No Other Rock

Isaiah 44:6–8 NKJV

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 And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them. 8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’ ”

There are moments in life when everything feels like it's shifting beneath our feet. You know the moments I’m talking about. You’ve had a few of them. A job you thought was safe gets yanked away. A diagnosis turns your life upside down. A relationship breaks. A plan unravels. In those moments, we start to scramble. We dig our fingers into something solid. Something reliable. Something that won’t shatter when our lives do.

The truth is we are wired to seek safety. We want stability in an unstable world. We long for someone or something to give us a sense that everything is going to be okay. And yet we often search for that solidity in all the wrong places.

We trust money. If we just have enough in the bank, we’ll be secure. We trust people. Spouses. Friends. Politicians. Pastors. They’re not going to let us down, right? We trust routines, careers, or traditions. If we can just keep life predictable, nothing bad will happen. But if there’s one thing we know about life, it’s that all these things can break.

The world around us fuels this impulse. The culture we live in says build your life on all the wrong things—things that are shiny but shoddy. Popularity. Appearance. Possessions. Performance. We can be our own rock, if we work hard enough. But when trouble comes—and it always comes—and it tests and tears and tries to topple us, these things cannot hold us. They were not made to. 

Our world is not all that different than the world of the people of God in Isaiah 44. They too lived in a world full of people who trusted other things. People around them were worshipping idols. Not the metaphorical idols of our culture, but actual statues made by human hands. And they were free to fashion these things however they wanted.

Worship these things anyway you want. Idols didn’t ask questions. Idols didn’t make demands. They were built and positioned however the people liked. And so God enters this scene through the prophet Isaiah and He scolds the people: these idols you’ve made with your own hands might look big and impressive, but they’re powerless. They cannot speak. They cannot save. They cannot stand. 

And into this moment, God proclaims something that turns everything on its head:

“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.’” (Isaiah 44:6, NKJV)

God doesn’t just tell His people who He is—He tells them who He alone is. The First. The Last. The unshakeable foundation. The One who was before anything else was and will remain after everything else has faded away. He is not a god in a crowd of many. He is not one voice among many. He is the only God. The only Rock. 

And it’s not just for ancient Israel. This is a truth for us. In a world where so much is uncertain, where fear murmurs and doubt whispers, where we are tempted to put our trust in the things of this world, God says: Look to Me. I am your Rock. There is no other. 

So what does it mean to trust in this Rock? What difference does it make that God is the First and the Last?

Well, let’s start with God’s declaration in verse 6. A verse in which He identifies Himself with titles that tell us not just who He is, but how supreme He is. In a world of shifting sands and man-made idols, God raises His voice and proclaims His rule. So that’s where we’ll start: 

God Declares His Sovereignty (Isaiah 44:6)

“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.’” (Isaiah 44:6, NKJV)

When God says these words through Isaiah at this moment, He is not just speaking words of comfort, He is making a royal proclamation. The names and titles He uses in this verse overflow with meaning and significance for who He is and how He will act.

First, He calls Himself “the Lord” (YHWH)—the covenant-keeping God of Israel. This was a name that God had kept sacred for His people; a reminder that He was not distant or abstract. He was the One who had brought them out of Egypt, led them through the wilderness, given them His law, and dwelt in the center of their community. He is faithful. He keeps His promises.

God then refers to Himself as the “King of Israel.” This wasn’t just a religious name—it had political and personal implications as well. Kings on the earth ruled through power and authority, often corrupted by pride and violence. But God had always been Israel’s true King. The One who ruled them with justice and mercy and holiness. Even as they had been carried off to a foreign land in defeat, God says: You are still My people. I have not vacated the throne.

He then says He is Israel’s “Redeemer.” This title points to God’s desire and ability to rescue and restore. A redeemer was someone who would pay a price to set someone else free—like buying a slave out of captivity or restoring a relative’s lost inheritance. God is not only mighty, He is personal. He intervenes not just as King, but as Rescuer. He has the authority to rule, but also the compassion to save.

God then names Himself as “the Lord of hosts,” the commander of heaven’s armies. This is not a wimpy or weak deity who waits in the wings. He is the Captain of every cosmic force. All the hosts of heaven fall in line under His command. When He speaks, angels rush to do His will. When He acts, creation itself responds. He is unmatched, unrivaled, and utterly sovereign.

And then comes the boldest claim of all:

“I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.”

This is God’s claim to both eternity and exclusivity. He was there before anything began. He will be there when everything ends. He is not one god on a level playing field of other gods. He is the only God. The only One worthy of our trust. The only One who stands when everything else falls.

This theme echoes throughout Scripture:

Revelation 1:8 “8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.””

Deuteronomy 32:39 “39 ‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.”

Psalm 18:2 “2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

All of these verses remind us of one of the fundamental truths of Scripture: God is sovereign. He is eternal. And He alone is worthy of our full and ultimate trust.

We may say we believe this, but in reality the test comes when life gets hard—when we feel anxious, disappointed, or uncertain. Who do we run to? What do we lean on?

If we are honest, many of us have a tendency to build our lives on something that feels more tangible: our achievements, our relationships, our routines. We may not chisel our idols out of wood or stone, but we shape them in our hearts—placing our ultimate trust in things that cannot ultimately save.

But Isaiah reminds us: God is not just one option on a spiritual buffet. He is the only Rock that will never crumble. And because of that, we can anchor our lives in Him with full confidence.

When we take in the majesty of God’s sovereignty—that He is the First and the Last, the King, Redeemer, and Commander of heaven’s armies—it should cause us to stop and think and evaluate where we’ve been placing our trust. If He is the only true God, why are we so often tempted by lesser things?

And that question brings us to the heart of the next verse—because God doesn’t just declare who He is, He pulls back the curtain on the emptiness of all other so-called gods and dares anything or anyone else to step beside Him.

False Gods Cannot Speak or Save (Isaiah 44:7)

“And who can proclaim as I do?

Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,

Since I appointed the ancient people.

And the things that are coming and shall come,

Let them show these to them.” (Isaiah 44:7, NKJV)

God is challenging anyone out there to a courtroom-style showdown. He is daring other “gods” to step up and to do what He does. If they are real, can they proclaim the future? Can they bring order to the universe? Can they explain the past? Can they make known what is still to come? Can they do these things without the Bible, without the guidance of the Holy Spirit? The silence is deafening.

False gods were everywhere in the ancient world of Israel. Nation after nation made their own gods out of metal, wood, or stone. They decked them out in gold and set them up on pedestals. But no matter how beautiful or expensive the idols were, they were still lifeless, powerless. They could not speak. They could not act. They could not save.

God even has Isaiah mock the process in chapter 44:9–20. He says there is a man who chops down a tree—half of it he burns for firewood and the other half he makes into a god. Then he bows down to it and prays, saying, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” (Isaiah 44:17). It’s tragic and ironic. A god you make cannot make you. A god you carry cannot carry you. A god that needs to be nailed down so it won’t topple over is not a rock—it’s a burden.

But let’s bring this back to our day. We may not bow down to statues, but we have our own modern-day idols. We trust in:

Wealth. Thinking it can protect us from trouble.

Success. Hoping it will give us identity.

Technology. Expecting it will solve all our problems.

Influence. Believing that if we’re liked enough, we’ll be okay.

Even religion, when we use it to control others or to keep ourselves from having a real relationship with God.

These are not necessarily bad things. They are just parts of our modern world. But when we treat them as our rock—as our source of security and meaning—then they become false gods. And just like ancient idols, they will fail to speak when we cry out in our darkest hour.

God’s challenge still echoes in our day:

“Who can proclaim as I do?”

The answer is the same as it was then—no one.

Psalm 115: 4–8 reminds us: “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak… Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them.”

Jeremiah 10: 10 declares: “But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King.”

The bottom line is this: anything we build for ourselves—anything we shape with our own hands or hearts and trust more than we trust God—is a false god. And when the storms of life hit, those false gods will fail us.

Only the living God—the one who declares the end from the beginning, the one who creates, redeems, and rules—is worthy of our trust.

We’ve seen that God alone is sovereign—eternal, unchanging, and unrivaled. We have also seen that false gods, no matter how alluring or shiny on the outside, cannot speak, act, or save. They will fall apart under the weight of our expectations. So now the question becomes: What does it look like to live as though God truly is our Rock?

That’s where God takes us next in Isaiah 44: 8—not just with another declaration, but with a call to action. If God is who He says He is, then our response should be clear: Do not fear. Do not be afraid. That’s the invitation.

God Invites Us to Live Unafraid (Isaiah 44:8)

“Do not fear, nor be afraid;

Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?

You are My witnesses.

Is there a God besides Me?

Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.” (Isaiah 44:8, NKJV)

God doesn’t just make a claim about Himself—He ties it to our experience. In other words: If I’m truly the only God, if I’ve declared the end from the beginning, if I’ve always been faithful to you—then why are you afraid?

This is not a rebuke as much as it is an assurance. God is not shaming His people for being fearful. He is reminding them—and us—of what is already true. He says, “Have I not told you? Haven’t I already proven myself to you?”

And He has. Time and time again, God had shown up for Israel. He delivered them from Egypt. He parted the sea. He fed them in the wilderness. He gave them the Promised Land. And even when they failed, He remained faithful.

Now He says, “You are My witnesses.”

A witness is someone who has seen something and can testify to its truth. God is calling His people not just to remember what He’s done—but to live like it’s still true. To let His track record speak louder than their fears.

Let’s pause and bring this home:

Are you afraid of the future?

God says, “I’m already there. I declared it before it began.”

Are you anxious about losing control?

God says, “I’ve always been in control—and I’m not going anywhere.”

Are you overwhelmed by what feels like shifting ground beneath your feet?

God says, “I am your Rock. I do not move.”

This invitation to live unafraid is echoed all throughout Scripture:

Isaiah 41: 10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.”

John 14: 27 – “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you… Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Matthew 7: 24–25 – Jesus describes the wise person as one who builds their house on the rock. When the storm comes—not if, but when—that house stands firm because its foundation is solid.

So here’s the good news: When your life is built on the Rock—on the unchanging, eternal, sovereign God—you don’t have to fear the storm. You may still feel the wind. The rain may still come. But you won’t be swept away.

God isn’t asking you to hold everything together. He’s asking you to trust the One who already does.

You are His witness. You’ve seen His faithfulness before—and you will see it again.

We opened today by discussing how there is a great deal of uncertainty around us. There are wars and rumors of wars. There is culture in transition. There are personal trials. And the ground upon which we stand feels more and more tenuous and less and less sure.

God breaks in on this world not with more noise, not with more chaos, but with truth.

“I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.”

“Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.”

This isn’t just theological poetry. This is a lifeline.

We have seen in these last few days how God calls out that He is sovereign. The eternal King, the Redeemer, the Lord of hosts. There is no other god before Him. There is no other god after Him. He is in control of history, and He has the future. This is the Rock on which we stand.

We have been reminded how the false gods cannot speak or save. They might be idols of wood and stone, or they might be our modern equivalents of money, success, control and influence. But whatever they are, they cannot stand under the pressure, they cannot keep their promises. They leave us emptier than when they found us.

And finally today, we have heard the beautiful invitation of verse 8.

“Do not fear, nor be afraid… You are My witnesses.”

It’s not just a call to say God is great, it’s a call to live like it’s true. To be the kind of people who don’t panic when the headlines shift. Who don’t crumble when the trials come. Who don’t need to manufacture peace in our lives because we’ve already found it—in Him.

God doesn’t call you to be the strongest person in the room. He calls you to stand on the strongest foundation there is.

The storms will come. The winds will blow. But you don’t have to be afraid.

Because when you stand on the Rock, you will not be moved.

So the question that’s left is simple—what are you standing on today?

Are you building your life on something that’s going to crack?

Or are you going to trust the One who says:

“I am the Rock. I am your Redeemer. I am the First and the Last.”

There is no other.

There is no rival.

There is no other Rock.

And the good news? You don’t have to find one.

You just have to stand on the One who found you.