ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 43:1 FEAR NOT. Knowing what they deserve, the people should fear. Because of their Redeemer’s choice and promise, though, there is no need to fear. REDEEMED. See note on 41:14. YOU ARE MINE. What defines God’s people is not their guilty blindness (Isaiah 42:18) but the grace of... [ Continue Reading ]
ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 43:2 YOU designates the whole people (v. Isaiah 43:1). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 43:3 God’s people are secured by his love. I GIVE EGYPT AS YOUR RANSOM. Isaiah uses the idea of a ransom price, which is sometimes conveyed by “redeemed” (v. Isaiah 43:1; see note on 41:14). God will direct history for the sake of his people. “Egypt” refers to the exodus. ⇐ ⇔... [ Continue Reading ]
ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 43:7 WHOM I CREATED FOR MY GLORY. God’s people become living proof and demonstration of his glory, which is his ultimate goal in their salvation (see Ephesians 1:3). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 43:10 In this great trial (vv. Isaiah 43:8), God’s people are his WITNESSES that he alone is God. Nineteen words in the Hebrew text of these verses are in a first-person singular form (I, ME, MY). Israel’s exclusive loyalty to the Lord, and their witness to the nations, defines... [ Continue Reading ]
ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 43:16 Isaiah’s language recalls the exodus through the Red Sea (see Exodus 14:21). MAKES... BRINGS. The present-tense verbs imply that the great exodus is an example of what God still can do for his people. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0,... [ Continue Reading ]
ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 43:18 The original exodus did not exhaust God’s power but was merely an example of how he could deliver his people from distress. The Jewish exiles should not live in the past but should look for God to bring them home from Babylon through another “exodus.” ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images =... [ Continue Reading ]
ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 43:20 God’s final objective is THAT his people MIGHT DECLARE his PRAISE. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 43:22 God promises to pour his life-giving Spirit upon his weary people. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 43:23 While in Babylonian exile, the Jewish people were unable to continue the Mosaic sacrificial system. God did not demand impossible observances during that time, but they BURDENED him with their spiritual indifference. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img... [ Continue Reading ]
ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 43:25 I, I AM HE. God declares that he alone can save Israel. FOR MY OWN SAKE. God will help his people even though they do not deserve it. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]