In the previous chapter, Isaiah has declared God's power to both judge and protect Israel. The declaration of care for Israel continues.
Isaiah 41:1, Come forward!
“Be silent before me, you islands!
Let the nations renew their strength!
Let them come forward and speak;
let us meet together at the place of judgment.
The islands mentioned here are probably the islands and coastlands of the Mediterranean. Here God challenges the nations to step forward and appear before Him.
Isaiah 41:2-3, One from the east
“Who has stirred up one from the east,
calling him in righteousness to his service?
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust with his sword,
to windblown chaff with his bow.
He pursues them and moves on unscathed,
by a path his feet have not traveled before.
God is turning nations over to a rising power in the east. That power will be "called to righteousness" as a tool of God's over the nations. Grogan argues that this coming rising power is Cyrus, the Persian. (We will finally see Cyrus identified by name at the end of chapter 44.) Motyer agrees with Grogan. Grogan points out that other commentators (including Jewish commentators in the Talmud) have identified the "one from the east" as historical figures like Abraham (Abraham defeated the kings of the east in Genesis 14) or a personification of Israel. Or a future Messiah. The translation offered by the NIV builds tension, waiting for this future one to be revealed. Grogan argues that this leads to Cyrus as the future "one from the east."
The speech of God alternates between first and third person. This will be common phenomenon for the next few chapters, with God speaking and then Isaiah speaking about God.
Isaiah 41:4-6, Who has done this?
Who has done this and carried it through,
calling forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the LORD—with the first of them
and with the last—I am he.”
The islands have seen it and fear;
the ends of the earth tremble.
They approach and come forward;
they help each other
and say to their companions, “Be strong!”
These actions are a directed by God and force the nations to tremble before Him.
Isaiah 41:7, Preventing idols from toppling
The metalworker encourages the goldsmith,
and the one who smooths with the hammer
spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.
One says of the welding, “It is good.”
The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.
We return to the image of Isaiah 40:19-20, of a human constructing an idol out of materials and working to make sure it does not fall down. (See also 44:9-17.) The idolmakers all encourage each other, yet their final product needs to be nailed down to keep from falling over. Isaiah's portrayal of idols might compare to our culture's bobbleheads, images that are obviously weak and laughable.
Isaiah 41:8-10, But you descendants of Abraham
“But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
God looks back on the times when he called Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to Him. (The reference to "ends of the earth" in verse 9 is hyperbole, says Grogan.)
Isaiah 41:11-13, Holding your right hand
“All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
For I am the LORD your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
God promises to look over Judah, holding them with His right hand. Every power that is opposed to Israel will be disgraced.
Isaiah 41:14-16, From worm to sledge
Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
“See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff.
You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up,
and a gale will blow them away.
But you will rejoice in the LORD
and glory in the Holy One of Israel.
With God on their side, even the "worm" Jacob is safe. Indeed, he becomes a threshing sled, a heavy sled that smoothes out the path and breaks up the grain.
Isaiah 41:17-20, Rivers for the thirsty
“The poor and needy search for water,
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the LORD will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.
I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,
so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
God will provide a thirsty land, a thirsty people, with water, with rivers, springs, pools of water. And in this fertile environment, forests will grow.
Isaiah 41:21-24, Tell us what is going to happen
“Present your case,” says the LORD.
“Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.
“Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen.
Tell us what the former things were,
so that we may consider them
and know their final outcome.
Or declare to us the things to come,
tell us what the future holds,
so we may know that you are gods.
Do something, whether good or bad,
so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear.
But you are less than nothing
and your works are utterly worthless;
whoever chooses you is detestable.
Idols and their gods are called to forecast the future, something that only God can do.
Isaiah 41:25, One from the north
“I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes—
one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads on rulers as if they were mortar,
as if he were a potter treading the clay.
This time the invader comes from the north, treating nations as a potter treats clay.
Isaiah 41:26, No one predicted this
Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know,
or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?
No one told of this,
no one foretold it,
no one heard any words from you.
No one could have predicted this, says God.
Isaiah 41:27-29, I was the first, no one else
I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.
I look but there is no one—
no one among the gods to give counsel,
no one to give answer when I ask them.
See, they are all false!
Their deeds amount to nothing;
their images are but wind and confusion.
But God forecast these events, telling Jerusalem about it, through Isaiah and other prophets.
The NIV translates the end of the first line "Look, here they are!" The Hebrew begins with hinnam hinnam, repeated for emphasis. The word is often translated "behold", but the repetition emphasizes "Look! Look!"
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