GREAT EXPRESSIONS OF GOD'S LOVE:
In the Prophets: Love that Saves (Isa 43:1-7)1
In the Prophets: Love that Saves (Isa 43:1-7)1
Dr. Paul Manuel—2005
As you look back over your life, there are probably a few things you wish you had done differently. You may also wonder how succeeding generations will view your legacy. That may depend, in part, on the historian who records your affairs.
Most of the Old Testament, especially after the exodus from Egypt, is about God's involvement with the people of Israel. As gentiles, we may wonder what relevance such portions of scripture have for us. Uncertain of the answer, some ministers are uncomfortable preaching from the Old Testament. That severely restricts the material they can use, but, more importantly, it gives the impression that two-thirds of God's word has no significance for Christians. Other ministers attempt to avoid this problem by reinterpreting the Old Testament. They think God has changed the people of His choosing and that the promises God once made to Israel now belong to the Church. Neither ignoring the Old Testament nor reinterpreting its meaning does justice to God's word. Yet, if it is not about us, what good is it to us?
The solution to this quandary lies in revising the question, because neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament is really about us. It is about God. Therefore, when we read the Bible—any part of it—the most important question to should ask is: What does this passage say about God, about His plan or His precepts or His personality. Once we know the answer to that question, then we can ask about our part. The reason the most important question is about God and not us is that He is the only constant in history. He never changes. He is "the same yesterday and today and forever" (Heb 13:8). By understanding how He operates, how He behaves toward those who serve Him at one point in history, we can predict—with considerable accuracy—how He will behave toward those who serve Him at another point in history...including the present period and us.
With that in mind, please turn to Isa 43, where we see God's response to Israel after the nation's idolatry sent the people into one of the darkest periods in its history: the Babylonian exile. In the first part of the book (chapters 1-35), Isaiah addresses those in Judah before the exile, when Assyria is dominant in the region. Here the prophet's message is largely negative, a warning to those whose sin has angered God and invited His judgment.2 In the second part of the book (chapters 40-66), Isaiah addresses those in Babylon during the exile, after Judah's defeat and Jerusalem's destruction. Here the prophet's message is largely positive, an encouragement to those whose fear is that their sin has caused God to abandon them.3
Twice in this passage, in vv. 1 and 5, God uses a two-word phrase that appears more than 150 times in scripture, a phrase that others use but that has its greatest calming affect when it comes from God, because He, more than anyone, is able to quell the source of our anxiety.4 Here, Isaiah assures those in exile that God has not abandoned them, saying...
I. Fear not, because you belong to God.5
Is God still in the business of redeeming people, of taking them from bondage to freedom? Indeed, He is. It is no longer release from the bondage of Babylon, but it is still to the freedom of serving Him. The apostle Paul writes...6
For the captives, the next phase of God's plan will not be easy, and He warns them about what they may encounter. Regardless of what they face, however, they have this assurance...
Is God still in the business of accompanying His people, of helping them to overcome obstacles? Indeed, He is. It may not be the difficulties of rebuilding a city, but it is still whatever may stand in the way of your fulfilling your part in His plan. Again, the apostle Paul writes...7
Sometimes the things that stand in the way of progress are not things at all but people whose agenda is contrary to God's plan. How far is God willing to go for the captives? He gives the surprising answer in...
What caught my attention when I read the passage is the reason God gives for this potentially violent removal of Israel's enemies. Did you notice it in v. 4? He says, I will do this "because I love you." This is why I chose this passage for this series. It illustrates in stark terms that...
Is God still in the business of providing a substitute for His people, of eliminating what stands in the way of their serving Him? Indeed, He is. The most important example of that is not how He has dealt with your enemies but how He has dealt with your iniquities. The apostle Paul writes...
Isaiah opens the chapter by assuring those in exile that the Lord has not abandoned them, saying, "Fear not, because you belong to God." We have noted the parallels between Israel's experience and our own, that although 2500 years separate us from the prophet's target audience, God is consistent in the way He works with people throughout history.
II. Fear not, because God abides with you.
What follows, though, is a description of something He will do in our future as well as in theirs.
Is God still intent upon re-gathering His people, intent upon assembling them from wherever they have gone and bringing them back to the land of promise? Indeed, He is.
Although some returned after the exile, the majority did not. Even today most Jews live outside the land, and their return is one aspect of God's plan that awaits completion. The apostle Paul writes...
In these seven verses, Isaiah attempts to calm the anxiety of those in exile who wonder if God has abandoned them. The prophet assures them that they need not fear the future. The reasons he gives are the same reasons you also need not fear the future, because...
Jack Starr was working on his family's genealogy, hoping to complete it before he and his wife went to visit her parents. He wanted to impress them with his lineage and knew the ship captain he had discovered in some old letters would not be enough. Then he came across a picture of his great-great uncle Remus, a fellow sorely lacking in character. It showed him standing at the gallows. On the back of the picture were the words:
That certainly did not reflect well on the family name, but Jack needed another significant entry in his family tree. After some thought, he decided that he could revise things a bit. He scanned the picture, cropped it, and, with the help of image-processing software, edited out everything but Uncle Remus's head. Then he added a new version of the text:Remus Starr: Horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison in 1885. Escaped in 1887. Robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.
Remus Starr was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. His business empire grew to include the acquisition of valuable equestrian assets, and he had intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1885, he devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, finally taking leave to resume his involvement with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. Remus passed away in 1889 during an important civic function held in his honor, when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed.Sometimes, we might wish we could revise our own history that easily. Israel probably would like to have done the same, especially after the nation's sin sent the people to exile in Babylon. They probably wondered if the Lord still cared about them, and it is for the exiles that Isaiah records one of the Great Expressions of God's Love.
Most of the Old Testament, especially after the exodus from Egypt, is about God's involvement with the people of Israel. As gentiles, we may wonder what relevance such portions of scripture have for us. Uncertain of the answer, some ministers are uncomfortable preaching from the Old Testament. That severely restricts the material they can use, but, more importantly, it gives the impression that two-thirds of God's word has no significance for Christians. Other ministers attempt to avoid this problem by reinterpreting the Old Testament. They think God has changed the people of His choosing and that the promises God once made to Israel now belong to the Church. Neither ignoring the Old Testament nor reinterpreting its meaning does justice to God's word. Yet, if it is not about us, what good is it to us?
The solution to this quandary lies in revising the question, because neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament is really about us. It is about God. Therefore, when we read the Bible—any part of it—the most important question to should ask is: What does this passage say about God, about His plan or His precepts or His personality. Once we know the answer to that question, then we can ask about our part. The reason the most important question is about God and not us is that He is the only constant in history. He never changes. He is "the same yesterday and today and forever" (Heb 13:8). By understanding how He operates, how He behaves toward those who serve Him at one point in history, we can predict—with considerable accuracy—how He will behave toward those who serve Him at another point in history...including the present period and us.
With that in mind, please turn to Isa 43, where we see God's response to Israel after the nation's idolatry sent the people into one of the darkest periods in its history: the Babylonian exile. In the first part of the book (chapters 1-35), Isaiah addresses those in Judah before the exile, when Assyria is dominant in the region. Here the prophet's message is largely negative, a warning to those whose sin has angered God and invited His judgment.2 In the second part of the book (chapters 40-66), Isaiah addresses those in Babylon during the exile, after Judah's defeat and Jerusalem's destruction. Here the prophet's message is largely positive, an encouragement to those whose fear is that their sin has caused God to abandon them.3
Twice in this passage, in vv. 1 and 5, God uses a two-word phrase that appears more than 150 times in scripture, a phrase that others use but that has its greatest calming affect when it comes from God, because He, more than anyone, is able to quell the source of our anxiety.4 Here, Isaiah assures those in exile that God has not abandoned them, saying...
I. Fear not, because you belong to God.5
Isa 43:1 ...this is what the LORD says— [your creator], O Jacob, [your former], O Israel: "FEAR NOT, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by [your] name; you are mine.Despite what the people have endured as punishment for the nation's sin—destruction of the temple, separation from their land, seventy years in exile—despite all that, God has not given up on them. Quite the contrary, Isaiah tells them...
A. He reclaimed you (v. 1).You captives may have thought you were lost, that you and your descendants would spend the rest of your lives in Babylon, that neither you nor they would ever see the Promised Land. Well, think again. The political winds are changing. God has arranged for your release, and He has called you to take part in the next phase of His plan.
Is God still in the business of redeeming people, of taking them from bondage to freedom? Indeed, He is. It is no longer release from the bondage of Babylon, but it is still to the freedom of serving Him. The apostle Paul writes...6
Tit 2:14 [Jesus] gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds.If God has reclaimed you, then He has selected you to participate in the next phase of His plan. That phase is different for you than it was for the captives in Babylon, because history has advanced, but the same God directs it, and He wants you involved.
For the captives, the next phase of God's plan will not be easy, and He warns them about what they may encounter. Regardless of what they face, however, they have this assurance...
Isa 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.This is figurative language. The captives who return to Canaan may cross some rivers, but they will probably not have to walk through fire. The point is that God's presence will enable them to surmount whatever challenges they meet. In this way, Isaiah says...
B. He reassures you (v. 2).You captives are not alone. You may have to overcome some difficult obstacles in the course of following God's plan, but He will be with you at each step. God will protect you and enable you to prevail. This assurance will be especially important for the first group that returns. You will see the ruins of Jerusalem and wonder if it can ever rise again from the rubble. Do not let the enormity of the task overwhelm you. God is right there with you, and He will help you.
Is God still in the business of accompanying His people, of helping them to overcome obstacles? Indeed, He is. It may not be the difficulties of rebuilding a city, but it is still whatever may stand in the way of your fulfilling your part in His plan. Again, the apostle Paul writes...7
Rom 8:31b If God [is] for us, who [is] against us?
Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.If God is with you—and He is with everyone of His people—then you have the same reassurance that He will enable you to succeed in His service, overcoming any obstacle that might hinder you from following and fulfilling His plan.
Sometimes the things that stand in the way of progress are not things at all but people whose agenda is contrary to God's plan. How far is God willing to go for the captives? He gives the surprising answer in...
Isa 43:3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. 4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I LOVE YOU, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.God is not sentimental. He created all people, but He does not assign them all the same value. His people, those who have an active role in His plan, are more important to Him than those who follow their own plan.8 So Isaiah says...
C. He regards you (vv. 3-4).You captives are at the top of His list. He is "your God" and "your Savior." Anyone who stands in the way of your serving Him, He will eliminate. He did that with the Canaanites when your ancestors first entered the land, and He will do the same with those who oppose your return to the land. You will meet resistance. Those who moved into the area after Babylon forced you out will not welcome your return, but they will not prevent it.9 If need be, I will eliminate them to make room for you.10
What caught my attention when I read the passage is the reason God gives for this potentially violent removal of Israel's enemies. Did you notice it in v. 4? He says, I will do this "because I love you." This is why I chose this passage for this series. It illustrates in stark terms that...
For God no price is too high to pay for the redemption of his own. He [will] go to any length to find a substitute for them [including the] condemning of surrounding nations. (Oswalt 1998:140)Moreover, this is His attitude toward Israel, despite the nation's sin.11
God loves—without...self-delusion.... He knows what his people really are... but that does not make them less precious to him. That is grace. (Ibid.)12What is especially striking is that, of all the sentences in the passage, this brief statement alone is emphatic in Hebrew, as if God is saying...
Don't miss this. Even if you don't get anything else I say, remember this. However bad your circumstances may seem, however bleak the future appears, I am working on your behalf because I love you.That is something for us to remember, as well.
Is God still in the business of providing a substitute for His people, of eliminating what stands in the way of their serving Him? Indeed, He is. The most important example of that is not how He has dealt with your enemies but how He has dealt with your iniquities. The apostle Paul writes...
Rom 5:8 ...God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.If God has forgiven you because you have accepted the substitution He provided in Jesus, then He regards you as well, and He has moved you to prominence on His list of those He considers most important.
2 Cor 5:21 He made him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Isaiah opens the chapter by assuring those in exile that the Lord has not abandoned them, saying, "Fear not, because you belong to God." We have noted the parallels between Israel's experience and our own, that although 2500 years separate us from the prophet's target audience, God is consistent in the way He works with people throughout history.
- God reclaimed them, as He did us;
- God reassured them, as He does us; and
- God regarded them, as He does us.
II. Fear not, because God abides with you.
What follows, though, is a description of something He will do in our future as well as in theirs.
Isa 43:5 [FEAR NOT], for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and [I will] gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."Despite what the people have endured as punishment for the nation's sin—destruction of the temple, separation from their land, seventy years in exile—despite all that, God has not given up on His people. Quite the contrary, Isaiah tells them...
- He will restore you (vv. 5-7).
Is God still intent upon re-gathering His people, intent upon assembling them from wherever they have gone and bringing them back to the land of promise? Indeed, He is.
Although some returned after the exile, the majority did not. Even today most Jews live outside the land, and their return is one aspect of God's plan that awaits completion. The apostle Paul writes...
Rom 11:26a ...all Israel will be saved... [and] 12c ...their fulfillment....[will signal] 15b life from the deadThis is an event everyone is awaiting, because the restoration is two-fold. It is of Jews to their ancestral land,15 and it is of Christians to their immortal bodies.
In these seven verses, Isaiah attempts to calm the anxiety of those in exile who wonder if God has abandoned them. The prophet assures them that they need not fear the future. The reasons he gives are the same reasons you also need not fear the future, because...
- You belong to God, and
- God abides with you.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
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