Israel’s Restoration

Text: Isaiah 43-44

Reaffirmation of God's Redemption of Israel - Isaiah 43:1-7

In contrast to His fierce anger (Isaiah 42:25), God would relent. God points out that Israel's existence is due to Him. He is the creator of the universe, but He is also the one who formed Israel. God has reason to care for them, so they should not fear. He has redeemed them and called them by name. Israel belongs to God.

When a person was captured in war, his relatives were expected to pay a redemption price to buy him back.

God sent Israel off into captivity with the Assyrians. The Babylonians then conquered Assyria and inherited their captives. Judah was later sent off into captivity with the Babylonians. The Persians then conquered the Babylonians and inherited all their captives. Yet, through all the troubles (water and fire) (Psalms 66:12), God would be with His people (Isaiah 41:10; Jeremiah 30:11).

God predicted that He would have the Israelite captives return to their land during the Persian Empire. As a "ransom payment," God promised to give the Persians three nations to conquer: Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba. This happened under Cyrus' successor, Cambyses.

The point being made is that Israel should not fear because God is willing to sacrifice mightier nations to preserve Israel. They could be certain that their descendants would return from captivity. All of this was announced about 150 years before it took place.

A Call for Witnesses - Isaiah 43:8-13

Using the imagery of a court trial, the Israelites are called to testify. God refers to them as people with eyes and ears, yet unable to see or hear (Isaiah 42:18-20). These are people who should have been capable of understanding the truth, but they refuse to acknowledge it. They are brought out before the nations. Like the nations around them, Israel had been worshiping idols. Thus, a challenge is issued: Give evidence that anyone could accurately tell the past or have predicted that God was bringing His people out of captivity. Since they cannot provide such evidence, they should listen to what God says and acknowledge that it is the truth.

The Israelites, blind and deaf as they are, witnessed God's ability to tell and bring about the future. No idol compares to the one and only true God. And for that reason, no idol can save people, but God can. All must admit that only God exists. Notice the emphasis God puts on the fact that only He can save in Isaiah 43:11.

If God decides something will happen, then no one can undo what God decrees.

Isaiah 43:10 is important to note: "Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me." Some religions, such as the Mormons, claim that people can become gods. God clearly says that this will never happen. Other religions, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, claim that Jesus was created and was raised to deity. This also cannot be true.

Babylon Will Be Destroyed - Isaiah 43:14-21

Having declared His ability, God provides evidence. He predicts the downfall of Babylon. Realize that God is stating this while Assyria is the dominating empire. Babylon is merely a province of Assyria and has not risen to power. Yet, God tells everyone how it will fall.

God makes paths in the sea -- a reference to the currents in the great oceans. It should not be surprising that He can permanently destroy armies with little effort (like snuffing out a lamp).

God tells everyone not to look at past deliverances as an example. God plans to do something completely different. The imagery is taking a wasteland and turning it into a lush paradise. God's people had become spiritually dead and dried up, but God will make them bloom again.

Israel's Failures - Isaiah 43:22-24

Despite God's prediction of future blessings, Israel treats God with indifference. They don't call on God. They don't offer Him sacrifices. They did nothing special for God. Instead, they burden God with their continued sinful lives, and God is tired of it.

God Forgives, but He Will Punish Transgressions - Isaiah 43:25-28

God forgives sins, not because Israel deserved it, but because mercy is a major part of who God is (Ezekiel 36:22). As in Isaiah 43:11, God emphasizes that He alone can accomplish forgiveness. Using the imagery of a ledger book, God declares that He can wipe out their debt of sin. Yet God calls on Israel to justify herself. It will be difficult because, from the first Israelite to the most recent spokesman, all have sinned against God. God has no choice but to punish. He will lower the high officials in the Temple, northern Israel will be totally destroyed, and southern Judah will be reviled. There is no proof that God has acted unfairly or too severely against Israel.

Israel Is Not to Fear Because God Will Protect - Isaiah 44:1-8

Despite the punishment, God wishes to reason with Israel. He formed the nation, and like a mother, God wishes the best for the people, so they should not fear Him. He will bless them and restore them. They will flourish once again.

Their attitude toward God will change. They will gladly proclaim that they belong to God and will be honored to be known as an Israelite.

Once again, the Lord proclaims that He is the redeemer of Israel. He is the only God. There have been nor will there be any other. "Do not fear ... I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me" (Isaiah 44:2,6). Jesus quotes these same words and applies them to himself. "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One" (Revelation 1:17). By implication, Jesus declares himself to be God.

There is no one like God. Look back through ancient history, and none have foretold the present day. None is able to predict the future. Therefore, there is no reason to fear the other nations and their gods. Unlike the false gods, the Creator has proven himself, and the Israelites have witnessed the evidence firsthand. He has declared what will happen, and it will take place. No other god can provide protection and security as God, who is like a strong rock (Deuteronomy 32:3-4).

The Foolishness of Idolatry - Isaiah 44:9-20

God provides a strong case against idolatry. He calls for the associates of idolatry to gather and tremble at God's reasoning.

1. Idols are man-made, so how can they be greater than man? Despite evidence that their idols do nothing, those who worship them fail to acknowledge it.
2. Idols are made in the image of man, yet man is limited. He must create his own tools to gather material for his idol. Yet the creator of the idol exhausts himself in making the tools, let alone the idol.
3. Idols are made from natural materials, such as wood.  How can the product be greater than the producer? The materials come from the world that God made and grow through the rain that God provides.
4. Wood is used for common everyday purposes. The same wood used to make an idol is also used for heating and cooking. It isn't something special or holy, so how can it be a thing to worship?
5. How can something made save its maker?

God's arguments are a test of reasonableness that idolatry fails. All that God does is reasonable. We may not always understand His motives, but nothing He does or asks of us is unreasonable.

People are deluded, and God allows it. People never stop to ask themselves if they are following a lie.

Be Joyful that God Redeems - Isaiah 44:21-23

Israel is enjoined to remember that idols are nothing, but that God made them into a people to serve Him. He forgives when they return to Him. The response ought to be extreme joy throughout the world.

God Is Able to Uphold His Word - Isaiah 44:24-28

The pagan world held that there were multiple gods, each specializing in certain areas. There would be a god of trees and a god of vineyards, a god of music and a god of metalworking. After all, no man can do everything, so the ancient world held that no god created everything. But the Bible tells us, “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; who frustrates the signs of the babblers, and drives diviners mad; who turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolishness; who confirms the word of His servant, and performs the counsel of His messengers; ...” (Isaiah 44:24-26). The God who created the entire universe all by Himself, the God who formed a world full of life, is the same God who made you and me and everyone we know.

God causes people's predictions to fail. He makes the wisdom of the wise look foolish. But at the same time, God's declarations through His prophets are confirmed and always come to pass because God makes His will happen.

God has declared that Jerusalem will be inhabited again after its people are carried off into exile. The cities of Judah will be rebuilt. God can do what seems impossible. Interestingly, Cyrus was able to conquer Babylon by diverting the river flowing through the city, causing it to dry up and leaving an opening for his men to enter. Thus, God declares that Cyrus will do as God directs and have Jerusalem and the temple rebuilt. This was all stated 150 years before it happened, while Israel was threatened by the Assyrian empire. No one could have predicted the rise of the Babylonian empire or its later fall to the Medes and Persians. And to then name the man who will issue the orders to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple becomes impossible to imagine. Yet, God did this to prove that He is not men's idols.