Isaiah 41:1-20

Isaiah 41:1 “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.
               2      “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.
               3      “He pursues them, passing on in safety,
         By a way he had not been traversing with his feet.
               4      “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.’ ”

         5      The coastlands have seen and are afraid;
         The ends of the earth tremble;
         They have drawn near and have come.
               6      Each one helps his neighbor
         And says to his brother, “Be strong!”
               7      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.

8 “But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend, 9 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.10 ‘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.’ 11 “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. 12 “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. 13 “For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

               14      “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.
               15      “Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges;
         You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them,
         And will make the hills like chaff.
               16      “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.

    17 “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.
    18 “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.
    19 “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,
    20 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.

“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."

v. 1

2 “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. 3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before. 4 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.”

vv. 2-4

"Who shapes history: Me or you?"

2 “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. 3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before. 4 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.”

vv. 2-4

"Who shapes history: Me or you?"

5 The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward; 6 they help each other and say to their companions, “Be strong!” 7 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.

How the Nations Respond to the Question of Who Shapes History: 

• Fear
• Cooperation
• Idolatry

vv. 5-7

But you.... (vv. 8-20)

are a servant of the Sovereign

are being transformed

are an advertisement for the Sovereign

But you are a servant of the Sovereign (vv. 8-13)

   8 “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, 9 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.
   10 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. 

   11 “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.
   12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
   13 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. 

Because God is sovereign,

we are either serving Him and seeking to glorify Him,

or we are serving ourselves and seeking to glorify ourselves. 

But you are a servant of the Sovereign (vv. 8-13)

   8 “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, 9 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.
   10 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. 

   11 “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.
   12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
   13 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. 

But you are a servant of the Sovereign (vv. 8-13)

   8 “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, 9 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.
   10 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. 

   11 “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.
   12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
   13 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. 

But you are a servant of the Sovereign (vv. 8-13)

   8 “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, 9 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.
   10 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. 

   11 “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.
   12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
   13 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. 

But you are being transformed (vv. 14-16)

      14 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.
      15 “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.
      16 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.

But you are His advertisement (vv. 17-20)

      17 “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.
      18 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.
      19 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,
      20 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.

But you are His advertisement (vv. 17-20)

      17 “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.
      18 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.
      19 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,
      20 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.

But you are His advertisement (vv. 17-20)

      17 “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.
      18 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.
      19 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,
      20 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.

True comfort comes to those who admit God is in control and His control is good.

True comfort comes to those who admit God is in control and His control is good.

We don't have to be afraid; He is with us.

We can serve Him while He transforms us so that more know His control is good.