The God of Israel set Israel aside, but He will redeem them.
We often read the word redeem in the scriptures. What does the word mean? Christians, in many ways, live in their own bubble. We use words and phrases that only fit into our ‘church world.’ The words redeem or redemption are a good example of that. The words don’t apply anywhere outside of the church — usually. But the irony is, that many Christians don’t understand the meaning of some of the ‘Bible words’ they use in Church.
So, I ask again, what does the word redeem mean? To answer that, I’ll start by quoting one of the popular verses with the word redeem in it.
Titus 2:14
Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Jesus will redeem us
Jesus gave himself to redeem us. The word refers to a commercial transaction. It was a business deal. Adam and Eve gave up humanity’s claim to stewardship over the earth. They chose a life of sin and rebellion and were kicked out of the garden. The rest is the history we are familiar with.
To fix the problem that started in the garden, God purchased us back from our slavery to sin. We can get into theological trouble when we try to figure out to who the purchase price was given. The purchase price was the blood of Jesus. But it’s incorrect to say the transaction was between Satan and God. It’s better to see it as Jesus, the perfect man, and replacement for Adam, paying the price to God His Father.
The Father sent the Son to buy mankind out of the slave market. Mankind essentially sold themselves into slavery for a piece of fruit. There’s the worst deal ever made. Redemption is a buyback. Through the purchase price of his own Son, God bought back what was once his.
Isaiah 43:1 God will redeem Israel
“But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!”
In this verse, the Lord renews his promise to Israel. He promised to deliver them from the immense troubles they had found themselves ensnared in. As we so often see in the scriptures, God follows a severe rebuke with a reminder of his unfailing love and mercy. We read about a harsh rebuke in the previous chapter of Isaiah. See here in Isaiah 42:18-25. But God’s prophet had previously laid a foundation of merciful promises in earlier chapters. See the following, Isaiah 1:25-27, Isaiah 4:2-6, and Isaiah 9:1-16.
Isaiah’s words assure Israel that God had not cast them away for good. Yes, more punishment would follow, such as the Babylonian captivity. But mercy and God’s faithfulness to his promises would prevail. The punishments they were enduring, and the ones that would come after shouldn’t cause them to question their place in God’s purpose. In the New Testament, we learn that no discipline is pleasant but it has a purpose.
In time, Israel would undergo a change. God would redeem them, which means he would buy them out of the trouble they were in. It’s like when a criminal is bailed out by a friend or family member. The person doesn’t necessarily deserve it. God will keep his promise to the Jewish people because of his name, not their good character.
Isaiah 43:2 They will walk through fire.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.”
The flood waters of discipline were coming for the Jews. Next up was Babylon, (Assyria had already taken the ten northern tribes). But Babylon was only the first of four world empires that would rule over them. The final one, Rome, would initiate what looked like the death knell for the nation. After the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, they were scattered into many Gentile nations. But, as God promised, they were not forgotten. In 1948 the nation was restored to life. But we still await their spiritual rebirth which will take place during the tribulation.
To read this verse, one’s faith can’t avoid the obvious challenge in the words. The Jews did indeed walk through the fire, but most were scorched and died. We remember the three friends of Daniel who walked into the king’s furnace and lived. But what of all the others who didn’t enjoy such a miracle? That’s the point at which theirs and our faith are challenged. God won’t always keep us from death or severe troubles. But the mercy and promises of God aren’t false.
We must learn to see our troubles from a heavenly/eternal perspective. The troubles of this life are not comparable to the glory of eternity.
Isaiah 43:3 The Father is also the Savior
“For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place.”
Here in the third verse of this chapter, Isaiah begins to use a favored title for the Lord. The prophet applied the title ‘Savior’ to God several more times in the latter third of his book of prophecies. In our New Testament era, it’s a term we are familiar with. We are comfortable applying it to Jesus. But in the Old Testament, it wasn’t a common name associated with God. This regular use of the term helps in another important Christian doctrine.
Jesus compared himself favorably with God the Father. He once said, “I and the Father are One.” At another time, he said, “To see me is to see the Father.” He made these comparisons with such regularity that the Jews once tried to throw him off a cliff. They claimed he was blasphemous when he took the revered name of God, ‘the I Am.’
The Savior is our Redeemer
And now, with the regular use of the title ‘Savior’ applied to the Almighty, this is another collection of verses that point toward the Deity of Christ.
Isaiah’s references to Egypt, Cush, and Seba, are significant predictions. The Babylonian captivity was still years away and after them, the Medo-Persian Empire would take power. It was during the Medo-Persian Empire that Egypt and Cush (Ethiopia) were conquered. In God’s big picture, Egypt and that region served as a payment to the Medes and Persians for letting the Israelites return to their land after the Babylonian captivity.
Isaiah 43:4 You are precious so I will redeem you.
“Since you are precious in My sight Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.”
As a big fan of ‘The Hobbit and ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ it’s hard for me to read the word precious without thinking of the unnatural love for the ring of power in that fictional story.
God did set Israel apart as ‘precious.’ And we can even say his love was unnatural. It was supernatural. 🙂 For his own purpose, God set the nation of Israel as his own portion among all the nations. He favored them. In this verse, he says he would give men and people in exchange for the life of the Jewish people.
I’ll say what many people think but are often embarrassed to say.
That’s not fair, or so it seems.
But it’s not about fairness. God wants all men to be saved, (and of course women and children too). The Lord chose Israel and set them apart as an example. He favored them, gave them special attention, and provided wise leaders. He did this while knowing they would fail miserably in the purpose that God had intended for them. We can complain about the lack of fairness, but we should realize that we wouldn’t want to be in the situations the Jews went through. Their colossal failure is an example to all of us. God’s love is consistent and unconditional despite them and despite us. The same love applies to us. We are supposed to learn how merciful God is, not question why God loves some people more than others.
Now, as Christians, we can make the same claim of being one of God’s favorites. But the atheist, for example, can’t make that claim because of the rejection of God’s love.
Isaiah 43:5 The diaspora and the re-gathering are predicted
“Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, And gather you from the west.”
Compare this ‘fear not’ with what we saw in Isaiah 41:10. In this verse, Isaiah is predicting the vast diaspora that never fully took place until after 70 AD. It had begun when Assyria conquered the northern tribes, but not to the extent that the prophet describes here. The Jews of the north were taken captive by Ninevah and later into Media (2 Kings 17:6, 1 Chronicles 5:26). It is estimated that about two hundred thousand Jews were taken to Nineveh by Sennacherib. But again, the full diaspora into all nations, and to the four corners of the globe took place after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. Compare this verse to Isaiah 11:11).
Isaiah 43:6 God will redeem them from every nation.
“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth.”
The world saw this prophecy fulfilled in 1948. It was then that the world governments came together and agreed to restore the Nation of Israel to its original homeland. The horrors of World War Two and the Holocaust forced the nations to come to a logical decision. But almost immediately, the resettling of the Jews caused tensions to explode in the Middle East. The final solution for the Jews has not been settled. Jesus is their final solution.
Hitler tried to rid the world of the Jews. Many of the Arab nations of today hope for the same thing. This same lust that lived in Hitler, will lead to the final climactic events of Armageddon in the near future.
Isaiah 43:7 God will redeem those called by His Name.
“Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
The name “Israel” meant “prince of God.” The name was given to Patriarch Jacob after spending a night wrestling with God. Also, the idea of one who “struggles with God,” is in the name of Israel. So, every Israelite had the name of God in their heritage. Archeologists found what they called the ‘Moabite Stone.’ On the stone, the Jews were called ‘Jehovah-worshippers.’ Thus another example of them referred to as a people called by God’s name.
But that fact brings us back to the sad irony of their history. They continually rebelled against God’s laws. They paraded themselves as unique and very religious, but they continually fell into idolatry. And the hard lessons weren’t learned very well. In the end, they will finally give in to God’s unconditional love. They will mourn for the sin of rejecting their Messiah. Then God will forgive them and they will finally fulfill their role as stewards of God’s temple and city. That will take place during the Millennium.
1 Chronicles 17:21
And who is like your people Israel – the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?
Let me know what you think.