In today’s study we have verses 1-20 The final restoration of Israel. And verses 21-29 Apart from the LORD, there is no hope. Isaiah 41 and verse 1 reads.
Isa.41:1] Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.
Come and serve the LORD, this O islands is God himself calling the world to come back to him. But what of this “Keep silence”, let’s go to Mark 13 and verse 11 reads.
Mark 13:11] But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
Isa.41:1 is talking to his elect. Renew your strength with the LORD and then you may serve him and be delivered up to Satan and the Holy Spirit will speak through you. Back to Isa.41 and verse 2 reads.
Isa.41:2] Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.
Speaking here of Cyrus, king of Persia. Named 136 years before he was born by the LORD. Cyrus H3566 Kôwresh pronounced ko’-resh; Koresh (or {Cyrus}) the Persian king. Koresh is Hebrew and Cyrus is Persian. Let’s first go to Isa.44 and verse 28 reads.
Isa.44:28] That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
Now let’s go to Ezra 1 and verse 1 reads.
Ezra 1:1] Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Notice it said spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah, not that he wrote his name, just that they would go into captivity into Babylon, and being freed after seventy years.
Ezra 1:2] Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
[3] Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.
What we have here is, prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer.29:10-15) that Judah would go into captivity. We have Isaiah prophesying his name would be Cyrus 136 years before he was born. And the fulfilment of the prophecies of both in Ezra. Back to Isa.41 and verse 3 reads.
Isa.41:3] He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.
That “Way” is with God.
Isa.41:4] Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.
Three earth ages said here. The first and the last with I Am he, being the now which is the second. Let’s go to Rev.1 and we read.
Rev.1:8] I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Rev.1:11] Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Rev.1:17] And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
[18] I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen;
Rev.21:6] And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
[7] He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Rev.22:13] I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
If you understand the beginning, then the end is made easy. These references were taken from Dr. E.W. Bullinger’s appendix 80 proving that Isaiah wrote chapters 40-66. Back to Isa.41 and verse 5 reads.
Isa.41:5] The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
Going back to verse 1, the LORD asked and the people answered and came back to him.
Isa.41:6] They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.
Be of good courage is to be strong in courage. Let’s go to Joel 3 and verse 9 reads.
Joel 3:9] Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
[10] Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
[11] Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
Back to Isa.41 and verse 7 reads.
Isa.41:7] So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
Making false idols and gods. That they should not move? They had to be fastened so they wouldn’t fall over.
Isa.41:8] But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
Jacob (all twelve tribes) are chosen from the first earth age, and we will serve him in this earth age. First let’s go to Isa.43 and verse 1 reads.
Isa.43:1] But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
Jesus taught us in Mat.20 verse 16 and it reads.
Mat.20:16] So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Back to Isa.41 and verse 9 reads.
Isa.41:9] Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
Talking to all the Christian nations of the world today. Judah is only one of the tribes of Jacob, there are twelve. We are his servants and he has chosen us from before the foundations of this world. Remember in Isa.43:1 he called us by his name, we are Christian; Christ men. Let’s continue with what is said in Isa.43 and verse 2 continues.
Isa.43:2] When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
[3] For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
[4] Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
[5] Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;
[6] I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
Speaking of how we will come back to him in the end times. Back to Isa.41 and verse 10 reads.
Isa.41:10] Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
He will never leave us nor forsake us. This promise given to us in Deu.31 and verse 6 reads.
Deu.31:6] Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Back to Isa.41 and verse 11 reads.
Isa.41:11] Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
[12] Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
They shall be consumed by fire along with the antichrist. Now hear the compassion of the LORD for us.
Isa.41:13] For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
[14] Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
[15] Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
[16] Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.
Victory in Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer. Hallelujah, praise ye the LORD.
Isa.41:17] When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
[18] I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
Remember Rev.21:6 from above?
Rev.21:6] And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Jesus is The Living Water.
Isa.41:19] I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:
[20] That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
He blesses those that bless him, we shall see this and understand because we have read his word and we know his promises. Now from here to the end is Apart from the LORD is no hope.
Isa.41:21] Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
He says to plead your case, give your best argument.
Isa.41:22] Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.
[23] Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.
[24] Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.
If you can prove you’re better than God, then you have nothing to worry about. Good luck, you will be chosen by Satan and consumed with Satan.
Isa.41:25] I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.
Speaking of his prophecy considering Cyrus. Again 136 years before he was born.
Isa.41:26] Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words.
[27] The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.
[28] For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counseller, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
[29] Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.
Without the LORD, all hope is lost. You will fall into confusion (Babylon) and believe a lie. You will go up in smoke forever and ever, your end will be with Satan. Let’s go to his throne.
Father, we thank you for your word and ask that you bless all that love you in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.
KJV along with The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible