Yahweh Lays Down A Challenge To Any Who Claim To Be Gods To Prove It In Prophecy and Action (Isaiah 44:7-9).
God has laid down the past and the future. What has happened and what will happen is under His hand. And He has declared Israel to be His people and what will come about through them. Who then can bring out anything comparable with that?
“And who is as I, let him proclaim it,
Let him declare it, and demonstrate it for me,
Since I appointed the ancient (everlasting) people.
And the things that are coming, and what will come about, let them declare.”
God challenges anyone to show themselves as comparable with Him, to have revealed what He has revealed and to have done what He has done. Let them proclaim it, solemnly declare it, and lay out their facts about it cogently, so as to prove it. Since it was He and He alone who appointed the everlasting people, (when He appointed Abraham, and even before as described in Genesis 1-11), those who have survived through their seed until now and will live for ever in His everlasting kingdom, let any claimant at least prove himself by declaring what is coming on them, and what is to come about for them (as He will do shortly), and thus establish their claims.
“Fear not, and do not be afraid.
Have I not declared to you of old, and showed it?
And you are my witnesses. Is there a God beside me?
Yes, there is no Rock. I do not know of any.”
Then He turns to His people and comforts them. Let them not be afraid of such a claimant turning up. He and He alone has declared what will be from of old, and shown it by the revelation of His power in bringing it about, and they are witnesses to the fact. Do they know of any god who can compare with what He is and has done? He can confidently claim that there is no Rock like Him. That is, anyone reliable and dependable, who can be trusted and can provide a firm and sure foundation. He certainly does not know of any.
‘Those who fashion a graven image are all of them acting in vain (worthless, vanity),
And their delectable products will not profit.
And their own witnesses do not see, or know.
That they may be ashamed.'
Indeed those who set about fashioning a graven image to be such a claimant are acting in vain. What they produce may be delectable but it will not bring them any good. Nor do the witnesses for the image have anything to describe. They neither see nor know anything worthwhile that it has done, nor will they, so that they will have to cringe with shame.