ISAIAH LESSON 49

     We will begin this lesson in 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 have redeemed thee, I have called [thee] by thy name;
thou [art] mine."

     "Israel" means prince of God, so you can easily see, they are
called of His name. The creation always belongs to its Creator.
Creator God, as we have learned in other lessons, is the Word of God.
The first chapter of John is definite about that. Jacob, in the verse
above, means the physical house of Israel. God has not forgotten His
people and the Scripture, here, shows that God is their Deliverer.

     Isaiah 43:2 " When thou passest through the waters, I [will be]
with thee; 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."

     We know that God had brought them through the water at the Red
Sea, on their flight from Egypt. We, also, know that Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego were saved in the fire of the furnace, when they
refused to turn against God. God was their very present help in
trouble. He is our help, as well. Tribulation comes to all of God's
people to make them strong. He is there to strengthen us in our
trouble.

     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."

     God had spoken to Moses in the wilderness and called Himself "I
AM". This tells us that God is the God of the present, whenever that
present is. He is everlasting, and unchangeable. He was God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and yet, He is the LORD our God today. He
is the Self-existant, or Eternal One. The Holy One of Israel, or
Saviour, is speaking of the One we know as Jesus. We have mentioned
before that "Jesus" means Saviour. God would have completely destroyed
Egypt, if they had not let His people go. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba
were not too high a price to pay for God's people.

     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."

     We know from our study of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt
to the promised land, that God truly allowed their enemies to be
destroyed before them. God had a plan for His people, and He left
nothing undone to accomplish His plans. Many lands, they went through
on the way to the promised land, were inhabited by ungodly people. God
allowed them to be overthrown to help His people. As long as Israel
was faithful to God, He destroyed their enemies before them.

     Isaiah 43:5 "Fear not: for I [am] with thee: I will bring thy
seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;"  Isaiah 43:6 "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;"

     Just as they had been delivered from Egypt, they would be
delivered from Babylonian captivity. They may have wandered away from
God and gotten themselves in a predicament, but God loves them and
will come back and help them. He will bring them back to their land of
promise. This prophecy is not only for their immediate future, but
looks on down into time when they are scattered all over the world,
and God brings them home to start His new nation Israel. This started
in 1948.

     Isaiah 43:7 "[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."

     God is explaining to them, in this, that they are not only His
family, but His creation, as well. He created them for a purpose. He
has put His name on them. Christians bear the name of Christ. This is
what this is saying. Israel, whether physical, or spiritual, bears the
name of their God. We mentioned early on in this lesson, that Israel
means "prince of God". He formed man from the dust of the earth and
breathed the breath of life into him. Our very life and breath is in
Him.

     Isaiah 43:8  "Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and
the deaf that have ears."

     This is speaking of spiritual eyes and ears. They have been
blinded by sin, but their eyes and ears of understanding are opened in
the knowledge of God.

     Isaiah 43:9 "Let all the nations be gathered together, and let
the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us
former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be
justified: or let them hear, and say, [It is] truth."

     This is just saying that the world has nothing to offer. There is
no true knowledge in the world and its system. There is no man
justified by the works of his hands. Psalms 143:2 "And enter not into
judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be
justified."  Justification is not even in keeping the law.
Justification comes through faith in God. Galatians 2:16 "Knowing that
a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of
Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be
justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for
by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."  The only truth
is in God.

     Isaiah 43:10 "Ye [are] my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my
servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and
understand that I [am] he: before me there was no God formed, neither
shall there be after me."
     This is expressing the eternity of God. He is Alpha and Omega -
The Beginning and the End. There is none before Him, or after Him.
Israel was the witness to the whole world, of the One True God.
Christians are the witness to the world of the Lord Jesus Christ. God
is Spirit. The work that must be done on the earth for God is work
that is done by the followers of God. We are the hands for God. We are
to serve Him here on the earth. We carry His message to the world. Our
witness must be of the Father and the Son. We, Christians, are like an
ambassador for Christ. We witness to the Truth. We witness of Christ
risen from the dead. This does not mean that it does away with the law
that the physical house of Isreal witnesses to. It is an explanation
of the fulfillment of the law in Jesus Christ.

     Isaiah 43:11 "I, [even] I, [am] the LORD; and beside me [there
is] no saviour."

     The best way to explain this is with another Scripture. I Timothy
4:10 "For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we
trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of
those that believe."  God has made salvation available to all mankind,
one at a time. God will save each person who believes. Romans 10:9
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved."  Man cannot save himself. Only God can save man.

     Isaiah 43:12 "I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed,
when [there was] no strange [god] among you: therefore ye [are] my
witnesses, saith the LORD, that I [am] God."

     The one thing the LORD will not tolerate is other gods. An idol
is nothing. It cannot save anyone. God had proved over and over to
these Israelites that He alone was God. One of the best examples of
this was when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal. Their god did
not devour the sacrifice at all. God devoured the sacrifice with fire,
devoured even the water surrounding the sacrifice, and destroyed
hundreds of Baal's prophets. Elijah had told the people, they must
choose that day who they would serve. There was no question. God is
the only God. The following Scripture should be the way all Christians
should answer this question. Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto
you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether
the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of
the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as
for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."  As for me and my house,
we will serve the LORD.

     Isaiah 43:13 "Yea, before the day [was] I [am] he; and [there is]
none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let
it?"

     God does not have to get anyone's permission to "let Him". He
does as He wishes. Satan has just as much power as God allows him.  He
is no match for the LORD. Let us look at what Jesus said about this.
John 10:29 "My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and
no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand."
                          Isaiah 49 Questions


1.  Why were they not to fear in verse 1?
2.  What does "Israel" mean?
3.  The creation always belongs to its ___________.
4.  Who is Creator God?
5.  Who is meant by speaking of Jacob?
6.  Who is the Deliverer?
7.  When had the Israelites been saved passing through the water?
8.  Who were good examples of being saved in the fire?
9.  Why do God's people suffer tribulation?
10. Quote Isaiah chapter 43 verse 3.
11. Who had God called Himself, when He spoke to Moses?
12. What does that name tell us about God?
13. What are some other names that describe God?
14. The name "Jesus" means ___________.
15. As long as Israel remained _________ to God, He destroyed their
    enemies.
16. Just as they had been delivered from Egypt, they would be
    delivered from _______________ captivity.
17. When was the prophecy of them returning to their homeland
    fulfilled in our time?
18. Why had God created them?
19. Whose name do the Christians bear?
20. God made man from the ________ of the earth, and __________ the
    ________ of life into him.
21. What type of blindness is verse 8 speaking of?
22. Who is justified by the works of his own hands?
23. Quote Galatians chapter 2 verse 16.
24. What is verse 10 expressing about God?
25. What must our witness be of?
26. Quote 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 10.
27. Quote Romans chapter 10 verse 9.
28. What happened when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to prove
    their god.
29. What did Joshua say that should be our statement, as well.
30. Quote John chapter 10 verse 29.