(The previous post covered prophecies from deliverance to eternity.)
Isaiah 43
1 But now thus saith Jehovah that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine.
(God did not want Israel to fear because He redeemed them and they were His people.)
2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
(Walking through fire and not being burned was literally fulfilled by Daniel's three friends: Daniel 3:25-27.)
3 For I am Jehovah thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour; I have given Egypt as thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in thy stead.
(God saved Israel from Egypt. However, God will also save Israel from these countries in the future during the Tribulation.)
4 Since thou hast been precious in my sight, and honorable, and I have loved thee; therefore will I give men in thy stead, and peoples instead of thy life.
5 Fear not; for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;
6 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 end of the earth;
7 every one that is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yea, whom I have made.
(God will eventually regather His people.)
8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled: who among them can declare this, and show us former things? let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
(God challenged anyone to predict future events with truth, with a right how and right why.)
10 Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
11 I, even I, am Jehovah; and besides me there is no saviour.
(Jehovah was God and besides Him there was no savior.)
12 I have declared, and I have saved, and I have showed; and there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and I am God.
13 Yea, since the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who can hinder it?
(God has always been present. God is eternal.)
14 Thus saith Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and I will bring down all of them as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their rejoicing.
(A foretelling of Babylon's destruction.)
15 I am Jehovah, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.
16 Thus saith Jehovah, who maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
17 who bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man (they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched as a wick):
18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
(God was telling the reader to think long term.)
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now shall it spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
20 The beasts of the field shall 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,
21 the people which I formed for myself, that they might set forth my praise.
(God made it possible for His people to live profitably. Would they comply?)
22 Yet thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.
23 Thou hast not brought me of thy sheep for burnt-offerings; neither hast thou honored me with thy sacrifices. I have not burdened thee with offerings, nor wearied thee with frankincense.
(Israel did not respond well to God's blessings. They did not call on Him and felt burdened by the very God that gave them the possibility to be profitable.)
24 Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices; but thou hast burdened me with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.
(Israel was not giving to God, they were not loving Him. Worse yet, they burdened God with their iniquities.)
25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake; and I will not remember thy sins.
(God alone forgave sins and when He did, He would not remember them. He would not use your sins against you in the future.)
26 Put me in remembrance; let us plead together: set thou forth thy cause, that thou mayest be justified.
(God wants to plead with you. He wants to know your cause, your why.)
27 Thy first father sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.
28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; and I will make Jacob a curse, and Israel a reviling.
(God would make Israel a curse because of the actions of their leaders and teachers.)
Isaiah 44
1 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant, and Israel, who I have chosen:
2 Thus saith Jehovah that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, who will help thee: Fear not, O Jacob my servant; and thou, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
(Jeshurun meant "upright one," a symbolic name for Israel describing her ideal character.)
3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
4 and they shall spring up among the grass, as willows by the watercourses.
(God provided what was needed for our profitability. It was not God's fault if we were not profitable, or if we were unprofitable.)
5 One shall say, I am Jehovah's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto Jehovah, and surname himself by the name of Israel.
6 Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.
(God is the first and the last (infinite/eternal) and there is no other God besides Him.)
7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I established the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and that shall come to pass, let them declare.
8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have I not declared unto thee of old, and showed it? and ye are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? yea, there is no Rock; I know not any.
(Verses 9-20: The unprofitability of idols. Idols were made by the hand of men, not God.)
9 They that fashion a graven image are all of them vanity; and the things that they delight in shall not profit; and their own witnesses see not, nor know: that they may be put to shame.
10 Who hath fashioned a god, or molten an image that is profitable for nothing?
11 Behold, all his fellows shall be put to shame; and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; they shall fear, they shall be put to shame together.
(All the work that went into making an idol was unprofitable…)
12 The smith maketh an axe, and worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with his strong arm: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth; he drinketh no water, and is faint.
13 The carpenter stretcheth out a line; he marketh it out with a pencil; he shapeth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compasses, and shapeth it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house.
14 He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the holm-tree and the oak, and strengtheneth for himself one among the trees of the forest: he planteth a fir-tree, and the rain doth nourish it.
15 Then shall it be for a man to burn; and he taketh thereof, and warmeth himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread: yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.
16 He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied; yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire.
(The best thing that could come from an idol was to burn it and receive warmth from its destruction. Even this, the best thing from an idol, was short term.)
17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image; he falleth down unto it and worshippeth, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.
18 They know not, neither do they consider: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.
19 And none calleth to mind, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?
(In verse 19, the men who made and worshipped these idols had not considered what they did in their hearts and had no knowledge or understanding.)
20 He feedeth on ashes; a deceived heart hath turned him aside; and he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?
(These men had a deceived heart. They had a right what but with no or a wrong how/why.)
21 Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.
22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.
(God wanted Israel to remember Him and His Words regarding the idols and idol makers.)
23 Sing, O ye heavens, for Jehovah hath done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and will glorify himself in Israel.
24 Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb: I am Jehovah, that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth (who is with me?);
(God was the Creator.)
25 that frustrateth the signs of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;
(God hindered those who did wrong, this included those with a wrong what, why, or how.)
26 that confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith of Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited; and of the cities of Judah, They shall be built, and I will raise up the waste places thereof;
27 that saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers;
28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; and of the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
(This was the first mention of Cyrus' name in the Bible chronologically. He was named over 150 years before he was born and about 200 years before he made the decree to rebuild the temple.)
Isaiah 45
1 Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut:
(A continuation of the end of chapter 44. Cyrus was called God's "anointed." Remember, Cyrus was Esther's grandson.)
2 I will go before thee, and make the rough places smooth; I will break in pieces the doors of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron;
3 and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that it is I, Jehovah, who call thee by thy name, even the God of Israel.
(God would pave the way for Cyrus to do God's Will so that Cyrus would know it was God who called him to do this.)
4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.
(God used Cyrus to help Israel even though Cyrus was not of Jewish descent. He was Esther's grandson, but he was seen as being outside of Israel because of his father. Cyrus would be king because of his father's descent, not Esther's.)
5 I am Jehovah, and there is none else; besides me there is no God. I will gird thee, though thou hast not known me;
6 that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides me: I am Jehovah, and there is none else.
(God would protect Cyrus even though Cyrus did not know God so that Cyrus would know God.)
7 I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things.
(God created evil. God used evil in the short term. In order to create, God had to have the ability to destroy in the short term. Being purged/pruned (John 15) was an example of short term destruction (evil) that led to growth (creation). Remember, God created everything, including evil.)
8 Distil, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, that it may bring forth salvation, and let it cause righteousness to spring up together; I, Jehovah, have created it.
9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! a potsherd among the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?
(A warning to those that strove or contended with their Maker/God.)
10 Woe unto him that saith unto a father, What begettest thou? or to a woman, With what travailest thou?
11 Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask me of the things that are to come; concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me.
12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens; and all their host have I commanded.
(God was the Ruler of all and the Creator of everything.)
13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward, saith Jehovah of hosts.
(This verse was literally about Cyrus but was also a symbol (type) of Christ.)
14 Thus saith Jehovah, The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall go after thee, in chains they shall come over; and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.
15 Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.
16 They shall be put to shame, yea, confounded, all of them; they shall go into confusion together that are makers of idols.
17 But Israel shall be saved by Jehovah with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be put to shame nor confounded world without end.
18 For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, that established it and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah; and there is none else.
(God created for profitability.)
19 I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I, Jehovah, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
(God declared Righteousness.)
20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that carry the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.
(God called the Gentiles, all people, not only Jews.)
21 Declare ye, and bring it forth; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath showed this from ancient time? who hath declared it of old? have not I, Jehovah? and there is no God else besides me, a just God and a Saviour; there is none besides me.
(God was Just, there was none equal to Him.)
22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.
(God wanted to save all people.)
23 By myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
(Paul referenced this verse in Romans 14:11)
24 Only in Jehovah, it is said of me, is righteousness and strength; even to him shall men come; and all they that were incensed against him shall be put to shame.
25 In Jehovah shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
(This chapter gave a big picture perspective on God's plan: He would use someone outside His people to save His people and become one of His people, so that eventually God would reach everyone through Jesus...and Jesus would provide the way for people to exist forever with God.)
(This post covered chapters that declared God's Power and gave a big picture perspective on God's plan via Cyrus and Jesus Christ.)
Day 216
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