2026 Pentecost Devotions I
Monday, July 13
Isaiah 44:6-8
6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the first, and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
7 Who is like me? Let them proclaim it;
let them declare and set it forth before me.
Who has announced from of old the things to come?
Let them tell us what is yet to be.
8 Do not fear or be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
You are my witnesses!
Is there any god besides me?
There is no other rock; I know not one.
“… I am the first, and I am the last; besides me there is no god. …”
We know that God is God, and that there is no other. At least, that’s what we say. Unfortunately, at times, we treat others and other things as gods. Oh, we don’t call them that; but they do seem to engender in us respect, admiration, adoration, and worship. Sometimes, we don’t even notice we’re doing it.
At the time Isaiah is writing to the people of Israel, they are being held captive by the Babylonians who are saying that their gods defeated the God of Israel. They are mocking the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because God’s people have been defeated and led into captivity. They are also calling upon the people of Israel to reject the Lord and instead worship the Babylonian gods.
Like the people of Israel then and like us today, the temptation to worship and serve other gods is powerful. Whether it be a person, a cause, success, money, or something else, it’s easy to fall into the trap of making something other than God primary in our lives. It’s easy to turn from the true God who is the first and the last, the beginning and the end, and focus our attention and lives on something else.
Isaiah’s warning isn’t just for the people of Israel held captive in Babylon. It is a warning for us as well. God alone is God. There is no other.
Prayer: God, you are the first and last, the beginning and the end. Forgive me when I fail to worship You alone. Drive from me the desire and temptation to serve another. Remind me that You alone are God. Amen.