ישעיהו, פרק מ״ד, פסוק כ״ד

The promise of Israel's future redemption rests entirely on God's absolute power as the sole Creator of the universe. Because God brought the world into existence from nothing, He can easily alter the laws of nature and the course of history to save His people whenever He desires [אברבנאל]. This establishes a direct link between the past and the future: just as God shaped the nation in its earliest days, He is destined to redeem them [מלבי״ם]. This purposeful formation began at the very dawn of their history. God chose Jacob over Esau while they were still struggling in their mother's womb, acting as his guide and helper [רש״י, אברבנאל]. From the moment of birth, the people of Israel were shaped to be His nation [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

By declaring Himself the maker of all things, God actively rejects ancient philosophies which argued that the universe emerged from pre-existing matter or simply evolved as a natural consequence of the environment. Instead, God created all physical matter from absolute nothingness, executing His will without limitation [מלבי״ם, אבן עזרא]. The primary approach among commentators is that this creation is not merely a completed historical event. Rather, it is a continuous, ongoing process in which God actively sustains and maintains the existence of the world with His power every single day [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, אברבנאל].

In forming the universe, God stretched out the heavens entirely alone, without any assistant or middleman [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. According to the Midrash, angels were purposefully not created on the first day of creation. This ensured that no one could ever claim that angels, such as Michael and Gabriel, assisted in pulling the sky across the horizon [רד״ק, אברבנאל].

Furthermore, God spread and flattened the earth. Positioning the solid ground over the waters actually contradicts the natural properties of these physical elements. This deliberate suspension of natural law serves as clear proof of God's direct, ongoing involvement in the world, operating far above the bounds of nature [מלבי״ם]. The conclusion of this thought presents a profound dual perspective on God's solitary power. On one level, it poses a rhetorical question, asking who could possibly have partnered with Him in creation. Unlike a human king whose ministers share the heavy lifting and eventually share in the glory, God acted completely alone [רד״ק, אברבנאל, שד״ל]. On another level, it emphasizes that all existence flows directly from Him. Because God has no physical form, the spreading and enduring stability of the earth are the result of His immense spiritual power alone [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, שד״ל].