Isaiah 43 Study Notes: Israel Redeemed and Forgiven
God tells Israel not to fear, since He has redeemed them and will gather them from every direction. Calling them His witnesses, He declares that He alone is God and Savior, announces Babylon's fall and a new exodus, then pardons their sins for His own sake while exposing a long record of rebellion.
General
In 43:14 the LORD, Israel's Redeemer, says He will send against a nation for Israel's sake. Which nation is it?
Answer: Babylon, on behalf of His own people Israel
The LORD calls Himself Israel's Redeemer and Holy One. For their sake He will send against Babylon and bring the Chaldeans down as fugitives, fleeing in the ships they once took pride in (43:14). The Chaldeans were the ruling people of Babylon. He then reminds Israel that He is their Holy One, their Creator, and their King (43:15). The empire that would carry Israel into exile would itself be brought down by God for His people's sake. Scripture records Babylon's fall: on the night of Belshazzar's feast the Chaldean king was killed and Darius, a Mede, took over his kingdom (Daniel 5:30-31). God had promised that after Babylon's seventy years He would bring His people home (Jeremiah 29:10).
- Isaiah 43:14-15 (BSB)“Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake, I will send to Babylon and bring them all as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice. I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, and your King.””For Israel's sake the LORD will send against Babylon and bring down the Chaldeans as fugitives.
- Daniel 5:30-31 (BSB)“That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain, and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.”Scripture records that Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was killed and Darius the Mede received the kingdom.
- Jeremiah 29:10 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD says: “When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.”God promised that after Babylon's seventy years He would restore His people.
Theological
Against which power does the LORD, Israel's Redeemer, announce action for Israel's sake in 43:14?
Answer: Babylon, on behalf of His own people Israel
As Israel's Redeemer and Holy One, the LORD announces that for His people's sake He will act against Babylon and bring the Chaldeans down as fugitives in the ships of their pride (43:14), asserting His titles as Israel's Creator and King (43:15). The power that holds Israel captive is itself subject to God's sovereign judgment, exercised for the good of His people. Daniel 5:30-31 records the fall of the Chaldean king, and Jeremiah 29:10 had tied Israel's restoration to the completion of Babylon's seventy years.
- Isaiah 43:14-15 (BSB)“Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake, I will send to Babylon and bring them all as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice. I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, and your King.””For Israel's sake the LORD will send against Babylon and bring down the Chaldeans as fugitives.
- Daniel 5:30-31 (BSB)“That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain, and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.”Scripture records that Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was killed and Darius the Mede received the kingdom.
- Jeremiah 29:10 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD says: “When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.”God promised that after Babylon's seventy years He would restore His people.
General
In 43:25 the LORD blots out Israel's transgressions. According to the verse, why does He do it?
Answer: Because the LORD chooses to act for His own sake
This verse comes right after God has said Israel burdened Him with their sins (43:24). Israel had earned nothing. Yet the LORD says that He Himself wipes away their transgressions for His own sake and will not call their sins to mind again (43:25). The reason is in God, not in them: He acts for His own sake. David asked for forgiveness on the same ground, appealing to God's name, because his guilt was great (Psalm 25:11), and Ezekiel says God acts not for Israel's sake but for His holy name (Ezekiel 36:22). The new covenant promise in Hebrews says God will forgive and never again recall sins (Hebrews 8:12). Salvation is by grace, God's undeserved kindness: He made His people alive when they were dead in sin (Ephesians 2:4-5).
- Isaiah 43:25 (BSB)“I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.”Right after naming Israel's sins, the LORD says He wipes away their transgressions for His own sake and will not call their sins to mind.
- Psalm 25:11 (BSB)“For the sake of Your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, for it is great.”David asks forgiveness for the sake of the LORD's name, because his guilt is great.
- Ezekiel 36:22 (BSB)“Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.”God tells Israel He will act not for their sake but for His holy name.
- Hebrews 8:12 (BSB)“For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.””Hebrews quotes the new covenant promise that God will forgive and remember sins no more.
- Ephesians 2:4-5 (BSB)“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!”God, rich in mercy, made His people alive when they were dead in sin; they are saved by grace.
Theological
What ground for forgiveness does the LORD give in 43:25?
Answer: Because the LORD chooses to act for His own sake
Immediately after the indictment that Israel burdened God with sin (43:24), the LORD declares that He is the one who blots out their transgressions for His own sake and no longer recalls their sins (43:25). Forgiveness is grounded in God Himself, not in Israel's merit or offerings. The same ground appears in David's plea for pardon on account of God's name (Psalm 25:11) and in Ezekiel 36:22. The new covenant promise that God will forgive and no longer call sins to mind (Hebrews 8:12) echoes the same pledge, and its source is sovereign grace that makes alive those dead in trespasses (Ephesians 2:4-5).
- Isaiah 43:25 (BSB)“I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.”Right after naming Israel's sins, the LORD says He wipes away their transgressions for His own sake and will not call their sins to mind.
- Psalm 25:11 (BSB)“For the sake of Your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, for it is great.”David asks forgiveness for the sake of the LORD's name, because his guilt is great.
- Ezekiel 36:22 (BSB)“Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.”God tells Israel He will act not for their sake but for His holy name.
- Hebrews 8:12 (BSB)“For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.””Hebrews quotes the new covenant promise that God will forgive and remember sins no more.
- Ephesians 2:4-5 (BSB)“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!”God, rich in mercy, made His people alive when they were dead in sin; they are saved by grace.
General
In 43:22-24 who had wearied whom, according to the LORD?
Answer: They had worn God out with their sins and wrongs
After describing the people He formed to praise Him (43:21), God turns to Israel's actual condition. They had not called on Him; they had grown tired of Him (43:22). They had not honored Him with offerings, and He had not weighed them down with demands for incense or sacrifices. Instead the reverse was true: they had loaded God down with their sins and worn Him out with their wrongs (43:23-24). God's demands were not the problem; Israel's sin was. Micah records the same reversal, with God asking how He has wearied His people (Micah 6:3), and Hosea says that the more God called Israel, the further they went from Him (Hosea 11:2).
- Isaiah 43:22 (BSB)“But you have not called on Me, O Jacob, because you have grown weary of Me, O Israel.”Israel had not called on the LORD but had grown weary of Him.
- Isaiah 43:23-24 (BSB)“You have not brought Me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, nor wearied you with frankincense. You have not bought Me sweet cane with your silver, nor satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened Me with your sins; you have wearied Me with your iniquities.”God had not burdened them with offerings, but they had burdened and wearied Him with their sins.
- Micah 6:3 (BSB)“‘My people, what have I done to you? Testify against Me how I have wearied you!”Through Micah God asks His people how He has wearied them, turning the complaint back on them.
- Hosea 11:2 (BSB)“But the more I called Israel, the farther they departed from Me. They sacrificed to the Baals and burned incense to carved images.”The more God called Israel, the further they went from Him.
Theological
What reversal does the LORD describe in 43:22-24 concerning burden and weariness?
Answer: They had worn God out with their sins and wrongs
In contrast to the people formed to declare His praise (43:21), Israel had not called on the LORD but had grown weary of Him (43:22). God had not burdened them with offerings or wearied them with frankincense; rather, they had burdened Him with their sins and wearied Him with their iniquities (43:23-24). The burden lay not in God's requirements but in Israel's guilt. Micah 6:3 records the same divine protest, and Hosea 11:2 traces Israel's persistent turning away despite God's calling.
- Isaiah 43:22 (BSB)“But you have not called on Me, O Jacob, because you have grown weary of Me, O Israel.”Israel had not called on the LORD but had grown weary of Him.
- Isaiah 43:23-24 (BSB)“You have not brought Me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, nor wearied you with frankincense. You have not bought Me sweet cane with your silver, nor satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened Me with your sins; you have wearied Me with your iniquities.”God had not burdened them with offerings, but they had burdened and wearied Him with their sins.
- Micah 6:3 (BSB)“‘My people, what have I done to you? Testify against Me how I have wearied you!”Through Micah God asks His people how He has wearied them, turning the complaint back on them.
- Hosea 11:2 (BSB)“But the more I called Israel, the farther they departed from Me. They sacrificed to the Baals and burned incense to carved images.”The more God called Israel, the further they went from Him.
General
True or False: In 43:26-28, when God invites Israel to state its case, Israel's long history of faithfulness wins it acquittal.
Answer: False
This is false. God invites Israel into a court case: remind Him, argue together, and present a case for being declared in the right (43:26). But Israel has no case. Its sin goes all the way back to its first father, and its spokesmen rebelled against God. So He will disgrace the leaders of the sanctuary and devote Jacob to ruin and Israel to scorn (43:27-28). Coming right after 43:25, this shows that forgiveness cannot be earned by arguing one's own goodness; it is a gift from God. Paul says the same of all people: everyone has sinned and lacks God's glory (Romans 3:23), and sin came into the world by one man and spread to everyone (Romans 5:12).
- Isaiah 43:26-28 (BSB)“Remind Me, let us argue the matter together. State your case, so that you may be vindicated. Your first father sinned, and your spokesmen rebelled against Me. So I will disgrace the princes of your sanctuary, and I will devote Jacob to destruction and Israel to reproach.””God invites Israel to argue its case, then names sin reaching back to its first father and its spokesmen, and announces disgrace and destruction.
- Romans 3:23 (BSB)“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”Paul says all have sinned and fall short of God's glory.
- Romans 5:12 (BSB)“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.”Sin entered the world through one man, and death spread to all because all sinned.
Theological
True or False: In the court summons of 43:26-28, Israel's record of faithfulness secures its vindication.
Answer: False
This is false. The LORD summons Israel to argue its case so that it may be vindicated (43:26), but the record condemns: the first father sinned, the spokesmen rebelled, and therefore the princes of the sanctuary are disgraced and Jacob devoted to destruction (43:27-28). Set immediately after 43:25, the passage shows that justification cannot rest on Israel's own record; pardon is solely of grace. Paul's universal indictment (Romans 3:23) and his account of sin entering through one man (Romans 5:12) extend the same verdict to all humanity.
- Isaiah 43:26-28 (BSB)“Remind Me, let us argue the matter together. State your case, so that you may be vindicated. Your first father sinned, and your spokesmen rebelled against Me. So I will disgrace the princes of your sanctuary, and I will devote Jacob to destruction and Israel to reproach.””God invites Israel to argue its case, then names sin reaching back to its first father and its spokesmen, and announces disgrace and destruction.
- Romans 3:23 (BSB)“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”Paul says all have sinned and fall short of God's glory.
- Romans 5:12 (BSB)“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.”Sin entered the world through one man, and death spread to all because all sinned.
General
According to 43:5-7, from where will God gather His people, and why were they created?
Answer: From every direction, for they were made for His glory
God again tells His people not to fear because He is with them (43:5). He will bring their children back from east and west alike. He orders the north and the south to release them, bringing His sons and daughters from the farthest places (43:5-6). They are the people called by His name, whom He formed and made for His glory (43:7). God's purpose in saving His people is His own glory. Paul says God chose and adopted His people so that His grace would be praised (Ephesians 1:5-6), and that everything comes from Him and exists for Him (Romans 11:36). Peter says God's people are chosen to make known the virtues of the One who called them (1 Peter 2:9).
- Isaiah 43:5-7 (BSB)“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone called by My name and created for My glory, whom I have indeed formed and made.””God commands east, west, north, and south to release His sons and daughters, whom He made for His glory.
- Ephesians 1:5-6 (BSB)“He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.”God's adopting of His people is to the praise of His glorious grace.
- Romans 11:36 (BSB)“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.”All things are from God, through Him, and to Him, for His glory forever.
- 1 Peter 2:9 (BSB)“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”God's chosen people exist to make known the virtues of the One who called them.
Theological
From what directions does 43:5-7 say God will gather His people, and for what end were they made?
Answer: From every direction, for they were made for His glory
With the assurance of His presence (43:5), the LORD summons east, west, north, and south to surrender His sons and daughters from the remotest lands (43:5-6). These are the ones called by His name, formed and made for His glory (43:7). The ultimate end of redemption is God's own glory, as Paul states in tracing election and adoption to the praising of God's grace (Ephesians 1:5-6) and in saying everything exists for Him (Romans 11:36). The chosen people exist to make known the virtues of the One who called them (1 Peter 2:9).
- Isaiah 43:5-7 (BSB)“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone called by My name and created for My glory, whom I have indeed formed and made.””God commands east, west, north, and south to release His sons and daughters, whom He made for His glory.
- Ephesians 1:5-6 (BSB)“He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.”God's adopting of His people is to the praise of His glorious grace.
- Romans 11:36 (BSB)“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.”All things are from God, through Him, and to Him, for His glory forever.
- 1 Peter 2:9 (BSB)“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”God's chosen people exist to make known the virtues of the One who called them.
General
In 43:16-17 the LORD describes Himself with a past event before announcing something new. Which event does He recall, and why?
Answer: The exodus, to promise a new and greater rescue
The LORD describes Himself as the one who opened a road through the sea and laid low chariots, horses, and warriors so they never rose again, their lives quenched like a lamp flame (43:16-17). This is the exodus, when Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry land and the waters covered Pharaoh's army (Exodus 14:21-22, 28). Yet God then tells His people not to dwell on those old events, because He is about to do a new thing: a road through the wasteland and streams in dry land (43:18-19). The new rescue from exile would be like the exodus but even greater. The New Testament speaks of God's newest work in the same language of newness: anyone in Christ is newly created (2 Corinthians 5:17).
- Isaiah 43:16-17 (BSB)“Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters, who brings out the chariots and horses, the armies and warriors together, to lie down, never to rise again; to be extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:”The LORD describes Himself as the one who opened a path in the sea and laid low chariots and horses.
- Isaiah 43:18-19 (BSB)““Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to the things of old. Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”His people are told not to dwell on the old things, for He is doing something new in the wilderness.
- Exodus 14:21-22 (BSB)“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.”At the Red Sea the LORD drove back the waters and Israel crossed on dry ground.
- Exodus 14:28 (BSB)“The waters flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had chased the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.”The returning waters covered Pharaoh's chariots and horsemen.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 (BSB)“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!”Paul says that whoever is in Christ is a new creation.
Theological
What earlier act of God does 43:16-17 recall, and what does 43:18-19 announce in relation to it?
Answer: The exodus, to promise a new and greater rescue
The descriptions in 43:16-17 present the LORD as the one who opened a road through the sea and extinguished chariot and horse like a wick, an unmistakable recollection of the exodus (Exodus 14:21-22, 28). Yet 43:18-19 commands Israel not to fixate on the former things, for God is doing a new thing: a road through the wasteland and flowing water in dry land. The return from exile is cast as a new exodus surpassing the first. The New Testament employs the same pattern of newness for the redemption accomplished in Christ, in whom the believer is newly created (2 Corinthians 5:17).
- Isaiah 43:16-17 (BSB)“Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters, who brings out the chariots and horses, the armies and warriors together, to lie down, never to rise again; to be extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:”The LORD describes Himself as the one who opened a path in the sea and laid low chariots and horses.
- Isaiah 43:18-19 (BSB)““Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to the things of old. Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”His people are told not to dwell on the old things, for He is doing something new in the wilderness.
- Exodus 14:21-22 (BSB)“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.”At the Red Sea the LORD drove back the waters and Israel crossed on dry ground.
- Exodus 14:28 (BSB)“The waters flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had chased the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.”The returning waters covered Pharaoh's chariots and horsemen.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 (BSB)“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!”Paul says that whoever is in Christ is a new creation.
General
What does 43:10-11 teach when the LORD says no god came into being before Him and none will follow?
Answer: The LORD alone is God and the only one who saves
The LORD is not one god among many, or the first of a series. No god existed before Him and none will come after Him, because He alone is God. He was never formed; the idols were. He adds that He alone is the LORD, and besides Him nobody saves (43:10-11). He alone planned, saved, and announced it, and no foreign deity did (43:12). The book repeats this: He is the only righteous God who saves (45:21). Paul likewise says idols are nothing and there is only one God (1 Corinthians 8:4). Peter says salvation is found in no one but Jesus (Acts 4:12), so the New Testament gives Jesus the saving work that belongs to the LORD alone.
- Isaiah 43:10-11 (BSB)““You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, and after Me none will come. I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no Savior but Me.”No god came before the LORD or will come after Him, and there is no Savior besides Him.
- Isaiah 45:21 (BSB)“Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.”The LORD again says He is a righteous God and Savior and there is none but Him.
- 1 Corinthians 8:4 (BSB)“So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.”Paul says an idol is nothing and there is no God but one.
- Acts 4:12 (BSB)“Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.””Peter says salvation is found in no one else but in the name of Jesus.
Theological
What does 43:10-11 assert by denying that any god preceded the LORD or will follow Him?
Answer: The LORD alone is God and the only one who saves
The claim is exclusive monotheism, not mere supremacy: there was no god before the LORD and will be none after Him, for He alone is God, uncreated, unlike the formed idols. He alone is the LORD, and besides Him none saves (43:10-11); He decreed, saved, and proclaimed, and no foreign god did (43:12). Isaiah 45:21 restates the same exclusivity, and Paul affirms that idols are nothing and God is one (1 Corinthians 8:4). Peter's declaration that salvation is in no other name than Jesus (Acts 4:12) attributes to Christ the saving prerogative that Isaiah reserves for the LORD alone.
- Isaiah 43:10-11 (BSB)““You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, and after Me none will come. I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no Savior but Me.”No god came before the LORD or will come after Him, and there is no Savior besides Him.
- Isaiah 45:21 (BSB)“Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.”The LORD again says He is a righteous God and Savior and there is none but Him.
- 1 Corinthians 8:4 (BSB)“So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.”Paul says an idol is nothing and there is no God but one.
- Acts 4:12 (BSB)“Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.””Peter says salvation is found in no one else but in the name of Jesus.
General
True or False: In 43:13 the LORD says that when He acts, no one can undo it.
Answer: True
This is true. The LORD declares that He has been God from eternity, no one can rescue anyone out of His hand, and when He acts no one can turn it back (43:13). This is God's sovereignty: He rules over all things, and His plans cannot be stopped. Even the proud king Nebuchadnezzar came to confess that God does whatever He wills and no one can hold back His hand (Daniel 4:35). The LORD's purpose will stand (46:10), and Paul says God works out everything according to His will (Ephesians 1:11). For God's people this is a comfort: what He has begun for them, no one can undo.
- Isaiah 43:13 (BSB)“Even from eternity I am He, and none can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it?””The LORD is eternal, no one can rescue from His hand, and no one can undo what He does.
- Daniel 4:35 (BSB)“All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’””Nebuchadnezzar confesses that God does as He pleases and no one can hold back His hand.
- Isaiah 46:10 (BSB)“I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’”The LORD says His purpose will stand and He will do all that He pleases.
- Ephesians 1:11 (BSB)“In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,”God works out everything according to the purpose of His will.
Theological
True or False: Isaiah 43:13 asserts that no one can reverse what the LORD does.
Answer: True
This is true. The LORD claims eternal being, declares that none can deliver from His hand, and asks who can reverse His action (43:13). The text affirms God's absolute, unthwartable sovereignty over history. Nebuchadnezzar's confession that none can restrain God's hand (Daniel 4:35), the LORD's declaration that His purpose will stand (46:10), and Paul's statement that God works all things according to His purpose and will (Ephesians 1:11) teach the same. His saving purpose for His people is therefore secure.
- Isaiah 43:13 (BSB)“Even from eternity I am He, and none can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it?””The LORD is eternal, no one can rescue from His hand, and no one can undo what He does.
- Daniel 4:35 (BSB)“All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’””Nebuchadnezzar confesses that God does as He pleases and no one can hold back His hand.
- Isaiah 46:10 (BSB)“I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’”The LORD says His purpose will stand and He will do all that He pleases.
- Ephesians 1:11 (BSB)“In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,”God works out everything according to the purpose of His will.
General
In 43:3-4 God says He gives Egypt and other nations in exchange for Israel. What reason does He give?
Answer: Because Israel was precious to Him and He loved them
God calls Himself Israel's Savior and says He gives Egypt as their ransom, with Cush and Seba given in exchange (43:3). A ransom is a price paid to set someone free. Then He gives the reason: Israel is precious and highly valued by Him, and He loves them (43:4). The reason is God's love, not Israel's size or goodness. Moses had said the same thing long before: God chose Israel not because they were many but because He loved them (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). This is what election means, God's free choice of a people for Himself, and the New Testament speaks of God choosing His people in Christ before the world began (Ephesians 1:4) and proving His love by Christ's death for sinners (Romans 5:8).
- Isaiah 43:3-4 (BSB)“For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. Because you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you and nations in place of your life.”God names Egypt, Cush, and Seba as a ransom for Israel and grounds this in His love for them.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”Moses told Israel that God chose them not for their numbers but simply because He loved them.
- Ephesians 1:4 (BSB)“For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love”God chose His people in Christ before the world was founded.
- Romans 5:8 (BSB)“But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”God shows His love in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
Theological
What ground does 43:3-4 give for God's giving nations as a ransom in Israel's place?
Answer: Because Israel was precious to Him and He loved them
The LORD, as Israel's Savior, gives Egypt as ransom with Cush and Seba as substitutes (43:3), and grounds this in Israel's being precious and esteemed in His sight and loved by Him (43:4). The ground is God's sovereign love, not any merit in Israel, just as Deuteronomy 7:7-8 explains Israel's election by God's love and oath rather than their numbers. The same unconditional love underlies the election of the church in Christ before creation (Ephesians 1:4) and is demonstrated in Christ's death for sinners (Romans 5:8).
- Isaiah 43:3-4 (BSB)“For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. Because you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you and nations in place of your life.”God names Egypt, Cush, and Seba as a ransom for Israel and grounds this in His love for them.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”Moses told Israel that God chose them not for their numbers but simply because He loved them.
- Ephesians 1:4 (BSB)“For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love”God chose His people in Christ before the world was founded.
- Romans 5:8 (BSB)“But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”God shows His love in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
General
In 43:1 the LORD tells Jacob not to fear. What reason does He give?
Answer: Because the LORD has redeemed them and they are His
Chapter 42 ended with Israel blind, deaf, and under God's anger (42:18-25). Yet 43:1 begins with the words but now. The LORD who created and formed Israel tells them not to be afraid, and the reason lies entirely with Him: He has redeemed them, He has called them personally by name, and they belong to Him. To redeem means to buy back or set free at a cost. Israel had not earned this; the previous chapter shows the opposite. The New Testament speaks the same way about God's people in Christ. Jesus calls each of His sheep personally (John 10:3), He gave Himself to redeem a people who belong to Him (Titus 2:14), and the price was His precious blood (1 Peter 1:18-19).
- Isaiah 43:1 (BSB)“But now, this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!”Right after Israel's failure in 42:18-25, the Creator tells Jacob not to fear, because He has redeemed and named them as His own.
- John 10:3 (BSB)“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”Jesus, the shepherd, knows His own sheep personally and calls each one by name.
- Titus 2:14 (BSB)“He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”Christ gave Himself to redeem a people for His own possession.
- 1 Peter 1:18-19 (BSB)“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.”Believers were redeemed not with silver or gold but with Christ's precious blood.
Theological
On what ground does the LORD tell Jacob not to fear in 43:1?
Answer: Because the LORD has redeemed them and they are His
The oracle turns sharply from Israel's blindness and judgment (42:18-25) to grace introduced by but now. The Creator and Former of Israel grounds His command not to fear wholly in His own acts: He has redeemed them, called them by name, and claimed them as His own (43:1). The basis is God's initiative, not Israel's performance, which the prior chapter exposed as failure. The same pattern of personal calling and costly redemption marks the New Testament people of God: the Good Shepherd calls His sheep by name (John 10:3), and Christ redeemed a people to be His own possession (Titus 2:14) with His precious blood (1 Peter 1:18-19).
- Isaiah 43:1 (BSB)“But now, this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!”Right after Israel's failure in 42:18-25, the Creator tells Jacob not to fear, because He has redeemed and named them as His own.
- John 10:3 (BSB)“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”Jesus, the shepherd, knows His own sheep personally and calls each one by name.
- Titus 2:14 (BSB)“He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”Christ gave Himself to redeem a people for His own possession.
- 1 Peter 1:18-19 (BSB)“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.”Believers were redeemed not with silver or gold but with Christ's precious blood.
General
What does God promise His people in 43:2 about passing through waters, rivers, and fire?
Answer: He will be present with them so trials do not destroy them
The promise is not that God's people will avoid hard things. It says when they pass through, not if. The waters and fire stand for dangers and trials. What God promises is His presence: He will be with them, the rivers will not sweep them away, and the fire will not burn them up (43:2). A psalm praises God for leading His people through water and fire to a place of plenty (Psalm 66:12), and Daniel's three friends came out of the blazing furnace without even smelling of fire (Daniel 3:27). For believers in Christ, the same security holds: nothing in all creation can separate them from God's love (Romans 8:38-39). God keeps His people to the end.
- Isaiah 43:2 (BSB)“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.”God promises His presence as His people pass through deep water and fire.
- Psalm 66:12 (BSB)“You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us into abundance.”A psalm praises God for bringing His people through fire and water into abundance.
- Daniel 3:27 (BSB)“and when the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal advisers had gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men. Not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.”Daniel's three friends walk out of the furnace unharmed, with not a hair singed.
- Romans 8:38-39 (BSB)“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”Nothing in all creation can separate believers from God's love in Christ Jesus.
Theological
What is the substance of the promise in 43:2 concerning waters, rivers, and fire?
Answer: He will be present with them so trials do not destroy them
The verse assumes affliction: the language is when, not if. Waters and fire figure severe trials, and the promise is God's presence and preservation within them, so that the rivers do not overwhelm and the flame does not consume (43:2). Scripture illustrates the pattern in Psalm 66:12 and in the deliverance from the furnace (Daniel 3:27). The promise finds its fullest form in the perseverance of the saints: God keeps those He has redeemed, and nothing in creation can separate them from His love in Christ (Romans 8:38-39).
- Isaiah 43:2 (BSB)“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.”God promises His presence as His people pass through deep water and fire.
- Psalm 66:12 (BSB)“You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us into abundance.”A psalm praises God for bringing His people through fire and water into abundance.
- Daniel 3:27 (BSB)“and when the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal advisers had gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men. Not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.”Daniel's three friends walk out of the furnace unharmed, with not a hair singed.
- Romans 8:38-39 (BSB)“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”Nothing in all creation can separate believers from God's love in Christ Jesus.
General
In the courtroom scene of 43:8-10, the nations are asked to bring witnesses. What role does the LORD give His own people?
Answer: To serve as His witnesses that He alone is God
The scene is like a trial. A people with working eyes that still cannot see is brought out, and the nations gather. Which of their gods foretold these things? Let them bring witnesses to prove it (43:8-9). Then the LORD declares that His people, His chosen servant, are His witnesses. Their task is to consider, believe, and understand that He is the one true God (43:10). The LORD repeats this calling in the next chapter (44:8), and Jesus gives the same calling to His disciples, who will be His witnesses as far as the earth reaches (Acts 1:8).
- Isaiah 43:9-10 (BSB)“All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses to vindicate them, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.” “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, and after Me none will come.”The nations are challenged to bring witnesses, while the LORD names Israel His witnesses and chosen servant.
- Isaiah 44:8 (BSB)“Do not tremble or fear. Have I not told you and declared it long ago? You are My witnesses! Is there any God but Me? There is no other Rock; I know not one.””The LORD repeats that His people are His witnesses and that there is no other God.
- Acts 1:8 (BSB)“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””Jesus tells His disciples they will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.
Theological
In the trial scene of 43:8-10, what role does the LORD assign to His people?
Answer: To serve as His witnesses that He alone is God
The setting is a lawsuit: a people with eyes yet blind are brought forward, the nations assemble, and their gods are challenged to produce witnesses who can confirm that they foretold the former things (43:8-9). The LORD then designates Israel, His chosen servant, as His witnesses, so that they may consider, believe, and understand that He is God (43:10). The calling recurs in 44:8 and is carried forward in Christ's commission of His disciples as witnesses to the farthest reaches of the world (Acts 1:8).
- Isaiah 43:9-10 (BSB)“All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses to vindicate them, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.” “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, and after Me none will come.”The nations are challenged to bring witnesses, while the LORD names Israel His witnesses and chosen servant.
- Isaiah 44:8 (BSB)“Do not tremble or fear. Have I not told you and declared it long ago? You are My witnesses! Is there any God but Me? There is no other Rock; I know not one.””The LORD repeats that His people are His witnesses and that there is no other God.
- Acts 1:8 (BSB)“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””Jesus tells His disciples they will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.