Isaiah 43 - Bible Study in 5 Minutes

Isaiah 43 Short Summary:

Speaking prophetically about the captive Jews in Babylon, Isaiah encouraged them with words of salvation. God was going to help them and gather them back to Judah to serve the Lord. Unfortunately, Isaiah’s contemporaries needed a rebuke for their rebellion, and God delivered a strong rebuke, promising Judah’s “utter destruction” at the end of the chapter.

Isaiah 43 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• The prophetic ministry of Isaiah spanned the reigns of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

• Isaiah’s ministry is thought to span from 739-681 BC.

• Babylon fell to the Persians in 539 BC (150 years after Isaiah’s ministry ended).

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Isaiah – The son of Amoz (1:1). God commissioned Isaiah as His prophet to Judah.

• Citizens of Judah – The prophecies in Isaiah 43 directly pertains to the future of the nation of Judah.

DEFINITIONS:

• Jacob (43:28) - Jacob was the father of the 12 Tribes of Israel. His name is sometimes used to refer to the collective nation that grew out of the 12 Tribes (the Nation of Israel).

OUTLINE:

• GOD’S FUTURE GRACE TOWARDS JUDAH (43:1-21):

  • We seen another example of God’s grace as Isaiah 43 opens. Though Judah had failed to be the servant of God He called them to be, God was going to bless them.

  • Probably speaking prophetically to the future Jews in Babylonian captivity, God tells them not to fear because He had redeemed them.

  • “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (43:1).

  • God gave Egypt, Cush, and Seba as a ransom for Judah. He allowed those nations to be destroyed to preserve Judah.

  • He was going to gather Judah’s scattered people from across the face of the earth.

  • God again refers to Judah as His servant and witness. They were going to be given another chance to live in their homeland and testify to the nations about the superiority of their God compared to the false gods of the earth.

  • As God said, “Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior” (43:10-11).

  • Isaiah prophesied that God would one day topple the Babylonian Empire. In upcoming chapters, Isaiah will prophecy the man God would use to accomplish that work.

  • God’s deliverance of Judah would be unprecedented in greatness. God said, “Remember not the former things… Behold, I am doing a new thing” (43:18-19).

  • God had delivered Judah in miraculous fashion in the past (think the 10 plagues on Egypt), but this new grace was going to be something even greater.

  • God would make a road through the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

• GOD’S UPCOMING JUDGEMENT ON JUDAH (43:22-28):

  • Up to this point in the chapter, it appears Isaiah has been speaking prophetically to the people of Judah in Babylonian exile. In verse 22, it seems his words are directed towards his contemporary countrymen.

  • God, through Isaiah, rebuked Judah for failing to honor Him.

  • They neglected God’s sacrifices and wearied God with their sins.

  • Judah’s forefathers were no different than them. The leaders of the nation had been corrupt for a long time.

  • Even the priests were corrupt, and God promised to deliver Judah to “utter destruction” (most likely referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC).

APPLICATION:

• Many people make great effort to leave an inheritance to their children and grandchildren.

• But your efforts to care for your family monetarily may come to nothing if you don’t care for your generation’s spiritually.

• When Isaiah announced to his contemporaries that they were going to be punished for their sins, it was their children and grandchildren who were going to receive the worst of the punishment.

• Some man in Jerusalem probably bought a nice house and put away money in his local bank thinking his kids were going to be well cared for, only for God to destroy the entire city when his kids grew into adults.

• God still topples wicked nations. We see countries fall apart, currencies devaluate, and bad governments turn prosperous countries into poor ones. No doubt God’s hand is in many of these downfalls.

• It could be that if you disrespect God in your generation, your kids will lose everything you saved for them.

• There is nothing wrong with leaving your kids an inheritance, but you would be foolish to save up an inheritance while neglecting spiritual obligations and forgetting about the God who governs the nations.