Devotional Commentary on Isaiah 43

 

Isaiah takes us here into the John 3:16 of the Old Testament since in this chapter God says to the remnant: “I love you” (v. 4b).

Ellen White said about this: “Jesus knows us individually, and is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He knows us all by name. He knows the very house in which we live, the name of each occupant. He has at times given directions to His servants to go to a certain street in a certain city, to such a house, to find one of His sheep. Every soul is as fully known to Jesus as if he were the only one for whom the Saviour died.”—Ellen White, The Desire of Ages, p. 479 cited by M. L. Andreasen in his Sabbath School Quarterly on Isaiah 1928 page 11.

 

Isaiah brought together many panels in this chapter and the theme is God and His identity as remnant loving-caring God and the deaf and blind remnant with a Laodicea condition.

 

We learn that the sole purpose of the formation of the remnant by God is so that they can be His witnesses and that means they will declare His praise (v. 21b) and praise means “give glory to the Lord” (42:12a). Glory means to “make the law great and glorious” and that means to be pleased for Christ’s Righteousness sake (42:21).

 

But the sleeping virgins of the deaf and blind church of Laodicea has to be woken up with the Latter Rain event to bring the faithful in and so Isaiah described the promise of the gathering of the harvest from all over the globe (vv. 5-9).

 

They will come out of Babylon (v. 14).

 

The Hell event after the millennium will be the time when Christ the King will be the warrior (vv. 15-17) and create all things new (v. 18). The remnant at that time will declare God’s praise (v. 21).

 

However, right now [in Isaiah’s view in distant future] God has an Investigative Judgment for His remnant with a Laodicea condition and the court case deals with their problems (vv. 23-24) and again a second round in vv. 25-28 with the proceedings for defense in vv. 25-26 and the accusation in v. 27 and the verdict in v. 28.

 

All this Isaiah is doing with his technique of using a Synonym Dictionary so popular even at Niniveh where Jewish scribes copied and worked in the Library of Assyria during the Exile contemporary with Isaiah’s time.

Jacob means Israel (v. 1a-b);

redeemed means to be called [by God] by one’s name (v. 1c-d);

waters is also rivers (v. 2a-b);

to have God with you is for waters not to overflow you (v. 2a-b);

fire is also flame and scorched is also burn (v. 2c-d);

Lord is also Holy One and your God is also your Savior (v. 3a-b);

ransom means in your place and Egypt is grouped with Cush and Seba (v. 3c-d);

precious means honored and in My sight means I love you (v. 4a-b);

in your place means in exchange (v. 4c-d);

bring means to gather (v. 5a-b); give up means do not hold back (v. 6a-b);

to be called by the name of God is to be created for His glory (v. 7a-b);

formed is to be made (v. 7c-d);

nations means peoples (v. 9a-b);

gathered together means to assemble (v. 9a-b);

declare is proclaim (v. 9c-d);

their witness means let them hear and say (v. 9e-f);

My witnesses means My servant (v. 10a-b);

know is to understand (v. 10c-d);

Lord is Creator and Holy One is King (v. 15a-b);

way is also path and sea is also mighty waters (v. 16a-b);

chariot is connected to army and [strong] horse to mighty man (v. 17a-b);

call to mind means to ponder (v. 18a-b);

new means spring forth (v. 19a-b);

wilderness means desert (v. 19d-e);

beasts of the field is meant to be jackals and ostriches (v. 20a-b);

you have not called on Me means to become weary (v. 21c-d) [this is a lack of a prayer-life];

not to bring offerings [tithes] means not to honor God (v. 23a-b);

not to burden means not to weary (v. 23c-d);

sins means iniquities (v. 24c-d);

wipes out means not to remember (v. 25a-b);

put [God] into remembrance means to state your [case/condition] (v. 26a-b);

argue your case means that you may be proved right (v. 26a-b);

sinned means transgressed (v. 27a-b);

pollute means to consign to the ban (v. 28a-b);

princes of the Sanctuary means Jacob [the remnant or spiritual Israel] (v. 28a-b).

 

Once we see the depth of Isaiah phraseology and his determination as quality Hebrew poet not to repeat one word twice we appreciate him more as a great poet. What separates this great poet from others in modern times, is his deep relationship, unshaken, with God.

 

Isaiah started out the chapter by indicating how God Created the remnant, formed them, [they fell] and He redeemed them (v. 1). Blessings of protection are given in a long list (v. 2) and the reason for God’s involvement is His love “I love you” (v. 4b).

About the provision in time of trouble, M. L. Andreasen said about verses 2-3 in his Sabbath School Quarterly of 1928 page 11: “When the trials of the last days shall come, these promises will become very precious indeed.”

 

A global gathering of the remnant is predicted, not just of Israel from Assyria or Babylon but “everyone who is called by My name” (v.7a).

Says M. L. Andreasen about this calling: “’Called by My name.’ Of a certain company it is written that they will have the Father's name written in their foreheads. Rev. 14: 1. God's name is what He is. Ex. 3: 14. Hence, to be called by the name of God means to have His character.”

 

This gathering is reserved for the time of the Latter Rain since it coincides with the time of the condition of the Laodicea remnant, blind and deaf and the gathering is also during that time “all the nations have gathered together in order that the peoples may be assembled” (v. 9). It is a future prediction (v. 9c-d).

M. L. Andreasen considered verses 5-6 to be applicable in time of the Third Angels’ Message of Revelation 14:6-12 in 1928 page 12: “This scripture is now being fulfilled. The message is sounding in all parts of the earth, and God is calling men from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.”

 

The setting of the chapter is an Investigative Judgment since v. 9e-f indicates that.

Also M. L. Andreasen considered also a Judgment scene as applicable here in 1928 page 12: “God is calling all nations together as to a judgment scene.” Delitzsch indicated in Vol. II of his Isaiah commentary in 1890 page 181 of the English edition that “to bring out” [hoia`] used in verse 8 does not mean to bring the exiles out out but judgment: “...signifies here, not to bring out of the exile, as in Ezek. xx. 34, 41, xxxiv. 13 (Hitzig et al.),—the names by which Israel is here called do not suggest bringing out in this sense,—but to bring to the place of judicial trial (Gesenius, Meyer, and Knobel).” We are all on the same page despite that Delitzsch et al are preterists and Andreasen and myself are historicists. J. Mortyer in his 1993 commentary on Isaiah said on page 333 about verses 8-13: “Isaiah uses again a favourite literary form, the courtroom drama.” He divided it in the following sections: the court assembled (8-9b); the issue announced (9c-f); the Lord’s witnesses (10a-d); the Lord’s claim (10e-11b); the issue settled (12); the verdict (13).

 

God has chosen His servant or remnant (v. 10b). The Targum changed the text here to make the Messiah the Chosen One here and read “The Messiah in Whom I am well pleased”. One almost hear Matthew 3:17 in the ink of the Targumist? Remnant or servant is singular but they are His witnesses (plural).

 

Ellen White said about verse 10: “We are to acknowledge His grace as made known through the holy men of old; but that which will be most effectual is the testimony of our own experience. We are witnesses for God as we reveal in ourselves the working of a power that is divine. Every individual has a life distinct from all others, and an experience differing essentially from theirs. God desires that our praise shall ascend to Him, marked with our own individuality. These precious acknowledgments to the praise of the glory of His grace, when supported by a Christlike life, have an irresistible power, that works for the salvation of souls.”—Ellen White, Ministry of Healing, p. 100, cited by M. L. Andreasen in his Isaiah Sabbath School Quarterly of 1928 page 12.

Similar to Ellen White statement above is the preterist Delitzsch in his commentary in Vol. II in 1890 of the English edition page 182 on verses 8-10: “You, says Jehovah, are my witnesses and are my servant whom I chose; I can appeal to you as to what I have enabled you to see and hear, and to the relation in which I have graciously placed you to myself, that () you may come to reflect how great the difference between what you have in your God and what the heathen have in their idols.”

J. Mortyer in 1993 page 335 thinks on verse 10a-d about the witnesses that they are blind and deaf so for that matter in the Judgment “the Lord must become solely responsible”. And the Highpriestly Advocate Christ in the Heavenly Sanctuary since 1844 is just doing that without human help but on behalf of the saints (Daniel 7:22) “judgment was passed in favor of the saints” and 1 Peter 4:17 “For time of judgment to begin with the house of God…”. The ID of God is around His witnesses in the Investigative Judgment.

 

The ID of God is spelled out in vv. 10c-13). In Isaiah 45 the ID of God is repeated ten times in vv. 3c; 5a; 6c; 7c; 8e; 12a; 14g; 18e; 21e-f; 22b.

 

Especially Isaiah 43:11-13 is cast into a pattern that put the phrase “so you are My witnesses” in the center (v. 12c). All the other verses before (vv. 10c-12b) and after (vv. 12d-13) form a frame for this portrait.

Ellen White said in Education about witnesses: “As to being a witness, ‘This also we shall be in eternity.’— ‘The redeemed only, of all created beings, have in their own experience known the actual conflict with sin; they have wrought with Christ, and, as even the angels could not do, have entered into the fellowship of His sufferings; will they have no testimony as to the science of redemption,—nothing that will be of worth to unfallen beings’”— Ellen White, Education, p. 308 cited by M. L. Andreasen in 1928 on page 13.

 

In verse 13 there is a phrase in the beginning that can be literally translated as: “Also, from day I am He…” a phrase that has more in it than what translators saw. C. W. E. Nägelsbach in his commentary in 1878 page 466 in the English indicated that the Hebrew word [gam miyyôm] cannot mean “since days are…” because different Hebrew consonants do exist for this expression. The force of the preposition mem = “from” is important. It means, says he: “from day [onwards]” and he wants to see it as a terminus a quo, a beginning point in future. This is very interesting since 457 BCE is a terminus a quo; 538 A.D. is a terminus a quo; 1798 is a terminus a quo; 1844 is a terminus a quo. The close of probation is a terminus a quo; the Second Coming is a terminus a quo. It is from the Second Coming on that the faithful will be the witnesses of God into eternity as Ellen White indicated. That C. W. E. Nägelsbach 1878 page 467 had also the Eschaton in mind, just like Ellen White, is clear when he said on verse 13: “…refers to the future following the promised deliverance.” Just to make double sure that is what he meant here is a phrase later in the same paragraph: “But finally, as the end of all history, it will appear that all thoughts and counsels of God must inevitably find their accomplishment” (ibid). J. Mortyer thinks there are three meanings for the gam miyyôm in the beginning of verse 13: (1) “Indeed since time began”; (2) “Today also”; and (3) “Henceforth too” (Mortyer 1993: 335). Nägelsbach is closer to the reality of the meaning than Mortyer.

 

The End-time scenario is a prediction of the collapse of Babylon. It appears to be after the Second Coming since Christ has here His kingship (v. 15b) and is a Warrior (v. 17). The Hell event is in mind in verse 17c-d “the army and the mighty man they will lie down together not rise again”. The absolute extermination here seems eternity started.

 

Because of a new Creation God asks the remnant not to ponder the past (v. 18) since all will be new (v. 19). With the New Heavens described here in vv. 19-21 the panel of the glory stops.

M. L. Andreasen did not fully understand these verses and suggested a spiritual application in 1928 page 13.

 

The last two panels is the court-case of the Investigative Judgment of the remnant (vv. 22-24, the first one) and the second one in vv. 25-28.

 

The problem in the first one is that the remnant do not pay tithes and offerings. God made it easier for the Laodicea period remnant (v. 23c-d) that they do not have to bring sacrifices just use money to get something sweet but they do not (v. 24a) “you have bought me no sweet cane with money”. Even if the Lord made it easier for them, instead of sheep just fat they did not bring anything, just sins (v. 24c-d).

 

God is willing to wipe out their transgressions in the Investigative Judgment, He said in the second panel vv. 25.

Delitzsch Vol. II in 1890 page 187 understands it in the light of the sola gratia and sola fide acts of God: “Jehovah Himself here proclaims the sola gratia and sola fide. We have translated ‘I alone,’ for the triple repetition of the subject: ‘I, I am He that blots out thy offences,’ means that this forgiveness, so far from being deserved by Israel, is a sovereign act of His absolute freedom, and ‘for my own sake,’ that it has its ground in God only, namely, in His absolutely free grace, that movement of His love which is a counterpoise to His wrath.”

 

But, due to Adam (‘your first forefather sinned’ v. 27a) and due to the leaders of the remnant (‘your spokesmen have transgressed against Me’) for that reason the Sanctuary will remain “polluted” for the “princes of the Sanctuary”, namely “Jacob” or the weeds in the remnant. Only the fruits will benefit.

M. L. Andreasen said about verse 26 in 1928 page 13: “Put Me in remembrance of My promises; plead them before Me; declare them, that I may justify thee.”

 

Daniel 8:14 mentioned that the Sanctuary was to be cleansed or vindicated, justified (more literal), and that means it is polluted. Now we know why.

 

Dear God

Grant that Your love will include us. That we may pay our tithes and offerings simplified for our generation by You. That we may praise Your name for we are part of the remnant of God who is chosen by You as Your witnesses. Amen.