Isaiah 41:8-10
A. The context of the message is the restoration of Israel. God pities His people and makes promises to them.
B. God communicates with the people of Israel through words of encouragement and promises of salvation.
C. His words are characterized by the tenderness and affection of the mercy and love that are inherent in Him.
I. INTERPRETING THE MESSAGE
A. God calls and chooses His people (read Is. 41:8, 9).
1. When God called Abraham, He made a promise to him that extended down to his descendants (see Gen. 12:1, 7; 2 Chr. 20:7).
2. The covenant God made with Israel involved people being obedient to divine requirements (Ex. 19:5). 3. In the call that God makes to His people, the renewal of the covenant that had been broken is implicit (see Jer. 22:8, 9). 4. God also extends the divine call to us (see 1 Pet. 2:9; Acts 2:39).
B. God is with His people (see Is. 41:10).
1. God manifested His presence among His people through the ritual of the sanctuary (see Ex. 25:8).
2. When He came to the world, Christ became the visible presence of God among humanity (see Is. 40:5; Job 2:11; 1:14).
3. The concept of Immanuel, “God with us,” is present in God’s relationship with people (Matt. 1:23).
4. God’s presence in our day-to-day lives is real (see Ex. 13:21, 22; Ps. 91:15; Matt. 28:20).
C. This is summarized by the expression “I am your God” (Is. 41:10). 1. Through His presence, God renews the covenant with His people (see Lev. 26:11, 12; Jer. 31:33; 30:22).
2. At this point, God establishes His relationship with Israel.
3. This relationship is maintained in different ways:
a. Father-son relationship (see Is. 63:16; Hos. 1:10).
b. Husband-wife relationship (see Jer. 3:14).
c. Shepherd-sheep relationship (see Ps.
100:3).
II. TRIPLE PROMISE
A. “I will strengthen you” (Is. 41:10).
1. God encourages us along the way (see Is. 40:29).
a. In this world, God’s people have faced many challenges.
b. Different situations have been presented before the church, especially during history’s final days.
c. When King Asa was going through a difficult time, God sent an encouraging message to him (see 2 Chron. 15:7, 8).
2. God also encourages us by pointing us toward the glorious end. “One of the most solemn and yet most glorious truths revealed in the Bible is that of Christ’s second coming to complete the great work of redemption. To God’s pilgrim people, so long left to sojourn in the ‘region and shadow of death’ [Matt. 4:16], a precious, joy-inspiring hope is given in the promise of His appearing, who is ‘the resurrection and the life’ [John 11:25], to ‘bring home again His banished’ [2 Sam. 14:13].”1
3. Let’s believe in His promise. In a small town in the Netherlands, a group of students decided to participate in a race that was organized by the school where they studied. The winner was a student no one expected to win, an “inexpressive” teenager who was in the mix of the group. When asked to what he attributed his victory, he replied: “My father told me the challenges would be enormous but that I had the ability to overcome them. I believed him and tried to run with his words in my mind.”
4. Throughout our journey in this world,
God, as our Father, sends us messages of faith,
motivation, and hope (see Job 16:33; Rom.
8:31, 32).
B. “I will . . . help you” (Is. 41:10).
1. God helps us carry our burdens (see Matt. 11:28-30).
2. Modern life has brought many heavy burdens to God’s children.
a. Unemployment, economic crisis, unbalanced government systems, and other factors have caused difficulty in the lives of many of God’s children.
b. In many countries, political systems have hindered the practice of religious freedom.
c. Family and ideological conflicts have led to great persecution against individuals and communities.
3. God fulfills the promises made to His
people (see Josh. 21:43-45). “Let us hope in
God, trust in Him, and rest in His promises,
whether we feel happy or not. A good feeling is
not proof that we are children of God, nor are
feelings of restlessness, trouble, and perplexity
evidence that we are not. Let us look to the
Scriptures and intelligently seek God in His
Word. Let us fulfill the requirements and believe
that He will accept us as His children. Let us not
be nonbelievers, but believers.”2
C. “I will uphold you” (Is. 41:10).
1. God always sustains us and cares for us (see Ps. 63:8; 119:116).
2. One direct evidence of God’s care for His children is Israel’s experience in the desert. Psalm 78 describes how God led and sustained His people during difficult moments.
3. God also sustains us through this desert
that is our world. “Our heavenly Father has
a thousand ways to provide for us of which we
know nothing. Those who accept the one principle
of making the service of God supreme, will
find perplexities vanish and a plain path before
their feet.”3
CONCLUSION
A. The message of faith and hope that Isaiah sent to the Jewish people in 800 B.C. also applies to us.
B. Throughout our worldly journey, God
takes us by the hand and strengthens us, helps
us, and sustains us.
1 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, 299.
2 ———, Letter 52, 1888.
3
———, The Ministry of Healing, 481.
Nerivan Silva is an editor at the Brazil Publishing
House headquartered in Tatui, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
