TEXT: Isaiah 45:22

How many of you read the Bible every day? I hope you all do, for--like Job--we ought to "Esteem the words of [God's] mouth more than our necessary food". Most of us never miss a day of eating, do we? If not, we should never miss a day of reading the Bible. "Man does not live by bread alone [or mainly], but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God".

How many of you understand what you read in the Bible? It's harder to understand it than to read it. That's true of children, of parents, of pastors, and of Apostles, too! Even Peter said of it, "Many things and hard to be understood".

If you want to understand the Bible better, you can start by asking three questions: (1) Who is speaking? (2) What is he speaking about? and (3) Who is being spoken to?

Let's see if these questions help us to understand the verse I just read.

The Book of Isaiah has a number of speakers. Isaiah, the prophet, is one of them. King Hezekiah is another. The Seraphim (fiery angels) also speak. So does Lucifer. Does it matter which one is speaking? Of course it does! If Lucifer is speaking, we can be sure he's lying!

But is Lucifer speaking here? No. Isaiah? No. Who is? Let's read it: "Look to Me and be saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God..."

God is speaking in this verse. What does that mean?

1. It means the verse is true.

2. It means the verse is important.

3. It means we ought to listen to it, to believe it, and to obey it.

This is true for adults, of course, but it doesn't matter if children listen to the Word of God or not, does it? I know 42 kids who think it does! The story is found in II Kings 2:23-24.

God Himself is speaking in this verse.

He is commanding something. What is it? "Look to Me and be saved..."

What does this mean? He wants us to "Look". You can "look" with your eyes or with your mind. Which one does He mean here? It doesn't say in so many words. But the words around the command make it clear. If it said something like, "Look at your hand", we could be pretty sure it means "Look with your eyes". But it doesn't say that, does it? It says, "Look to Me". Who? To God. Can He be seen with the eyes? The Bible says He cannot (Exodus 33:20, Colossians 1:15, John 1:18).

If God Himself cannot be seen, at least we can look at an image of Him, can't we? A statue, a painting, a picture, something like that? No way! Leviticus 26:1, I John 5:21.

God cannot be "looked" at with your eyes. But He can to seen with your mind. Moses did just that, "He endured, as seeing Him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27). What does this mean? It means to think about God--and to believe in Him.

Why should we do this? Because, when we do, we will be saved. "Look to Me and be saved..." Saved from what? Saved from our sins and hell. Saved for holiness and heaven.

That is what God is talking about: Looking to Him in faith for eternal life.

There is an illustration of this in the Bible: Numbers 21. It is explained in John 3:14-15.

Some commands in the Old Testament were meant only for the Jews who lived in those days. They were told, for example, to not eat pork. But God doesn't command us to skip bacon, ham, and baloney.

Is this one of those commands--meant only for Israel long ago? Let's see: "Look to Me and be saved all you ends of the earth". This means everyone is to look to God and for salvation. Not just the people of Israel, living 2,500 years ago. But you, too!

You can look to God in faith and be saved. Look to Him sending His Only Son into the world. Look to Him crucifying the Lord Jesus for you. Look to Him raising Christ from the dead on the third day. Look. Look. Look.

So many children (and adults) think being saved is a matter of doing something--giving up bad habits, going to church, learning all kinds of hard and confusing doctrines. It isn't! Being saved is a matter of looking to God in faith!

Anyone can look. A child can look. A child who's parents aren't saved can look. The worst student in his class can look. The worst-behaved kid on earth can look. A handicapped child can look. By faith, even the blind can look.

And to everyone who looks, there is a promise: He "will be saved". The promise is true because, in the next verse we recall Who made it: "I have sworn by Myself; the Word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return..."

"In the LORD [everyone who looks] will be justified and shall glory." y