Isaiah 43

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

February 17, 2022 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

We continue tonight with some thoughts from Isaiah, Chapter 43. Many verses in this and other chapters of the book of Isaiah are not easy to interpret correctly because we Christians tend to apply so many verses to us personally when, in fact, the verses speak only about Jesus.

Although some of the Old Testament prophets had a specific ministry to the Northern kingdom of Israel, we have found no historic or scriptural record that Isaiah ventured that far away from his native country of Judah and Jerusalem. This has some significance as we look at Chapter 43 of the Book of Isaiah. Further, as we read chapter 43, please note all the many times that the Lord says, "I will" and the many times that the Lord says different events shall occur. That speaks of the sovereignty of God and His foreknowledge. He knows our every thought. Nothing is hidden from Him.

Verse 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.

These words of the Lord through the vessel of Isaiah are certainly most positive and encouraging. But to whom is the Lord speaking here? If we take the verse literally, the Lord is speaking to Jacob and/or Israel. But Jacob had died almost 1000 years earlier, so it is not likely that the Lord is speaking to Jacob. Further, as noted above, Isaiah's ministry never was to Israel, the Northern kingdom. So the Lord was not speaking to the natural Israel of that day. Could it be that this is a prophetic word that has no time or cultural limits? Could this be a word for believers today? YES!

It is a prophetic word for all (former) Jews and Gentiles throughout all ages of time who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Could it also be a word for the natural people of Israel today? Not very likely, at least not for the nation as a whole. The Lord does not redeem those who consistently reject Him. To believe otherwise gets you very quickly into the heresy of ultimate reconciliation.

Jacob in Scripture represents the natural man, perhaps even the morally good, religious man, who unfortunately has no personal relationship with the Lord. Israel, in many verses, speaks of the redeemed man, the spiritual man, the man (or woman) who has been born again and baptized in the Holy Ghost, i.e., equipped with the necessary weapons for the journey and ministry on this earth.

This is called justification in the Bible. There are dozens of scriptures which bear record of this truth. Jacob is created but Israel is formed. The Lord "formeth the spirit of man within him" (Zechariah 12:1).

Please note that the Lord says that He has redeemed (spiritual) Israel. That is past tense, not future tense. It does not say, "I will redeem thee." Paul uses the same past tense when he says, in

Ephesians 1:4, "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."

How can these things be? We do not know. It is a mystery. But God lives in eternity. We live in time.

Verse 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 burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

First of all, note that this verse applies to Israel, not Jacob. The Bible calls this process sanctification, which we will talk about more in Verse 7. It is true that God arranges all of our circumstances, our environment, etc., in order to bring us from Jacob to Israel. However, Isaiah 43 does not address that time period. This verse describes what happens after we become part of Israel.

Please note that the verse says "WHEN," not "if." In other words, this is a promise. After Israel, the spiritual man, has been formed and equipped, we are PROMISED to go through trials, tribulations, sufferings, rejections, persecutions, etc. That is part of God's plan and has a Godly purpose. That truth, in itself, is worth a separate, lengthy discourse; but that is not our purpose here. A few appropriate scriptures are:

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake. Philippians 1:29 

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given for us. Romans 5:3-5

We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Acts 14:22

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

We believe that Peter was very familiar with Chapter 43 of Isaiah. One reason (a second reason comes from Verses 20 and 21) is because Peter has very much to say about suffering in the life of a believer. So does Paul. Of course, the only Bible that Peter and Paul had was what we call the Old Testament. Abraham did not have even that available. He had to depend upon that which the Lord spoke to him.

More importantly, note that when we walk through the fire ... when we submit ourselves to the dealings of the Holy Ghost, that the Lord promises to be with us. Jesus said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). The best example of that is when Nebuchadnezzar threw the three young Hebrew men into the fiery furnace that was heated one-seven times more than normal.

Everyone remembers their Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Who remembers their God-given names of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah? probably not one Christian out of ten. Hananiah means "the LORD is gracious;" Mishael means "who is what God is;" Azariah means "the LORD is keeper." I may have mentioned before that he who is in the fiery furnace the longest comes out the purest.

Back to Isaiah 43.

Verse 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.

Verse 4: Since thou wast precious in My sight, Thou has been honourable, and I have loved thee: Therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life,

Who is the Lord speaking to now? Who among us has been honorable? Romans 3:10 says, "There is none righteous, no not one." Conclusion? God the Father is here speaking to God the Son, for the Lord Jesus Christ is the ONLY righteous, honorable One. The time that our resurrected Lord spent with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus must have been fairly lengthy, because, 

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24:27

That is really an amazing verse. Who today could expound in all the scriptures the things concerning Jesus in a few hours?

Back to Isaiah 43.

Verse 5: Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

Verse 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;

Who constitutes "thy seed" in Verse 5? This is NOT talking about natural descendants. Neither is this referring to the Lord bringing natural Jews back to their natural homeland. The verse speaks of the seed of Christ, or rather the seed which IS Christ. The seed represents all those whom the Father has given to His Son. The verse speaks of "bringing" and "gathering" thy seed. Bring and gather them to where? unto the Lord Himself.

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between His feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be. Genesis 49:10

2 Thessalonians 2:1, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him." 

beseech you to do what? ... from 

2 Thessalonians 2:2, "That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand."

 

What a powerful word for us today! Scripture, as well as the current world situation, is very clear that difficulties in the world will get much worse, and probably sooner than we expect. Therefore, it is a good idea to remember those two verses in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2.

Back to Isaiah 43.

Verse 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.

Who is "every one that is called by my name"? You and me ... believers throughout every age. So here the word switches back to His chosen people. Verse 1 and 7 cannot refer to Jesus because Jesus was not created. He was with God in the beginning before the world was or before man ever existed.

Verse 7 gives the reason why God created man ... for His glory. God the Father wants to have fellowship for an eternity with a multitude of sons who have the same nature and character of Jesus worked within them. He will have what He desires.

Here we see three action verbs, compared to only two in Verse 1 of Isaiah 43. The one that has been added is the word "made." The "making" part is as a result of Verses 2-6. We can speak of the "making" as the "walking out process" called "sanctification." This is what Paul refers to when he says,

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12

I die daily. 1 Corinthians 15:31

In what is called the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), note that the prodigal son was still a son. He is symbolic of a carnal Christian ... one who refused (at first) to submit to the dealings of the Holy Spirit in his life ... one who did not like the process of "making." In verse 12 of Luke 15, this prodigal son says "give me," symbolic of a selfish, carnal attitude. BUT, the grace and mercy and love of God was at work in his life, and God arranged for hard times to come upon him, such that this son repented and returned unto his father. Then he said, in verse 19, "make me." He was ready to be made into the vessel that God intended for him to become. He was ready to walk through the rivers and through the fire.

Jesus said, in John 8:31-32, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." I can never recall hearing any mature minister quote those verses correctly. From my experience, most ministers say, "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." But that is not what the scripture says. It says, "make you free." This is the making process which is referenced in Isaiah 43:7. We were set free by the grace of God when we accepted the atoning work of Jesus Christ who shed His blood at Calvary. We are made free by a process. How do we know the truth? by the working of the Holy Ghost in our lives.

Jesus said, in John 14:26,

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." 

Note that Jesus never said how long it would take for the Holy Ghost to teach us all things! That depends upon us ... our decisions. It did not take very long for the Holy Ghost to teach Paul many things. We believe it will take an eternity to unfold all of who God is, because God is infinite. But we have still missed something related to John 8:32, because that promise is conditional. If we go back and read again verse 31, we see the condition on our part, "if we continue in His word." 

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Perhaps an even more startling statement in John 8:31 is that Jesus spoke to those Jews which believed on Him. Just a few verses later in John 8, Jesus tells those same Jews (who believed on Him) that they were of their father the devil (John 8:44). In effect, Jesus says, in John 8:31-42, that just because those Jews were the natural descendants of Abraham does NOT mean they are the true children of Abraham. How can these things be? James and Paul both tell us how.

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. James 2:9

Romans 2:28-29.

28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

It is also worthwhile to go back to the first chapter in the Book of Genesis to see the parallel when God created, formed, and made man. We leave that as an exercise for you.

Back to Isaiah 43.

8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

What a paradox! How can blind people have eyes? How can the deaf have ears? Blind to the ways of the world and deaf to the words of the worldly.

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.

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.

Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

A witness is someone who declares what he has seen and heard. Paul and John certainly were witnesses. John said, in 1 John 1:1, 

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;"

Back to Isaiah 43.

11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

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.

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?

14 Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships. 

15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.

16 Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.

18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

We shared about new things in our message titled "The Pattern" and last week from Isaiah 42.

Verse 20a: The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls:

Verse 20b: Because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

Verse 21: This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.

The "beast of the field, the dragons and the owls" represent the enemy in any and every form. The "field" typically represents the world. The owl is called an abomination in Leviticus 11. This part of Verse 20 reiterates the truth recorded in Philippians 2:10-11, 

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father.

In Verse 20b of Isaiah 43, the Lord says that He gives waters, rivers, and drink to His people in the wilderness and in the desert. Why only in the wilderness and in the desert? Why not other places as well? Because there is no life inside the camp.

Hebrews 13:11-13

11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.

12 Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate.

13 Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.

"Without" means "outside." The "camp" speaks of religion, which we define as mans' attempt, in whatever form it takes, to please God. Religion is not limited to any particular form of "church." Christianity, however, as it is intended to be, is not a religion at all but rather a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ where we are led by the Holy Spirit. In the time that Jesus walked the face of the earth, the camp was the Jewish Sanhedrin. There has always been and always will be the equivalent of that Jewish Sanhedrin in every age, including the present. The camp has become apostate and does not know it. The camp has a form of godliness but denies (or does not allow) the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). We hasten to add, however, that going forth unto Him without the camp must first of all be a condition of the heart! We could be outside the camp physically and still be nothing but a rebel; and it is possible to be inside the camp physically but outside the camp in our heart.

A word of caution here. We need to be VERY careful that we do not develop a "holier than thou" attitude or a feeling of spiritual superiority with respect to those still inside the camp. It is only by the grace of God that you and I see the more excellent way. Further, we should pray for those "inside the camp" that they might come out of her (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Who are "my people, my chosen" in Isaiah 43:20? Who are "this people"? They are the same people as the "seed" in Verse 5 of Isaiah 43. They are all those that the Father has given to the Son (John 17:11). Jesus said,

Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you. John 15:16

We also have in verses 20 and 21 of Isaiah 43 a second reason why Peter must have been very familiar with Isaiah 43, because Peter said something very similar in 1 Peter 2:9.

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

The chosen generation is the "seed." The chosen generation consists of spiritual Israel. The chosen generation is the fourteenth generation from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ. (Matthew 1:17 says that "From the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations." But if you count those generations from Matthew 1:12-17, only thirteen are listed. So the chosen generation completes the list of fourteen.)

We are also a royal priesthood for He hath made us kings and priests unto God and His father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:6

We are also a holy nation, whose King is the Lord Jesus Christ. Whereas the Jews told Pilate, "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15), spiritual Israel, the seed, has no King but Jesus!

Our function, as the chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, is to show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Our reasonable service is to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1). Glory be to His wonderful name!

Back to Isaiah 43. Verses 22 through 24 declare once more the failings of man, both in the natural and the spiritual realm.

22 But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.

23 Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.

24 Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.

Today, if we Christians ever really read those three verses, we just keep on reading, like a newspaper or a worldly novel. We never consider that those verses might have some application to me. After all, I am born again, perhaps baptized with the Holy Spirit, go to church every Sunday, try my best to live a morally good life, and so on. I am saved, so I will go to heaven one day. Our carnal mind says those verses applied only to those folks back then, so we dismiss verses 22 through 24 and get to the good part in verse 25. Paul said, in Philippians 3:4-11, 

4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

9 And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

10 That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death;

11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Paul was more than confident of his personal salvation. In those verses, he says there is something far greater than being saved. Every born-from-above Christian would do well to read those verses in Philippians every day. Perhaps in our next message we should look at those eight verses in great detail.

Back to Isaiah 43 and a verse that all Christians like, where the Lord says,

25 I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Note that the Lord does not blot out our transgressions for our sake, but for His own sake!

Psalm 103:12, 14, "For He knoweth our frame [or our formation]; He remembereth that we are dust."

Micah 7:18-20, "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old." 

God remembers what we forget (our infirmities) and He forgets what we remember (our sins).

The Jews have a tradition called "the sea of forgetfulness." The phrase "you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" is the basis for the Jewish custom of Tashlich (which means "you will cast") when Jewish people cast bread into a body of water on Rosh Hashanah to symbolize God's removal of sin. Some, including me, believe that Rosh Hashanah (or the Feast of Trumpets) was the very day on which Jesus was born. There is an impressive assortment of historical and biblical evidence that Jesus was born on Rosh Hashanah on September 11 of the year 3 BC. The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) is the start of the Jewish civil year. Rosh Hashanah this year begins on September 25.

More importantly, what does it mean that God casts our sins into the depths of the sea?

"For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." Romans 6:14

Micah was sent to deliver a message of exile to a people who were flourishing financially. They patted themselves on the back for their provision, but Micah warned them of their rebellion against God and reminded them of their covenant with the One True God. God's faithfulness to Israel is a reminder for contemporary believers that we should rejoice in the amazing, faithful nature of God who watches over us with loving discipline and grants forgiveness freely and fully to those who seek it. We often don't want to be told what to do, especially when things are going well for us. God's chosen people in that day were not any different than us, dropping to their knees in prayer when in need, and capriciously forgetting the Author of their provision when they experienced abundance and success. What a fickle people we tend to be! Human nature never changes.

To cast our sins into the depths of the sea is the sanctification of the human heart, a purification made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. God, in His love, made a way for us to escape the stronghold of our own stubbornness, if we will only admit to and confess our waywardness.

This brings the compassion, mercy, and faithful love of God into focus. Despite the constant rebellion of God's chosen people in Isaiah's day, God doesn't give up on them. Nor does He give up on us in our day. This amazing biblical truth encourages us to continue to acknowledge and confess our sin. God will never give up on us. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end.

Repentance is just as much of a part of following Christ as confession of sins and submission of our will. In fact, I will be more bold and say that repentance, when properly understood and walked in, is vital on our part for an established Christian. After we turn from sin in obedience, then the power of God removes and casts away what strangles us. What is our sin? doing our own thing. When God throws our sin into a sea of forgetfulness, He puts up a sign that says, 'No fishing allowed." We cannot find peace and hope by swimming in the depths of the sea or searching the lengths of the horizon in search of what God has cast out. Instead, we must choose to follow Jesus. When we turn our heart towards Him, we embrace the Godly peace and joy that obedience brings into our souls.

Back to Isaiah 43. 

26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

27 Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.

Our first father was Adam. How have our teachers transgressed against the Lord? by teaching a watered-down gospel ... by teaching a prosperity, me-centered, popularity message.

28 Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.

The princes of the sanctuary are those church leaders who minister to the house, where the house speaks of all those who attend legitimate churches but primarily as spectators. In Ezekiel chapter 44, the Lord says they have committed abominations. Even so, the Lord says that He will still use them.

Ezekiel 44:11, Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them."

The great message in Isaiah, chapter 43, is repeated over and over throughout all of the Bible ... the failures of many if not most of God's chosen people, but the awesome, amazing grace, mercy, and love of God for us. What a mighty God we serve! Amen.