Isaiah 46

I was searching for a noun to put after the word “master” in the title, but the right one just wouldn’t come to me. I considered master player, master manipulator, and master of the game, but none of them seemed to quite convey the idea that this chapter of Isaiah put in my head.

I once saw some old film footage of American chess Grandmaster Bobby Fischer playing the game as a teenager. There was a room set up with at least ten tables, and at each table was a chess board and an opponent. And Bobby was walking around the room in circle, playing multiple games of chess at the same time, assessing each board and making his move within seconds. He won every game.

I struggle with the game of chess, so I marvel at a mind like Fischer’s. I wish I could look at a chess board and just “get it.” But it doesn’t come easily for me.

So, what does Isaiah 46 have to do with chess? I thought of the game when I read this passage: “Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.” (vs 8-11)

Have you ever thought about God as distant, faraway, aloof, disinterested, or passive? Maybe like that Bette Midler hit from the 90s that claimed God was “watching us” from a distance?

This passage blows that idea right out of the water! God is anything but passive! And I get the impression from this passage that He has His fingers in far more things than we give Him credit for. God’s hands have not been tied by evil. Far from it—He continues to work out His good purposes in this world despite the evil we see around us. In fact, God takes the evil we see around us and turns it into good!

So, I have this image of God as a chess Grandmaster, moving swiftly around the room, juggling a billion “games” at once. Of course, we are the “games” (although this is not to imply that we are simply puppets on strings). For every move we make, God has a counter-move. For all our strategizing, God is ten steps ahead of us.

I see God as extremely active in this world, almost as a master manipulator. I think He will manipulate anything and everything He can, while always stopping short of manipulating people or trampling their freedom to choose. Up to that point, however, I see Him as orchestrating life behind the scenes, weaving all the experiences of our life into a grand and beautiful tapestry.

You know how the old saying goes: Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous. God is certainly not passive. He is in the middle of the game with us, and He’s a master.