Isaiah

Isaiah Chapter 43

• Isaiah 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

God reminds Israel and the whole world that He keeps His promises and covenants. His promise to Abraham stands forever. Israel suffered because of forsaking God and sin but God's plan to restore and redeem Israel is still in effect.

• Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Every suffering that the nation of Israel has been through, God has been there with them. I believe that He suffered along with them. Remember when Jesus Christ wept over Jerusalem, He was grieving for what was to come upon Jerusalem in the future.

Luke 19

• Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
• 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
• 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
• 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

This happened in 70 AD but there is also more than one latter day fulfillment of this and after that no nation will be able to touch Israel but will be judged for coming against Israel. One fulfillment of this was the German holocaust and the Spanish Inquisition. I believe there was more besides those two. I have an uncle who fought in World War 2 against Germany during that awful holocaust.

• Isaiah 43:3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
• 4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
• 5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

Israel is to be gathered again in the latter days. God has not cast away the original Israel no matter what people seem to teach in error. The church has never become the new Israel. Gentile believers who come to Jesus Christ are adopted into Israel but they never replace Israel. They are not spiritual Israel but adopted Israel. It is something to be thankful for, not be high minded about and dismiss God's plans for Israel. God is not done with the nation of Israel. The promise God made to Abraham, "I will bless those that bless thee and curse those that curse thee," still applies today to natural Israel.

• Isaiah 43:6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
• 7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
• 8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
• 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.
• 10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me

All false gods and idols are vain and profit nothing, there is only one God. Israel was God's chosen to evangelize the whole world and bring them the good news of the gospel. How it grieves the heart of God to see any nation much less Israel fall into idolatry. We see from the book of Revelation and also from the prophet's warnings in the Old Testament, that idolatry will be severely judged by God.

• Isaiah 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
• 12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.
• 13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?

No matter what we see going on in the world, God is still in control and His will is to be carried out. Nothing shall prevent every word of God from coming to pass. It will be just as the Word says. Men and women may boast, cry and make a loud noise of protest. They may remove God out of all schools, they may try to remove every preaching of the gospel but it will not prevail. The word will go forth with power, the will of God will be done in all the earth. Jesus Christ will return at the time appointed and nothing shall stop Him from coming. God's word, the Ten Commandments, the Old and New Testaments will be fulfilled without fail. God's word will not pass away. The voices of the doubters, scoffers, mockers and protestors will pass away but God's word will stand forever. Those that mock now will one day mourn and weep. Those that mourn and weep now because of sin will one day rejoice with exceeding joy.

• Isaiah 43:14 Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.

We are reminded here that the great and powerful Babylon which became mighty at one time and ruled over a great part of the world of that day was defeated and brought to nothing. The great nations or Babylons of the future will be brought to nothing. They shall not prevail but for a season and a short time.

• Isaiah 43:15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.
• 16 Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
• 17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.
• 18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

Lest any despair, we are reminded who is the great and mighty one and who is in charge. We are reminded who it is that our hope and faith should remain in.

• 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.

This is the hope of the future. The coming kingdom of Christ in which He shall rule in righteousness.

• Isaiah 43:20 The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

Even the animals will honor the Lord.

• Isaiah 43:21 This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.

The redeemed and the ones who follow the Lord will reign with Him and honor Him with praise and worship.

• Isaiah 43:22 But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.
• 23 Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.
• 24 Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.

We are reminded here how our sins and how the sins of His chosen people Israel really grieve the Lord. This should make us love Him and want to please Him. We should desire to keep sin out of our lives, not just to escape hell but because we love Him.

• Isaiah 43:25  I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

When we come to Him in faith and repentance, He will not remember our sins anymore. It is just as if we never sinned. There is a day coming when Israel will acknowledge the Christ their ancestors rejected. In saying this we must keep in mind that the first believers were Jews. They were Israel. Although the nation as a whole and the religious establishment did reject Jesus, not all those who lived at the time of Christ's first coming rejected Him. The first early church were comprised of Jews as well as Gentiles.

It is men and women who remember our past sins, not God. If our sins are under the blood of Jesus and we have confessed them and have forsaken them, He forgets them and we should too.

• Isaiah 43:26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
• 27 Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.
• 28 Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.

Sin causes reproach and curses, repentance brings salvation and change. We can choose this day which way we want to go. Follow sin and refuse to repent brings everlasting separation from God.  Choose repentance and faith in Jesus Christ brings everlasting salvation and eternal life. Choose this day whom you will serve. DC

Isaiah 44

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