The Holy One of Israel — God Almighty — made bold predictions.
Isaiah was a prophet to the Nation of Israel. In the Book of Isaiah, we see a lot of bold prophecies. In those, God predicts future events. Here in chapter forty-one of his series of prophetic passages, Isaiah quotes from the Lord. The Lord dares any false god or phony prophet to make the bold predictions that he does. Of course, none can nor ever will.
Jacob to Israel
Israel is the name that was given to Patriarch Jacob. Jacob was a selfish man and a stereotypical Jewish man (I don’t agree with the stereotype.). It’s wrong to assign a stereotype to any culture or race, but that doesn’t stop that from happening. You should do your own studies of Jacob in order to see what I mean by that. But suffice it to say, the Lord knew what He was doing when he chose that man. Jacob was a common, failed man, like all the rest of us — never mind whether he was Jewish or not. The famous patriarch was and still is a model of the Jewish or Christian man trying to live a life that honors God. He failed miserably, just like we often do.
Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. The meaning of the name Israel is very complicated and deserves months of study rather than a simple sentence of definition. But I will give one anyway.
“He will be a prince with God.”
That phrase, by many accountants, is a good short-version definition of the name Israel. But when the name was given to Jacob, he wasn’t deserving of such a lofty title. And through the rest of his life, he never did earn it.
But still, the Lord gave him the name as a prophetic word of what future Israel would become. He wasn’t just referring to the man, but the nation that his children would grow into. But, that nation, like its namesake patriarch, never lived up to its name.
That prophecy is awaiting fulfillment in the future.
Isaiah 41:1 An announcement to the nations
“Coastlands, listen to Me in silence, And let the peoples gain new strength. Let them come forward, then let them speak, Let us come together for judgment.”
To the coastlands or the surrounding Gentile nations, God had an announcement to make. A Deliverer is coming. One who will deliver Israel will come.
Keep silent, and watch the deliverance of the Lord.
Isaiah 41:2 Is this a reference to Cyrus?
“Who has aroused one from the east Whom He calls in righteousness to His feet? He delivers up nations before him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, As the wind-driven chaff with his bow.”
God will raise up this coming deliverer. It’s best to translate this verse with the understanding that the deliverer will come to the feet of the Righteous One. See the commentary below.
King Cyrus is probably foreshadowed in this prophecy. But in a broader sense, we can also see the Righteous One, Jesus Christ.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 2. – Who raised up the righteous man, etc.? rather, who raised up from the East one whom righteousness will call to his foot. It is generally agreed among moderns that the reference is to Cyrus, who is further referred to in ver. 25, in Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 45:1-4, 13; and Isaiah 46:11.
Isaiah 41:3 The anointed one takes a difficult path
“He pursues them, passing on in safety, By a way he had not been traversing with his feet.”
This deliverer will dispense with the usual path and make a surprising decision. In the case of King Cyrus, he made the bold decision to allow the Jewish nation to rebuild its city, towns, and spiritual center.
And what must not be overlooked, Cyrus was named before he was even a twinkle in his parent’s eyes. Noone but God Almighty knew that a man named Cyrus would rise up and become a great king who would free the Jewish people.
Isaiah 41:4 The Eternal God has done this.
“Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’”
Are there any other gods who can make such a claim? Only the God of the Bible, the Eternal I am, can make such a claim and follow it up with precise fulfillment.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 4. – Who hath wrought and done it? i.e. “by whom has this mighty conqueror been raised up?” Can any of the idol-gods claim him as their protege? Assuredly not. He is my work. I, Jehovah, that have called (into being) the generations (of man) from the beginning (of the world) – I, Jehovah, the First, and with the last, am he that he has done this thing. By “the First, and with the last” – a favourite phrase in these later chapters (see Isaiah 45:6 and Isaiah 48:12) – seems to be meant simply “the Eternal” (comp. Revelation 1:8, 11, 17, Revelation 2:8, Revelation 21:6, Revelation 22:13).
Isaiah 41:5 The earth shook when the Persian army marched
“The coastlands have seen and are afraid, The ends of the earth tremble, They have drawn near and have come.”
When the Persians merged with the Medes an unstoppable force was built for God’s purpose. The prophet Daniel predicted a sudden fall of Babylon. The Medo-Persian Kingdom was the tool God intended to use. A unique weapon used by the Persians was the war elephant. Mounted on the top of trained elephants were archers. This was a terrifying weapon and surely shook the ground for miles when their armies advanced on the opposition.
Isaiah 41:6 Neighbors try to encourage strength.
“Each one helps his neighbor And says to his brother, “Be strong!”
When the Persian army sacked Babylon, the known world trembled. Who could stop them now? So the only thing to do was for neighbors to encourage one another to be strong.
Isaiah 41:7 Craftsmen tried to build better false gods.
“So the craftsman encourages the smelter, And he who smooths metal with the hammer encourages him who beats the anvil, Saying of the soldering, “It is good”; And he fastens it with nails So that it will not totter.”
In many cultures, past, and present, when dangerous armies threatened, they often turned to their religion. Whatever god they served, they tried to believe their god would defend them. In this verse, the prophet tells of craftsmen going back to the drawing board in order to build idols of their god that wouldn’t fall when the siege began. If the image of their god fell, it meant their god was weak. The true God doesn’t need an image, he stands on his own.
Isaiah 41:8 God raised up a servant.
“But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend,”
This verse introduces “the servant of the Lord,” who is prominent in many future passages of Isaiah. Here, we see that the Jewish nation was chosen as a servant of the Lord. How did they do? But before you answer you should remember to ask, How am I doing? We need to check our own walk before we rush to judge others. As I said in the opening, Jacob failed but is a perfect model for the rest of us who do the same.
This verse calls our attention to Paul’s doctrinal statements about the seed of Abraham. Paul taught three aspects of this doctrine. He referred to the seed of Abraham according to the flesh. And the true seed who are heirs of the faith of Abraham. And last and most important the promised seed, which is none other than Christ Himself (Romans 9:7; Galatians 3:7; Galatians 3:16).
Isaiah 41:9 Israel was chosen to serve God.
“You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.”
The Lord pulled Abraham out of an idol-worshipping country, in Ur of the Chaldees. Later he brought the children of Jacob out of Egypt. After that, he pulled them out of the nations following the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests.
Isaiah 41:10 Israel, don’t fear what you see around you.
“‘Do not fear, for I am with you, Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”
For much of Israel’s existence they have been like a poor stepchild, often beaten and abused by oppressive and conquering nations. They never fulfilled their purpose as God’s glorious nation much less His servant. Of course, Jesus, as the true seed, did fulfill that.
But despite that, God tells them not to fear. He would fulfill his promise though they failed to meet their end of the bargain.
Isaiah 41:11 Israel will grow strong, her enemies weak.
“Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored, Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.”
Scholars debate the fulfillment of this prophecy. When did it happen as Isaiah predicted? Some suggest it must be when the zealots of the Maccabean revolt fought and won their small victories. But I think another answer makes more sense. It hasn’t been fulfilled yet, but will once the final king, the Antichrist is broken in the land.
Isaiah 41:12 Those who war with Israel will cease to exist.
“You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.”
During the Millennium, Christ will reign and sit on a throne in Jerusalem. That’s when Israel will see this prophecy fulfilled. It’s not an allegory that refers to the Church. No, it’s the Jewish nation.
Isaiah 41:13 The Lord will take your hand.
“For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’”
The oppressed will have a strong hand to hold on to. They will rise up because of the strength of another. It’s not by their own strength that Israel will be able to claim victory. The same applies to our own lives.
Isaiah 41:14 The Redeemer buys the worm Jacob
“Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel, I will help you,” declares the LORD, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.”
Jacob is a worm. Remember, it’s Israel that’s in focus. No one wants to be called vile names, but in the Bible, this picked-on country gets called out a lot. But God warns those who fight against her. The Redeemer, the Holy One, will buy her back from slavery and captivity.
No cost is too high, not even the blood of God’s First-born Son.
Thy Redeemer. The word goel, is used for the first time by Isaiah but is used often throughout the later chapters. The best way to understand the meaning of this word is to study the book of Ruth. In that book, we are introduced to a concept called the kinsman-redeemer. It’s a beautiful picture of the work of Christ who paid the price for the worthless bride.
Isaiah 41:15 Israel will thrash and pulverize your enemies.
“Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sled with double edges; You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them, And will make the hills like chaff.”
The prophet uses familiar agricultural terms to express the destruction of the enemies of Israel. They’ll get brand new equipment to thrash their way through their enemies.
Isaiah 41:16 They will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
“You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, And the storm will scatter them, But you will rejoice in the LORD, You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.”
It was a common practice during harvest time, to throw the grains up in the air and let them fall back to the ground. That effort caused the hard shell to break away and blow off in the wind.
This is what Isaiah is describing here.
Isaiah 41:17 The Lord will answer the afflicted and needy.
“The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them Myself, As the God of Israel I will not forsake them.”
Are you afflicted, needy, thirsty? God promised to answer those needs by addressing them himself. He’ll handle it and not leave it for another to do. The God of Israel will not forsake those he promised to keep covenant with. He won’t break his Word.
Isaiah 41:18 For the thirsty, God provides water in the wilderness.
“I will open rivers on the bare heights And springs in the midst of the valleys, I will make the wilderness a pool of water And the dry land fountains of water.”
I have hiked many miles over mountainous terrain and have crossed many rivers during those treks. Rivers are beautiful and refreshing parts of mountain hikes. They originate from rain and snow unless on rare occasions they spring from an underground well. God promised to give an abundance of water in any terrain. On the mountain tops or in the valleys, water would be provided.
Isaiah 41:19 An abundance of trees in the barren desert.
“I will put the cedar in the wilderness, The acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree, I will place the juniper in the desert Together with the box tree and the cypress.”
In this verse, we see God’s promise to grow a rich and diverse group of trees in the wilderness. When the Bible mentions the wilderness, we should think of a desert. That’s a general idea. An abundance of water in the desert will allow trees to flourish.
Isaiah 41:20 Something dramatic only the God of Israel can do.
“That they may see and recognize, And consider and gain insight as well, That the hand of the LORD has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.”
God will fix the planet. He doesn’t need our help.
I’m not a big fan of the climate change rhetoric that’s been going on for decades. If the entire planet was filled with plastic drinking straws and cigarette butts, I know the Lord has massive clean-up plans to take care of all of that. I’m not a fan of litter or abusing the planet but I know how the story ends. Mankind will not destroy the planet by the overuse of plastic straws and large cars. I’ve read the end of the story, it ends differently from what the climate fanatics are warning about.
Isaiah 41:21 The true God challenges the false gods.
“Present your case,” the LORD says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” The King of Jacob says.”
Now the Lord comes back to where he began this chapter. He challenges those who have another argument.
Pulpit Commentary
Verses 21-29. – JEHOVAH’S CONTROVERSY WITH THE NATIONS AND THEIR IDOL-GODS. The argument is now taken up from vers. 1-4. Jehovah and his worshippers are on the one side; the idol-gods and their votaries on the other. The direct challenge, however, is given by Jehovah himself to the idols:
1. What predictions of their own can they bring forward as proofs of supernatural knowledge?
Isaiah 41:22 Do false gods know the future?
“Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place. As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming.”
God boldly claimed the power to predict the future. Then he defied the false gods to give any clear prediction of future events. Idolatry was common among the surrounding nations, and divination was also common. But to make such clear predictions was impossible for gods that couldn’t see the future, never mind see at all since they were made of wood and stone.
Isaiah 41:23 The God of Israel knows the future.
“Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods. Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together.”
God goads gods. Go ahead and try to predict, let’s see how it turns out.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) Do good, or do evil.–The challenge reminds us of Elijah’s on Mount Carmel (1Kings 18:27). Can the heathen point to any good or evil fortune which, as having been predicted by this or that deity, might reasonably be thought of as his work? It lies in the nature of the case that every heathen looked to his gods as having sent blessings, or the reverse, but it was only Jehovah who could give the proof supplied by prediction.
Isaiah 41:24 The false gods bring nothing to their worshippers.
“Behold, you are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing. He who chooses you is an abomination.”
Worshipping a false god brings little or nothing to those who follow them. God calls the followers an abomination. It’s a useless endeavor to spend time with a god who can’t match the Almighty in creative power, redemptive love, untold mercy, and crosses the breadth of time and can see the future, past and present.
Isaiah 41:25 God gave specifics in his prophetic words.
“I have aroused one from the north, and he has come. From the rising of the sun, he will call on My name. And he will come upon rulers as upon mortar, Even as the potter treads clay.”
Numerous times in his word, God gave specifics about the future. Isaiah spends a lot of time with specific predictions of the Messiah. Those increase as we progress through the book. This prophecy about the raising up of King Cyrus is a remarkable prophecy that has grabbed the attention of the secular world. Like the Book of Daniel, it’s argued that it couldn’t have been written during Isaiah’s life because he couldn’t possibly have known the name of Cyrus. Well, he didn’t have to, God knew it before time began.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 25. – It remains for Jehovah to plead his own cause, to vindicate his own Divinity. He adduces, as proof of his power in action, the fact of his raising up Cyrus, as proof of his ability to predict, the fact that he has announced his coming. One from the north… from the rising of the sun. Both as a Persian and as King of Elam, Cyrus might be considered to come from the east. In fact, however, when he attacked Babylon, he fell upon it mainly from the north.
Isaiah 41:26 Can false gods announce the coming deliverer?
“Who has declared this from the beginning, that we might know? Or from former times, that we may say, “He is right!”? Surely there was no one who declared, Surely there was no one who proclaimed, Surely there was no one who heard your words.”
Can any match God in predictive ability? God began his prophetic perfection on the day Adam and Eve sinned and hid in the Garden of Eden. God promised to send a seed of a woman to fix the problem. He hasn’t failed in any prophecy. Many are still to come, but so many scholars with poor faith in God have said they were just allegory and won’t be fulfilled as God said.
That’s just poor interpretation and bad faith.
Isaiah 41:27 The God of Israel speaks bold prophecy
“Formerly I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’ And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a messenger of good news.’”
God will send a messenger of good news. I wonder who that is? It sounds like Christmas to me.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 27. – The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them; rather, the first has said. By “the first” must certainly be meant Jehovah – ” the First, and with the last” of ver. 4. He has already announced to Zion her deliverance (see Isaiah 40:9-11, Isaiah 41:2, etc.). I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. Perhaps Isaiah himself (Grotius, Stier, Delitzsch). Perhaps some prophet of the Captivity, like Daniel, who “knew by books” when the Captivity was drawing to a close (Daniel 9:2) and may be supposed to have announced the good tidings to the other exiles.
Isaiah 41:28 There is no wise counsel among false gods.
“But when I look, there is no one, And there is no counselor among them Who, if I ask, can give an answer.”
God can poke the bear of false gods because they’re false. It’s not as if there are a bunch of titans of glory and strength out there. He’s looked around. Gods of wood and stone don’t make predictions about the future.
Isaiah 41:29 The idols are false and worthless
“Behold, all of them are false. Their works are worthless, Their molten images are wind and emptiness.”
So who will you choose? Try this.
Let me know what you think.