A New Thing
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Isaiah 43:14-21
Isaiah 43:14-21
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I will send to Babylon, And bring them all down as fugitives— The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships.
I am the Lord, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.”
Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters,
Who brings forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):
“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen.
This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.
A Little About Isaiah
A Little About Isaiah
Isaiah was the son of Amoz
His name means “Yahweh Is Salvation”
Isaiah is quoted 21 times in the New Testament and by Jesus, as well.
Prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
Believed to have been martyred during the reign of Manasseh
His prophetic ministry covered a span of some 60+ years 740-680 BC
His ministry would have overlapped the ministries of Hosea in the north and Micah in the south.
Isaiah prophesied at the most crucial period in the history of Judah and Israel. Both Southern and Northern kingdoms had experienced a half-century of growing prosperity and power. Israel to the north had been ruled by Jereboam and six other minor kings, succumbed to pagan worship. Judah to the south, had maintained an outward conformity to orthodoxy, but had gradually fallen into serious moral and spiritual decline. Secret places of worship were tolerated; the wealthy oppressed the poor; the women neglected their families in the quest for carnal pleasure; many priests and prophets became drunken men-pleasers. It was clear to Isaiah that the Mosaic Covenant of
“For this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too wonderful for you, and it is not too far from you.
It is not in the heavens so that you might say, ‘Who will go up for us to the heavens and get it for us and cause us to hear it, so that we may do it?’
And it is not beyond the sea, so that you might say, ‘Who will cross for us to the other side of the sea and take it for us and cause us to hear it, so that we may do it?’
But the word is very near you, even in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may do it.
“See, I am setting before you today life and prosperity and death and disaster;
what I am commanding you today is to love Yahweh your God by going in his ways and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his regulations, and then you will live, and you will become numerous, and Yahweh your God will bless you in the land where you are going.
However, if your heart turns aside and you do not listen and you are lured away and you bow down to other gods and you serve them,
I declare to you today that you will certainly perish; you will not extend your time on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to go there to take possession of it.
I invoke as a witness against you today the heaven and the earth: life and death I have set before you, blessing and curse. So choose life, so that you may live, you and your offspring,
by loving Yahweh your God by listening to his voice and by clinging to him, for he is your life and the length of your days in order for you to live on the land that Yahweh swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them.”
Isaiah knew this had been so violated that judgement and captivity were inevitable.
One of Isaiah’s purposes is to announce God’s displeasure with their sin and the coming judgement on Judah, Israel and the surrounding nations. There were some partial revivals that took place during that time, but nothing lasted.
One of Isaiah’s greatest purposes is to lay a foundation of hope and promise for the faithful remnant of God’s people. This book is full of promises of restoration and redemption, of the certain advent of Messiah, of salvation of all nations, and of God’s ultimate triumph despite periods of suffering.
Isaiah For Today
Isaiah For Today
There is no other Old Testament book, with the possible exception of the Psalms, which speaks more powerfully and appropriately to the modern day church. He has been called both the “messianic prophet” and the “evangelical prophet”. His prophesies cover all future ages, predicting the first and second advents of Christ. His very name means salvation and it was a salvation, not only for his day and people, but for all nations and times. This salvation issues from a Savior or Redeemer who has provided a ransom; it is always a vicarious salvation by grace. The prophetic time frame of Isaiah will not close until the Son of David rules over His kingdom of peace (Isaiah 2:1-5
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
And it shall happen in the future of the days the mountain of the house of Yahweh shall be established; it will be among the highest of the mountains, and it shall be raised from the hills. All of the nations shall travel to him;
many peoples shall come. And they shall say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob, and may he teach us part of his ways, and let us walk in his paths.” For instruction shall go out from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations and he shall arbitrate for many peoples. They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. A nation shall not lift up a sword against a nation, and they shall not learn war again.
House of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of Yahweh.
; 11:1-9
And a shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from its roots will bear fruit.
And the spirit of Yahweh shall rest on him— a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and might, a spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh.
And his breath is in the fear of Yahweh. And he shall judge not by his eyesight, and he shall rebuke not by what he hears with his ears.
But he shall judge the poor with righteousness, and he shall decide for the needy of the earth with rectitude. And he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and he shall kill the wicked person with the breath of his lips.
And righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
And a wolf shall stay with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie down with a kid, and a calf and a lion and a fatling together as a small boy leads them.
And a cow and a bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together. And a lion shall eat straw like the cattle.
And an infant shall play over a serpent’s hole, and a toddler shall put his hand on a viper’s hole.
They will not injure and they will not destroy on all of my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.
; 42:1-4
Look! here is my servant; I hold him, my chosen one, in whom my soul delights. I have put my spirit on him; he will bring justice forth to the nations.
He will not cry out and lift up and make his voice heard in the street.
He will not break a broken reed, and he will not extinguish a dim wick. He will bring justice forth in faithfulness.
He will not grow faint, and he will not be broken until he has established justice in the earth. And the coastlands wait for his teaching.
; 61:1-11
The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me, he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives and liberation to those who are bound,
to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor, and our God’s day of vengeance, to comfort all those in mourning,
to give for those in mourning in Zion, to give them a head wrap instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. And they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, to show his glory.
And they shall build the ancient ruins, they shall erect the former deserted places. And they shall restore the devastated cities, the deserted places of many generations.
And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your farmers and vinedressers.
But you shall be called the priests of Yahweh, you will be called servers of our God. You shall eat the wealth of the nations, and you shall boast in their riches.
Instead of your shame, a double portion, and instead of insult, they will rejoice over their portion. Therefore they will take a double portion in their land; they shall possess everlasting joy.
For I, Yahweh, love justice, hate robbery and injustice, and I will faithfully give their reward, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
And their descendants will be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples. All those who see them shall recognize them, that they are descendants whom Yahweh has blessed.
I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh; my being shall shout in exultation in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns himself with a head wrap like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewelry.
For as the earth produces its sprout, and as a garden makes its plants sprout, so the Lord Yahweh will make righteousness sprout, and praise before all the nations.
; 65:17-25
For look! I am about to create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered, and they shall not come to mind.
But rejoice and shout in exultation forever and ever over what I am about to create! For look! I am about to create Jerusalem as a source of rejoicing, and her people as a source of joy.
And I will shout in exultation over Jerusalem, and I will rejoice over my people, and the sound of weeping shall no longer be heard in it, or the sound of a cry for help.
There will no longer be a nursing infant who lives only a few days, or an old man who does not fill his days, for the boy will die a hundred years old, and the one who fails to reach a hundred years will be considered accursed.
And they shall build houses and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat. For the days of my people shall be like the days of a tree, and my chosen ones shall enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor for nothing, and they shall not give birth to horror, for they shall be offspring blessed by Yahweh, and their descendants with them.
And this will happen: before they call, I myself will answer; while still they are speaking, I myself will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed like one, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, but dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall do no evil, and they shall not destroy on all my holy mountain,” says Yahweh.
; 66:22-23
“For just as the new heavens and earth that I am about to make shall stand before me,” declares Yahweh, “so shall your descendants and your name stand.
And this shall happen: From new moon to new moon and from Sabbath to Sabbath all flesh shall come to bow in worship before me,” says Yahweh.
Isaiah speaks as powerfully to our day as he did to the society of his day. He focused a spotlight of holiness upon the sordid sins of Israel and Judah, he summoned his contemporaries to cease from their social injustice, their quest for carnal indulgence, their trust in the arm of flesh, and their hypocritical pretense of orthodox religion. He also warned of the consequences of sin if they continued.
Christ Revealed
Christ Revealed
After His resurrection, Jesus walked with two disciples on their way to the little town of Emmaus (Luke 24:27
And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures.
To do so, He must have drawn heavily from the prophet Isaiah. There are 17 chapters in Isaiah that contain prophetic references to Christ. Christ is spoken of as --
LORD
Branch of the LORD
Immanuel
Wonderful, Counselor
Mighty God
Everlasting Father
Prince of Peace
Rod of Jesse
Cornerstone
King
Shepherd
Servant of Yahweh
Elect One
Lamb of God
Leader and Commander
Redeemer
Anointed One
Chapter 53 is the single greatest chapter in all the Old Testament prophesying Messiah’s atoning work. No text in either Testament does a more complete job. Ten times chapter 53 alone is quoted and there are many fulfillments listed throughout.
The Holy Spirit at Work
The Holy Spirit at Work
The Holy Spirit is mentioned specifically fifteen times in the book of Isaiah, not counting the numerous references to the Spirit’s power, effect, or influence. There are three general categories--
The Spirit’s operation at Creation and in the preservation of nature. Isaiah 40:13; 48:16
Draw near to me; hear this! I have not spoken in secrecy from the beginning; from the time it came to be, there I have been; And now the Lord Yahweh has sent me and his Spirit.”
The Spirit’s outpouring on Israel to give them success in their rehabilitation, protect them against their enemies, and to preserve the covenant relationship with Yahweh. They are however, warned not to grieve the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit’s anointing on Messiah to empower Him for His rule as King; as suffering Servant of the Lord who will heal, liberate, enlighten, and bring justice to the nations; and as the Anointed One in both Advents.
One other little tidbit on the book of Isaiah— The complete text of Isaiah was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls (3 BC). The text is a thousand years older than any other text we have. What is amazing is that it is 95% word for word to our standard Hebrew Bible used today. The other 5% are misspellings and slips of the pen.
Our Passage For Today
Our Passage For Today
God has something to say to us--
Isaiah 43:14 (LEB)
Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the holy one of Israel...
I’m going to help with your enemies and the place of your captivity.
Isaiah 43:14–15 (NKJV)
14 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon,
And bring them all down as fugitives—
The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships.
15 I am the LORD, your Holy One,
The Creator of Israel, your King.”
Who brings forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):
God is saying, “Your enemy, your captor will no longer have a hold on you. I will make a way.”
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus is the Way through the high waters
Jesus is the Way through the fire
Jesus is the Way through the wilderness
Jesus is the Way out of captivity
“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen.
This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.
What is all of this for— to declare the praise and salvation of the Lord. To be a people that are the ministers of reconciliation. Bringing people to Christ. Showing people the way through. Today people are dying of thirst. They are dying of hunger. There is a new and living way through all the mess we have today. Isaiah the prophet declared it--
LORD
Branch of the LORD
Immanuel
Wonderful, Counselor
Mighty God
Everlasting Father
Prince of Peace
Rod of Jesse
Cornerstone
King
Shepherd
Servant of Yahweh
Elect One
Lamb of God
Leader and Commander
Redeemer
Anointed One
His name is Jesus. I don’t know what this year holds. Who would have thought the past two years could have been like they were. Isaiah 43 is our word for the year. There is a way and his name is Jesus.
It ends with God pleading with his people to come back to him. Please!
But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.