The phrase “God is doing a new thing” is bandied
about quite a bit. Curious, I researched this phrase as used by God.
My conclusion is that when God, or His prophet, says He is doing
a new thing,
that He immediately speaks out what that new thing is, as recorded in the written scriptures.
So it would seem that any instance of God doing a “new
thing” has already been written in the closed canon of scripture. In view of this I feel it would
be prudent to carefully analyze statements of God doing a “new thing” and to weigh
it against the written scripture.
If it is a declaration of what is already stated in the written word,
and thus is a revelation from scripture, it should be assigned an importance accordingly.
However, if it is simply a statement with no relevancy to the
written word of God as recorded in scripture, and therefore is not a revelation from scripture, then
it must judged in that light.
Following are the scriptures I based my opinion on.
Numbers 16:30-32:Note that Moses not only spoke what the new thing was, but it happened immediately.
30 But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord.
31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:
32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.
Ecclesiastes 1:9-11:In essence the writer is saying there is no new thing upon the earth and its history.
9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
Jeremiah 31:22: How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.(“Compass” means to win and woo. The meaning of this statement is probably that Israel will begin to try to win back the divine love of her husband, the Lord, Who had rejected her.)
Isaiah 41:21-24:Here, God inserts a parenthetical rebuke against, and a challenge to, the idols of the idolaters. He thus declares His power and sovereignty to raise up Cyrus. He makes clear that He is the only one who knows the outcome of a thing, and Who alone can declare a knowledge of, and predict the future.
21 Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
22 Let them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen: let them show the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.
23 Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.
24 Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.
Isaiah 42:9: Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.Here, the Lord says He declares new things and before they manifest He tells us of them. The verses 10-17 (below) tell us what that new thing is. It refers to the millennium reign of Christ.
Isaiah 42:10-17:
10 Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
11 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands.
13 The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.
14 I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.
15 I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.
16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.
Isaiah 43:9: Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and show us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.The millennium theme is continued.
Isaiah 43:19: Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.Here God again states the new thing he will do. In this instance He is speaking of the future as if it was already beginning.
Isaiah 46:9-11:Here God continues to speak of His omniscience and strongly asserts His calling upon Cyrus.
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.
Isaiah 48:3-8:Here God affirms Israel’s captivity and subsequent redemption and that He will show them things He was creating now, not things of long ago, so that they could not say that they knew about them.
3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.
4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;
5 I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I showed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.
6 Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.
7 They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.
8 Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.
