Isaiah 43:16-21

16  Thus says the Lord,

Who makes a way through the sea

And a path through the mighty waters,

17  Who brings forth the chariot and the horse,

The army and the mighty man

(They will lie down together and not rise again;

They have been quenched and extinguished like a wick):

18  “Do not call to mind the former things,

Or ponder things of the past.

19  “Behold, I will do something new,

Now it will spring forth;

Will you not be aware of it?

I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,

Rivers in the desert.

20  “The beasts of the field will glorify Me,

The jackals and the ostriches,

Because I have given waters in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert,

To give drink to My chosen people.

21  “The people whom I formed for Myself

Will declare My praise.

I.       God speaking

A.   Verse 16 …….Thus says who?

B.   Verse 21 …the people whom….I formed for Myself

C.   God created, designed us, for Him

D.   God declares his relationship with us

1.     He is our God

2.     He is our Creator

3.     He is our protector       

E.   Makes a way of escape for us

16  Thus says the Lord,

Who makes a way through the sea

And a path through the mighty waters,

II.    Makes the same way of escape a trap for our enemies

A.   The army

B.   The mighty man

C.   They are brought down together

D.   They will not rise again  

17  Who brings forth the chariot and the horse,

The army and the mighty man

(They will lie down together and not rise again;

They have been quenched and extinguished like a wick):

III.  Do not call to mind the former things

18  “Do not call to mind the former things,

Or ponder things of the past.

A.   Do not call to mind the former things

1.     Do not look back to the former days

2.     Either the Good or the bad

3.     They both bind us form what God has for us today

4.     God begins by reminding them of His past faithfulness

a)    While they were slaves in Egypt life was rough

b)    The Egyptians were hard taskmasters

c)     Listen to what God said to Moses when He met with him at the burning bush

Exodus 3:7

“ The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.” 

d)    When God’s people are hurting God sees it and God feels it

e)     Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus is a High Priest who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities

f)      In Isa 63:9 the prophet talks about God’s heart toward His people

“In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them All the days of old.” NKJV

g)    If there is anybody hurting here this morning I want you to understand God’s heart toward you

h)    He feels the pain you feel and He cares about what you are going through

(1)  God Get’s it

(2)  God is able and willing to intervene even when it seems hopeless

(3)  In our text, these people are not only being reminded that God cares but also that God is able

(4)  At the time of the Exodus Egypt was the most powerful nation on earth

(5)  There was no way that Israel could have risen up and broke free from their bondage

(6)  Egypt’s chariots and horses and army were there to insure nothing like that would ever happen

i)       Humanly speaking it was a hopeless situation that God’s people were in

(1)  But God felt their pain and intervened in their behalf

(2)  Everything changed because God acted

(3)  There are times when we need to act in obedience to God’s directive

(4)  But their are times when God rises up and acts in behalf of His people

The prayer in Ps 119:126 cries out

“It is time for you to act, O LORD...”

(5)  When God lifted His arm in behalf of His people 10 Plagues fell on Egypt

(6)  God brought them out just as He said He would.

(7)  When Pharaoh and his army tried to pursue them they were destroyed    

Ex 15:1-2

‘I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!

2 The LORD My Go my strength my song, has now become my victory

The Lord is God and I will praise Him my Father’s God and I will exalt him

5.     The result of God’s work in behalf of His people was worship and praise. They rejoiced together in what God had done

6.     Israel who was in captivity was looking back to when they were delivered from Egypt…. Saying

a)    Remember when

b)    This looks familiar

c)     Here we go again      

B.   Do not ponder or try to figure

1.     Our ways are not God’s ways

2.     His answers are bigger then ours          

C.   The nation of Israel was the beneficiary of the 1st exodus

1.     God is saying I am creating a new exodus

2.     Life is to be lived in the NOW!

a)    No matter how bad or how good things were in the past that is not where we are now

b)    For these people they needed to embrace the hope God had set before them for the future

c)     They were living in the past Exodus when God was about to give them a present Exodus

3.     Open your eyes    

IV.Behold

19  “Behold, I will do something new,

Now it will spring forth;

Will you not be aware of it?

I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,

Rivers in the desert.

A.   Suddenly…… I will do something new

1.     Thing refers to Cyrus’ command for the exiles to return to Jerusalem

2.     The fall of Babylon and Israel’s restoration 

B.   Now it will spring forth

1.     We need to open our eyes and be aware of what God is doing now

2.     Not tomorrow—not someday—but right now

3.     I will make a road way in the wilderness

a)    The Lord would give the exiles an unobstructed route back to the Promised Land

b)    I will make the dangerous place a swift journey for us 

c)     I will make the barren desolate place an place of commerce and life

d)    Even in desolate regions the Lord would refresh His people

4.     God is making a way where there seems to be no way

a)    He is doing the impossible

b)    Wastelands are wastelands because they have no streams

c)     They felt like they were in an impossible situation

d)    God says I can change your wasteland and make it a Garden of Eden         

V.   The beasts of the field will glorify me

A.   The jackals

B.   The ostrich

C.   Image of idolaters

D.   Image of gentiles who do not Know God will know and praise God      

VI.The purpose of bringing water 

A.   To give drink

B.   To the chosen    

20  “The beasts of the field will glorify Me,

The jackals and the ostriches,

Because I have given waters in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert,

To give drink to My chosen people.

VII.          We have been formed by God for God

A.   We are created for God’s Praise & will

21  “The people whom I formed for Myself

Will declare My praise.

Isaiah 49:15-16

15  “Can a woman forget her nursing child

And have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.

16  “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

Your walls are continually before Me.

Revelation 4:11

11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

1.     We don’t have to put the streams in the wasteland

2.     We don’t have to make a way when there seems to be no way

3.     God does all that for us

B.   God likes doing the impossible because we irrupt with praise  

1.     When He does a new thing—

2.     When He steps in and works in our behalf—

3.     We ought to give thanks to the Lord “for He is good and His mercy endures forever.”

Ps 92:1-5

1 A Psalm, a Song for the Sabbath day. It is good to give thanks to the Lord And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning And Your faithfulness by night,

3 With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp, With resounding music upon the lyre.

4 For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

5 How great are Your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep.