Isaiah 43
BSASBGod speaks comfort to Israel: He made them, redeemed them, and will bring them home from every direction. He calls them as witnesses that He alone is God and Savior, promises a new thing greater than the old exodus, and declares that He forgives sin for His own sake. The chapter ends with a hard reminder of Israel’s failure and its consequences.
Isaiah 43:1
God opens with tenderness. The One who made Israel now says, do not fear. His reasons are three: He redeemed them, He knows them by name, and they are His. Their security rests on who God is and what He has done, not on their strength.
BSA: redeemed (“bought back, saved”): Redemption means God paid to win back what was lost, and the people now belong to Him. called (“summoned, invited”): God addresses His people personally, as one who knows each by name.
Hebrew: גָּאַלְתִּיךָ (ga’altikha, H1350) — “I have redeemed you.” The word is from the family-rescuer who buys back a relative from slavery or loss. God presents Himself as Israel’s near kinsman.
See also: Exodus 6:6; Isaiah 44:22.
Isaiah 43:2
God does not promise a life without water or fire. He promises His presence in them. Floods and flames picture the dangers that threaten His people, and they will not finish them. Many believers have found this a comfort in their own trials.
BSA: with you (“as your constant companion”): The promise is not escape from danger but God’s company in the middle of it.
See also: Psalm 23:4; Daniel 3:25.
Isaiah 43:3-4
God gives the reason for His care: He is the LORD, the Holy One, their Savior, and He loves them. Nations like Egypt and Cush are named as a ransom, showing how highly He values His people. The language is poetic, picturing how much He will give for them.
BSA: ransom (“a redemption price, atonement”): A ransom is a price paid to set someone free, showing how costly Israel is to God. precious (“highly valued”): Israel is not valued for what it does but because God Himself treasures it.
Isaiah 43:5-7
Again God says, do not be afraid, for I am with you. The scattered exiles will be gathered from east, west, north and south. He calls them His sons and daughters. They were created for His glory, and that is their purpose and worth.
BSA: glory (“honor, splendor”): God’s people exist to show His greatness to the world.
See also: Isaiah 49:12; Ephesians 1:12.
Isaiah 43:8
God now turns to a courtroom scene. Israel is summoned as a people with working eyes and ears who still do not perceive. They have seen God’s works and heard His word, yet remain spiritually dull. They are called forward anyway, to be witnesses.
BSA: blind (“physically or spiritually unable to see”): The blindness here is spiritual: they have sight but fail to recognize what God has done.
See also: Isaiah 6:9-10.
Isaiah 43:9
God challenges the nations and their gods to prove their case. Can any idol foretell events or explain what has happened? Let them bring witnesses who confirm it. The point is that only the true God knows and declares the future.
BSA: vindicate (“justify, prove right”): The gods would have to show by proof that they are in the right, which they cannot do.
See also: Isaiah 41:21-23.
Isaiah 43:10
Israel is God’s chosen witness and servant. They are to look at what He has done, believe Him, and understand that He is the one true God. No god came before Him and none will follow. He alone is eternal.
BSA: believe (“trust, have faith in me”): Belief here means trusting a person, not only agreeing with a fact.
Hebrew: אֲנִי הוּא (ani hu, H589) — “I am He.” This is a short, solemn way for God to say He is the One, always the same. It echoes His name and points to His unchanging being.
See also: Isaiah 44:6; John 8:58.
Isaiah 43:11-13
There is no Savior besides the LORD. He announced, rescued and made it known, and no foreign god did it. No one can snatch from His hand, and no one can undo what He does. His salvation is complete and sure.
BSA: Savior (“beside me, apart from me”): Rescue comes from God alone; no other power can truly save. deliver (“rescue, snatch away”): Nothing and no one can pull God’s people out of His grasp.
See also: Acts 4:12; John 10:28-29.
Isaiah 43:14-15
God promises to act against Babylon, the power that would hold Israel captive. The Chaldeans, proud of their ships, will flee as fugitives. This is done for the sake of His people. He is their Redeemer, Holy One, Creator and King.
BSA: Redeemer (“the Holy One who buys back, rescues”): The same God who set them apart is the one who rescues them from bondage. fugitives (“those who flee, escape”): The mighty would become runaways, a sharp turn for a proud empire.
Isaiah 43:16-17
God recalls the Exodus, when He opened a path through the sea and the Egyptian chariots and horses were destroyed. Their power was put out like a lamp wick. He who did this once can do it again.
BSA: snuffed out (“like flax, as a wick”): A wick pinched out shows how easily God ends an army that seemed unstoppable.
See also: Exodus 14:21-28.
Isaiah 43:18-19
God says not to dwell on the former things, even the great Exodus. A new work is already springing up. It is something so fresh that people may miss it. Where there was only desert, He will make a road and streams.
BSA: new (“recently created, renewed”): God is not repeating the past but doing something fresh and greater.
Hebrew: חֲדָשָׁה (chadashah, H2319) — “new.” The word speaks of something fresh and unused, not just a repeat. It points to a work that goes beyond what had been.
See also: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Revelation 21:5.
Isaiah 43:20-21
Even wild creatures will honor God for the water He gives in the dry places. His chosen people are provided for first, and they are formed for His own purpose. They are made so that they will tell out His praise.
BSA: formed (“shaped, molded like a potter”): God shaped His people with care and purpose, as a potter shapes clay. praise (“a song of worship, admiration”): Their purpose is to sing and tell of God’s goodness.
See also: 1 Peter 2:9.
Isaiah 43:22-24
The charge turns against Israel. They had not called on God and had grown tired of Him. Their offerings were neglected or offered without heart. Instead of serving Him, they loaded Him with their sins. God has not been the burden to them; they have been to Him.
BSA: weary (“exhausted, tired”): Israel’s heart had grown tired of God, so that seeking Him felt like a chore. burdened (“weighed down, oppressed”): The picture is startling: God bears the weight of His people’s sins.
See also: Isaiah 1:11-14; Malachi 1:13.
Isaiah 43:25
Yet God offers great grace. He Himself wipes out their transgressions and does not hold their sins against them any more. He does this for His own sake, because it is who He is: mercy comes from His character, not from our worth.
BSA: blots out (“wipes away, erases”): Sin is wiped away like writing from a page, leaving nothing behind. for My own sake (“because of who I am, for My own purpose”): Forgiveness flows from God’s own nature, not from anything we earn.
Hebrew: מֹחֶה (mokheh, H4229) — “blotting out.” The word can describe wiping a dish clean or erasing writing. God’s pardon is a thorough cleaning.
See also: Isaiah 44:22; Acts 3:19.
Isaiah 43:26
God invites Israel to plead its case. If they believe they have a defense, let them state it. The challenge shows that they have nothing to offer, so that forgiveness can only be a gift. The invitation is fair and open.
BSA: vindicated (“justified, declared righteous, made right”): If they could prove themselves right they would be cleared, but they cannot.
See also: Isaiah 1:18.
Isaiah 43:27-28
Sin runs through Israel’s whole history, from its early ancestor to its present leaders. Because of this, judgment is coming: their leaders will be shamed and the people given to ruin and scorn. The chapter ends on this sober note, which sets the great mercy of verse 25 in sharper light.
BSA: spokesmen (“teachers, leaders, interpreters”): Even those meant to speak for God and guide others had rebelled. destruction (“devoted thing, doomed”): The word means given over to judgment, set apart for ruin.