Tyndale Open Study NotesIsaiah 43

In this promise of salvation, the Lord spoke directly to his people.

• the LORD … who created you: The idea of creation (see study note on Isaiah 40:28) now refers to God forming the nation of Israel.

• He who formed you: During the exodus, God freed his people from slavery. Similarly, God planned to bring his people back from exile to their land. Ultimately, Jesus gave his life as a ransom for all humanity (Matthew 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:6; Hebrews 9:15).

• I have called you by your name; you are Mine!: Despite having faced his wrath, the people of Israel are still God’s chosen people.

• Conquering forces are compared to flooding rivers (see Isaiah 8:8).

• I will be with you: God promises to stay with his people to protect and care for them (see Isaiah 7:14; 41:10; 43:5; 45:14).

• Israel faced God's judgment as the fire of oppression during the exile in Babylon.

One of God’s purposes in restoring his people was to display his glory to the watching world.

The Lord here called on Israel, his blind servant, to be his star witness in a mock trial against idols and false gods. Israel knew that the Lord alone is God, and the people had experienced his salvation.

You are My witnesses: By their very presence in exile, Israel was evidence that God is truly God. He predicted the exile long beforehand, and now it had come to pass. God alone is the true God because he speaks and acts and controls all of history. Idols and false gods could do none of these things. Israel would later become even greater evidence because God had also predicted their redemption (Isaiah 43:11–12).

The Lord promised Israel that it would be freed from Babylon. This redemption would be similar to Israel's past freedom from Egypt but even greater in some ways (Isaiah 43:18).

God wanted the Israelites to remember the exodus from Egypt. However, they needed to focus on the amazing event that was about to happen, instead of staying stuck in the past.

One purpose of redemption is to honor God through the praises of the redeemed (see 1 Peter 2:9).

Israel's history of rebellion led them into many crises. Their rebellion was so strong that they refused to ask God for help. When they did pray, their wickedness often caused God not to hear their prayers (Isaiah 1:15).

God alone can blot out sins. This means he completely removes and forgives them.

It does not matter how many sins a person has committed or how serious they are. God has the power to forgive them all (see also Isaiah 44:22).

spokesmen: God held the kings of Israel and Judah especially responsible for leading the nation into sin (see 2 Kings 21).