Seventh-day Adventist Bible CommentaryIsaiah 44

Israel, whom I have chosen. See on ch. 43:10. Having rebuked His people for their sins (ch. 43:22–28), the Lord now speaks words of comfort and courage. They are to remember Him as the One who chose them and loves them, who has mercy on them and saves them.

Jesurun. A poetical name for Israel meaning “upright one” (see on Deut. 32:15). God reminds Israel that He has chosen her to be “an holy nation” and to obey His voice (Ex. 19:5, 6).

Him that is thirsty. Or, “[the] thirsty land.” The first part of the verse is symbolic, explained in the second part. The outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit is compared to

refreshing showers of rain (Joel 2:23, 28, 29). The “thirsty” are those who thirst for God and His righteousness (Ps. 42:1, 2; Matt. 5:6; John 4:13, 14).

As willows. The people upon whom God’s Spirit was poured would flourish like trees by the banks of flowing streams (see Ps. 1:3; Jer. 17:8; Eze. 47:12).

The King of Israel. Here are set forth some of the most striking attributes of God: He is (1) the Lord, (2) Israel’s King, (3) Israel’s Redeemer, (4) Commander of the heavenly hosts, (5) the Eternal, the “first” and the “last,” and (6) the only true God. In vs. 9–20 Isaiah sets God forth in contrast with idols.

And who, as I? Or, “Who is like me?” (RSV). It is God who orders and disposes the affairs of earth; it is He who knows the past and declares the future. It is He who appointed Israel as a righteous and eternal people. In all of this lies evidence that He is the true God; idols cannot do what He has done (see on ch. 41:4, 21–26). Since I appointed. By a rearrangement of the Hebrew text of this clause and the next, the RSV reads, “Who has announced from of old the things to come?” There is no fundamental alteration of the thought.

Fear ye not. See on ch. 41:10. No God. Literally, “no Rock”; Heb. ṣur, a common Scriptural term for God, denoting His enduring qualities and His strength (see Deut. 32:4; 2 Sam. 22:3; 23:3; Ps. 18:2; cf. Isa. 26:4). Israel has nothing to fear with God as their strength and defense.

Vanity. Heb. tohu, “nothingness,” “emptiness” (see on Gen. 1:2; Isa. 41:29). Their delectable things. That is, things in which they take delight, particularly things connected with idol worship. Their own witnesses. The blind, senseless idols bear eloquent testimony to the fact that they are blind and know nothing.

The rain. Men may plant the seed from which the tree sprouts, but only God can make it grow. Without the power of God there would be no tree from which to carve an idol

Yea, he maketh a god. It is a mere matter of chance which piece of wood is used for fuel and which for the idol!

He burneth part. The folly of making a god out of something a man has the power to destroy! He roasteth roast. Dead Sea scroll 1QIs reads, “upon his charcoal he sits.”

Deliver me. The wood could not have delivered itself from the fire had he chosen to burn it instead of worship it! How foolish of a man who has used most of his wood for fuel to shape one of the leftover sticks into an idol and expect it to have the strength and the intelligence to save his life!

They have not known. Men who do worship images have little knowledge. Their foolish hearts are dark, and though they profess to be wise they are fools (Rom. 1:21–23). Shut their eyes. See on ch. 6:9, 10.

The stock of a tree. Literally, “the dry wood of a tree.” He who worships an idol merely pays reverence to a block of wood. He talks to it and bows down before it, little thinking that it would be as sensible to make his requests to a staff or a doorpost.

He feedeth on ashes. How foolish a man would be to make a meal of ashes, expecting nourishment from them. It is equally foolish to think that an idol can benefit man.

Remember these. God calls Israel to heed what He has said about the folly of worshiping idols. Israel belongs to God; they are to serve Him.

As a thick cloud. As sun and wind disperse clouds, so God sweeps away the transgressions of His people.

Sing, O ye heavens. The “heavens” and the “lower parts of the earth” are figurative for all the world (see on ch. 40:22). Not only Israel, but all the earth, is to rejoice in the knowledge of God’s love and grace.

That maketh all things. See on ch. 40:12, 22, 26, 28. The heavens. See on chs. 34:4; 40:22.

Tokens. Heb. ’othoth, “signs,” “tokens,” “omens.” This refers to the signs given by the pagan wise men to substantiate their claims. God would confound the wisdom of these pagans and prove their words untrue. Mad. Not insane, but foolish. As their predictions come to nought they will stand exposed as the fools that they are.

Confirmeth the word. As God reveals the folly of false prophets, so He establishes the reliability of true prophets. Their predictions are fulfilled (see on Jer. 28:9). His servant. In this case, probably the prophet Isaiah (see on ch. 41:8). Thou shalt be inhabited. A century and more before Jerusalem was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and its people carried into captivity, God foretold its restoration. This is a most remarkable prediction, in striking contrast with the prophecy concerning the city of Babylon, that eventually it would be as completely desolate as Sodom and Gomorrah, and never again be inhabited (see ch. 13:19, 20).

The deep. Heb. ṣulah, “[ocean or river] depth.” This is the only use of the word in the OT. This prediction was fulfilled when Cyrus turned the waters of the Euphrates out of their course in order that his soldiers might enter Babylon. Jeremiah made similar predictions concerning the fall of Babylon, comparing it to the drying up of the river Euphrates (see on Jer. 50:38; 51:36; cf. Rev. 16:12).

Cyrus. This is a remarkable prophecy in that it mentions Cyrus by name, a century and a half before his time, and foretells the remarkable part he was to play in the liberation of the Jews (for a similar advance prophecy given concerning Josiah’s reform see 1 Kings 13:2). Cyrus must have been greatly astonished to learn that a Jewish prophecy named him, described his capture of Babylon, and predicted his policy toward the captive Jews, a century and a half before his birth (see PK 557). My shepherd. In overthrowing Babylon and liberating the Jews, Cyrus did for literal Israel what Christ will accomplish for all His chosen ones in the overthrow of mystical Babylon and the deliverance of His people from her dominion (Rev. 18:2–4, 20; Rev. 19:1, 2). Thou shalt be built. Soon after capturing Babylon, Cyrus issued the decree that permitted the captive Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple (2 Chron. 36:22, 23; see on Ezra 1:1–4).