ISAIAH - CHAPTER 43 - "FEAR NOT - FEAR NOT"
ISAIAH – CHAPTER 43
“FEAR NOT – FEAR NOT”
Tuesday Morning Bible Study – 9/30/14, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Isaiah 43 begins with the gracious “fear not” and again “fear not” is repeated in verse 5. In this beautiful chapter, we have comfort on comfort.
It sounds like the lullaby of the mother by the cradle of her child, in the midst of the thunderstorm, hushing it to rest with songs of tenderness.
I don’t know about my readers, but after a year of “journeying with the camp”; “war and rumors of war”; “distress of nations”; “days of vengeance” and multiple other personal life challenges, I am up for some words of tenderness.
43:1: Thus says the Lord that created you, O Jacob, and he that formed you, O Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are Mine.”
Jacob was created, but Israel was formed. There are seven declarations in chapters 43-45 beginning with “Thus says the Lord”. We can compare with the seven spirits of God in chapter 11: 1-2 and the seven-fold promise to the overcomer of Rev. 2-3. These declarations state the Lord’s purpose for these chapters:
- 43:1: He will change your nature.
- 43:14: He will defeat your foes.
- 44:6: He is God alone.
- 44:24: He will confirm and perform his word.
- 45:1: He chooses and anoints whomever he pleases.
- 45:14: He will release to you the wealth of the nations.
- 45:18: He will cause every knee to bow to him.
This chapter is a continuation of the Lord’s promised deliverance from Babylon. God is their protector. Their deliverance is certain. He has a perpetual purpose for His people.
It is applicable to the present world crisis as we continue in war in the Middle East against the Islam spirit of Anti-Christ.
In the close of chapter 42, we had a vivid picture of the staying power of the Jewish people during the times when Jehovah “gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers; pouring out upon them “the fury His anger and the strength of battle”
But now the tone of reproach changes into divine consolation. It seems like a father weeping over his prodigal; or, in the prospect of some great sorrow, trying to heap solace upon solace. “Love” which seemed to retreat behind the wrath of God returns again.
Israel’s Covenant-God sets His bow in the cloud; and we almost forget the presence of the cloud, in the beauty and brilliancy of the varied prismatic colors. The promises are so awesome; it causes my heart to leap for joy. When preparing this message, I was caught between shouting and crying for joy and the promises of comfort and love.
The imagery is all Jewish. He reminds Israel in Babylon and the Church in every age, of His miraculous interventions.
43:2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon you.”
When he speaks of “passing through the waters,” the recall is the proudest memory in the Hebrew history, the crossing of the Red Sea, the destruction of Pharaoh, and the salvation of His people.
When He speaks of “passing through the rivers,” the recall is their passage through Jordan at the close of the wilderness wanderings.
The exodus began with a miracle, so did it end with one; --“The sea saw it and fled, Jordan was driven back” (Ps. 114:3).
When he speaks of “walking through the fire,” He is alludes prophetically to the deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were cast into the burning furnace. It could be this was their scripture of faith as they faced the fiery finance.
43:3-4: “For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for you. Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honorable, and I have loved you; therefore will I give men for you, and people for your life.”
This reverts to the earliest chapter in their history, when Egypt’s chivalry were overwhelmed in ruin, in order that the Hebrews might be liberated. Also to a crisis, when the hosts of Sennacherib were diverted from their purpose of destroying Jerusalem by being led southward to “Egypt and Ethiopia”. The Holy City was saved through this diversion.
43:5: “Fear not for I am with you. I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west.”
“Waters,” “rivers,” “fire,” “flame,” The imagery denotes that the Church collectively and the true Israel of God individually may expect to encounter manifold trials, both diversified, and severe; like angry floods or devouring flames.
But the consolation is that the God, who permits the afflictions will Himself be present with His upholding arm;---and better still, that He will not suffer these to go beyond what His people are able to bear. He will speak to flood, flame or armies, “thus far, and no farther.” “He stays His rough wind in the day of the east wind” (Isa. 27:8). O true Church of God, “Fear not for I am with you” says the Lord.
“Her walls, defended by His grace,
No power shall e-er o’erthrow,
Salvation is her bulwark sure
Against the assailing foe.”
The City of God lies foursquare and the Lord has here placed a quadruple rampart around her in His revelation of Himself as Creator, Redeemer, Covenant-God and Father!
Thus says the Lord that created you, I have redeemed you (your Savior). I am the Lord your God! I have called you by My name! You are Mine!
Mighty empires have been given in ransom for you and made the instruments for your deliverance.
(Verse 4) “Since you are precious in My sight, you have been honorable; and I have loved you; therefore will I give men for you, and people for your life.”
43: 5-7: “Fear not; for I am with you; I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give up’; and to the south, ‘Keep not back; bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by My name; for I have created him for My glory. I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”
The voice of the Lord, our Creator speaks summoning the north, south, east and west to give back his honored sons and daughters, “even every one that is called by my name”. More than all, he who has made over entire kingdoms for the ransom of His Israel; he has given a more precious gift than Ethiopia and Seba; more than a whole aggregate of nations; for the redemption of His elect Church throughout the whole world.
“He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32)
TO THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH HE DECLARES: (I prophesied this today to the United Nations who have set themselves against the Lord and His eternal purposes.)
Isa. 43: 8-13: “Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled; who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear, and say, it is truth. You are My witnesses, says the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He; before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. I even I, am the Lord; and beside Me there is no savior. Yea, before the day was I am He; and there is not that can deliver out of My hand; I will work, and who shall let it”
God again challenges the nations and the gods of the nations to predict and perform as He does. Having made the challenge to the nations to no response, the Lord cites two events which He is about to accomplish as proof of His deity, namely the conquest of unconquerable Babylon; the release of God’s people from the Babylonian captivity; and the release to their own land.
(The narrative of the U.S. Government is that “terrorist jihad” is unconquerable. Our only hope is to contain and degrade.)
(Verse 14) “Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; for your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose city is in the ships.”
On the night of the surprise of Cyrus, the ships in the harbor were thronged by panic-stricken warriors and nobles who sought escape from massacre. By means of the Euphrates, and by a canal cut to the Tigris, there was a double outlet for the fugitives, either to the Persian Gulf or the Caspian Sea. The “beauty of the Chaldee’s excellency” (Isa. 13:19) ---the city of a hundred gates---was captured, in order to deliver God’s bondaged people.
(Verses 15-16) “I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. Thus says the Lord, which makes a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters.”
“Worm Jacob! and “ye poor crowd of Israel!” That wild shout of terror and confusion rising from the harbor of fallen Babylon was “for your sake!”
All the proud Pharaohs of the world, who in the future, as in the past, shall attempt to lord it over my Church and/or Israel (Vs 17) “shall lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.”
The Lord has mighty, undeveloped purposes of love and mercy in connection with His chosen Israel in all ages. “I have called you”, says He “by your name”
He has “called it out” ---shouted it in the midst of the nations---as “the people I have formed for myself, and who will show forth my praise (Vs. 21)
Let us with great joy lift our hearts to this beautiful refrain, this tender lullaby of God, “Fear not! Fear not!” We may well trust the faithfulness of the Great Shepherd, who “calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out”.
Throughout storms, wars, flood, and flames, we may safely rely on the strength and security of that chain, with its fourfold link, which binds us to the Everlasting arms---“Creator”, “Redeemer,” “God in Covenant”, “Father”---and at death, when a Greater than Cyrus shall appear or “unexpectedly” at the midnight hour---when the startling summons shall be heard, “behold he comes!” That “day of the Lord of Hosts” which is to be “upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures” (Isa. 2:16) when the last fetters of bondage will be removed; that the harp may be taken down from the willows, and the last tear dried, crossing the border river and entering the true Canaan, we shall listen to the joyous welcome, “Fear not, I have redeemed thee; I have called you by your name. You are mine!” This shall be the confession and song of Eternity. “We went through fire and through water; but you brought us out into a wealthy place.” (Psalm 66:12).
43: 19-21: “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honor Me; the dragons and the owls; because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. This people have I formed for Myself, they shall show forth My praise.”
Who are these to whom it is guaranteed a divine escort through flood, river, fire, and flame; for whose sake the sandy desert is transformed; the wild beasts, dragons and owls are poetically represented as doing homage to the goodness of Israel’s God? It is those who show fort His Praise!
However, these chosen people are here distinguished only for their neglect and sin.
43:22-23: “You have not called upon Me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of Me, O Israel. You have not brought Me the small cattle of your burned offerings; neither have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with an offering; nor wearied you with incense”.
They had mocked Him with half-hearted offerings and devotions. The formal sacrifice was there; but the holy motive and loving will which sanctified the gift was absent---that which he valued more than the sweet cane or “calamus”.
43:24: “You have brought Me no sweet cane with money, neither have you filled Me with the fat of your sacrifices; but you have made Me to serve with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities.”
He challenges them to refute the justness of His charge, citing them as accused parties before a tribunal of equity. He puts it in their power to vindicate themselves and disprove His allegation if they can.
43 25-26: “I even I, am he that blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; let us plead together; declare you, that you may be justified.”
The indictment is one too well founded, vindication is impossible.
What follows? Is it denunciation, abandonment? Is fire summoned to go forth, and their blood mingled with their polluted sacrifices? No! Another burst of glorious divine sunlight. Jehovah declares his sovereign reign of grace and mercy as the impelling cause and motive in all these wondrous dealings.
“I even I, am he that blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and not remember your sins.”
The Being who "faints not, neither is weary” is not yet wearied by our sins. For all this, His anger is turned away, and His hand of grace, mercy and forbearance is stretched out still!
This blotting out of sin is entirely an act of gratuitous, unmerited love.
Ez. 36:22: “Say unto the House of Israel, but for my holy name’s sake, which you have profaned.”
His people have no claim whatever on His regard. If judgment had been laid to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; if His ways had been as our ways, and His thoughts as our thoughts; we would have left the floods to overwhelm them, and the fire to burn up and devour them. They would have been “extinct and quenched as tow,” or like “the chariot and the horse, the army and the power”, they too would have sunk like lead in the mighty waters.
Sovereign grace interposed and procured a great Deliverer and a great deliverance.
We are saved by grace. Our salvation from first to last is “to the praise of the glory of His grace”. Out wilderness song, on the way to the true Canaan, is this---“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto your name give glory for your mercy and for your truth’s sake”.
As we are walking through the gates of New Jerusalem, the theme of our eternal gratitude and praise is “by the grace of God I am what I am”! Our transgressions blotted out, banished from memory of God.
I will include verses 27 and 28 in with Chapter 44.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V. I entered into the labors of John
Ross MacDuff, “Comfort Ye, Comfort Ye” (public domain –published in 1923). Comments and conclusions are my own and not reflect the views of those who I entered into their labors.