1 - 5 The Spirit Poured Out
1 “But now listen, O Jacob, My servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
2 Thus says the LORD who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you,
‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant;
And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
3 ‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty [land]
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring
And My blessing on your descendants;
4 And they will spring up among the grass
Like poplars by streams of water.’
5 “This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’s’;
And that one will call on the name of Jacob;
And another will write [on] his hand, ‘Belonging to the LORD,’
And will name Israel’s name with honor.
The infinite grace of God is beautifully demonstrated in the opening verses of this chapter. The reproaches and accusations of Isaiah 43 are directly followed by assurance and promise, based on God’s purposed counsels and acts of creation concerning the people. It is evidence that in wrath He remembers mercy (Hab 3:2).
The chapter begins with a Divine “but” (verse 1), after He announced in the last verse of the previous chapter the judgment on the persistent sinfulness of the people (Isa 43:28). This corresponds remarkably with the “but” of the beginning of Isaiah 43 (Isa 43:1) which follows in the same sense the last verse of the chapter preceding it (Isa 42:25).
Here the LORD repeats His gracious statements from the beginning of Isaiah 43, to which He adds that He has “chosen” Israel. In both parts He uses for the birth of His people words which also appear in the account of the creation of man: creating (Gen 1:27), making (Gen 1:16) and forming (Gen 2:7). It makes His purpose and promise to Jacob unchangeable, despite the great decay of His people.
He even calls them “Jeshurun” (verse 2), a Hebrew word that means “sincere” and in the Septuagint – the Greek translation of the Old Testament – is translated as “beloved”. It is a name previously used by Moses (Deu 32:15; 33:5,26) and looks forward to the future state of righteousness of Israel. However, this name is in great contrast to the name “Jacob” which means “heels holder” (Gen 27:36; 32:28). The LORD makes them the “sincere ones” and therefore He can save them.
The promises that follow are permeated with Divine delight. The thirsty become satiated, the seed of Jacob is blessed by the outpouring of the Spirit – in the picture of the outpouring of water (cf. Jn 7:38-39) – resulting in national and spiritual fertility (verses 3-4). That time is near. Grace will triumph. It is also a comfort for us now. Let us walk as God’s ‘Jeshurun’ and be filled with the Spirit. Then we will bring forth fruit.
Verse 5 predicts the consequence for the nations of the restoration of Israel. The triple testimony should be read in the light of Psalm 87 (Psa 87:4-5). There are mentioned some nations who will share in the privilege of knowing the LORD and who will be written down as born in Zion.
1. Among the nations who are in the blessing of the realm of peace, one shall say that he belongs to the LORD.
2. Another will pronounce the name of Jacob in a manner that shows great reverence. It is then no longer the name of defamation, of the deceiver, but the name of a people to whom the LORD has connected Himself as His chosen people.
3. Yet another shall declare in writing, “write [on] his hand”, that he belongs only to the LORD, and shall take the name ‘Israel’ as his honorary name. By adopting the name of Israel he indicates that carrying that name is a great honor (cf. Rom 11:12).
4. There is a remarkable parallel between this verse and the result of the gospel we preach. Just as in the future day a heathen will acknowledge that he belongs to the LORD, someone who repents today will learn to acknowledge that he belongs to the Lord (1Cor 3:23; Gal 3:29) and so he also mentions the Name of the Lord (2Tim 2:19).
6 - 8 There Is No Other God
6 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
‘I am the first and I am the last,
And there is no God besides Me.
7 ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,
From the time that I established the ancient nation.
And let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place.
8 ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
Have I not long since announced [it] to you and declared [it]?
And you are My witnesses.
Is there any God besides Me,
Or is there any [other] Rock?
I know of none.’”
In verse 6 the LORD speaks for the third time that He is the “Redeemer” of Israel (Isa 41:14; 43:14). Then He presents Himself in yet other ways, which at the same time mean new reproaches for their foolish idolatry. He says of Himself: “I am the first and I am the last.” He does this three times in Isaiah (Isa 41:4; 44:6; 48:12). The Lord Jesus also calls Himself with this name three times (Rev 1:17; 2:8; 22:13), with which He shows His Godhead and also the unity in the Godhead, the eternal pre-existence and the absolute exaltation.
It indicates that everything that is created, animate and inanimate, owes its existence to Him, and that the beginning, the course and the end are under His exalted control. Therefore, Israel may be sure that all Divine promises and predictions will be fulfilled, for they are made by Him Who is their “King … the LORD of hosts”.
In our circumstances, He Who redeemed us is also the First and the Last, for He is God the Son (Jn 1:1). He stands at the beginning and at the end, for He is the Creator (Col 1:16). He is also “the Alpha and the Omega” (Rev 22:13), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, for He is the Word of God (Jn 1:1). He is at the beginning of our new life in Christ, He will be with us and will fulfill all His counsels toward us. Thus He is also the beginning, the course and the completion of our special service which He has entrusted to us.
In verses 7-8 the LORD repeats what He said before (Isa 41:22-23; 43:9-10). There is only one God, the First and the Last, the one true God of the past, Who is able to determine the future and thus also to proclaim it. Again, He challenges whether there is anyone who can proclaim or explain things as He does, and does so in regular order. He Himself has done so since He “established the ancient nation”. He raised up prophets among them who have proclaimed “the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place”. Let the gods and prophets of the nations explain such things.
No god of the nations can answer this challenge. That is why Israel can be free of fear and can trust in God, next to Whom there is no other. In spite of all the attacks of satan, they are witnesses of Who He is and of the immutable nature of His counsel. Why should they be frightened and fearful when He is their Rock (Deu 32:4,15,18,30,31; 1Cor 10:4)? The rock represents immobility, strength and protection.
Let us, whom He left here as His witnesses, find our support in this. Things around us are in motion and uncertain. Everything changes, governments change, but He remains the same (Heb 1:12; 13:8).
9 - 20 The Idols Mocked
9 Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. 10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no profit? 11 Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame. 12 The man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. 13 [Another] shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, so that it may sit in a house. 14 Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises [it] for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. 15 Then it becomes [something] for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over [this] half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.” 18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. 19 No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat [it]. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
The whole message of the previous section is: ‘Trust Me, the Rock, and not the idols.’ Again and again the people tend to trust the idols of the nations. In this light one of the most striking of all Divine protests against the idols and their creators follows in these verses in flowery language (cf. Jer 10:1-16).
There are two things to note on the subject of ‘idols’. One is that behind the idols are demons (Deu 32:17a; 1Cor 10:19-20; Rev 9:20). This means that serving idols is actually serving demons. The images represent concrete demonic powers, angels of satan. This also applies especially to the image that the antichrist will make (Rev 13:14-15).
The other thing is that idols are ‘nothing’. They are ‘vanities’, ‘nullities’, that is to say, they represent nothing. Anyone who thinks that the image, the product of human hands, can help is a great fool. Anyone who seeks the help of the idols will also fall into chaos. Pointing out this foolishness, demonstrating its ridiculousness, will also work deliverance from the power of demons for him who realizes it.
The LORD ridicules those idols. Unlike Israel as God’s witness, the idols give testimony of their own powerlessness (verse 9). From this self-testimony a scathing mockery is poured out over their makers. What foolishness it is to fabricate your own god and then expect something of it (verse 10). Surely it is clear to every sensible person that a dead piece of material can’t work anything, isn’t it (verse 11)? God creates man, but these people put it the other way around: man creates with a waste of all his powers a god – an image of metal or of wood – for which he fashions the material himself (verses 12-14).
In the same way, man today is creating himself a god according to his own ‘dimensions’. Not the Bible is the standard, but one’s own judgment. Man wants a god who fulfills his wishes, who acts as he thinks is right. We are perhaps more guilty of this idolatry than we are aware of. A god who is only full of love and does not take evil so seriously, is such a god of one’s own making. The same goes for a god who can only judge and from whom no pity can be expected.
God here condemns Israel, who has turned from his Maker to the heathen use of idols. In verses 15-17 we see how the same piece of wood serves to satisfy both the natural and religious needs of a human being. It shows that sinful man in his folly pursues the satisfaction of both needs in the same way. The whole part is full of man’s activity. They work hard, but without knowledge, for they are “darkened in their understanding” (verses 18-19; Eph 4:17-18).
None of them get the idea that they are engaged in supreme foolishness. They feed on ashes, on something from which all life has disappeared, in which nothing useful is present anymore (verse 20). They do not notice that they are engaged in deceit. It is clear that praying to these images, which are made by human hands, is vain and useless.
It’s like so many people today who willingly allow themselves to be deceived by horoscopes and occultism, rather than come into contact with the truth. They simply don’t wonder if it could also be deceit. If they do not repent, they will not save their lives and will perish forever.
The danger of idolatry is also not limited to unbelievers, because believers are also warned of this danger: “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1Jn 5:21). In addition to serving images, there are many things that can take the place of the one true God, for example the Mammon, the god of money (Mt 6:24). That is why the call to flee the love of money sounds (1Tim 6:10-11).
21 - 23 The LORD Does Not Forget His People
21 “Remember these things, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant,
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.
22 “I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud
And your sins like a heavy mist.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”
23 Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done [it]!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it;
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob
And in Israel He shows forth His glory.
Then from verse 21, after the activities of man in the previous verses, come the activities of the LORD. He reminds His people to keep in mind that He, the LORD, is the only true God and that the idols are nothing. He bases His exhortation on the facts that they owe their existence as a people to His supernatural activity and that as His people they are His “servant”. The second fact is a direct contrast with the idolatrous slaves of a piece of wood from a tree, as described in the previous verses.
This brings God’s heart to an expression of infinite grace. His people will not be forgotten by Him. He will wipe out their transgressions like a thick cloud and their sins like a heavy mist (verse 22). Let them return to Him, for He has redeemed them after all! The word for “wipe out” is used for the wiping out or blotting out of
1. a name from a book (Exo 32:32-33; Psa 69:28);
2. a curse (Num 5:23);
3. the remembrance of a people (Deu 25:19);
4. sin or sins (Neh 4:5; Psa 51:1,9; 109:14; Jer 18:23; Isa 43:25; 44:23).
Transgressions and sins are clearly seen here as things that bring separation between God and man (Isa 59:2). Only the purification by His wind (Job 37:21) and the sunshine of His grace expels the cloud. All removal of guilt is only possible through the blood of Christ. His work underlies the promises made here by the LORD. The subject here is restoration, the re-establishment of fellowship, which is reflected in the invitation: “Return to Me.”
Verses 21-22 contain a very beneficial assurance of past salvation, a promise of remembering it in the future, and an invitation to return to the fellowship with God they had in the past. In view of these glorious statements, in a song of thanksgiving the whole creation is called upon to rejoice and to share in the consequences of the forgiveness that has come to Israel (verse 23). Creation will also be set free from the curse of sin (Rom 8:21). Freedom will be the hallmark of glory. The essence of the glory that will be enjoyed by the nations lies in the fact that the LORD will glorify Himself in Israel. In the coming sections this thought will be further explained.
24 - 28 The LORD Promises Restoration
24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb,
“I, the LORD, am the maker of all things,
Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth all alone,
25 Causing the omens of boasters to fail,
Making fools out of diviners,
Causing wise men to draw back
And turning their knowledge into foolishness,
26 Confirming the word of His servant
And performing the purpose of His messengers.
[It is I] who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’
And I will raise up her ruins [again].
27 “[It is I] who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’
And I will make your rivers dry.
28 “[It is I] who says of Cyrus, ‘[He is] My shepherd!
And he will perform all My desire.’
And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”
The Redeemer of Israel, Who formed His earthly people since their earthly existence, is the LORD Who made everything (verse 24). He formed His people, but also heaven and earth. He can and wants to redeem Israel as well. This redemption is now explained. Jerusalem is rebuilt and Babylon is judged. This explanation starts with “thus says the LORD” as an indication of a new section.
Verse 25 refers to the Babylonian soothsayers. Perhaps the Jews who live there are also tempted to ask these fortune-tellers how things will go. The LORD will cut off that road. He deals with these soothsayers with the same power with which He created heaven and earth and makes their so-called knowledge foolish (cf. 1Cor 1:20b). The LORD is the Only One Who truly foretells the future (Isa 41:21-29), while the soothsayers are unmasked as inventors of lies.
The LORD turns the wisdom of the world into foolishness, while confirming the word of His servant and carrying out the announcement of His messengers (verse 26; 1Cor 1:21-22). Let us, to whom the message of the gospel has been entrusted, draw new courage from it. Amidst religious superstition and various forms of opposition, we know that His Word will not return to Him empty (Isa 55:11). Israel is the faithful servant here, as are all the faithful prophets through whom God gives His message to His people and to the nations. The servant is also now the one through whom God speaks. If His Word is faithfully passed on, He will do so because it is His Word.
In order to fulfill His Word toward His people, He causes the rivers of Babylon to dry up (verse 27). Again (Isa 41:2,25) King Cyrus is mentioned by name, about 160 years before his performance. This is a proof that only He, the one true God, Who created heaven and earth, is capable of making that advance announcement.
What Cyrus will do in draining the rivers of Babylon to capture it, to this end he receives from the LORD the insight. This gives him the opportunity to work on the destruction of Babylon and to restore Jerusalem (verse 28). The LORD calls Cyrus “My shepherd” because in this as an instrument in His hand, however weak, he is a picture of the Lord Jesus, Who will deliver His people in a perfect and definitive way and bring them into the blessing.