiah is writing about 700 BC when the Assyrian empire is threatening Judah and Jerusalem.
• Isaiah foretold the rise of Babylon, the next world empire, that would take God's people into exile. The first group of exiles were taken in 605 BC and Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC.
• In Isaiah 40-48, Isaiah foretells the rise of Persia, the next world empire, who would destroy Babylon and send the exiles back under Cyrus in about 538 BC.

The LORD says through Isaiah to "forget the former things," that is, the rescue of the Israelites from Egypt under Moses (Isaiah 43:16-18). The LORD foretells something even greater! 

The center of this section, the most important part, (see the Isaiah Chapters Division attached), is at the end of Isaiah 44 and beginning of Isaiah 45. There the LORD calls Cyrus, the Persian emperor by name hundreds of years before he is born. The LORD repeats this message of a man from the east who will carry out his plan of judgment on Babylon as this section (Isaiah 40-48) comes to a close. 

From the east I summon a bird of prey;
    from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose (46:11).

The LORD's chosen ally
    will carry out his purpose against Babylon;
    his arm will be against the Babylonians.[c]
I, even I, have spoken;
    yes, I have called him.
I will bring him,
    and he will succeed in his mission (48:14-15). 

Our God foretold the former things (Isaiah 48:3). The LORD revealed himself as the true God by foretelling the Israelites' rescue from Egypt. Through the prophet Isaiah, the LORD is again revealing himself as the true God who can fulfill prophecies.

In Isaiah 48:20, Isaiah mentions Babylon for the last time in his prophecy. The LORD of Hosts deliverance from Babylonian exile is only a foreshadowing of a greater deliverance.

Tomorrow we will step into the Holy of Holies of Isaiah (Chapters 49-57) and see that the God who sent Cyrus in fulfillment of prophecy also sent his Suffering Servant to rescue us from our spiritual exile. As God reveals himself through one fulfillment, He gives us confidence of the next fulfillment of prophecy.  

It is our privilege to reveal this God to the world. 

Our role as God's chosen people and his royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) is to reveal our God to the world. As you read 1 Peter 3, remember this is a continuation of Peter's encouragement: 

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Peter 2:11-12).

We reveal our God to the world, first by the way we live. When people see the power of God in our lives, it often leads to questions. May the Holy Spirit work in us so that our God is revealed...

• as we honor those in authority over us, recognizing God has placed them there (1 Peter 2:13-17)
• as we live out our lives in the work place (1 Peter 2:18-21)
• as we live as wives and husbands,
• in the way we are love one another,
• in the way we are compassionate towards those with whom we disagree,
• in the way we humbly serve even those who repay us with evil. 

The section concludes with a summary of Jesus' ministry and exaltation:

1. He is put to death "in flesh," that is, in his state of humiiation
2. He is made alive "in spirit," that is, in his state of exaltation (3:19)
3. He descends to hell to proclaim his victory over Satan and his enemies (3:19-20)
4. He is the Savior (3:21). Baptism saves, not because it is a great act of obedience, but because it is God's applying the promise of Jesus' death and resurrection to us. I can have a good conscience toward God. No matter what I have ever done, baptism is God's promise to me that on the judgment day I can look God in the eye without shame. My baptism is God's pledge to me: "My Son Died for You. He rose victorious. Satan is a defeated foe. Don't be Afraid!"
5. Jesus ascended (3:22)
6. Jesus sits at the right hand of God (3:22)

Lord Jesus, as you revealed yourself to me through prophecy and fulfillment, now reveal yourself through me. First by the way I act, then by the way I speak. Amen.