“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,
And all the remnant of the house of Israel,
You who have been borne by Me from birth
And have been carried from the womb;
⁴ Even to your old age I will be the same,
And even to your graying years I will bear you!
I have done it, and I will carry you;
And I will bear you and I will deliver you,” (46:3-4).

A conspicuous contrast is presented in today’s reading that clearly demonstrates the pronounced disparity between the enfeebled gods fashioned by man as compared to the Almighty, Uncreated God.

And in truth, there is no comparison to be made. Nine times this inequality is spotlighted using a form of the words, carry, lift, bear, and load. Yes, another repeat that demands our attention! And the image is almost comical, if it weren’t such a miserable depiction of life apart from Him.

Yesterday, we had the privilege to consider Him and No Other. And today, He once again calls us to remember, He Is God and there is No Other Who Carries Us from Womb to Tomb.

 “Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me, (46:9).

From the beginning, God had told His people that He Carried them as a Father carries his son, as an eagle carries his young.

and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place,’ (Deuteronomy 1:31).

“Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
That hovers over its young,
He spread His wings and caught them,
He carried them on His pinions,” (Deuteronomy 32:11).

And He again repeats Himself. Can’t you just hear His heart? His heart that calls us to remember Who He Is; His heart that calls us to rely on His arms; His heart that invites us to lay down our burdens and come to Him in faith; His heart that Carries Us from Womb to Tomb because we were never meant to do the carrying.

Consider Him Who Carries Us from Womb to Tomb

Today is a word study kind of day. Nine times four different words are used in the Hebrew, all conveying the idea of lifting in order to carry and bear. Three times, God calls us to consider what we are carrying, and six times He directs us to remember that He Carries Us, not just for a season, but for all the days of our life.

As we consider Him in Isaiah 46, we will also consider correlating verses from the New Testament revealing Jesus, our Savior, revealing Jesus Who Carries Us from Womb to Tomb.

Definitions are provided below, as well as the Strong’s reference number to identify each word used in the first seven verses of this chapter. (I pray you find this is helpful.)

From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:

Carry: “5385. נְשׂוּאָה n^eśûʾāh: A feminine noun referring to what is borne or carried about. It refers, in context, satirically, to idols that were carried about by beasts of burden, idols that were stupid, immobile gods…” (v.1)

Borne/Load: “6006. עָמַס ʿāmas,  עָמַשׂ ʿāmaś: A. A verb meaning to load, to carry a load….” (vs. 1, 3)

Carry/Lift: “5375. נָשָׂא nāśāʾ: A verb meaning to lift, to carry, to take away…” (vs. 3, 4, 7)

Bear: “5445. סָבַל sāḇal: A verb meaning to bear a load, to carry. It means to bear, to endure, to carry something: to carry burdens of some kind…” (vs. 4, 4, 7)

• He Carries Us from Womb to Tomb that we would know His Perfect Rest all the days of our life.
  • Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over;
    Their images are consigned to the beasts and the cattle.
    The things that you carry [5385] are burdensome,
    A load [6006] for the weary beast, (46:1).
    • “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light,” (Matthew 11:28-30).

• He Carries Us from Womb to Tomb that we would know His Inseparable Love all the days of our life.
  • “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,
    And all the remnant of the house of Israel,
    You who have been borne [6006] by Me from birth
    And have been carried [5375] from the womb;
    ⁴ Even to your old age I will be the same,
    And even to your graying years I will bear [5445] you!
    I have done it, and I will carry [5375] you;
    And I will bear [5445] you and I will deliver you, (46:3-4).
    • Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… ³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, (Romans 8:35, 37-39).

• He Carries Us from Womb to Tomb that we would know His overcoming deliverance from distress all the days of our life.
  • “They lift [5375] it upon the shoulder and carry [5445]  it;
    They set it in its place and it stands there.
    It does not move from its place.
    Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer;
    It cannot deliver him from his distress, (46:7).
    • For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. ⁵ Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  (1 John 5:4-5).

It is Jesus Who Carries Us from Womb to Tomb, prophesied and proven as He Carried all our griefs, our sorrows, our iniquities and our sins with Him to the cross.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted…
¹¹ As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities, (Isaiah 53:4, 11).

In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the angel of His presence saved them;
In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them,
And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old, (Isaiah 63:9).

 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed, (1 Peter 2:24).

And as if we needed help in distinguishing the difference between dead idols and the Living God, He once again reminds us that He is Incomparable and Unequaled, Uncreated and Unlike any other.

“To whom would you liken Me
And make Me equal and compare Me,
That we would be alike?” (46:5).

His Perfect Rest, His Inseparable Love, His Overcoming Deliverance cannot be bought or self-manufactured. 

“Those who lavish gold from the purse
And weigh silver on the scale
Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
They bow down, indeed they worship it,” (46:6).

He is the Only God, Omniscient and Omnipotent, Sovereign over all creation to Perfectly Accomplish all His Purpose. And this is Him Who Carries Us from Womb to Tomb.

“Remember this, and be assured;
Recall it to mind, you transgressors.
⁹ “Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
¹¹ Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man of My purpose from a far country.
Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, surely I will do it, (46:8-11).

How do we respond to Him Who Carries Us from Womb to Tomb?

I couldn’t help but be reminded of the times I’ve carried a child kicking and screaming, “I do it myself!” While I carried them for their own good, it was a terribly unpleasant experience. But a child at rest in my arms, well that’s a feeling I could enjoy forever. And then I couldn’t help but think of the times I have kicked and screamed, “I do it myself!” in the Father’s arms; and I’m sure I am not alone.

Oh, by faith, let us cooperate with Him, so that when He lifts us to bear and carry us, we might bring Him pleasure all the days of our life as He Carries Us from Womb to Tomb.

Let us begin by listening and acknowledging any areas of unrighteous pride and stubbornness in our thoughts and ways, that we would humble ourselves before Him.

“Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded,
Who are far from righteousness,” (46:12).

Before destruction the heart of man is haughty,
But humility goes before honor, (Proverbs 18:12).

And let us always remember how far we once were, that it is only in Christ Who Carries Us from Womb to Tomb, that we have been brought near to Him through His glorious salvation.

“I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off;
And My salvation will not delay.
And I will grant salvation in Zion,
And My glory for Israel,” (46:13).

remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ, (Ephesians 2:12-13).

Oh, that we would stop acting like stubborn children, kicking and screaming, fighting to “do it myself!” Let us just stop trying to carry our own load, but rather let us cast all our burdens and anxieties upon Him in humility and faith.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, ⁷ casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you, (1 Peter 5:7).

The years fly by, and the years are short, but our God is eternal and His timeline belongs to Him alone. But let us make the most of our days, for we are never too young and never too old to make ourselves at home in the arms of Him Who Carries Us from Womb to Tomb.

“The eternal God is a dwelling place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms; (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Oh, that we would stay put in His arms, that we would know and abide in His Perfect Rest, Inseparable Love and Overcoming Power all the days of our life.

Such grace, such privilege we have received. Let’s not ever take that for granted. Today and every day, let us never cease to praise Him Who Carries Us from Womb to Tomb, Jesus Who is our salvation.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden,
The God who is our salvation, (Psalm 68:19).

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Let’s Grow Together!