"Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he." (Isaiah 41:4)
Major portions of the Old Testament prophetic writings consist of verbatim quotations from God recorded by the prophets under divine inspiration. Included are many tremendous claims made by God to encourage His people to trust Him under all circumstances, and these are all needed today as never before.
In the Book of Isaiah, for example, there are 35 "I am" statements made by the Lord. Amazingly, however, none of them are in Book 1 of Isaiah (chapters 1-39); they are all in Book 2 (chapters 40-66). The first is the text above: "I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he" (41:4).
Look at some others--all wonderful testimonies of God.
"Before the day was I am he" (43:13).
"I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions" (43:25).
"I am the LORD that maketh all things" (44:24).
"Even to your old age I am he" (46:4).
"I, even I, am he that comforteth you" (51:12).
"I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer" (60:16).
There are also 21 "I am" statements by the Lord in Jeremiah, but these all apply primarily to His dealings with the Jews of that day. Surprisingly, Ezekiel has more "I am's" than any other book. "I am the LORD" occurs 70 times in his prophecy alone. Also in Ezekiel is this testimony: "I am their inheritance: . . . I am their possession" (Ezekiel 44:28). Finally, there are 21 more "I am" assertions by God in the other, smaller prophetic books, with the last being Malachi 3:6: "For I am the LORD, I change not."
Putting several of these assertions together, we can hear Him say, "I am your Savior and Redeemer, before the day was, even to your old age, and I change not!" HMM
