Monday, December 23 – Isaiah 43, 44

1. Under what circumstances does God promise to be with His people? (Isaiah 43:2)

2. What king does the prophecy mention more than 100 years before his existence? (Isaiah 44:28)

Commentary and Reflection:

Several themes are woven throughout today’s chapters. Below are some key points:

1. The Lord is the Creator of Israel, and therefore Israel is His people (Isaiah 43:1-2).
2. The Lord is the Savior of Israel, and for this reason, Israel belongs to Him (Isaiah 43:1-2).
3. God’s people are called to be witnesses of His character, power, and deeds (Isaiah 43:10-12).

The organization “Jehovah’s Witnesses” derives its name from Isaiah 43:10.

1. The Lord is almighty and sovereign; no one can thwart His will (Isaiah 43:13, 17, 26-28).
2. The Lord is the only one who knows the future and reveals it to His people (Isaiah 44:7-8).
3. When His people go through trials, the Lord promises to be with them and protect them (Isaiah 43:2, 16-17).
4. The Lord will call Israel and gather them from the ends of the earth (Isaiah 43:5-6, 44:20).
5. Idolatry is vanity; the gods of the nations cannot compare with the Lord, the great “I AM” (Isaiah 44:9-18).
6. The Lord will forgive the sins of His people (Isaiah 43:25, 44:22).
7. The Lord will pour out His Spirit upon His people and bless them abundantly (Isaiah 43:20, 44:3-5).

Compare Isaiah 44:6:

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6, NKJV),

with Revelation 1:10-11:

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last’” (Revelation 1:10-11, NKJV).

These passages refer to Jesus. Isaiah 44:6 calls Him “the Lord of Hosts.” The phrase “the First and the Last” speaks of the Lord’s eternal nature. In Revelation, Jesus declares: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” (Revelation 22:13, NKJV).

In Isaiah 43:24-25, there is a profound Messianic prophecy: “You have not bought Me sweet cane with money, nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; but you have burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities. I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:24-25, NKJV).

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary highlights this remarkable prophecy: “This is a remarkable prophecy in that it mentions Cyrus by name, a century and a half before his time, and foretells the remarkable part he was to play in the liberation of the Jews (for a similar advance prophecy given concerning Josiah’s reform see 1 Kings 13:2). Cyrus must have been greatly astonished to learn that a Jewish prophecy named him, described his capture of Babylon, and predicted his policy toward the captive Jews, a century and a half before his birth (see PK 557).” (SDABC, Isaiah 44:28).

Cyrus’ actions in defeating Babylon and liberating the Jews prefigured what Christ will do for His chosen people when He destroys symbolic Babylon and frees His people (Revelation 18:2-4, 20; 19:1-2).

Ellen G. White reflects on this in Prophets and Kings: “Precisely at the time when God had said He would cause His temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt, He moved upon Cyrus as His agent to discern the prophecies concerning himself, made known to him by Daniel, and to grant freedom to the Jewish people” (PK, p. 408).

The prophecy states: “Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers’” (Isaiah 44:27, NKJV). This was fulfilled when Cyrus diverted the waters of the Euphrates to allow his soldiers to enter Babylon. Jeremiah prophesied similarly about the fall of Babylon, comparing it to the drying up of the Euphrates (Jeremiah 50:38; 51:36; cf. Revelation 16:12).

Let this beautiful promise remain in your heart: “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine’” (Isaiah 43:1, NKJV).

May your day be richly blessed.