Isaiah 41:1-20 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Isaiah 41:1-20. Let’s go!
Isaiah 41:1-4 (NIV)
1 “Be silent before me, you islands! Let the nations renew their strength! Let them come forward and speak; let us meet together at the place of judgment.
2 “Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow.
3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before.
4 Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD–with the first of them and with the last–I am he.”
On verses 1-4: Many scholars believe that this “one from the east” is a reference to Cyrus, King of Persia, whose kingdom would be located east of Judah and east of Babylon. Cyrus would rise up to become the most formidable force in the ancient Near East conquering many other nations. In 539 B.C. would conquer Babylon and allow the Jewish exiles in Babylon to return to their homeland of Judah.
Isaiah 41:5-16 (NIV)
5 The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward;
6 each helps the other and says to his brother, “Be strong!”
7 The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer spurs on him who strikes the anvil. He says of the welding, “It is good.” He nails down the idol so it will not topple.
8 “But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend,
9 I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11 “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.
12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
14 Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff.
16 You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel.
On verses 5-16: Whereas other nations would place their trust in idols to help them against the threat of Cyrus and Persia one day (v5-7), the LORD affirms His commitment to His people. He reminds them that He has chosen them (v8-9). He tells them not to fear because He is with them (v10). He reassures them that those who oppose them will not prevail (v11-12). For the LORD personally takes hold of their right hand and will help them so that they have no reason to fear (v13-14). God will take His people and transform them into something “new and sharp” (v15) like a threshing sledge, such that no mountain they face will be too difficult for them (v15-16).
Likewise, as those who have trusted in Jesus Christ, we can claim the timeless truths from these verses for ourselves. From the beginning God chose us, assures us of His presence, tells us not to fear, holds us by our right hand and transforms us into something new and sharp such that we need not fear our enemy Satan and no mountain need get the best of us. Since they apply to every follower of Jesus as well, I encourage you to memorize verses 10-13. You won’t regret it.
Isaiah 41:17-20 (NIV)
17 “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.
19 I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together,
20 so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
On verses 17-20: One of the big themes that pervades Isaiah is the idea that God makes streams in the desert and makes water available in parched places. Just as God did that for the Israelites in Moses’ day as they walked in the wilderness (Exodus 17), God promises to do something similar for the Jewish exiles in Babylon. Indeed God would do that when He would allow Babylon, a once unbeatable kingdom, to be defeated and allow the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland unexpectedly.
Making a way when there seems to be no way – that is God’s specialty, and He does it so that people would realize that the LORD is God.
LORD God, thank You that You are with me, that You take hold of my right hand and say, “Do not fear; I will fear. I will help you”. Thank You that because I have You I don’t need to be afraid. Thank You that You are the God who makes a way when there seems to be no way. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
