THE LORD HAS REDEEMED HIS PEOPLE ISAIAH 43:1-28

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Veronica Perkins
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1 1 THE LORD HAS REDEEMED HIS PEOPLE ISAIAH 43:1-28

2 2 THE LORD HAS REEDEMED HIS PEOPLE ISAIAH 43 Text: Isaiah 43:1-28, 1. Now, this is what the LORD says, the one who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: Don t be afraid, for I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine. 2. When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you. 3. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your deliverer. I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price, Ethiopia and Seba in place of you. 4. Since you are precious and special in my sight, and I love you, I will hand over people in place of you, nations in place of your life. 5. Don t be afraid, for I am with you. From the east I will bring your descendants; from the west I will gather you. 6. I will say to the north, Hand them over! and to the south, Don t hold any back! Bring my sons from distant lands, and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth, 7. everyone who belongs to me, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed yes, whom I made! 8. Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, those who are deaf, even though they have ears!

3 3 9. All nations gather together, the peoples assemble. Who among them announced this? Who predicted earlier events for us? Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right; let them listen and affirm, It is true. 10. You are my witnesses, says the LORD, my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe in me, and understand that I am he. No god was formed before me, and none will outlive me. 11. I, I am the LORD, and there is no deliverer besides me. 12. I decreed and delivered and proclaimed, and there was no other god among you. You are my witnesses, says the LORD, that I am God. 13. From this day forward I am he; no one can deliver from my power; I will act, and who can prevent it? 14. This is what the LORD says, your protector, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I send to Babylon and make them all fugitives, turning the Babylonians joyful shouts into mourning songs. 15. I am the LORD, your Holy One, the one who created Israel, your king. 16. This is what the LORD says, the one who made a road through the sea, a pathway through the surging waters, 17. the one who led chariots and horses to destruction, together with a mighty army. They fell down, never to rise again; they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick: 18. Don t remember these earlier events; don t recall these former events. 19. Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the desert and paths in the wilderness.

4 4 20. The wild animals of the desert honor me, the jackals and ostriches, because I put water in the desert and streams in the wilderness, to quench the thirst of my chosen people, 21. the people whom I formed for myself, so they might praise me. 22. But you did not call for me, O Jacob; you did not long for me, O Israel. 23. You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings; you did not honor me with your sacrifices. I did not burden you with offerings; I did not make you weary by demanding incense. 24. You did not buy me aromatic reeds; you did not present to me the fat of your sacrifices. Yet you burdened me with your sins; you made me weary with your evil deeds. 25. I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake; your sins I do not remember. 26. Remind me of what happened! Let s debate! You, prove to me that you are right! 27. The father of your nation sinned; your spokesmen rebelled against me. 28. So I defiled your holy princes, and handed Jacob over to destruction, and subjected Israel to humiliating abuse. (NET) Introduction: Isaiah pictured God s deep and abiding love for the nation of Israel and for spiritual Israel, the church of the living God. God rescued the nation of Israel out of Babylonian captivity. He also redeems Christians from sin by the precious blood of Jesus.

5 5 Children of God are blessed above all the people of the earth. God promised, 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. (Isaiah 43:2-3) God will likewise bring us out of our most difficult circumstances and He will bring us through those hard times in our lives. The nation of Israel was precious in the sight of God; today Christians are God s precious possession. God called the nation of Israel back to Jerusalem, in order to preserve them as a nation for the coming of the Messiah. He called them from Babylon and from wherever they were on the earth. The church or spiritual Israel is made up of people who have been called from all parts of the world. As God promised a restoration of His people to their homeland, He again challenged the idol worshipers. God s people can testify of His grace; they can give an account of what God has done. The idol worshipers have no defense for their actions or for the idol itself. Idols have shapes, even like men, but they have no ability to think or to reason. People know and understand the power of God s grace and His benefits toward men. God is a God of deliverance. He delivered the Jews from Babylon and He delivers both Jews and Gentiles from sin through the blood of Jesus. The depth of God s love is seen in the story of redemption from sin. The Jews had wearied God by their sins. They were taken into captivity in Babylon. We also have wearied God with our sins and we need repentance. We have no reason to expect pardon if we are unwilling to have faith in God and repent of wrongs that we have done.

6 6 Commentary: Isaiah 43:1-7, Now, this is what the LORD says, the one who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: Don t be afraid, for I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your deliverer. I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price, Ethiopia and Seba in place of you. Since you are precious and special in my sight, and I love you, I will hand over people in place of you, nations in place of your life. Don t be afraid, for I am with you. From the east I will bring your descendants; from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Hand them over! and to the south, Don t hold any back! Bring my sons from distant lands, and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth, everyone who belongs to me, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed yes, whom I made! (NET) The Lord brought His people from captivity Isaiah 43:1-7: Even though the Jews had gone into captivity, God reminded them that He created them and formed them as a nation. They had no reason to be afraid. These people had a special place in God s plan. He honored that place of distinction by calling them His people. This nation belonged to God in two ways; they were His by creation and they were His by calling them or naming them His people. God promised the Jews divine protection through their difficult times, during their return to Jerusalem. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with

7 7 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. (Isaiah 43:2) God has also promised protection and help for His faithful people today. God delivered the Jews from Egypt and He delivered them, in a similar way, from Babylon. During both deliverances, the people gave gifts to the Jews. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. (Psalm 72:10) Just as God delivered the Jews from Egypt and from Babylon, He delivers us from sin. God gave men for the Jews. He allowed the leaders of Babylon to be overthrown so His people could be delivered. God gave His Son to deliver man from sin. All of God s actions are motivated by love. God not only promised to bring the Jews out of Babylon, but He promised to bring together the Jews who had been scattered in other nations. In a similar sense, God calls people from all across the world to be Christians. This call is issued by the gospel. (2 Thessalonians 2:14) God created man for His honor. Paul said that God, Hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us. (Acts 17:26-27) Isaiah 43:8-13, Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, those who are deaf, even though they have ears! All nations gather together, the peoples assemble. Who among them announced this? Who predicted earlier events for us? Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right; let them listen and affirm, It is true. You are my witnesses, says the LORD, my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may

8 8 consider and believe in me, and understand that I am he. No god was formed before me, and none will outlive me. I, I am the LORD, and there is no deliverer besides me. I decreed and delivered and proclaimed, and there was no other god among you. You are my witnesses, says the LORD, that I am God. From this day forward I am he; no one can deliver from my power; I will act, and who can prevent it? (NET) God is the only Savior -- Isaiah 43:8-13: Before captivity, the Jews were blind to God and deaf to His word. After the captivity, the Jews had opened their eyes, unstopped their ears and had allowed their hearts to be tender to the words of God. Who could know about this grand deliverance but God? The combined knowledge of the entire world could never begin to explain the greatness of God s work. God wanted it understood that there was no God before Him, nor would there be any God after Him. He alone is the one true and living God. He is eternal; He had no beginning and He has no end. God can easily say, I am the Lord; only I can rescue you. Israel was in captivity and the God of heaven came to their rescue. We were slaves to sin and the same God rescues us from doom and damnation. The Jews should have learned from the deliverance from Egypt that God is all-powerful and that there are no other true gods. God wanted it understood that He delivered the people from Egypt. He had also delivered the people from Babylon. It is the same true and living God that delivers mankind from sin today. The Jews understood the creation account. They knew that before the world was made, God was! The Creator was in existence before there was a world with day and night. God told the Jews that no false God could snatch them out of His hand.

9 9 Isaiah 43:14-17, This is what the LORD says, your protector, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I send to Babylon and make them all fugitives, turning the Babylonians joyful shouts into mourning songs. I am the LORD, your Holy One, the one who created Israel, your king. This is what the LORD says, the one who made a road through the sea, a pathway through the surging waters, the one who led chariots and horses to destruction, together with a mighty army. They fell down, never to rise again; they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick: (NET) The Lord prepared the way for their return Isaiah 43:14-17: Isaiah 43:14 is God s explanation of what Isaiah has been writing in this chapter. His theme was the deliverance of God s people from oppression. God promised that the great men of Babylon or the Chaldeans would be brought down. Daniel 5 provides some information on the fall of Babylon. It was on the night of Belshazzar s drunken feast that the destruction of Babylon began. God reminded them of His identity. He said, I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. (Isaiah 43:15) God was the originator and sustainer of the Jewish nation. He was and is Lord, the Holy One, the Creator and He is our King. God is the one who made a path through the Red Sea during the Exodus. (Exodus 14) God also made a way for the children of Israel to cross the mighty Jordan River when it was in a flood state. (Joshua 3) When Pharaoh and his army pursued the Israelites into the Red Sea they were all drown. Just as God destroyed Pharaoh and his army, He also destroyed Babylon. Babylon would not rise again. They were like an oil lamp with the flame snuffed out.

10 10 Isaiah 43:18-28, Don t remember these earlier events; don t recall these former events. Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the desert and paths in the wilderness. The wild animals of the desert honor me, the jackals and ostriches, because I put water in the desert and streams in the wilderness, to quench the thirst of my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself, so they might praise me. But you did not call for me, O Jacob; you did not long for me, O Israel. You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings; you did not honor me with your sacrifices. I did not burden you with offerings; I did not make you weary by demanding incense. You did not buy me aromatic reeds; you did not present to me the fat of your sacrifices. Yet you burdened me with your sins; you made me weary with your evil deeds. I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake; your sins I do not remember. Remind me of what happened! Let s debate! You, prove to me that you are right! The father of your nation sinned; your spokesmen rebelled against me. So I defiled your holy princes, and handed Jacob over to destruction, and subjected Israel to humiliating abuse. (NET) God promised a new thing Isaiah 43:18-28: The Jews should have known from the things that happened long ago, that Jehovah is God. There is none like him. However, they were not to dwell on the past. They were to focus on the new thing that God was creating for His people. This new thing that God promised Israel was a path through the wilderness that would lead them home to Jerusalem. They would be freed from Babylonian captivity. God would make the way for this to happen.

11 11 Even the wild beast honored God as part of this prophecy. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged. (Isaiah 13:19-22) As Isaiah concluded the chapter, he reminded the Jews that in Babylon they were not even allowed to worship God. The Jews were beaten-down and they acted like they did not feel like serving God. God s desire was not that they worship in Babylon, but that they would feel burdened down because of their terrible sins. He did not want them to add more sin through worshiping in false ways. After proper punishment had been given to Israel, God promised to forgive and redeem them. God forgave them for His own sake, after they had been properly punished. There was no reason why God should justify the people on their own account. The punishment that Israel received was deserved because they and their forefathers had rebelled against God. Rebellion against God always causes a person to be disgraced. God is the Holy one; He is our God; He is the Savior of mankind. Let us turn to the Lord, our Redeemer and serve Him faithfully. Charles Box, Walnut Street Church of Christ, P.O. Box 551, Greenville, Alabama USA

12 12 Questions on Isaiah 43: pictured s and for the of and for, the of the. 2. the of out of. He also from by the of. 3. According to Isaiah 43:2-3, what did god promise his faithful people? 4. God will bring us through those in our. 5. God called the from and from they were on the. God is now calling to serve Him from of the.

13 13 6. know and the of s and His toward. is a of. 7. God the from and He both and from through the of. 8. Both we and the people of ancient Jerusalem have by our. They were delivered from and we can be delivered from the guilt of our. 9. In what two ways were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob said to belong to God? 10. Just as the from and from, He from. All of s are by. 11. Why did God make all the nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth? (See Acts 17:26-27.)

14 How many God s are there? How many Saviors are there? Who is that Savior God? 13. God delivered his people from Babylonian captivity. What does Daniel 5 say about the fall of Babylon? 14. The that received was because they and their had against. Be assured that any punishment God sends upon us is fully deserved as well. 15. What new thing or new things has God promised?

Isaiah 43: Where Are You?

Isaiah 43: Where Are You? Isaiah 43: 1 28 Where Are You? But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2