Isaiah 43:1. But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I hove redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
Observe the tender ties that bind our God to his people;-creation, the formation of them for his praise; redemption, the purchase of them for himself; and the calling of them by their name. The Lord remembers the bonds which unite us to himself even when we forget them; he recollects his eternal love, and all the deeds of mercy that have flowed from it.
Though our memory is treacherous, and our faith is feeble, «yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself;» blessed be his holy name!
Isaiah 43:2. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;
His presence is all that we need even in the deepest floods of tribulation; this he has promised to us. He does not say what he will do for us, but he does tell us that he will be with us, and that is more than enough to meet all our necessities.
Isaiah 43:2. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
That is a wonderful picture of a man walking through the fire, and yet not being burned; but there was a greater wonder, that was seen by Moses, which may well comfort us. He saw a bush that burned with fire, and yet was not consumed. Now a bush, in the desert, is usually so dry that, at the first application of fire, it flames, and glows, and is speedily gone; yet you and I, who are, spiritually, just as dry and combustible as that bush was naturally, may burn, and burn, and burn, yet we shall not be consumed, because the God, who was in the bush, is also with us, and in us.
Isaiah 43:3. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
And he has given infinitely more than that for us who are his people now, for he gave his only-begotten Son that he might redeem us with his precious blood. Now that we have cost him so much, is it likely that he will ever forsake us? It is not possible.
Isaiah 43:4. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
How sweetly this verse comes home to those whose characters have been disreputable! As soon as they are truly converted to Christ, they become «honourable.» «Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable.» God does not call his people by their old names of dishonour, but he gives them the title of «Right Honourable,» and makes them the nobility of his Court. «Unto you that believe, he is an honour; « and you have honour in him and from him.
Isaiah 43:5-7. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
The Lord seems to dwell upon that note of the creation of his children for his own glory. This accounts for many of our troubles, and for all our deliverance's; it is that God may be glorified by bringing his children through the fires and through the floods. A life that was never tested by trial and trouble would not be a life out of which God would get much glory but they that do business in the great waters see the works of God, and his wonders in the deep, and they give him praise; and, besides, when they come to their desired haven, then they praise the Lord for his goodness, and God is thereby glorified.
This exposition consisted of readings from Isaiah 43:1-7; Isaiah 43:18-28; and Isa Isaiah 44:1-2.