Isaiah 44:21-28--The LORD Redeems Israel

Isaiah 44:21-28
English Standard Version

The LORD Redeems Israel
21 Remember these things, O Jacob,
    and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
    O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
22 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
    and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.

23 Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it;
    shout, O depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
    O forest, and every tree in it!
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,
    and will be glorified in Israel.

​24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,
    who formed you from the womb:
“I am the LORD, who made all things,
    who alone stretched out the heavens,
    who spread out the earth by myself,
25 who frustrates the signs of liars
    and makes fools of diviners,
who turns wise men back
    and makes their knowledge foolish,
26 who confirms the word of his servant
    and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’
    and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,
    and I will raise up their ruins’;
27 who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;
    I will dry up your rivers’;
28 who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,
    and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
    and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”

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The first think the LORD reminds His people Israel of is that they are His people--they have been bought with a price and are not their own.  They are His, but He is benevolent and has not forgotten about them and will not forget about them.  Second, He remind s them that if it were not for His grace and mercy, they would all stand condemned by their sins--both their transgressions and their iniquities.  It is only because their sins have been blotted out of the record that they have any chance of being declared righteous before the LORD.

All of heaven and earth will rejoice at what the LORD has done to redeem His people, so why do His people not rejoice for what He has done for them?  He gave them the ability to worship and praise Him with their voices and hands and all kinds of musical instruments.  He gave them the ability to dance and sing and shout for joy.  Why then are they silent, and worse, why are they worshiping other gods?

The LORD is the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them (including us, so He owns everything).  He is also the one that exposes the lies of the false teachers and false prophets, yet He confirms the words of His spokesmen (the prophets and apostles) with signs and wonders.  He shows the wisdom of this world to be pure foolishness, but He gives wisdom and grace to those who humbly ask for it.

Then comes an amazing prophecy!  King Cyrus is named as the LORD's servant to do His biding before there ever was a King Cyrus.  There is no doubt that the LORD did use King Cyrus as His chosen instrument to accomplish His plans, but this creates a huge problem for those who don't believe in the inspiration of Scripture and have trouble believing that the LORD told the prophets this information ahead of time.  Certainly, there was no way for Isaiah to influence the naming of the one who could become king in a foreign government and to make him do all the things that the LORD said he would do.  It is also foolish to think that anyone would want to go in after the fact and write this into the biblical account--what Jew would want to say that the LORD had to use a Gentile king to accomplish His purposes?  Wouldn't they want their hero to be from the nation of Israel?  It does not make sense, yet it is exactly the pattern God had set up when the people came out of slavery in Egypt--the LORD caused the Egyptians to give up all their wealth and treasure which was used to build the Tabernacle.  Now, the wealth and treasure of those that took the Israelites into Exile would be used to rebuild the Temple.