This conclusion is missing Isaiah’s point. In the context, Isaiah is speaking about Israel, God's people, and His grace in restoring them in answer to His covenant program with the Jews (Isa. 45:17). God did not choose His people in order to destroy them but that He should be their God and they should be His people forever (“world without end” – Isa. 45:17). God has a future for His national people. Isaiah is relating the truth about God’s creation to Israel’s future destiny. God is teaching that He did not create the world in order for it to be empty; He created it so His own people (the Jews) might inhabit the earth for eternity in fulfillment of His covenant program to them. There is nothing in this text which indicates the earth was judged. Yes, God did create the earth “without from and void” (Gen. 1:2) but this was creation in its early or initial stages. Isaiah is simply teaching that God did not create the earth to remain in the “without form and void” state but ultimately created the earth, as seen in His final creation, to be inhabited by man and ultimately and forever by the children of Israel (“world without end”). As we’ve seen, the repeated phrase (“without form and void”) is found only in a few places and each time God was using the Genesis creation account to illustrate something or teach a practical lesson and promise (Isaiah 34:11; 45:18; Jer. 4:23). Actually, this phrase does not describe chaos, but rather emptiness (wasteland and barrenness). A better translation would be that God did not create the earth to be “unformed and unfilled” since His sole purpose was for habitation. 2. Manner of God’s creative work On our local news station children can draw or create pictures and send them into the weather center so they can be seen over TV. They can also win a free news 8 umbrella. When these children draw these pictures they are creating them originally and uniquely. This is the manner in which God created. How did God create? In what manner did God create? The Bible teaches that God called into existence and created everything which had no previous existence (“so that things which are seen were not made of things which do
This conclusion is missing Isaiah’s point. In the context, Isaiah is speaking about Israel, God's people, and His grace in restoring them in answer to His covenant program with the Jews (Isa. 45:17). God did not choose His people in order to destroy them but that He should be their God and they should be His people forever (“world without end” – Isa. 45:17). God has a future for His national people. Isaiah is relating the truth about God’s creation to Israel’s future destiny. God is teaching that He did not create the world in order for it to be empty; He created it so His own people (the Jews) might inhabit the earth for eternity in fulfillment of His covenant program to them. There is nothing in this text which indicates the earth was judged. Yes, God did create the earth “without from and void” (Gen. 1:2) but this was creation in its early or initial stages. Isaiah is simply teaching that God did not create the earth to remain in the “without form and void” state but ultimately created the earth, as seen in His final creation, to be inhabited by man and ultimately and forever by the children of Israel (“world without end”). As we’ve seen, the repeated phrase (“without form and void”) is found only in a few places and each time God was using the Genesis creation account to illustrate something or teach a practical lesson and promise (Isaiah 34:11; 45:18; Jer. 4:23). Actually, this phrase does not describe chaos, but rather emptiness (wasteland and barrenness). A better translation would be that God did not create the earth to be “unformed and unfilled” since His sole purpose was for habitation. 2. Manner of God’s creative work On our local news station children can draw or create pictures and send them into the weather center so they can be seen over TV. They can also win a free news 8 umbrella. When these children draw these pictures they are creating them originally and uniquely. This is the manner in which God created. How did God create? In what manner did God create? The Bible teaches that God called into existence and created everything which had no previous existence (“so that things which are seen were not made of things which do