43:1 Now, this is what the Lord says, the one who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: “Don’t be afraid, for I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine.
Jehovah is the name which is used to show that God is the covenant-keeping-promise-keeping God of Israel. Unlike man, Jehovah makes promises and He keeps promises.
In the last chapter, Israel fell into sin which she could not pay back. Therefore, God allowed the Gentile nations to enslave Israel and plunder her.
Jehovah created and formed Israel for a special purpose. She was to bring the Messiah into the world. She was to write and keep the Scriptures. She was to become priests to all of the Gentile nations.
Since Jehovah created and formed Israel, then He was also Her Kinsman-Redeemer. According to the Mosaic Law, if an individual went into debt that he could not pay, then the individual would have to serve his debtor for seven years in order to pay off the debt. He would be released during the Year of Jubilee celebration. The kinsman-redeemer could possibly pay off the debt if he met three conditions. First, he would have to be a near relative. Second, he would have to be wealthy enough to afford the debt. Third, he would have to be willing to pay the debt.
Israel went into debt with her sin. She could not pay her debt. However, she had a Kinsman-Redeemer who would protect her. Jehovah was the Kinsman-Redeemer. He was a near relative, since He created and formed Israel. He had the wealth to pay for Israel's sins. He was willing to pay the price for Israel's sin.
43:2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you.
Israel will walk through some tough parts of her history, but Jehovah is her Kinsman-Redeemer. Jehovah will be with her all of the way. He will be ready to redeem her.
43:3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your deliverer. I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price, Ethiopia and Seba in place of you.
Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba were three major nations on the African continent. As Kinsman-Redeemer, Jehovah owned all of the nations of the world, including Africa.
43:4 Since you are precious and special in my sight, and I love you, I will hand over people in place of you, nations in place of your life.
After the Babylonian Captivity, Jehovah would give Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Sabeans to Cyrus the Great of Persia as a redemption price for Israel. Jehovah was willing to give up all of the African continent for Israel.
43:5 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. From the east I will bring your descendants; from the west I will gather you.6 I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’ and to the south, ‘Don’t hold any back!’ Bring my sons from distant lands, and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth,7 everyone who belongs to me, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed—yes, whom I made!
Notice that Jehovah will regather Israel from all of the nations of the world. This cannot be the return from the Babylonian Captivity, because Babylon was only a regional regathering. The return from Babylon was not a worldwide regathering. This regathering of verses 6-9 will occur at the end of the Great Tribulation.
43:8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, those who are deaf, even though they have ears!
In verses 8-13, God called Israel to become His witness. However, Israel was a witness who was spiritually blind. She could not see the truth. She was also spiritually deaf. She would not obey the truth. However, she would be able to testify 150 years later to the other Gentile nations that Isaiah wrote down these prophecies in advance. She would also be able to proclaim that Jehovah fulfilled all of these written prophecies.
43:9 All nations gather together, the peoples assemble. Who among them announced this? Who predicted earlier events for us? Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right; let them listen and affirm, ‘It is true.’
Since Jehovah is the one true God, then He can predict the future without error. Jehovah predicted that Israel would go into the Babylonian Captivity, but she would be brought back into her land by a future leader from the Media-Persian Empire. This prophecy was very specific and it would be fulfilled exactly as Isaiah had written it. Isaiah recorded this prophecy 150 years in advance. Liberals have to falsely late date this book or falsely claim that there were two or three Isaiahs, because they are too biased to adit that the Bible contains prophecy.
Therefore, Jehovah called all of the Jews and Gentiles to His court case. He challenged all of the Gentile nations to ask their idols to make these same kinds of detailed prophecies.
43:10 You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe in me, and understand that I am he. No god was formed before me, and none will outlive me.
Jehovah was speaking to the Israelites who were living in Isaiah’s day. He was not speaking to modern Jehovah Witnesses.
Jehovah asked Israel to be witnesses to the Gentiles about three different things. First, Jehovah is the only true God. There were no other gods before Jehovah. There will be no other gods after Jehovah. This meant that all of the idols of the Gentiles were false gods.
43:11 I, I am the Lord, and there is no deliverer besides me. 12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed, and there was no other god among you. You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God.
Second, Israel was to witness to the Gentiles that Jehovah is the only Savior of Israel. Israel worshiped Bel, Baal, and Ashteroth, but none of these idols could redeem Israel from Babylon. The polytheistic gods of the Gentiles could not deliver Israel, because they did not exist. Jehovah was the only one who could deliver Israel from the Babylonians.
Jehovah Witnesses use this verse to claim that Jesus is not the Savior of the world. In this verse, Jehovah was not speaking to modern Jehovah Witnesses. He was speaking to Israel, who was about to enter into the Babylonian Captivity. Israel’s only deliverer from the Babylon Captivity would be Jehovah.
43:13 From this day forward I am he; no one can deliver from my power; I will act, and who can prevent it?”
Third, Israel was to witness to the Gentiles that no one could stop God from delivering Israel from Babylon. God had decreed the Babylonian Captivity and the destruction of Babylon before the foundations of the world were even created. Therefore, no one could stop this sovereign decision of God. This meant that it would do Israel no good to pray to worthless idols.
43:14 This is what the Lord says, your protector, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I send to Babylon and make them all fugitives, turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs.
Jehovah is the "Holy One of Israel" because He keeps His covenants and He is the Kinsman-Redeemer of Israel. For Judah’s sake, Jehovah would send the Medes and Persians to conquer Babylon.
It is important to note that the Babylonians were very proud that they had built ships which could navigate the waters from the Euphrates River to the Persian Gulf. No other nation at that time (including Assyria) had ever accomplished this great feat. However, when Cyrus the Great of the Median-Persian Empire attacked Babylon, then Babylon would become fugitives on her own ships.
43:15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the one who created Israel, your king.”
Jehovah is the covenant-keeping-promise-keeping God of Israel. He is holy, because He created Israel. He is also the King of Israel. Therefore, when Babylon attacks Israel, then they are attacking the Holy King of Israel.
43:16 This is what the Lord says, the one who made a road through the sea, a pathway through the surging waters,
In verses 16-17, Jehovah reminded Judah of His past miracles with Israel during the Exodus period. Jehovah protected Israel in the past by dividing the Red Sea and the Jordan River.
43:17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction, together with a mighty army. They fell down, never to rise again; they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick:
In the past, Jehovah protected Israel by wiping out the entire Egyptian army by drowning them in the Red Sea.
43:18 “Don’t remember these earlier events; don’t recall these former events.
Verses 18-22 recorded the new miracles which Jehovah would perform when He would deliver Israel out of Babylon.
43:19 “Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the desert and paths in the wilderness.
When Jehovah delivered Israel out of the Babylonian Captivity, then He would perform new miracles. He would make a new road from Babylon to Israel. He would perform even greater miracles that that of the dividing of the Red Sea.
43:20 The wild animals of the desert honor me, the jackals and ostriches, because I put water in the desert and streams in the wilderness, to quench the thirst of my chosen people,
When God would bring Israel out of the Babylonian Captivity, then the desert creatures would rejoice. While Jehovah provides food and water for these returning Jews, then the desert creatures would benefit from the food and water in the desert as well.
43:21 the people whom I formed for myself, so they might praise me.”
Jehovah would perform miracles in the desert so that those returning from Babylon would praise Jehovah.
43:22 “But you did not call for me, O Jacob; you did not long for me, O Israel.
Israel did not call God. They were not interested in serving God. They were satisfied with living in the slavery system of Babylon. God called Israel. God went into Babylon and rescued Israel from slavery, even though Israel never asked (except for Daniel). It is important to note that only a small percentage of the Jews returned to Israel. Most of them preferred to remain in the slavery system of Babylon.
43:23 You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings; you did not honor me with your sacrifices. I did not burden you with offerings; I did not make you weary by demanding incense.
In verse 23-26, God showed that Israel did not deserve this deliverance from Babylon. The Jews were not offering their Mosaic sacrifices to God.
43:24 You did not buy me aromatic reeds; you did not present to me the fat of your sacrifices. Yet you burdened me with your sins; you made me weary with your evil deeds.
Instead of offering lambs to Jehovah, Israel was offering sins to Jehovah.
43:25 I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake; your sins I do not remember.
Even though Israel continually sinned against Jehovah, He still blotted out her sins. He refused to remember her sins.
43:26 Remind me of what happened! Let’s debate! You, prove to me that you are right!
Jehovah asked Israel to debate about their relationship.
43:27 The father of your nation sinned; your spokesmen rebelled against me.
Since Israel did not state her case, Jehovah presented His case. Adam was the father of the human race. Abraham was the father of the nation of Israel. The spokesmen were the prophets. They all rebelled against God.
43:28 So I defiled your holy princes, and handed Jacob over to destruction, and subjected Israel to humiliating abuse.”
Therefore, Jehovah had to discipline Israel. He did so by destruction, disgrace, and scorn via the Babylonian Captivity.