Command Ye Me?

Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands (Isaiah 45:11, ESV)?

When you are interpreting the Bible, one very important point to keep in mind is that verses must be read in their context. When verses, or just phrases from a verse, are taken out of context, the entire meaning of the passage can be changed, leading to false doctrine. Yet many people do this with Bible verses, taking Scripture out of context to make it say what they want it to say. The meaning of today’s Scripture is twisted more than almost any other!

The problem comes at the end of the verse. In the King James Version, the verse ends with the words “command ye me.” (It is similar in the NKJV as well.) These words are then sometimes interpreted as being that God is telling us to give Him commands. People thus think that they can tell God what He must do! Every modern Bible translation, however, translates the verse more along the lines of a question; God is asking us, “Will you command me?” This translation is the actual meaning of the original Hebrew in which the verse was written.

The context of the verse clearly shows us that this is so. In verses 9-10, God is rebuking those who would strive or argue with Him. He asks if the clay can argue with the potter, or a child scold his parents for giving birth to him. Of course, these situations would be ludicrous. Likewise, God asks us, His people, “Will you give me commands?” That would likewise be folly. Clay doesn’t decide what it will be formed into; children don’t decide to be born; and God’s people do not tell Him what to do. The following verses describe how God has created everything. He is the Sovereign Lord.

The belief that God encourages us to command Him underscores a fundamental misunderstanding of the God-man relationship. We are partners with God, but we are nothing like equal partners. He is the beginning and the ending of the relationship; He is the One with all the power and all the knowledge. He chooses to use us, not because He in any way needs us, but because of His love and care for us.

Thus prayer must never be understood as us “commanding God.” Prayer is vital, but our attitude in prayer must be one of humility. We are the humble servant begging the favor of our King. We are the little child asking our Daddy for a favor. Sometimes we are the bold soldier giving orders that we received from our General, the Lord. So there are times in prayer that we can command things or circumstances. Joshua commanded the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:12); Peter commanded the lame man to walk (Acts 3:6); Paul commanded the evil spirits to come out of the servant girl (Acts 16:18). But notice that they were not commanding God, but were actually giving His commands to the circumstances around them!

That is where true power in prayer comes from, from the commands God gives us and we obey. Prayer does change things, but it changes things in accordance to the will of God. So let’s always keep a humble attitude in our lives towards the Lord. Let’s labor alongside and pray, remembering that He is completely in charge. And let’s not presume that we can tell God what to do, whether it regards money, health, or any other blessing. He has given us authority, not authority over Him but authority under Him. And under Him is where our authority truly dwells. Praise Him for His almighty power!