Just as the first section of Isaiah (chapters 1 – 35) is divided into three parts, all ending with a hymn of joy, so the third section (chapters 40 – 66) is also divided into three sections, each ending with the notion of unending punishment for the wicked. Chapters 40 – 48 and 49 – 57 end with the phrase: “there is no peace for the wicked.” Chapters 58 – 66 end with the phrase: “And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.
Chapter 45, more than any other in the book, focuses on the uniqueness of the God of Israel. It is not the first time this thought has been expressed (cf. 43:11 and 44:6-8) and it is repeated numerous times in Isaiah 45.
It’s an important point.
But there is something else.
Logic.
God calls us to think through our faiths. Do they make sense?
Does it make sense for a man to cut a tree, use part of it to warm himself, another part to cook his food, and from the remainder to fashion an idol that cannot see, hear or talk and bow down to it, and depend on it for help through the difficulties of life?
No.
Belief in at least the God of the Bible does not call on mankind to suspend rational thought. There may be many things about God we do not know or understand, but He doesn’t call on anyone to blindly place their trust in Him without sufficient evidence.