Isaiah 41:1-10
Isa 41:1
Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people
renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us
come near together to judgment.
Then the LORD tells the inhabitants of the islands which
would be those of the Gentile countries and not to stop those who are seeking
the LORD from coming to him. Those
who are in Christ will renew their strength as we read in the last chapter.
They should not be stopped, those who want to come and seek the LORD
while he may be found. Allow those
people who seek the LORD the freedom to speak and those idolaters should not
silence them or forbid them from speaking and seeking the LORD.
God calls the foreign nations to come
and see how the LORD had delivered his people and armed with that information,
let them make a judgment as to how the LORD has protected his people.
Isa 41:2
Who raised up the righteous man from the east,
called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule
over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven
stubble to his bow.
This is one of those verses which can have multiple
meanings. It may have Abraham in
view who took on several kings to retrieve Lot when there was war in Genesis 14.
Since this part of Isaiah is speaking to those who are in captivity, it
is more likely that it is speaking of Cyrus who came from the east.
Mesopotamia where Abraham was from is referred to as north country.
Cyrus had defeated the Babylonians and was not a plunderer like the
Babylonians and Assyrians. He is
called righteous not because he was a saved man but because he did the work of
the Lord in allowing the Jews to return to Judah and build the temple.
Thus saith the LORD to his
anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before
him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved
gates; and the gates shall not be shut; (Isaiah 45:1)
He had the rule over kings by conquering them and since it was the LORD
who orchestrated his victories, those whom the LORD wanted conquered would have
been like dust on the sword and stubble to the bow which mean they would have no
opposition to their invasion.
Isa 41:3
He pursued them, and passed safely; even by
the way that he had not gone with his feet.
Cyrus will have no opposition and will accomplish what
the LORD has commissioned him to do.
Even though he may not know it, he is following the leading of the LORD.
When Cyrus conquered Babylon, he did not take the normal route which
Babylonians thought he would instead he took a circuitous route which gave him
the advantage to attack where he would suffer the least amount of casualties.
In World War 2, General MacArthur used a strategy of “hitting them where
they ain’t” which means he would land troops where they would face the least
opposition and cut the supply lines of the enemy which would eventually cause
them to surrender without many casualties to the American troops.
Isa 41:4
Who hath wrought and done it, calling the
generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I
am he.
Here God is the one who is stating that he is the one who
acts and intervenes in the history of the world.
He is the one who planned the world and all the events which are to take
place from the beginning to the end.
Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning of the world. (Acts 15:18)
He is known as the Alpha and Omega which is the beginning and the end of
the Greek Alphabet.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the
Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)
Isa 41:5
The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the
earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
Then the countries which saw and heard about how God
destroyed all the false gods are now asked by God to come close to him and to
seek him but the people had cowered in fear knowing they partook in the false
religions and idolatry and they feared that they would be judged and destroyed
like the empires of Babylon and Assyria. Probably thinking, if they can be
destroyed by God, then what chance does a smaller country have?
This also refers to the sending forth of the true gospel whereas when a
person becomes saved, they will no longer partake of false religions and not
give their money to support those false temples.
The true gospel brought much fear into the hearts of the pagan societies
and people persecute what they do not understand.
Isa 41:6
They helped every one his neighbour; and every one
said to his brother, Be of good courage.
These countries did what they could to keep the true
gospel out of their nations and they would make up arguments against the truth
and would help their neighbors continue in the false gospels and idol worship.
This is what the modern nations have done such as those steeped in
Hinduism, Judaism, or Islam. They
encourage each other to fight against the true gospel and to defend the old ways
which has been a part of their country for years.
What they were really doing was fighting for their opportunity to spend
an eternity under the judgment of God in the lake of fire.
Isa 41:7
So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he
that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is
ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not
be moved.
What they were doing was to encourage each other in
maintaining their false religions.
Here the carpenter was the one who fashioned the idol out of wood and then the
goldsmith overlaid the image. Then those who would beat out the metals making
them ready for images would be able to continue their crafts.
The Apostle Paul faced this same problem in Ephesus.
So that not only this our craft is
in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess
Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all
Asia and the world worshippeth. (Acts 19:27)
Demetrius was addressing the crowd telling them that their craft was in
danger of being dissolved if people started to turn to the true gospel.
Then he started the chant that Diana
came down to the Ephesians and then the worshippers of Diana started in after
him.
Isa 41:8
But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I
have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
Then God makes a statement dripping with the doctrine of
Election. He states that Israel was his
servant. This would have been the
true Israel with in the nation of Israel which is the body of believers which
were chosen by God. Then he uses
the term “Jacob” which here is another name for the body of believers because he
finishes with the phrase “the seed of Abraham.”
Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to
thy seed, which is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)
The seed of Abraham was the Lord Jesus Christ and those who are his
followers are also called the seed of Abraham.
And if ye
be Christ's, then are ye
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)
Isa 41:9
Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art
my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
Then the LORD widens the application and states that he
has taken the true believers from the ends of the earth which means from all the
nations of the world where he will have his Elect.
He has even taken the believers from the chief men which would be the
houses of rulers, priests, kings, princes and other places.
Even the household of Caesar which would have been Nero at the time the
Apostle Paul wrote Philippians.
All the saints salute you, chiefly they
that are of Caesar's household. (Philippians 4:22)
Here God is telling ancient Israel that they are his servant and he chose
them especially since the Messiah would be coming through Israel.
Even though Israel had provoked God many times, despite them his plans
for the Messiah will continue as planned and on schedule.
I say then, Hath God cast away his
people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham,
of the tribe of Benjamin.
(Romans 11:1)
When God
speaks of His people, He is not speaking of the entire population of Israel.
Keep in mind people like Ahab, Korah, Dathan, Nabal, and many others opposed God
and His prophets. When God sent prophets to Israel and Judah, they were all
rejected and some of them were killed by murdering Israelites. These are not the
people of God. The “His people” are those whom God has chosen from the
foundations of the world for salvation which were inside the nation of Israel.
Paul was one of the Elect Israelites of the tribe of Benjamin.
Isa 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not
dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help
thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.