I am The Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:1-3)
Hello Saints,
Could there be a greater portion of scripture! Could there be a greater promise to a people who have suffered so much throughout the years because of their own sinfulness and rebellion. In the middle of their trial, to hear the words of Isaiah 43, “Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (vs. 4-5). To know that God loves them, sees them, desires them, will rescue them at great cost is comfort to the troubled soul (Isa 40:1). “We are not abandoned even though we went our own way and worshipped other gods!” “The God who formed us has not forgotten us – His promises are still true and yet to be fulfilled!” It is the story of the prodigal son on a national scale – wandering away from the Father; experiencing the consequences of our choices; realizing that the Father has never stopped being our Father, never stopped loving us, and never stopped desiring in hope, that reunion day when the reconciliation party would take place. Oh, what a merciful God! Have you ever read Isaiah 43? I mean really read it, and meditated on it, and realized that although this is spoken to Israel as a whole, it describes Jesus and His disciples… that’s us!
God has made us, chosen us and knows us by name (John 10:3, 14-15). He loves us as demonstrated in Jesus being our ransom through His blood for restoration and relationship with the Holy One of Israel (1Pet. 1:18-19). He is our Redeemer and Savior who restores us wandering exiles back to the Father. Do you remember the promises of Jesus, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” (John 14:1). Or “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Is Jesus not our storm calmer, with us in the waves of the raging sea (Matt. 8:23-27)? Is not His love for us so great that nothing can separate us from it (Rom. 8:35-39)? Have we not been chosen as a holy nation, a special possession for the Lord (1Pet. 2:9)? We are God’s! We are Loved! And we are guarded and preserved until the day of salvation (1Pet. 1:5).
Our role in the world is to declare the Good News of Salvation in Christ. We are His witnesses (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1Pet. 2:9) just as Israel was supposed to be: “You are my witnesses, declares the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed-- I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses, declares the LORD, that I am God” (Isa 43:10-12).
Has God not made us new creations (2Cor. 5:17)? Are we not to leave the old life behind and step into the newness of life, now begun in Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:20-25; Colossians 3)? Are we not to look forward to our eternal home, that future glory in the new Kingdom of Heaven (Rev. 21:5). Isaiah encourages us to live in the new creation reality: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise” (Isa. 43:18-21).
Is not the only true God, the only Savior, the Holy One of Israel, not currently gathering a people for His name sake – ‘sons and daughters’ from every tribe and tongue and people on the planet? Has He not made a way through Christ for the nations to be reconciled back to Him? Is there not a glorious day coming when all will be restored to God’s magnificent, intended desire? Isaiah 43 reminds us, indeed prophetically proclaims, that that day will be a reality, and all who have put their faith in the Redeemer will partake:
“I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-- everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made… I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel's Creator, your King. This is what the LORD says-- he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters” (Isa. 43:6-7; 15-16).
God has made a way for us to experience forgiveness, redemption, new beginnings and new life – that way is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the servant of Yahweh (Isa. 42). Through Him, Yahweh can be “The Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” and you can experience all the truth of Isaiah 43.
Be Blessed!
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
Leave a Comment