God Says I Will Cleanse You In The Defiled Places
Introduction
Pastor Clark Cothern of Living Water Community Church in Ypsilanti, Michigan wrote…
When God says, “I will” you can take it to the bank; He will do what He says He will do. In my Bible software I typed in a search for “I will,” and the search came up with over 4,000 matches, with thousands of those matches including phrases from God Himself, as He spoke to His people: “I will surely bless you,” “I will give you this land,” “I will be with you,” “I will make you a community of people,” “I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians,” “I will bring you out from under the yoke,” “I will send a comforter,” “I will prepare a place for you,” and the list goes on and on. All of those “I will” statements had to do with God’s grand plan to redeem a world that had become separated from Him, (because of people exercising their free will to turn away from God).
Charles Spurgeon in commenting on Isaiah 41:14 where God said to Israel, “I will help thee,” had this to say…
Oh, the “wills” and the “shalls:” they are the sweetest words in the Bible. “I will help thee.” When God says “I will,” there is something in it, brethren. The will of God started worlds into existence; the will of God made nature leap from chaos: the will of God sustains all worlds, “bears the earth’s huge pillars up,” and establishes creation. It is God’s “I will.” He lets the world live; they live on the “will” of God; and if he willed that they should die, they must sink as the bubble into the breaker, when its moment has arrived. And if the “will” of God is so strong as that, may we not lay a great stress upon it here — “I will help thee?” There is no doubt about it. I do not say I may help thee peradventure. No; I will. I do not say that possibly I may be persuaded to help thee. No; I voluntarily will to help thee. “I will help thee.” I do not say that, in all probability, ninety-nine chances out of a hundred, it is likely I may help thee. No; but without allowing any peradventure, or so much as a jot or tittle of hap or hazard, I will. Now, is there not strength in that? Indeed, my brethren, it is enough to cheer any man’s spirit, however much he may be cast down, if Go the Holy Spirit does but breathe upon the text, and let its spices flow abroad into our poor souls, “Fear not, I will help thee.”
In recent weeks, we have been looking at some of the “I will” statements of God in Isaiah chapter 43.
In Isaiah 43:1-4, we noticed that … God Says “I Will Continue With You In The Difficult Places”
(Isaiah 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.
In Isaiah 43:5-13, we saw that … God Says “I Will Call You Out Of The Distant Places”
(Isaiah 43:5-6) 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;
In Isaiah 43:14-21, we considered a passage in which God Says “I Will Comfort You In The Dry Places”
(Isaiah 43:19) Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Today, we come to the final section of this chapter, and we find yet a further “I Will” statement spoken by Almighty God. Actually, He says “I will not,” but while the verb is negative, the action is positive. God is declaring to His people, “I Will Cleanse You In The Defiled Places.” Notice verse 25 where God says…
(Isaiah 43:25) I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
This chapter is all about God anticipating His people’s return from captivity. But while there would be a return from captivity, God reminds us in verses 22 thru 28 of the reason for the captivity. In the prior verses, God has magnified His formation of His people and His faithfulness to His people. But here, He points out the failures of His people.
The passage before us refers to some of the sins of omission as well as sins of commission. And these sins had multiplied and accumulated to the point that God said in verse 24, “thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.” God basically said, “I’m tired of it.”
Robert T. Wenz said…
We often fail to consider the gradual, cumulative effect of sin in our lives. In Saint Louis in 1984, an unemployed cleaning woman noticed a few bees buzzing around the attic of her home. Since there were only a few, she made no effort to deal with them. Over the summer the bees continued to fly in and out the attic vent while the woman remained unconcerned, unaware of the growing city of bees. The whole attic became a hive, and the ceiling of the second floor bedroom finally caved in under the weight of hundreds of pounds of honey and thousands of angry bees. While the woman escaped serious injury, she was unable to repair the damage of her accumulated neglect. (From the website http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/n/neglect.htm)
Similarly, the children of Israel had ignored their sins so long that it finally caused their whole world to collapse in upon itself.
I. Let’s Look At The Gross Neglect Found In This Passage
(Isaiah 43:22-24)
A. God Said There Had Been No Call – We Have Neglected Our Prayer To God
(Isaiah 43:22) But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.
The Pulpit Commentary says…
But thou hast not called upon me. The Jews had never been greatly given to prayer. They were a “practical” people, active, energetic, hard-working, busily employed in handicrafts, commerce, or agriculture. David and Daniel, who prayed three times a day (Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10), were probably exceptions to the general rule. … (The people) lived on in a sort of apathy. But thou hast been weary of me; rather, for thou hast wearied of me. Thou hast left off praying, because thou wast weary of my service.
1. There Was A Withdrawal (An Absence) In Their Communication With God
To “call upon” God means…
called upon – Hebrew 7121. qara', kaw-raw'; a prim. root [rather ident. with H7122 through the idea of accosting a person met]; to call out to (i.e. prop. address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications):--bewray [self], that are bidden, call (for, forth, self, upon), cry (unto), (be) famous, guest, invite, mention, (give) name, preach, (make) proclaim (-ation), pronounce, publish, read, renowned, say.
The indication is that there had been no prayer to God, nor had there been any proclamation of God.
The old Puritan preacher Thomas Manton said…
There are two distinct charges: (1) A neglect of prayer. (2) Growing weary of God. The point is this: people are at a dangerous pass when they begin to neglect prayer. Eliphaz layeth it as a heavy charge upon Job (Job15:4): “Surely thou restrainest prayer before God.” When conscience is clamorous, wants pressing, and yet men cannot find the heart to go to God, it is a sad case. So the heathen are described to be the families that call not upon His name (Jeremiah 10:25); that is, that do not acknowledge and worship Him. “The workers of iniquity,” of what religion soever they profess themselves to be, “they call not upon the Lord” (Psalm 14:4). The evil of this will appear if we consider why the duty was appointed. It is a notable part of God’s worship, or a serious calling to mind (of) His presence and attributes. To withdraw from prayer is to withdraw from God; and to be unwilling to pray is to be unwilling to draw nigh to God, or to have any serious thoughts of His being and attributes. It is a profession of our dependence. Prayer is required to preserve in us a sense of our duty, and to keep the heart in better frame. … The soul is disburdened of trouble by this kind of utterance.
(From The Biblical Illustrator)
2. There Was A Weariness (An Apathy) In Their Commitment To God
weary – Hebrew 3021. yaga', yaw-gah'; a prim. root; prop. to gasp; hence to be exhausted, to tire, to toil:--faint, (make to) labour, (be) weary.
The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says of the word “weary” (OT:3018 – yaga)…
The primary meaning is “to work until one is tired and exhausted.” The adjective (form)… is translated “weary, wearisome, toilsome.” The root is used to convey two basic thrusts: (1) an emphasis on the toil of work, and (2) that weariness that results from labor. God meant that toil should result in the benefits of the end product. This is especially true in farming (Joshua 24:13). However, whenever Israel “toiled” in idolatry and “grew weary” of God’s ways (Isaiah 57:10; Malachi 2:17), she reaped the product of her labor: God’s judgment.
Thomas Manton further said…
To be weary of God is to be weary of His worship and service. It is as sad a character as can be given, either of persons or of a people, to say that they are weary of God. Weariness in the body noteth a deficiency of strength, no more mind to work; in the soul, a falling from God, and we have no mind to His service, which is either partial or total. Partial when the heart is more alienated from God than before, and all our respects to Him grow burdensome and grievous, and the heart begins to repine at everything we do for Him. Total when not only the power of religion is abated, but the very profession of it is cast off. (From The Biblical Illustrator)
B. God Said There Had Been No Cattle – We Have Neglected Our Praise To God
(Isaiah 43:23) Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.
1. He Mentioned That They Had Not Been Obedient
Albert Barnes explained the following phrases thusly…
[Thou hast not brought me] As a people you have withheld from me the sacrifices which were commanded. They had not maintained and observed his worship as he had required.
[The small cattle] Margin, ‘Lambs,’ or ‘kids.’ The Hebrew word seh denotes properly one of a flock – a sheep or a goat. It should have been so rendered here. These animals were used for burnt-offerings, and the Jews were required to offer them daily to God.
[Of thy burnt-offerings] (Compare Exodus 29:38; Numbers 28:3). The burnt-offering was wholly consumed on the altar.
[With thy sacrifices] Bloody offerings. There is little difference between this word and that rendered ‘burnt-offerings.’ If there is any, it is that the word rendered ‘sacrifice’ zebach is of wider signification, and expresses sacrifice in general; the word rendered ‘burnt-offering’ olaah, denotes that which is consumed, or which ascends as an offering. The holocaust (being completely consumed by fire) refers to its being burned; the sacrifice to the offering, however made.
Cf. (Exodus 29:38) Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually.
Cf. (Numbers 28:3) And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering.
burnt offering – Hebrew 5930. 'olah, o-law'; or 'owlah, o-law'; fem. act. part of H5927; a step or (collect. stairs, as ascending); usually a holocaust (as going up in smoke):--ascent, burnt offering (sacrifice), go up to.
How does this apply to us? What is neglected in our lives that corresponds to this? Our praise…
(Hosea 14:1-2) O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. {2} Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
(Hebrews 13:15) By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Joseph Parker said…
May we not ask whether some emphasis may not be laid upon the designation “the small cattle”? Do not many men fail in religious details? … We do certain great or conspicuous things, and we forget the small cattle, the little offerings and tributes. Every omission is noticed. (From The Biblical Illustrator)
2. He Mentioned That He Had Not Been Oppressive
(Isaiah 43:23) Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.
The Pulpit Commentary paraphrases God’s statement here by saying…
I put no heavy service on thee in respect of meat offering, neither made I thee to toil in respect of incense; i.e. “my positive requirements have been light – surely thou shouldst have complied with them.” Meat offerings were to accompany every sacrifice, but were a small burden. Incense was not required from any private person.
Barnes said…
[I have not caused thee to serve with an offering] ‘I have not made a slave of thee; I have not exacted such a service as would be oppressive and intolerable – such as is imposed on a slave.’ The word used here (“serve” – aabad), is often used in such a sense, and with such a reference (Leviticus 25:39); ‘Thou shalt not compel him to serve the service of a bondman’ (Exodus 1:14; Jeremiah 22:13; 25:14; 30:8). The sense is, that the laws of God on the subject, were not grievous and oppressive.
And that is still the case. God is not oppressive…
(Matthew 11:30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
God is not unreasonable…
(Romans 12:1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
C. God Said There Had Been No Cane – We Have Neglected Our Payment To God
(Isaiah 43:24) Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.
1. Their Selfishness Affected The Worship Of God
The IVP Bible Background Commentary says that the “cane” was…
Calamus (botanically known as acorus calamus) … used in the manufacture of incense. It is a strongly aromatic cane that grew in the swamps of Syria and was imported from India to the west.
The Pulpit Commentary says…
“Sweet cane” is mentioned in the Law only in connection with the “holy anointing oil” (Exodus 30:23). But the present passage raises a suspicion that it was practically used in the burnt offerings of private persons (see the next clause). … “But thou hast made me to serve with thy sins.” “The sins of Israel,” as Delitzsch observes, “pressed upon Jehovah, as a burthen does upon a servant.” This is a part of the fundamental idea running through the third part of Isaiah, closely connected with the mediatorial office of the “Servant of the Lord,” who “bare the sin of many” (Isaiah 53:12), and on whom “the Lord laid the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Israel, both during the Captivity and before, had accumulated a heavy load of sin, not merely by negligence, but by overt acts of guilt (see Isaiah 1:4,15,21-23, etc.).
Cf. (Exodus 30:23) Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus (sweet cane) two hundred and fifty shekels,
Barnes goes on to say…
[Thou hast bought me] You have not purchased this – implying that it was not produced in Palestine, but was an article of commerce. It was to be obtained only from abroad. This is expressly affirmed in Jeremiah 6:20: ‘To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country?’ That it was an article of commerce is also apparent from Ezekiel 27:19: ‘Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs (that is, Tyre): bright iron, cassia, and calamus (qaaneh) were in thy market.’
[Sweet cane] The word used here qaaneh, denotes properly “cane, reed, calamus.” … It usually refers to a reed growing in wet or marshy ground. It denotes also sweet cane, calamus aromaticus.
God expected something that came from the world of commerce to be given as an element in their worship experience.
(Malachi 3:8-10) Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. {9} Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. {10} Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
2. Their Sins Affected The Weariness Of God
(Isaiah 43:24) Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.
The Pulpit Commentary says…
But thou hast made me to serve with thy sins. “The sins of Israel,” as Delitzsch observes, “pressed upon Jehovah, as a burden does upon a servant.” This is a part of the fundamental idea running through the third part of Isaiah, closely connected with the mediatorial office of the “Servant of the Lord,” who “bare the sin of many” (Isaiah 53:12), and on whom “the Lord laid the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Israel, both during the Captivity and before, had accumulated a heavy load of sin, not merely by negligence, but by overt acts of guilt.
Barnes said…
You have made it oppressive, burdensome, wearisome for me, like the hard and onerous service of a slave.
He indicated that the sins of the people had been a bondage and a burden to Him.
He had “served with their sins”
serve – Hebrew 5647. 'abad, aw-bad'; a prim. root; to work (in any sense); by impl. to serve, till, (caus.) enslave, etc.:-- X be, keep in bondage, be bondmen, bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear, execute, + husbandman, keep, labour (-ing man), bring to pass, (cause to, make to) serve (-ing, self), (be, become) servant (-s), do (use) service, till (-er), transgress [from margin], (set a) work, be wrought, worshipper.
sins – Hebrew 2403. chatta'ah, khat-taw-aw'; or chatta'th, khat-tawth'; from H2398; an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concr.) an offender:--punishment (of sin), purifying (-fication for sin), sin (-ner, offering).
He was “wearied with their iniquities”
wearied – Hebrew 3021. yaga', yaw-gah'; a prim. root; prop. to gasp; hence to be exhausted, to tire, to toil:--faint, (make to) labour, (be) weary.
iniquities – Hebrew 5771. 'avon, aw-vone'; or 'avown (H2 Kings 7 : 9; Psa. 51 : 5 [H7]), aw-vone'; from H5753; perversity, i.e. (moral) evil:--fault, iniquity, mischief, punishment (of iniquity), sin.
J. R. Macduff pointed out…
In one of those antithetical clauses, or “balances of words,” so frequent in Isaiah, He thus contrasts His own and His people’s doings (ver. 23): “I have not burdened thee in exacting oblations; I have not wearied thee in demanding incense.” … “But thou hast burdened Me with thy sins; thou hast wearied Me with thine iniquities” (ver. 24). (From The Biblical Illustrator)
God basically said, “I’m tired of it.”
Illustration: We’ve been talking about the gross neglect of God’s people to do what He expected of them; to do what He expects of us. There are several legal terms that would apply to Israel’s actions towards God.
There was an alienation of affection on their part.
To use a term from military law, there was a dereliction of duty on their part. Dereliction of duty is the avoidance of any duty which may be properly expected.
And then, the terminology that we have used is legal terminology. Gross neglect or gross negligence in the context of divorce law, refers to a willful failure to perform a marital obligation. Gross neglect of duty refers to an omission of a legal duty. Gross negligence is a legal concept which means really serious carelessness. It refers to a negligent act committed with a conscious or willful or wanton indifference to the consequences; it suggests a recklessness. It has the idea of intentional failure to perform a duty, or a serious violation of an obligation to exercise due care.
This was a legal issue for Israel as well, because they were violating the laws of God, and He would ultimately judge them for their carelessness.
Is the evidence stacked against us? Have we violated the laws of God? Have we been derelict in our duty towards God? Have we neglected to pray, to praise Him, to give as an act of worship?
Are we guilty of gross neglect?
II. Let’s Look At The Grueling Negotiation Found In This Passage
(Isaiah 43:26-28)
A. God Said Let’s Examine Your Plea
(Isaiah 43:26) Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
1. This Is A Word Of Challenge For The Self-Righteous Heart
Matthew Henry said…
Those words (v. 26), Put me in remembrance, may be understood … as a rebuke to a proud Pharisee, that stands upon his own justification before God, and expects to find favour for his merits and not to be beholden to free grace: “If you have anything to say in your own justification, anything to offer for the sake of which you should be pardoned, and not for my sake, put me in remembrance of it. I will give you leave to plead your own cause with me; declare what your merits are, that you may be justified by them”: but those who are thus challenged will be speechless.
2. This Is A Word Of Condemnation For The Self-Righteous Heart
Barnes said…
[Declare thou, that thou mayest be justified] That you may show that you are just, or righteous; that you may demonstrate that you are unjustly accused of crime, and punished with undue severity.
remembrance – Hebrew 2142. zakar, zaw-kar'; a prim. root; prop. to mark (so as to be recognized), i.e. to remember; by impl. to mention; also (as denom. from H2145) to be male:-- X burn [incense], X earnestly, be male, (make) mention (of), be mindful, recount, record (-er), remember, make to be remembered, bring (call, come, keep, put) to (in) remembrance, X still, think on, X well.
plead – Hebrew 8199. shaphat, shaw-fat'; a prim. root; to judge, i.e. pronounce sentence (for or against); by impl. to vindicate (prove right) or punish; by extens. to govern; pass to litigate (lit. or fig.):-- + avenge, X that condemn, contend, defend, execute (judgment), (be a) judge (-ment), X needs, plead, reason, rule.
declare – Hebrew 5608. caphar, saw-far'; a prim. root; prop. to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by impl.) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intens. to recount, i.e. celebrate:--commune, (ac-) count, declare, number, + penknife, reckon, scribe, shew forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.
justified – Hebrew 6663. tsadaq, tsaw-dak'; a prim. root; to be (causat. make) right (in a moral or forensic [relating to debate or formal argumentation] sense):--cleanse, clear self, (be, do) just (-ice, -ify, -ify self), (be, turn to) righteous (-ness).
God is basically saying, “Let’s go down the list and see what your good points are. Let’s see how you measure up. Let’s see if you are in the right.”
B. God Said Let’s Expose Your Past
(Isaiah 43:27) Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.
1. Their Leaders Had Been Corrupted
The Pulpit Commentary says that the “first father” refers to Abraham…
Thy first father hath sinned; rather, thy first father sinned; that is, “Thou hast no merits of thy own. Even thy first father, Abraham, sinned (Genesis 12:13,18; 17:17; 20:2);
Barnes mentions some of the other possible interpretations of this phrase…
Many have supposed that Adam is referred to here. … But the objections to this are plain: Adam was not peculiarly the first father or ancestor of the Jews, but of the whole human race. The Jews never boasted, or gloried in him as the founder of their nation, but they always referred to Abraham under this appellation (Matthew 3:9; John 8:33,39).
Others refer it to Abraham (as the previous reference). Others refer it to the rulers and princes individually. Others … refer it to the high priest, and particularly to Uriah, who lived in the time of Ahaz, and particularly to the fact, that, in obedience to the command of Ahaz, he constructed an altar in Jerusalem like the one which he had seen and admired in Damascus (2 Kings 16:10-16). … Others … suppose that the word is to be taken collectively, not as referring to any particular individual, but to the high priests in general. It is not uncommon to give the name ‘father’ thus to a principal man among a people, and especially to one eminent in religious authority. The word ‘first’ here does not refer to time, but to rank; not the ancestor of the people, but the one having appropriately the title of father, who had the priority also in rank. … It refers therefore, probably, to the character of the presiding officers in religion, and means that the priests, supreme in rank, and whose example was so important, had sinned; that there was irreligion at the very foundation of influence and authority; and that therefore it was necessary to bring these heavy judgments on the nation. No one acquainted with the history of the Jewish people in the times immediately preceding the captivity, can doubt that this was the character of the high priesthood.
2. Their Learning Had Been Corrupted
(Isaiah 43:27) Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.
Matthew Henry said…
They were scholars of disobedience too: for their teachers had transgressed against God, were guilty of gross scandalous sins, and the people, no doubt, would learn to do as they did. It is ill with a people when their leaders cause them to err, and their teachers, who should reform them, corrupt them.
The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary says that the “teachers” refers to those who interpret, “literally, interpreters between God and man, (in other words) the priests.”
teachers – Hebrew 3887. luwts, loots; a prim. root; prop. to make mouths at, i.e. to scoff: hence (from the effort to pronounce a foreign language) to interpret, or (gen.) intercede:--ambassador, have in derision, interpreter, make a mock, mocker, scorn (-er, -ful), teacher.
transgressed – Hebrew 6586. pasha', paw-shah'; a prim. root [rather ident. with H6585 through the idea of expansion]; to break away (from just authority), i.e. trespass, apostatize, quarrel:--offend, rebel, revolt, transgress (-ion, -or).
C. God Said Let’s Execute Your Punishment
(Isaiah 43:28) Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.
1. The Punishment Would Involve A Demotion
Again Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown says…
“Therefore I have profaned the princes.” (In other words), I have esteemed or treated, them as persons not sacred. I have left them to suffer the same treatment as the common people, stripped of their holy office and in captivity. (“The princes of the sanctuary” refers to the) “governors of” it, directing its holy services; priests.
2. The Punishment Would Involve A Distance
Barnes explained the last part of verse 28 thusly…
[And have given Jacob to the curse] The Septuagint renders it, ‘I have given Jacob to be destroyed’ apoolesai. The Hebrew word here cheerem, is that which is commonly used to denote a solemn anathema, excommunication, or devotion to destruction. [To reproaches] The reproach, contempt, and scorn which they met with in their captivity, and in a land of strangers.
God is justified in all of this, but His people are not. But thankfully, He is both “just and the justifier”…
(Romans 3:26) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
III. Let’s Look At The Good News Found In This Passage
(Isaiah 43:25)
A. There Is Good News In The Fact Of God
(Isaiah 43:25) I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
1. God Explicitly Referred To Himself
“I” is a common personal pronoun used here to refer to an uncommon God.
2. God Emphatically Repeated Himself
Albert Barnes said…
[I, even I, am he] This verse contains a gracious assurance that their sins would be blotted out, and the reason why it would be done. The pronoun ‘I’ is repeated to make it emphatic, as in Isaiah 43:11. Perhaps also God designs to show them the evil of the sins which are mentioned in the previous verses, by the assurance that they were committed against him who alone could forgive, and who had promised them pardon. The passage also reminds them, that it was God alone who could pardon the sins of which, as a nation, they had been guilty.
B. There Is Good News In The Forgiveness Of God
(Isaiah 43:25) I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
1. Notice How His Forgiveness Is Mentioned
blotteth out – Hebrew 4229. machah, maw-khaw'; a prim. root; prop. to stroke or rub; by impl. to erase; also to smooth (as if with oil), i.e. grease or make fat; also to touch, i.e. reach to:--abolish, blot out, destroy, full of marrow, put out, reach unto, X utterly, wipe (away, out).
Barnes says…
[That blotteth out thy transgressions] This metaphor is taken from the custom of keeping accounts, where, when a debt is paid, the charge is blotted or cancelled. Thus God says he blotted out the sins of the Jews. He cancelled them. He forgave them. Of course, when forgiven, punishment could not be exacted, and he would treat them as pardoned; that is, as his friends.
2. Notice How His Forgiveness Is Motivated
Barnes goes on to say of the phrase “for mine own sake”…
[For mine own sake] Not because you deserve it, or have any claim, or that it would not be right to punish you. Not even primarily to promote your happiness and salvation, but for my sake;
1. To show the benevolence of my character;
2. To promote my glory by your forgiveness and salvation
C. There Is Good News In The Forgetfulness Of God
(Isaiah 43:25) I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
1. Notice The Indication Of His Forgetfulness
remember – Hebrew 2142. zakar, zaw-kar'; a prim. root; prop. to mark (so as to be recognized), i.e. to remember; by impl. to mention; also (as denom. from H2145) to be male:-- X burn [incense], X earnestly, be male, (make) mention (of), be mindful, recount, record (-er), remember, make to be remembered, bring (call, come, keep, put) to (in) remembrance, X still, think on, X well.
And God said He would “NOT REMEMBER.”
2. Notice The Inclusion Of His Forgetfulness
Not remember what? God said that He would not remember their sins.
sins – Hebrew 2403. chatta'ah, khat-taw-aw'; or chatta'th, khat-tawth'; from H2398; an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concr.) an offender:--punishment (of sin), purifying (-fication for sin), sin (-ner, offering).
In 1936, N.B. Vandall published a song that I remember singing as a child. The song says…
You ask me why I’m happy so I’ll just tell you why, Because my sins are gone;
And when I meet the scoffers who ask me where they are, I say, “My sins are gone.”
And the chorus says…
They’re underneath the blood on the cross of Calvary, As far removed as darkness is from dawn;
In the sea of God’s forgetfulness, that’s good enough for me, Praise God, my sins are gone!
Here are a couple of verses that the song is based on…
(Psalms 103:12) As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
(Micah 7:19) He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
Barnes indicates that there is a further word of good news because the message actually continues into the first few verses of chapter 44…
In the arbitrary division which is made in the Bible into chapters, a very improper separation has been made by making the chapter close here. The sense of the whole passage is materially injured by this division, and the scope of the whole argument is forgotten. The design of the entire argument is, to show that God would not leave his people; that though he punished them, he would not utterly destroy them; and that he would appear again for their rescue, and restore them to their own land. This argument is prosecuted in the following chapter; and in the commencement of that chapter the thought is pursued, that though God had thus punished them, yet he would appear and save them. The beginning of that chapter is properly the continuation and completion of the argument urged here, and this chapter should have closed at what is now Isaiah 44:5.
Conclusion
Way back in 1968, Dottie Rambo wrote a song that expressed what God is doing in these verses. He is reminding us…
The songwriter said…
Verse 1:
The things that I love I hold dear to my heart
They’re just borrowed, they’re not mine at all
Jesus only let me use them to brighten my life
So remind me, remind me dear Lord
Verse 2:
Nothing good have I done to deserve God’s own Son
I’m not worthy of the scars in His hands
Yet he chose the road to Calvary to die in my stead
Why He loved me I can’t understand
Chorus:
Roll back the curtain of memory now and then
Show me where you brought me from and where I could have been
Just remember I’m a human and human’s forget
So remind me, remind me dear Lord
Amen!