Isaiah 43

Summary God wants to do here and now what He did there and then. God is calling for a faith that takes the promises and past experiences of God in history and invites God to work again here in the present. Isaiah 43 moves forward from the focus on creation to God’s saving actions in history. Isaiah looks to the Rescue of the Israelite Slaves from Egyptian slavery and promises God will do a new Exodus in their day. God Isaiah pulls together some interesting memories from Israelite history to encourage his readers. First, he calls them “Jacob-Israel” to remind them of how their nation began. Jacob was the son of Isaac who ran away from home and made bad choices. But by wrestling with God, God promised he would bless and protect him. This is when the name change happened. In some way, by starting here, Isaiah is inviting the listeners to wrestle with God too. To also discover God for themselves. God declares at the end that he alone blots out sins, promising never to think of them again. If God forgets something, does that mean it never existed? God is also bringing a new redemption from a new Empire oppressing them - Babylon. Like Egypt, Assyria, and other nations before and after - God will stand up for His people. “I am going to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness” (vs 19) God will save us, he Himself. Like the parting of the Red Sea, he promises to part the wilderness with a river. Gospel Jacob wrestled with God because he realised his need, his sin was his burden. The sad part of Isaiah 43 is that “the dear family of Jacob, refuse to ask for God’s help.” (Vs 22) they would rather be burdened with their sins and faults than to come to God for help. God invites us to come to him and review the situation together. Consult with God. Don’t run from him. What Jacob did right was that he went to God. God can rescue one or he can rescue many. He can protect in the floodwaters and in the fire. He can defeat oppressive empires and conquering armies. Why not just go to him?