God Declares That Only His People Can Be Witnesses to What He Is (Isaiah 43:8-13).
‘Bring forth the blind people who have eyes,
And the deaf people who have ears.
Let all the nations be gathered together,
And let the peoples be assembled.
Who among them can declare this?
And show us former things?
Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be shown to be right,
Or let them hear, and say, “It is the truth”.
The call now goes out to any who can do what Yahweh has done and give an explanation of what of significance has happened in the past. This is especially so with regard to Abraham and his seed, and the giving of God's covenant and Law, the point being that the world has failed to recognise their importance.
‘‘Bring forth the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf people who have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled.' The call to gather to give their witness is sent out to the nations and peoples. But they are described as blind while having eyes and deaf while having ears. That is, they do not ‘see' or ‘hear' the truth. They are blind and deaf to truth. God is calling together the deaf and the blind to give judgment! It is intended to sound ridiculous. The description may also be intended to include the unbelieving of Israel.
‘Who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be shown to be right.' The question is, which of them can explain anything that has happened in the past that is of heavenly significance? If they claim to be able to, let them produce their witnesses of such happenings, so that they can be shown to be right.
‘Or let them hear, and say, “It is the truth”.' Or alternatively let them now listen to God's witnesses and testify to their truth, acknowledging that He is right.
“You are my witnesses,” says Yahweh,
“And my servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe me,
And understand that I am he.
Before me there was no God formed,
Nor will there be after me.
I even I am Yahweh,
And beside me there is no saviour.”
This takes up from Isaiah 43:7 (with Isaiah 43:8-9 referring therefore to those whose eyes and ears and ears are closed to Yahweh, to the nations and the unbelieving in Israel).
God does have His witnesses. They are the Servant whom He has chosen. The fact of God's choice of His true people is constantly stressed. They were not chosen because they were mighty, nor because they were worthy, but simply because God set His love on them and elected to choose them, and for the sake of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to whom He had made His promises (Deuteronomy 7:6-8). And He chose them so that they might know and believe Him, and understand Who and What He really is. This was why He called Abraham, that He might produce from him a seed which would be God's witnesses to the world. Abraham believed God (Genesis 15:6), and his seed are to follow in his train (Exodus 14:31; Numbers 14:11; Psalms 106:12 contrast Psalms 78:22).
‘That you may know and believe me, and understand that I am He (literally ‘I He').' The knowledge of God was specifically revealed to His Servant in Exodus 6:3; Exodus 6:7 (Yahweh means essentially ‘He is' or He will be') under the equivalent of the name of ‘I am' (Exodus 3:13-15). God's concern is that they might know, believe from the heart, and understand deep within, the reality of the name and of the One Who bears it.
‘Before me there was no God formed, nor will there be after me.' This is not saying that God was ‘formed', it is declaring that there have been no gods formed either before or after Him. For He is before all things, and there are no other gods, nor will there ever be.
Indeed He is Yahweh, the One Who is, and there is no other god who can save in any way apart from Him. Thus all idea of other gods is excluded. It is a clear statement of monotheism.
“I have declared, and I have saved (delivered), and I have shown,
And there was nothing strange among you.
Therefore you are my witnesses,” says Yahweh.
“And I am God. Yes, since the day was I am he,
And there is none who can deliver out of my hand.
I will work and who will hinder it?”
His people can know and believe and understand (Isaiah 43:10) because He has declared, and saved, and shown. He ‘declared' His name to Abraham (Genesis 15:7), to Moses (Exodus 3:13-15; Exodus 6:2; Exodus 6:29) and to His people at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:1). He ‘delivered' His people from Egypt and through the wilderness, and into the land of Canaan, and beyond until under David they ruled the whole area from the River to the Wadi of Egypt. And He had constantly ‘shown' His power throughout their history, and especially in the deliverance from Sennacherib.
‘And there was nothing strange among you.' That is, no strange gods or supernatural influence of any kind apart from Him (compare Deuteronomy 32:12). It is the picture of the ‘ideal' Israel. For He had delivered them from such folly. This was initially so when He first spoke to them, and always so when they walked in obedience to Him, for they had continually had to put away their strange gods (Joshua 24:2-3 with Genesis 12:1; Genesis 12:7-8; Genesis 35:2-3; Exodus 20:3-5; Exodus 20:23; Joshua 24:23; Judges 10:16).
Thus were they witnesses to what God had done and Who and What He was, and what His purposes were.
‘And I am God, yes, since the day was I am He.' (Literally ‘yes, from the day, I He'). Thus it could mean ‘from the very first day (or the beginning of time) I am He' or ‘from this day forward I am He', or ‘at this very day I am He'. Or it may signify the whole course of time looking from the standpoint of the present (from the day looking backwards and forwards). The idea is clearly that in whatever period of time is being described Yahweh alone is God.
‘And there is none who can deliver out of My hand. I will work and who will hinder it?' Added to that fact is His divine sovereignty. None can deliver from His hand, but He Himself can deliver from any hand and any situation, and none can prevent it. And He can do what He will.