Isaiah 42:1-44:23

Isaiah 42:1–17

- God says that His servant is chosen by Him, and God will place His Spirit on him, so that His servant can bring justice to the nations. In faithfulness, God’s servant will bring justice. The servant will not falter or be discouraged until he establishes justice on earth.

- God promises to hold His servant’s hand and gives him the mission “to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open the eys that to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

- This “servant” is Jesus Christ, the only Son of God.

- Jesus Christ and His followers are to sing to the Lord a new song, to give glory to the Lord, to sing for joy, so that the Lord will guide His people triumph over enemies.

Isaiah 42:18–43:7

- God speaks of these critical issues against Israel: 1) Israel pays no attention to what it sees or hears; 2) Israel has become a people plundered and looted with no one to rescue them; 3) Israel refuses to follow God’s ways, to disobey His law. Such acts therefore result in God’s wrath pouring out on them, enveloping them in flames, yet the people of Israel do not understand. Even given such punishment, the people of Israel did not take it to heart.

- God’s grace, despite all that Israel has done, is still extended to Israel. God emphasizes that He has redeemed them and that they belong to God. Whatever Israel has to go through, God will be there with them, to protect them from harm, for Israel is precious and honored in God’s eyes, and God will always love Israel.

Isaiah 43:8–28

- God is the beginning and the end. He is the one and only savior; there is no other before or after Him. God summons Israel as His witness. Israel knows of God’s promises and prophesies. Israel is thus God’s best witness because they knew of God’s plans and chose to ignore them. And as the prophesies get realized, Israel thus understands better than any other nation the Truth of God and His Word.

- The Israelites will be delivered from the Babylonians.

- God encourages Israel to not dwell on the past because God has made a new future.

- Israel’s sin against God was that it turned away from God’s way. Instead of honoring God for its fortunes, it turned to idols and took credit that belonged to God. However, because of God’s grace, He forgives such sins and welcomes the return of Israel.

Isaiah 44:3-4; Isaiah 44:5

God will pour His spirit into His children and bless them, just as how He quenches thirst with water. And with His blessings, His children will blossom like grass in a meadow and trees by flowing streams. Eventually, His children will proclaim to the world that God is their Father.

Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:14-21

God will pour out His spirit on all people, allowing them to see what is to come. God will show them about the wonders in the heaven and the signs on the earth. Everyone who places his trust in the Lord will be saved.

John 7:37-39

By trusting in Jesus, we will be blessed with God’s Spirit.

Acts 1:8

- When we are blessed with the Holy Spirit, we will receive the power of God’s protection. We will also become witnesses of God and His glory.

Isaiah 44:1-23 

- God is the only God because 1) only He can foretell what is to come; 2) only He is the solid rock that His people can rely on.

- The ironies of idol worship are that the worshipers exhaust themselves creating these idols, yet when they turn to these idols for strength, these idols cannot do anything. These idols are worthless because they know nothing and understand nothing. These idols know and understand nothing because they were made by man who knows and understands nothing. Man hopes to create something greater than him, so that the man can turn to it in time of great need. Yet, man never stops to realize that he does not have the power to create anything from nothing. And thus, the greatest irony of it all is man creates his idol to be all-knowing, but his idol, in truth, knows nothing.

- God wants Israel to remember that idols are nothing to be desired, that Israel belongs to God. God will never forsake Israel and will forgive all of its sins. God awaits the return of Israel, for God has redeemed it.