Promises which are for My People - C R Oliver (e textbook reader .txt) 📗

Isaiah 43-48

Promises which are for 
"My People"

Introduction: The Ground Rules 
These chapters are a continuation of "Comfort Ye My People." They represent a bank of promises that clearly are some of the greatest in the Old Testament. These verses are directed to all Israel, not just the Southern Kingdom. They are given primarily to a people who have become unfamiliar with the intimate love God has for them. Over and again, the strain, "Fear not," appears in cadence with each gift and promise of His care. The tone of these passages is clearly that of a Father talking to His children, explaining to them why He has dealt with them harshly and corrected them severely. These are words of encouragement and they are spoken with tenderness.

Personally, I believe these verses are given universally to those who are in Covenant Relationship with the Most High. These are Covenant Promises, not an exclusive Word to ancient Israel. Whether one is reading from the point of view of the Old Testament Covenant of Blood or from the New Testament Covenant IN HIS BLOOD - these promises surround "His People." How beautiful those words sound, "My People." Possession and total care is promised to His children resting in His care.

Reminiscent of John 10:10 are the Isaiah passages, where God is the Master Shepherd calling His Sheep. Jesus said He was the Good Shepherd; we hear His Voice and obey Him only; He calls us by Name and leads us out. These passages are shepherd talk. The following passages in Isaiah are "Shepherd talk." as well. 

The Precious Ones who are "His people."
The depth of love expressed in the highlighted promises (below) is significant. They resound through the ages and are embraced by every generation as a part of their heritage in Him. 

Think of it. 

What more could He add to these opening lines? Verses 1-4 seem to cover it all, but in them He moves far beyond a protective cover into an encompassing love commitment.

Isaiah 43:1-4
43:1 But now the Lord who created you, O Israel, says, 'Don't be afraid, for I have ransomed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. 2 When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up--the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, your Savior, the Holy One of Israel. I gave Egypt and Ethiopia and Seba [to Cyrus] in exchange for your freedom, as your ransom. 4 Others died that you might live; I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me and honored, and I love you.
TLB

It is "the Father-Creator" who is speaking and outlining some "when" situations for His children. Notice these are not "if" experiences; these are occurrences that will be encountered in life. Deep waters and great trouble, rivers of difficulty along with walking through the fire of oppression are certainties. However, there are greater certainties to be found in His Presence and delivering power. Yes! These comforting assurances need to be sounded from pulpits and from prophecy meetings worldwide. This is THE MESSAGE to the body of true believers in 2015.

Notice: God "ransomed" His people. He traded Egypt, Ethiopia and Sheba for them. Some died as substitutes for their ransom! Why, because "YOU ARE PRECIOUS TO ME AND HONORED and I LOVE YOU." This is God's evaluation of His people (We humans hold on to the things that are precious to us. We cherish the precious. We adulate the precious. We protect the precious. Think of how much more so with the Lord, who has deemed us PRECIOUS!). 

The spirit of fear.
God's first admonition is, "Don't be AFRAID." This is not a suggestion; it is a commandment. It is an assurance to be heeded in conjunction with His provision. How many are the times we have been challenged to remember this word? Right in the middle of calamity, when it looks like disaster, we hear His voice saying, "Be not afraid." 

I have purposefully set BOLD type in this set of Scriptures to show what He thinks of His people. Ponder for a moment and ask yourself, "Do I really fathom how much He loves me?" "To what extent has He been willing to go to express His love?" 

Our self-appraisals tend to belie our wrongful estimate of our estate in Him. We sell ourselves short when we consider our value. Oh, that we could understand these first four verses; they would change our prayers. They would alter our life approaches and our walk with Him. He desires for us to know Him on the love level.

(NOTE: Amy Carmichael [1867-1951], understood the commitment of His love and established three principles of prayer.
l. We don't need to explain to our Father things that are known to him.
2. We don't need to press Him, as if we had to deal with an unwilling God.
3. We don't need to suggest to Him what to do, for He Himself knows what to do. )*

*Wiersbe, Warren W. , 10 People Every Christian Should Know, Baker Books, 2011,Kindle edition (it was intially offered free and is a great book to have).

Continue now into the next section of this chapter. 

(Note: if God thought such declarations were needed to be emphasized for Isaiah's day, what of our day?) I have italicized the Scripture portion, where God reveals Himself more fully. Is it possible that He, once again, needs to re-introduce Himself to His people? (Answer, Yes!) The whole spectrum of Christendom is a bit chaotic currently and needs re-alignment with the God of power and supply.

Isaiah 43:5-8
5 "Don't be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you from east and west, 6 from north and south. I will bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the farthest corners of the earth. 7 All who claim me as their God will come, for I have made them for my glory; I created them. 8 Bring them back to me--blind as they are and deaf when I call (although they see and hear!)."
TLB

Since fear is the perversion of faith, it is often the first reaction of His people when confronted with hostile situations. Whether it is invading armies or huge national challenges to one's livelihood, these concerns, in the past, were met with fear. It is time for us to make a decision about our fear response. So, for the second time, God says, "Don't be afraid, for I am with you." In other words, let Me have your fear. 

The Lord then addresses His children ("My sons and daughters" [using a qualifier], "all who claim Me as their God.") He promises they will be gathered from the four corners of the earth to be brought back to the Promised Land. We see Him addressing total Israel (no more northern and southern divisions). We see a promise to His covenant people, who were made for His glory. They are to receive this promise though they have been blind and deaf spiritually. 

The nations where His people have been scattered were pagan and full of idolatry. His own children had incorporated some of these forms of darkness and needed a cleansing.

Isaiah 43:9
9 Gather the nations together! Which of all their idols ever has foretold such things? Which can predict a single day ahead? Where are the witnesses of anything they said? If there are no witnesses, then they must confess that only God can prophesy.
TLB

(The Lord is judging the religion of the nations in the verses above, even as He judged Babylon in subsequent verses.) 

These nations were rife with idols and had mistreated God's people, so the Great God is about to "show off." He asks the universal question: "Where are those who can testify that their pagan 'deities' measure up to the true and living God?" Which of the nations received revelation through their pagan deities? None! 

Telling the future belongs to Jehovah alone. He alone gives the Spirit of Prophecy (which we are told not to despise, for Revelation 19:10 says, "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.").God's children are to be His witnesses.

Isaiah 43:10-13
10 "But I have witnesses, O Israel," says the Lord! "You are My witnesses and My servants, chosen to know and to believe me and to understand that I alone am God. There is no other God; there never was and never will be. 11 I am the Lord, and there is no other Savior. 12 Whenever you have thrown away your idols, I have shown you my power. With one word I have saved you. You have seen me do it; you are my witnesses that it is true. 13 From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can oppose what I do."
TLB

In a day when Islam is parading--someone needs to hear what God says. They have no viable witness, but God has many. "You are my witnesses and my servants, chosen to know and to believe me and to understand that I alone am God." 

Look at what is said, "Chosen servants who believe." This should describe every believer in Jesus Christ. The last words of our Lord Jesus to His disciples were about being "witnesses."

Acts 1:7-8
'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.' 
NKJV

Look at these passages in Acts, where the Disciples carried out His command.

Acts 10:39-46
And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. 40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins." 

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.
NKJV

The end-time witness to the world is to be one message: "He alone is God and there is no other." Let the Western world observe. Whenever Israel divested its idols, God acted in their behalf. (With a single word He saved them: Jesus!) When He speaks-that's it! When we use His Name, that's it! 

Timeless omnipresence is revealed in the phrase, "eternity to eternity (Isaiah 43:13)." Think of it! Before the worlds were made--He is (A lamb slain before the foundation of the world). Instead of Existentialism's, "Life is simply a question mark between two voids," we hear the Almighty say He is in command throughout the ceaseless cycles of never ending ages (John 3:16). 

Look What The Lord Has Done:
In these next set of verses, the Lord gives two