Isaiah 38:15a English Standard Version (ESV) What shall I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. 

Returning to Isaiah once again this prophetic word delivered to us so long ago is spoken to us as a thing already done. In Isaiah’s life it had not been performed but in Isaiah’s vision it was seen as we see it from a moment of a thing accomplished.

Is it amazing that Isaiah could see it that way or is it amazing that it was God who did it? So much of what we view about this Christian life we view in terms of our own performance. We see ourselves in terms of obedience to commandments. We judge ourselves in those terms of faithfulness. We judge others by those same standards. We haven’t done enough. We need to find more and more opportunity to do the work of obedience of faith.

Viewing ourselves as being the actors in the role of being Christ to others makes us the star and is a form of idol worship. We become self-important. “Look at me and what I have done. Be like me.” I spite of every warning Christ said to us about being the least, serving everyone, and thinking of others more highly than ourselves we continue to have performance anxiety. “Am I good enough? Did I do right? Do I do enough?” Those are all worldly standards imposed by man and not God.

Listen to Isaiah again. “He spoke to me and He did it.” Relationship then action. God does in us and thru us because we are walking by faith with God. It is that simple and that difficult. Difficult because the world has filled our minds with doubt and insecurities. Those who do it to us want to control and use us to their own gain. That is not how God works.

Isaiah 38:15-17 English Standard Version

¹⁵ What shall I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.

¹⁶ O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live!
¹⁷ Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

Adam walked with God in the garden. Adam was told not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil because if he did he would die. Adam ate and Adam was cast out of Eden because of the sin of disobedience. Adam lived for hundreds of years in the world so his death was no one of a physical nature it was one of a spiritual nature. Adam no long communed with God. This death is one of separation from our creator. The obstacle to communion with our creator is sin.

Isaiah speaks of a bitterness of living without God. Isaiah cries out for restoration of this life with God in verse 16. In verse 17 Isaiah declares God’s love saved him from the pit of destruction and removed sin as a barrier to relationship.

Isaiah’s words are prophetic. He sees God’s plan from afar off and declares that promise of hope for himself. Isaiah examples our need to end the bitterness of life without God and find this salvation offered. While Isaiah looked forward in time to an event that was coming, we get to look back on that same event that happened in our past as that promise realized. For us the offer is one that can be accepted now.

Isaiah saw how God removed sin out of the way. God did what man could not, remove sin as a barrier to restoration of walking with God.