Week of July 27

“God never made a promise that was too good to be true” (D.L. Moody, Christian History, Issue 25). The Lord makes three promises in the first paragraph of Isaiah 43, and I wonder how the people who first heard these words responded? God has just chastised them for being dull and blind in the latter part of chapter 42, but here He speaks of being their redeemer! Was He being capricious? Hardly. He was being gracious. We all have passed through the fire of God’s discipline, so it may have left us feeling as though He does not care (cf. Isaiah 42:19, 25). This passage will help us to understand more about the ways of God and His actions in our behalf.

God provides some good news in our focal passage that will counteract the negative news in 42:18-25. The “But now” awakens Israel to the major contrast God intended between their terrible judgment and the future care He would extend to them (43:1). God assures them that this is certainly no “pie in the sky” sort of promise He had made. Isaiah wants Israel to know that God will do this when he writes, “Thus says the Lord.” Scholars believe that “waters,” “rivers,” and “fire,” may well be metaphors referring to the overwhelming defeat of Ephraim (northern 10 tribes) by Assyria (28:2; 17:12-13; NAC). It may have been many events rather than just one, because Isaiah writes, “you pass through.”

Serve God. We may learn an important geo-political lesson from this first pledge. Our history, just like Israel’s, is primarily dependent upon its relationship to God’s acts of blessing and cursing, not our nation’s relationship with our political allies and terrifying rivals (cf. 42:22, 24). This does not mean that we will escape evil (e.g. 9/11) or that we will avoid extreme challenges from global hostile governments. The point? God formed us and sustains us.

Trust God. This is not just any God. He is the one who has a covenant relationship with them (us) and who they (we) need not fear. He promises to give other nations as a ransom to redeem His people (cf. 43:3-4). Our United States navy has the capability to use a laser to destroy subsurface mines. We also are testing the use of robot soldiers on the battlefield. We have often heard that we are the most powerful nation on the earth, but it would be foolhardy to place our trust in weapons and war to sustain our security. In this passage, we do not know for certain whether Isaiah was referring to God’s dominance of Egypt in the exodus, or of a more recent deliverance, when God allowed Sennacherib to defeat the Egyptian army that was comprised of people from Egypt, Cush, and Seba (NAC). However, Isaiah was sure that God did it, so his readers could depend upon God’s promise to deliver them in the future.

Abide in God’s peace. God’s presence removes fear. He promises to bring the exiled people back to their land no matter where they have been scattered (see 11:2). Since God had the power to deliver Israel from Egypt in the past, then He has the same power to do it when He calls them back home. This indicated more than a simple political return (cf. 2:1-4; 60:1-10; or 66:18-21, NAC). This promise likely holds more of an end-times hope (NAC). The call is for us to make sure that we are numbered among His “sons and daughters,” because only these would be included in this return.

There was a time in my youth when I had really ostracized quite a few people, due to a sour attitude and some prideful actions. I recall receiving God’s discipline and coming to my senses in His good time. However, in the middle of all the fallout, as I sat in the ruins of my own wrongdoing, I had a friend who stuck to me and with me through it all. He never tried to fix what I had broken. (I did that as I went from person to person and asked for their forgiveness.) Instead, my friend reminded me that better days were coming, and he would be with me all along the way. Funny, but more than fifty years later, I am recognizing that the Lord was present in that friendship and was promising to deliver me. 

Here is a spiritual opportunity today. Some serious theology resides in this passage. Let me pinpoint one area for our encouragement today. We are to love God for who He is, not just for the goodness He brings to our lives. Reflect upon your life. I imagine that God will help you to see how He was/is present, even in your brokenness, to fulfill His promises. We all do well to trust this God who keeps His promises.

1. Write down all the prayers that you have been offering up to God. Have you been “dictating” to Him His will for your life? Cease doubting and start trusting Him and His promises.

2. For Families: When all around us is in chaos, our families can be havens of hope and spaces of peace. Make it a habit to pray each morning and evening with your whole family present, thanking God for protection, for His sustaining grace, for His guidance as you shine His Gospel light into the world. 

Make sure you speak your gratitude for making your home a sanctuary of His presence, so that your children are reminded of God’s goodness each time you gather. No matter what happens in the world, our Good God is with us, and for us, and in us – watching, loving, guiding, and caring.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock