Contest with G-d

[Isa. 41:1] Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.
[4] Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.
Keep silence before Me, O coastlands - The idea is probably best expressed as "distant lands." Here, G-d is calling to all nations - even the "distant lands" - to keep silence before Him. Why? Because they are coming to G-d's courtroom: Let us come near together for judgment.
The repetition of the phrase 'renew their strength' (40:31) may well be ironic. Let them come near, then let them speak:
G-d will allow the idol worshippers of the entire world come before Him and justify their idolatry. They will have the opportunity to speak, though they must enter His courtroom in silence, out of respect of His majesty.
There are many different reasons for silence. There is the silence of shame, the silence of attention, the silence of submission. Any one of these is good reason to initially be silent in G-d’s presence.
G-d advises the people - those in the distant lands, who do not know Him - to renew their strength as they come into His courtroom. If you are going to contest with G-d, you had better be prepared!
I, the L-RD, am the first; and with the last I am He - Here, the L-RD G-d of Israel declares that He has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning. He lifts up and puts down kings and nations. He is the first and He is the last; He is the "bookend" both before and after the saga of human history, starting the story, ending the story, and keeping the whole story together.
If G-d is both the first and the last, then He also has authority over everything in-between. This means that there absolutely is a plan of G-d for human history, and He directs the path of human events toward His designed fulfillment. Our lives are not given over to blind fate, to random meaninglessness, or to endless cycles with no resolution. Instead, the L-RD G-d who is the first and the last directs all of human history and even our individual lives.
Y’Shua takes the same title of the First and the Last in Revelation 1:17 and 22:13. If the L-rd is the first and the last according to Isaiah 41:4, and if Y’Shua is the First and the Last according to Revelation 1:17 and 22:13, since there cannot be two firsts or two lasts, Y’Shua must be one in the L-rd G-d!
The people saw it and feared the coming judgment when they met this G-d of all authority and power. They were brought so low by this encounter with G-d that they had to encourage one another to even go on. Some people instead of surrendering to this G-d of glory and majesty and power, they turned from G-d, and made for themselves idols. Idols of work, people, money, even the church you go to may become your idol!
All Believers are to be servants of G-d would never make G-d into his own image, his own idea of what G-d should be. Servants don't tell their masters what to do, or what to be. Servants know who the master is and who the servant is. They that choose wisely have this promise:
[10] Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
[21] Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
Idolatry on trial so present your case: G-d is fair. He will not condemn idols, the false idols of the nations, and those who worship them, without a fair trial. So He invites these idols and their worshippers to come and present your case. "Let's hear your side of the story." Bring forth your strong reasons. "Let's hear your best arguments!”
G-d's questioning of the idols. Why don't the idols present their case and defend
themselves? Because they are dumb statues that can't speak! So the questioning moves on, and G-d examines the defendants. But they can not do anything. So, the accusation is made based upon the evidence: Indeed you are nothing, and your work is nothing; he who chooses an idol is an abomination!
Today, idolatry is still an abomination. Though few bow down to statues, many still fashion a idol of their own opinion, and decide that is the idol they will respect. Even many churchgoers do this today. (My church is better than yours; our church doctrines don’t meet yours). The spiritual conflict experienced today is exactly of the same nature and of the same character as you find depicted here. The issue is still unsettled in the minds of men, though it is settled eternally in the mind of G-d. The world is still making every effort to put the best possible show upon its worship of the creature rather than the Creator. Its worship is more the patronizing of the shell of religion than bowing in submission before an empty cross, and occupied throne, and the King of kings in glory.
Before the verdict is in you have a chance to change your ways.