The Promises of the Redeemer
2When
you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go
through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the
fire of oppression, you will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you. 3For
I am the Lord your God, your Savior, the Holy One of Israel. I gave Egypt and
Ethiopia and Seba to Cyrusa in exchange for your freedom, as your
ransom. 4Others died that you might live; I traded their lives for
yours because you are precious to Me and honored, and I love you.
5Don’t
be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you from east and west, 6from
north and south. I will bring My sons and daughters back to Israel from the
farthest corners of the earth. 7All who claim Me as their God will
come, for I have made them for My glory; I created them. 8Bring them
back to me—blind as they are and deaf when I call (although they see and
hear!).
9Gather
the nations together! Which of all their idols ever has foretold such things?
Which can predict a single day ahead? Where are the witnesses of anything they
said? If there are no witnesses, then they must confess that only God can
prophesy.
10But
I have witnesses, O Israel, says the Lord! You are My witnesses and My servants,
chosen to know and to believe Me and to understand that I alone am God. There
is no other God; there never was and never will be. 11I am the Lord,
and there is no other Savior. 12Whenever you have thrown away your
idols, I have shown you My power. With one word I have saved you. You have seen
Me do it; you are My witnesses that it is true. 13From eternity to
eternity I am God. No one can oppose what I do.
14The
Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says: For your sakes I will send
an invading ar My against Babylon that will walk in, almost unscathed. The
boasts of the Babylonians will turn to cries of fear. 15I am the
Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King. 16I am the Lord, who
opened a way through the waters, making a path right through the sea. 17I
called forth the mighty ar My of Egypt with all its chariots and horses, to lie
beneath the waves, dead, their lives snuffed out like candlewicks.
18But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I’m going to do! 19For I’m going to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Don’t you see it? I will make a road through the wilderness of the world for My people to go home, and create rivers for them in the desert! 20The wild animals in the fields will thank Me, the jackals and ostriches too, for giving them water in the wilderness, yes, springs in the desert, so that My people, My chosen ones, can be refreshed. 21I have made Israel for My self, and these My people will someday honor Me before the world.[1] (Isaiah 43:2–21)
The Redeemer’s Promises to Israel Are Now Spelled Out.
Think how these promises have been fulfilled since the Messiah, the Lod Jesus Christ has come. Although these promises were fulfilled to some degree in the lives of true believers in ancient Israel, they were completely fulfilled when the Messiah came to earth to pay the redemption price for the salvation of the human race. Note how applicable all of these promises are to believers down through history:
a. The Lord
promises to be with His people as they pass through all the deep waters and
fiery trials of life (v. 2). When trials and hardships threaten to
engulf believers, they will not drown. The Lord will be with them to strengthen
and uphold them. When fiery persecutions threaten to overwhelm believers, the
flames will not burn them, for the Lord’s presence and power will protect them.
This promise was literally fulfilled when the Lord protected Shadrach,
Meshcach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Da. 3:25–27). No matter how
deep the trial or hardship and no matter how fiery the oppression or
persecution, the Lord promises to be with His people.
V “For where two or three are gathered together
in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20).
V “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Mt. 28:20).
V “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this
land; for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of” (Ge. 28:15).
V “And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest” (Ex. 33:14).
V “When thou goest out to battle against thine
enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and
a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out
of the land of Egypt” (De. 20:1).
V “But thou, O Lord, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them” (Ps. 41:10).
b. The Lord
promises to ransom His people and set them free from all their oppressors (vv. 3–4).
Note that the weight of the Lord’s promise rests solely on His own shoulders.
He reinforces His promise by using three different titles for Himself:
Ø
“your
God” guarantees
this promise
Ø
“the
Holy One of Israel”
guarantees this promise
Ø “your Savior” guarantees this promise
God’s
people can rest assured that He will ransom them. He will set them free
from all who oppress them. In fact, all who tyrannize God’s people will
themselves be the ransom paid to free His people. Three nations, in particular,
are mentioned, but the truth applies to all the nations of earth. When Egypt,
Cush (Ethiopia), or Seba oppressed Israel, the Lord sacrificed (doomed) these
nations. Instead of allowing them to continue subjecting His people, He
destroyed them. God gave up three oppressors rather than give up His people. The
point is striking, a clear warning to any person or nation that persecutes
God’s people. They will not succeed. Either immediately or one day in the
future, God will execute judgment against them. He will “give them up” to
suffer the very oppression and cruelty they inflicted upon His people. God will
always ransom His people from their oppressors. And the ransom price for those
who are enemies of God and His people is very high: they will pay with their
very own lives. Note why God does such a remarkable thing for His people: they
are precious to Him and He loves them.
V “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to
all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed
the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood” (Ac. 20:28).
V “For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him might be saved” (Jn. 3:16–17).
V “And the Lord shall deliver me from every
evil work, and will preserve me unto His
heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory forever
and ever. Amen” (2 Ti. 4:18).
V “But because the Lord loved you, and because He
would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought
you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from
the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (De.
7:8).
V “But I am
poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh
upon me: thou art My help and My deliverer;
make no tarrying, O My God” (Ps.
40:17).
V “Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare
of the fowler, and from the noisome
pestilence” (Ps. 91:3).
V “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord”
(Je. 1:8).
V “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the
glory hath He sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for He that toucheth
you toucheth the apple of His eye” (Zec.
2:8).
V “And the Lord their God shall save them in
that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his
land” (Zec. 9:16).
V “And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him” (Mal. 3:17).
c. The Lord
promises to gather His people from the ends of the earth and return them to the
promised land (vv. 5–9). This is a clear reference to the Israelites’ being set
free from their captivity in Babylon and returning to Jerusalem. But it is also
applicable to any of God’s people who are living in exile from their true home.
And it applies particularly to the restoration of Israel in the latter days of
human history (Ro. 11:25–36). Note that the Lord calls Israel His sons
and daughters (v. 6). Of course, God’s children are those who truly believe
and follow Him. After the Persians released the Jews from Babylonian captivity,
only a few Jews truly believed the promises of God and chose to return to the
promised land. The vast majority chose to remain in Babylon with all its
pleasures and possessions (Ezr. 1:1–2:70; 8:1–20). Note that God once again
reminds His people that He has created them for His glory.
Longing for each of His chosen people to trust Him as Redeemer, the Lord summons all unbelieving Jews—the spiritually blind and deaf—to see and hear His promises. No greater promises could be given; consequently, the spiritually blind and deaf should believe them (v. 8). Clearly, God longs for unbelieving nations to believe also, for He issues a summons for them to assemble before Him (v. 9). He challenges them to acknowledge that He has foretold the restoration of Israel. At the same time, if they are unwilling to believe in Him, He challenges them to prove that their so-called gods are true. To do this, they will have to be able to predict future events like the regathering of Israel. Any god should care enough for his people to do what the Lord is doing—preparing His people for the terrifying trials and hardships that are coming upon them in the future.
Thought 1. What is said of the Israelites
is applicable to all true believers.
(1)
All genuine believers are sons and
daughters of God, created for His glory.
V “But as many as received Him, to them gave He
power to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on His name” (Jn.
1:12).
V “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of
God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified
together” (Ro. 8:16–17).
V “Wherefore come out from among them, and be
ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and
ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Co. 6:17–18).
V “But when the fulness of the time was come,
God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them
that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And
because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your
hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Ga.
4:4–6).
V “When Israel was a child, then I loved him and called My son out of Egypt” (Ho. 11:1).
(2) All genuine believers are re-created by the
Spirit of God, made into new people.
V “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism
into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life” (Ro. 6:4).
V “But now we are delivered from the law, that
being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and
not in the oldness of the letter” (Ro. 7:6).
V “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Co. 5:17).
V “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature” (Ga. 6:15).
V “For we are His workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should
walk in them” (Ep. 2:10).
V “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself
of twain one new man, so making
peace” (Ep. 2:15).
V “And that ye put on the new man, which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ep. 4:24).
V “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created Him” (Col. 3:10).
d. The Lord
has appointed His people to be His special witnesses and servants (vv.
10–13). Verse 10 is one of the most significant verses in all of Scripture.
It spells out exactly why God chooses and saves His people day by day. Three
purposes are listed:
Ø
that His people might know Him—know Him personally and intimately as they walk
through life
Ø
that His people might believe Him—entrust all to Him, believe every word that
proceeds out of His mouth, and stand upon the promises of God
Ø that His people might understand Him—grasp, comprehend, appreciate, esteem, and value Him for all He is within His majestic glory and person
As His
witnesses and servants, believers are to know that the Lord is the only living
and true God and that He alone is the Savior of the world. Apart from Him,
there is no Savior. No person can be saved without trusting and following Him
and Him alone (v. 11). Saving His people from the Babylonian
captivity, the Lord proves that He is the only living and true God and the
Savior of the human race. He, not some false god, is the One who will save His
people from their captivity. Since He alone is God and there is no other
Savior, His people are to bear strong testimony to four facts:
Ø
that He has revealed the truth about Himself
both to Israel and to the other nations of the world
Ø
that He is the Savior of the human race who
alone has saved and redeemed those who truly believe and follow Him
Ø
that He alone is the living and true God
Ø
that He alone possesses eternal power and that
judgment rests with Him
V “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15).
V “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so, send I you” (Jn. 20:21).
V “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Ac. 2:4).
V “For we cannot but speak the things which we
have seen and heard” (Ac. 4:20).
V “Go, stand, and speak in the temple to the
people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But
the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council
together, and all the senate of the children of Israel and sent to the prison
to have them brought” (Ac.
5:20–21).
V “And we are His witnesses of these things;
and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom
God hath given to them that obey Him” (Ac. 5:32).
V “And he said, The God of our fathers hath
chosen thee [Paul], that thou shouldest know His will, and see that Just One,
and shouldest hear the voice of His mouth. For thou shalt be His witness unto
all men of what thou hast seen and heard” (Ac. 22:14–15).
V “But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar;
not that I had ought to accuse My nation of. For this cause therefore have I
called for you, to see you, and to
speak with you: because that for the
hope of Israel I am bound with this chain” (Ac. 28:19–20).
V “We having the same spirit of faith, according
as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and
therefore speak” (2 Co. 4:13).
V “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke
with all authority. Let no man despise thee” (Tit. 2:15).
V “Come and
hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for My soul” (Ps. 66:16).
V “I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord,
and the praises of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness
toward the house of Israel, which He hath bestowed on them according to His
mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses” (Is. 63:7).
V “Then I said, I will not make mention of Him,
nor speak any more in His name. But His
word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in My bones, and I was
weary with forbearing, and I could not stay”
(Je. 20:9).
V “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name” (Mal. 3:16).
e. No one can stop or reverse the works God does among His people on earth. The Lord will ultimately defeat all enemies who oppress His people (vv. 14–17). He guarantees the deliverance of His people because He is their Redeemer, the Holy One. By declaring Himself the Holy One, God indicates that redeeming His people from their enemies is the righteous and ethical thing to do. And since He is the Redeemer, He must guarantee that His people will be delivered. His holy perfection demands that He do what is right. Thus, His people can rest assured that He will take action on their behalf. They will be delivered from Babylon, and their oppressors will be defeated. Again note why: because He is the Lord, the Holy One, Israel’s Creator, their king (v. 15). His judgment of Babylon is sure. He will utterly destroy them as surely as He destroyed the Egyptian army in the Red Sea (Ex. 14:26–28).
Thought 1. In dealing with His
people, the Lord always does the righteous thing. When His people are
oppressed, the ethical action is always to deliver them from their persecutors.
In righteousness, He condemns their oppressors, dooming them to utter defeat
and judgment. Through His awesome power, God promises His people victory over
all their enemies.
V “Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… Nay, in
all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I
am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ro. 8:35,
37–39).
V “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and
maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place” (2 Co. 2:14).
V “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not
war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christ” (2
Co. 10:3–5).
V “Finally, My brethren, be strong in the Lord,
and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the
whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand” (Ep.
6:10–13).
V “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy,
according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them
mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some
having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck” (1 Ti. 1:18–19).
V “But thou, O man of God, flee these things;
and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also
called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (1 Ti. 6:11–12).
V “Thou, therefore, endure hardness, as a good
soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the
affairs of this life; that he may
please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Ti. 2:3–4).
V “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil
work, and will preserve me unto His
heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory forever
and ever. Amen” (2 Ti. 4:18).
V “Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions
are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all
grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye
have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Pe. 5:8–10).
V “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the
world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that
believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 Jn. 5:4–5).
V “Through thee will we push down our enemies: through Thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us” (Ps. 44:5).
f. The Lord will do greater things than ever before for His people; He will perform a new thing on their behalf (vv. 18–21). What is this new thing? He will guide and provide for them as never before. Although the cruel Babylonians will hold them in captivity, God will work through the nations of the world to restore His people to the promised land (a symbol of heaven) (vv. 5–6). Nations from the four corners of the earth will help Israel return to the land God promised them. And when they return, God will take care of them and provide for all their necessities (v. 20). Of course, water is the most essential need in a desert region. As scarce as water is, God promises to provide so much water that even the wild animals will have enough to drink. Note why God promises to guide and provide for His people: so they would bear strong witness to Him and praise His name before the entire world (v. 21).
Thought 1. The Lord promises to
guide us day by day as we walk through life. No matter how difficult the
path, if we believe and follow Him, He promises to guide us. Listen to His
wonderful promises:
V “Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby
the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in
darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Lu. 1:78–79).
V “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is
come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but
whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He
speak: and He will show you things to come” (Jn. 16:13).
V “As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth
over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her
wings: So the Lord alone did lead Him,
and there was no strange god with Him”
(De. 32:11–12).
V “The Lord is
My shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He
leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth My soul: He leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they
comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest My head with oil; My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of My life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever” (Ps. 23:1–6).
V “The meek will He guide in judgment: and the
meek will He teach His way” (Ps.
25:9).
V “Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a
plain path, because of mine enemies” (Ps. 27:11).
V “For this God is our God forever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death” (Ps. 48:14).
V “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and
afterward receive me to glory” (Ps. 73:24).
V “If
I take the wings of the morning, and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and
thy right hand shall hold me” (Ps.
139:9–10).
V “And thine ears shall hear a word behind
thee, saying, This is the way, walk
ye in it when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Is. 30:21).
V “And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them” (Is. 42:16).
Thought 2. Another great promise of
the Lord is that He will provide for our needs. He will look after and take
care of true believers who follow Him. All believers will have the necessities
to sustain life until the day the Lord is ready to take them to heaven.
V “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt. 6:33).
V “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good
measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be
measured to you again” (Lu. 6:38).
V “But My God shall supply all your need
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Ph. 4:19).
V “And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He
shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the
midst of thee” (Ex. 23:25).
V “And thou shalt return and obey the voice of
the Lord and do all His commandments which I command thee this day. And the Lord
thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of
thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for
good: for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as He rejoiced over
thy fathers” (De. 30:8–9).
V “Blessed be
the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our
salvation. Selah” (Ps. 68:19).
V “I will abundantly bless her provision: I
will satisfy her poor with bread” (Ps.
132:15).
V “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Mal. 3:10).[2]
a 43:3 to Cyrus, implied.
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah: Chapters 36–66. Vol. II. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
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