Isaiah 43

43:1-7 In this promise of salvation, the Lord addressed his plundered people in the first person.43:1 the Lord who created you: The language of creation (see study note on 40:28) was now applied to God’s formation of the nation Israel. • I have ransomed you: At the Exodus, when God brought his people out of bondage. Similarly, God planned to bring his people out of exile and back into their land. Ultimately, Jesus gave his life as a ransom for all humanity (Matt 20:28; 1 Tim 2:6; Heb 9:15) • I have called you by name; you are mine: Despite having faced his wrath, the people of Israel are still God’s chosen people.

43:2 Conquering forces could be compared to flooding rivers (see 8:8). • I will be with you: God is committed to being with his people to protect and care for them (see 7:14; 41:10; 43:5; 45:14). • Israel experienced God’s judgment as the fire of oppression during the Exile.

43:7 One of God’s purposes in restoring his people was to display his glory to the watching world.

43:8-13 The Lord here called on Israel, his blind servant, to be his star witness in a mock trial against idols and false gods. Israel knew that the Lord alone is God, and the people had experienced his salvation.

43:10 you are my witnesses: By their very presence in exile, Israel was evidence that God is truly God. He predicted the Exile long beforehand, and now it had come to pass. God alone is the true God because he speaks and acts and controls all of history. Idols and false gods could do none of these things. Israel would later become even greater evidence because God had also predicted their redemption (43:11-12).

43:14-21 The Lord assured Israel of its coming redemption from Babylon; the redemption would be modeled on Israel’s past redemption from Egypt and would be greater in some ways (43:18).

43:18 God did not want the Israelites to forget the exodus from Egypt. However, they needed to look forward in faith to the spectacular event that was about to occur rather than dwelling on the past.

43:21 One purpose of redemption is to honor God through the praises of the redeemed (see 1 Pet 2:9).

43:22 Israel’s history of rebellion had led them into crisis after crisis, yet their rebellion was so great that they stubbornly refused to ask God for help. When they did pray, their wickedness often caused their prayers not to be heard (1:15).

43:25 God alone can and does blot out . . . sins, no matter how many or how great (see also 44:22).

43:27 leaders: God held Israel’s and Judah’s kings especially responsible for leading the nation into sin (see 2 Kgs 21).