Major Prophets · Chapter 43 of 66
Isaiah 43
God comforts Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. He promises His presence through waters and fire, gathering His scattered people from every direction. As sole Savior, He calls Israel His witnesses that He alone is God. He announces a new thing, a way in the wilderness, and freely blots out their transgressions for His own sake, despite their weariness and sin.
What happens in Isaiah 43
God speaks tender assurance: the One who created and formed Israel says, Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. He promises His presence through danger, when they pass through waters they will not be overwhelmed, and through fire they will not be burned. As Savior He gave nations as their ransom, because they are precious in His sight, and He pledges to gather His sons and daughters from every direction.
God then convenes a trial, calling Israel His witnesses to testify that He alone is God and Savior, with none before or after Him. He announces a new thing springing forth: a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Though Israel has wearied Him with sins and neglected His worship, God declares that He, for His own sake, blots out their transgressions and will not remember their sins, inviting them to plead their case.
Isaiah 43 in context
Addressed to exiles fearing they have been abandoned, this chapter answers with covenant love. Babylon has scattered them, yet God insists they remain His, redeemed and named. The courtroom motif from surrounding chapters continues, with Israel summoned as witnesses against the idols.
The new thing and the way in the wilderness recall the exodus while promising a greater return from exile, all grounded in God's free, unearned forgiveness for the sake of His own name.
Main themes of Isaiah 43
Isaiah 43 (KJV)
1But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 2When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. 4Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. 5Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; 6I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; 7Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. 8Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. 9Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth. 10Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 11I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. 12I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God. 13Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? 14Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships. 15I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. 16Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; 17Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow. 18Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 19Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. 20The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. 21This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise. 22But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel. 23Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense. 24Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities. 25I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. 26Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified. 27Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me. 28Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.
Verses to carry from Isaiah 43
“But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”Isaiah 43:1
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”Isaiah 43:2
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”Isaiah 43:25
Thematic connection
How Isaiah 43 points to Jesus
This chapter's promises find their deepest resonance in Christ. God's repeated self-declaration, I am he, using the divine I am, is echoed by Jesus in John's Gospel, where He says that unless people believe I am he they will die in their sins, claiming the very identity Isaiah gives to God alone. God's insistence that beside me there is no saviour frames the New Testament's confession of Jesus as Savior. The promise to blot out transgressions for mine own sake anticipates the free forgiveness accomplished at the cross, where sins are not merely overlooked but carried away.
Even the assurance of God's presence through waters and fire points to the Lord who is with His people through every trial. The connection is thematic, yet the language of redemption, presence, and pardon deeply prefigures the salvation Christians find in Jesus.
Questions about Isaiah 43
What comfort does thou art mine offer exiles?
To a people scattered by Babylon and fearing abandonment, God insists they still belong to Him: redeemed, called by name, and His own possession. Their security does not depend on their circumstances or even their faithfulness but on God's prior claim upon them. This is covenant love that precedes and outlasts their failure, giving frightened exiles a reason to fear not, grounded in the One who created, formed, and redeemed them.
Why does God forgive for His own sake?
Israel had wearied God with sins and neglected His worship, so their pardon cannot rest on merit. God grounds forgiveness in His own character and glory, choosing to blot out their transgressions and remember their sins no more. This protects grace from becoming a reward and reveals a God who is merciful because that is who He is, the same principle Christians see at the cross.
Reflection
When deep waters rise, God does not promise I will avoid them but that He will be with me in them, and they will not overwhelm me. And when my sin wearies even grace, He still says, I blot out your transgressions for my own sake. I am redeemed, named, and His, and that holds when nothing else does.
A prayer from Isaiah 43
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