It Starts Small

These are such great scriptures we are reading them again today!

Yesterday we personalized them.

Chapter 43 of Isaiah focuses on redemption from captivity. It is here that the message focuses on the idea of the Servant as the nation.

The LORD promises to regather His undeserving nation (servant) and renew them. Israel is first exhorted not to fear (43:1-7). God formed them and called them in the past. They are precious to Him. Therefore, they will be regathered from the whole earth. The LORD then brings the people forth as a witness that He is God alone (43:8-13). Both this witness and the nations in general will recognize that the LORD is sovereign. They will understand that He acts without any assistance. They will see that none can oppose Him.

The layout of this section reveals parallel structures in the pattern of the text:

1 Do not fear—you are mine, I created you

2 you will be protected

3 I will ransom you because I am your Savior

4 I will exchange you because I love you

5 Do not fear—I am with you, I will gather you

6 I will call for the regathering of my people

7 gather my people whom I created for my glory

8 Call for blind and deaf (=Israel) to be witnesses for me

9 Challenge for the nations to be witnesses against me,

who can say they foretold this; others say it is true.

10 You are my witnesses, my Servant whom I chose, I am He there is no god before or after me

11 I, even I, am the LORD there is no Savior apart from me

12 I declared, saved, proclaimed I, not a foreign god You are my witnesses—I am God

13 I am He, from the ancient days no one can deliver out of my hand I act, and who can reverse it?

From this layout we can see that there are essentially two parts to the passage. Verses 1-7 promise the regathering from the captivity so that the people have no reason to fear. There are two cycles to this message. The passage, “do not fear” serves as the structural markers. The rest of the passage is a trial. First, witnesses are called for the LORD and then witnesses are called for the nations. Second, the LORD makes His claim that the witnesses will attest to that He alone is the sovereign Lord.

The proof of His divine sovereignty is that He conducts His people through history. They can follow with confidence. He predicts the future. He charts it out. He shows the direction He is going. These actions provide great evidence of His sovereignty. Acts without words are open to all kinds of interpretation. Words without acts are hollow promises. Words that predict the acts attest to the truth of the claims of the LORD. Acts that confirm the predictions build confidence in the yet unfulfilled promises that He has made.

In this passage, that promise concerns the regathering of the nation. God is able to create a future out of the ruins of the past. He alone can do this. Even if Israel had been blind and deaf, they would still make excellent witnesses. They might have been disobedient to and ignorant of God’s Word, but they still would witness Him working. They would see what He was able to do as the promises began to unfold despite their sin. This passage, then, may be used to build confidence in the promises of God. Do not fear, God says. I will ransom you from the world. You are my witnesses that I alone am the sovereign God. I am able to do this.

The immediate fulfillment for Israel would be their return from the captivity—which had been predicted as well as their captivity. But that fulfillment was only an initial sign. A greater in-gathering would occur at the end of the age.

For the believer, it will be necessary to assess the promises of the New Covenant that await fulfillment. These promises overlap with those in the prophets of Israel. We have been grafted into the New Covenant. Paul then says that the whole world is groaning, waiting for the day of redemption (Rom. 8). We are to be filled with confidence that God will keep His Word. He will deliver us from the bondage of the world. Such hope casts out fear.

But our confidence in the promises is only as strong as our knowledge of the LORD. This passage will have very strong theology on the sovereignty of God. Future passages will also be strong, stronger than many would like.

We must be sure to teach that as the necessary basis of our faith. One reason churches are weak in the faith today is that sound doctrine has been lost. There is no teaching or preaching to feed the hungry soul. Some homilies lack biblical and theological substance. Various classes focus on issues unrelated to Scripture. Often, literature and music are shallow, experiential, and frequently un-biblical. How could anyone grow?

Well, the next 23 chapters of this book will be filled with strong meat—truth that will change people’s lives. I encourage you to study these scriptures beyond this study. We are going to touch on some of it the remaining days of our study.

AS we come to the close of our study, we are going to focus His Word on us. What are the waters, rivers, and fire in your life right now? We are guaranteed painful and hard times, but we do not walk them alone.

Where are you at in your journey?

© Kimberlee Smith 2025 http://www.itstartssmall.com All rights reserved.