Isaiah 41

Isaiah 41:1

3. Comfort from the Holy One of Israel (Chap. 41)41:1 God summons the nations to a confrontation with Him; they should renew their strength, i.e., produce their strongest arguments. 41:2-4 Jehovah first describes His calling of Cyrus, the one from the east. The past tense is used to describe the certainty of what is still future. It should be mentioned here that some commentators believe verses 2 and 3 refer to the call of Abraham, but the military victories of the man described here far overshadow Abraham’s achievements. This man (Cyrus, King of Persia) has an unbroken record of victories. In the path of his juggernaut, resistance is as weak as dust and stubble. He advances swiftly into places that are new to him. Who raised up Cyrus and calls one generation to succeed another? It is Jehovahthe first; and with the last, that is, with the last generation, He is still the same. 41:5-7 The nations are terrified as they hear of the conqueror’s approach. The people try to encourage one another that there is nothing to fear. Then they hastily fashion an idol to save them from destruction. The poor idol has to be nailed into place so it will not totter! 41:8-10 Verses 8-20 describe God’s personal love and care for His people. The implied question is, “Have idols ever cared for you so tenderly?” God has called them from Ur of the Chaldees to be His servant; they are assured of His presence, His relationship, His help, and His sustaining power in what must be one of the loveliest verses in Isaiah: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.41:11-16 Their enemies shall perish and disappear; God is their Helper and Redeemer. The Lord will use Israel as His threshing sledge against the nations and Israel will rejoice in the LORD alone. 41:17-20 The poor and needy will be cared for by the Lord. The millennial earth will have water in abundance, and the wilderness will flourish with a great variety of trees. It will be a lesson to all that the LORD really cares for His own. 41:21-24 In verse 21, God switches back to His controversy with the nations. He challenges them to produce idols which can predict things to come, or even account for things that already are. Let them prophesy, or let them do good or evilanything to show that they can do something! But they cannot. They are a fraction of nothing not even complete nothing. 41:25-28 Cyrus comes into view again in verse 25, this time as one from the north. He originally came from Persia (the east, v. 2), then he conquered Media (the north), and proceeded on his conquests from there. Cyrus called on God’s name in the sense that he acknowledged God as the One who guided and empowered him (Ezr_1:2). No idol had ever predicted the coming of Cyrus. God told it in advance to His people, but He cannot find one among the idols to speak with authority. They are all a delusion, and unworthy of trust. 41:29 The last verse in chapter 41 clearly reveals the contrast between God and worthless “molded images.” Vine renders it close to the original as follows: Look at them all! Vanity! Their productions are nothingness; wind and desolation are their molten images.