Bible Study Isaiah 43
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Isaiah 43 · WEB

The Redeemer and Only Savior

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But now thus says Yahweh who created you, Jacob, and he who formed you, Israel: "Don't be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.
2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you.
3For I am Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I have given Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4Since you have been precious and honored in my sight, and I have loved you, therefore I will give people in your place, and nations instead of your life.
5Don't be afraid, for I am with you. I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west.
6I will tell the north, 'Give them up!' and tell the south, 'Don't keep them back!' Bring my sons from far away, and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yes, whom I have made."
8Bring out the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears.
9Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled. Who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear, and say, "That is true."
10"You are my witnesses," says Yahweh, "With my servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he. Before me there was no God formed, neither will there be after me.
11I myself am Yahweh, and besides me there is no savior.
12I have declared, I have saved, and I have shown; and there was no strange god among you. Therefore you are my witnesses," says Yahweh, "and I am God.
13Yes, since the day was, I am he; and there is no one who can deliver out of my hand. I will work, and who can hinder it?"
14Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "For your sake, I have sent to Babylon, and I will bring all of them down as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their rejoicing.
15I am Yahweh, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King."
16Thus says Yahweh, who makes a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
17who brings out the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man (they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched like a wick):
18"Don't remember the former things, and don't consider the things of old.
19Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don't you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
20The animals of the field shall honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21the people which I formed for myself, that they might declare my praise.
22"Yet you have not called on me, Jacob, but you have been weary of me, Israel.
23You have not brought me of your sheep for burnt offerings; neither have you honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, nor wearied you with frankincense.
24You have bought me no sweet cane with money, nor have you filled me with the fat of your sacrifices; but you have burdened me with your sins. You have wearied me with your iniquities.
25"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.
26Put me in remembrance. Let us plead together. Declare your case, that you may be justified.
27Your first father sinned, and your teachers have transgressed against me.
28Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; and I will make Jacob a curse, and Israel a reproach."
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Summary

Isaiah 43 opens with God's tender reassurance to Israel: he has redeemed them, called them by name, and will be with them through every trial — through floods, rivers, and fire. God declares himself the only Savior and appoints Israel as his witnesses among the nations to testify that there is no other God. He promises a new exodus — greater than the deliverance from Egypt — making rivers in the desert for his chosen people. Yet the chapter closes with a sharp rebuke: Israel has not called on God, has burdened him with sin, and yet God astoundingly blots out their transgressions for his own sake and will not remember their sins.

Themes

  • God's personal redemption and ownership of his people
  • The incomparable uniqueness of Yahweh as the only Savior
  • Israel as God's witnesses to the nations
  • The promise of a new and greater exodus
  • Unconditional forgiveness rooted in God's own character and glory

Key verses

  • Isa 43:1 — “Don't be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.”
  • Isa 43:10 — “You are my witnesses, says Yahweh, with my servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he.”
  • Isa 43:19 — “Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don't you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
  • Isa 43:25 — “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”

Context & background

Isaiah 43 was written to Israel facing the threat of Babylonian exile — Babylon corresponds to modern central Iraq. The chapter draws heavily on the memory of the Exodus from Egypt (modern Egypt) to assure the people that the God who parted the Red Sea can do something even greater — a new act of deliverance through the wilderness. References to Ethiopia (modern Ethiopia/Eritrea) and Seba (likely modern Sudan or southwestern Arabia) reflect the broad reach of ancient Near Eastern powers and trade relationships. The declaration that God is the only Savior — no God before or after him — is a direct polemic against the idol-worship that dominated the ancient world.

Cross-references

  • Exodus 14:21-22 — The original parting of the sea, the "former things" God surpasses with the new exodus promised here
  • Isaiah 44:6 — "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no God" — parallel declaration of God's exclusive sovereignty
  • Jeremiah 31:34 — "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" — echoes the promise of v.25
  • John 10:3 — The Good Shepherd calls his sheep by name, reflecting God calling Israel by name in v.1
  • Revelation 21:5 — "Behold, I am making all things new" — the ultimate fulfillment of the "new thing" promised in v.19

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    What four elements does God promise to bring his people safely through in verses 1-2?

  2. Observe

    What role does God assign to Israel in verses 10-12?

  3. Interpret

    What is the meaning of "Behold, I will do a new thing" in verse 19?

  4. Interpret

    Why does God blot out transgressions "for my own sake" in verse 25?

  5. Apply

    How should knowing God calls you "by your name" (v. 1) shape your response to fear?

  6. Apply

    Where should one apply the "new thing" promise (v. 19) in daily life?

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