Isaiah 43
SpurgeonIsaiah 43:1-25
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.I cannot pause to comment upon each of the precious sentences here, but every word is full of marrow and fatness. Ask the Lord to enable you to feed upon each sentence as it passes before your mind.Isaiah 43:2-5. 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. 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. Since thou was 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.
Fear not: for I am with thee:That always seems to me to be the master-consolation: “I am with thee.” What more does the most troubled heart need than God’s presence?Isaiah 43:5. I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;O Church of God, thine elect members shall all, in due time, be fetched in, however far they may have wandered!Isaiah 43:6-7.
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; 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.And that in a double sense, for God’s people are twice made; — made first in creation, but marred by the fall; and then new-made as “new creatures in Christ Jesus.”Isaiah 43:8. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.There are plenty of them, for our proverb is true, “There are none so blind as those that will not see, and none so deaf as those that will not hear.” But even to such people as these God makes his appeal.Isaiah 43:9. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.God challenges all the false gods and their worshippers to produce a single fulfilled prophecy, — to show one instance in which they have truly and correctly foretold any event or a chain of event; but all Jehovah’s prophecies have been fulfilled, or will be, in due season.Isaiah 43:10-13. 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. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.
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?It is a great blessing to know that the Lord is God; and not merely to know that as a matter of fact, but to feel it, to realize it, and to trust in God and act towards him conscious that he, and he alone, is the living and true God.Isaiah 43:14-17. 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.
I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; 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.You know what happened to the army of Sennacherib when it came against Jerusalem. Horses and chariots were there in vast numbers, and all the pomp and pageantry of a vast host of armed men; but they slept their last sleep, from which they never rose again, when the angel of the Lord flew through their ranks. So was it with Babylon itself. When the set time came, that long-established empire, with its colossal power, was swept away like a vision of the night. It blazed like tow, and then was quenched for ever.
What cannot God do for his people when he uplifts his almighty arm?Isaiah 43:18. Remember ye not the former thing, neither consider the things of old..
For something better is going to be done in the future than all that God has done in the past. He will eclipse all his previous achievements, and outdo the mightiest of his own miracles.Isaiah 43:19-20. 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. The beast of the field shall honour me, As it slakes its thirst at an unwonted spring, —Isaiah 43:20. The dragons and the owls:Alarmed and startled, as God’s people pass by on their way to the land which God would give them, —Isaiah 43:20-22. Because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; —Have any of you restrained prayer of late? Has your path to the mercy-seat been but little trodden? Then, listen to God’s gentle rebuke: “Thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob;” —Isaiah 43:22. But thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.Weary of God! Have any of us grown weary of fellowship with him, weary of his truth, weary of his day, weary of his service? Oh, what strange ingratitude this is on our part!Isaiah 43:23.
Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices.There are some of God’s people, at any rate, who forget to offer their sacrifices unto God. If they do love Christ at all, their love is not practical, not self-sacrificing; it does not lead them to bring love-gifts unto him.Isaiah 43:23.
I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.“I have made no irksome tax of it. I have not demanded anything of you. I have left it to your own free will to give according as your love suggests.”Isaiah 43:24. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but — Alas! instead of good, there has been evil.Isaiah 43:24. Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins,What! made God our servant, when we ought to have served him? Alas! I fear it is often so even with some of his own people.Isaiah 43:24. Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.O sirs, how sad it is when God’s people are weary of him and he is weary of them!
What shall we read after this? Surely the next sentence will be a thunder-clap, and a lightning flash will blaze out of the sacred page! Listen, and be amazed at the mercy of the Lord.Isaiah 43:25. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.What a blessed God to deal so graciously with his ungrateful erring people!
Isaiah 43:14-28
Isaiah 43:14-16. 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. I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty water;Great events in history all have some connection with the Church of Christ. We may not always be able to see it, but we may rest assured that it is so. The rise and fall of empires have a great deal to do with the chosen people of God.
So here he reminds them of what he did in the ancient days when he smote Egypt at the Red sea, and made a path for his people through the mighty waters.Isaiah 43:17. 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.
There is a little blaze and a little smoke, and then all is over with the tow. So shall it be with those who set themselves up against the Lord; he shall confound their wisdom, and humble their pride.Isaiah 43:18-19. Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the thing of old. Behold I will do a new thing;What God has done once, he can do again; but he can also make yet grander and more marvellous displays of his power and grace than he has ever yet given.Isaiah 43:19-20. Now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
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.If then, O child of God, thou art in sore distress; if all around thee is comfortless as a waste, howling wilderness; yet do not despair; God can make a way for thee even there, and can supply thy needs. He can open up a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the midst of the desert; joy and rejoicing may come to thee even in the depths of thy distress.Isaiah 43:21.
This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.He will not be disappointed in his people. He made them that he might get glory out of them, and he will surely have it; none shall be able to prevent it.Isaiah 43:22-24. But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel. 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. Thou hast brought 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.
Remember that this is the wearied Lord who is speaking, the Lord whose patience seems to be well-nigh exhausted by the provocations of his people; yet how wonderful is his message to them!Isaiah 43:25-26. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Put me in remembrance. Let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified. “If thou hast anything to say in thine own defense, out with it. Come to me, and let the cause of this quarrel be removed; let me hear thy plea if thou hast one.”Isaiah 43:27-28. Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me. Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.God justifies himself for his heavy strokes upon Israel, tells them that the reason lay in their own sin. This exposition consisted of readings from Isaiah 43:14-28; and Isaiah 44:1-8.
Isaiah 43:18-28
Isaiah 43:18-19. Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing;It is a very profitable thing to remember the things of old; it is greatly beneficial to us to study what God did in years and ages long gone by; yet God intends to do for us something in the future that shall eclipse all the past. Especially was this true in Isaiah’s day, for the coming of Christ, which was then in the future, was to be such a sun-rising of mercy that all the stars of blessing, that had shone before, would seem to be lost in the brightness of his appearing. Dear friends, do not always dwell on the past. You who are getting gray are very apt to say that the former things and former times were better than now.
Do not say so, but believe this promise of Jehovah, “Behold, I will do a new thing.”Isaiah 43:19-20. Now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?
I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls.I have sometimes laid hold of this text, and have been comforted by it concerning the conversion of the very worst of men. Some people say, “What is the good of going among blasphemers and profane persons with the Word of God?” Well, if the beast of the field, and the dragons, and the owls, shall honour him, we need never think of leaving any of the sons of men to perish. It is not what they are, but what God is, that should give us confidence concerning them. Even if they were worse than they are, the omnipotent grace of God would still be able to reach them, and to convert them; let us have no doubt about this matter.Isaiah 43:20. Because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.Oh, the wonders of the love of God!
Wherever he has a chosen people, there every mercy shall certainly come. If they are in the wilderness, waters shall come to them; if they are in the desert, rivers shall flow to them; but drink they shall have till they come where they can drink to the full at the living fountains of water at God’s right hand.Isaiah 43:21.
This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.Here is this same note again. Yet mark what kind of people they had been,-a people whom God had greatly loved, but who had backslidden from him. They had wandered very far away from God, yet still his purpose of love did not change: “This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.” What a blessed “shall” that is, uttered by One who knows how to make it good by deeds of mighty grace!Isaiah 43:22. But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou host been weary of me, O Israel.They were not much like Jacob, for he prayed at Jabbok, and became Israel, who wrestled till he prevailed, saying to the angel, “I will not let thee go except thou bless me.” Yet here are people who hear the same name,-“Jacob” and “Israel “, yet God has to say to them, “Thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob. Thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.”Isaiah 43:23. Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices.Is that true of any of you?
Have you restrained prayer, and have you also stinted God in your offering? Whereas he gave his Son for you, have you refused the small cattle of your burnt offerings?Isaiah 43:23.
I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.“I have laid no tax upon you; I have not demanded so much of your income as the condition of your being members of my Church. I have left it to your love and gratitude to bring your freewill offerings unto me.”Isaiah 43:24. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money,No calamus or incense that should sweeten the temple of God,-Isaiah 43:24. Neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but Oh, this “but-but”!Isaiah 43:24. Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins,You have made a servant of your Master,-treated your Redeemer as if he were your slave!Isaiah 43:24. Thou host wearied me with thine iniquities.Oh, what a terrible verse this is about a people whom God had formed for himself, and who shall yet show forth his praise!
Alas! this is how they sometimes are still,-indifferent, ungrateful, presenting him no tokens of love; but, on the contrary, disobedient, grieving him, and vexing his Holy Spirit. What will he do with them now? “Cut them off, and reject them,” says one.
Yes, that is how men would do; but that is not what God will do. ListenIsa_43:25. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.You have forgotten his mercies; but he will forget your sins. You have grieved him, but he still has a tender heart towards you. He will blot out your sins. Oh, how this ought to melt us! How this ought to encourage us to begin again in better style, and to be much in prayer, and much in holy service, and much in self sacrifice!Isaiah 43:26-28.
Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified. Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me. Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches. This exposition consisted of readings from Isaiah 43:1-7; Isaiah 43:18-28; and Isaiah 44:1-2.
Isaiah 43:21-28
Isaiah 43:21. This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.But A sorrowful “but”; and the strain sinks from a triumphant shout to a doleful lamentation: “But “ —Isaiah 43:22. But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.How sad it is that those who have been loved so much, should make such a shameful return for it all!Isaiah 43:23. Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings;-No kids of the goats, or lambs from the fold, —Isaiah 43:23. Neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.“I have not been a cruel taskmaster, or tyrant, demanding of thee more than thou couldst give.”Isaiah 43:24.
Thou hast brought me no sweet cane with money, —“No calamus has sent forth its perfume from mine altar,” —Isaiah 43:24.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.These are the people whom God had loved so long and so well, those upon whom he had set his unchanging affection; yet they acted thus shamefully. What will follow upon such conduct as this? their swift destruction? No. Listen to the Lord’s gracious message, —Isaiah 43:25. I, even if, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.Here is a great wave of mercy washing away everything that could bear witness against the people of God.Isaiah 43:26-28. Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.Tthy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.
Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches. This exposition consisted of readings from Isaiah 43. 1-7; 21-28; And 44. 1-5.