chosen by God

Isaiah Series 03: “Do not fear, Israel, My servant” (41:8-16) Part 1

POST OVERVIEW. Another post in “The Isaiah Series,” a series of studies from selected passages of Isaiah 41-66. These posts seek to reveal the beauty and the power of Isaiah’s prophecy and to interpret the meaning of these passages so that the disciple of Jesus is encouraged in their walk.

This post focuses on Isaiah 41:8-9 where we once again examine the identity of “Israel” in Isaiah’s prophecy.

With this passage in Isaiah 41:8-16, we begin the actual devotionals of this series. The pattern for our studies will be to work our way through the passage verse-by-verse (or sometimes section-by-section) and then to conclude the study with a summary and an application.

OUTLINE OF THE PASSAGE

  • What the LORD has already done for “Israel” (41:8-9)
  • What the LORD will do for “Israel” (41:10-14)
  • What “Israel” will do for the LORD (41:15-16)

THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT. In the verses just before our chosen passage (41:1-7), the context has been one of coming judgment on the coastlands and on the ends of the earth. The peoples are afraid and they tremble as the LORD draws near for judgment, but instead of repentance and cries for mercy, the people encourage one another to be strong and to build idols that will not totter. They openly defy the LORD and His warning.

WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE FOR “ISRAEL”

Isaiah 41:8-9. The LORD suddenly changes His gaze from the defiant nations under judgment to “Israel, My servant (and) Jacob whom I have chosen.” In fact, as we read 41:8-9 carefully, we find seven descriptions of “Israel.”

  • Israel, My servant.
  • Jacob whom I have chosen.
  • Descendant of Abraham My friend.
  • You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth.
  • (You whom I) called from its remotest parts.
  • And said, “You are My servant.”
  • “I have chosen you and not rejected you.”

THE IDENTITY OF ISRAEL. It is clear from the passage thatthese seven descriptions apply to the same group of people. That is, these are seven characteristics of one entity, whether that entity is called “Israel” or “Jacob” or “descendant of Abraham.” But the question the reader must now answer is, “Am I included in this group? Am I part of ‘Israel’?” Therefore, before we continue with our study of this passage, it is necessary that we determine the identity of “Israel.”

Why do we need to answer this question about the identity of “Israel?” We need to know the identity of “Israel” because in this passage, the LORD is addressing His message explicitly and exclusively to this one particular group of people named “Israel.” If I am a member of this “Israel,” then the LORD’s message in Isaiah 41:8-16 is intended for me and I can receive it with joy. If, on the other hand, I am not a legitimate member of this particular group named “Israel,” then the LORD’s message in Isaiah 41:8-16 is not intended for me and I cannot claim any of the blessings or promises in that passage because they are intended for someone else. Just as in our country it is illegal for me to go to my neighbor’s mailbox and take mail that is not addressed to me, so in biblical terms it is illegitimate for me to claim blessings and promises intended for another recipient. So, if I determine that I am not a member of “Israel,” it is illegitimate for me to claim anything from a passage addressed to “Israel.” For me to claim “Israel’s” promises and blessings would be stealing someone else’s mail.

WHICH ISRAEL IS THIS? In our previous post called “Isaiah Series 02,” we had presented the two possible identities of “Israel” in Old Testament prophetic passages. “Israel” could be interpreted literally as meaning the twelve tribes of the Hebrews, the physical descendants of Jacob or it could be interpreted figuratively as meaning true Israel, the elect of God. As we study this passage, we see that here the LORD is addressing true Israel, His people whom He has chosen for salvation. And so, when we read of the LORD speaking to “Israel” in this passage, we know that He is speaking to us who have believed in Jesus. In Isaiah 41:8-16, we believers are “Israel.”

Isaiah 41:8-9 (cont’d). We are “Israel” and therefore we are the Lord’s servant (41:8a, 9d). We are in Christ to be obedient servants of the Lord. Therefore, we serve the Lord by serving our fellow believers. We spend ourselves for others. We serve the Lord with good works (Eph. 2:10; James 2:14-26).

We are “Jacob whom I have chosen” (41:8b). Here the Bible obviously and unambiguously teaches the doctrinal truth that the LORD chose us for salvation completely independent of our help or merit or contribution. That is simply what it means to be chosen by the LORD. In case someone remains confused by the LORD’s message, He says again, “I have chosen you” (41:9d). It is a doctrinal fact from Genesis to Revelation that the Lord is the One who chooses His people and we who are in Christ are the chosen. The Lord is active and we are passive. Rejoice that He has chosen you! (Jn. 15:16; Rom. 9:14-23; Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 2:9)

Next the LORD says that “Israel” is a “descendant of Abraham.” But how can a Gentile believer be a descendant of Abraham? Turn to Galatians 3:7 and 3:26-29 and you have your answer. (See also Romans 4:16.) All those who believe, whether Jew or Gentile, are sons of Abraham through faith in Jesus.

We read further that the LORD has taken “Israel” (or “Jacob”) “from the ends of the earth and called [him] from its remotest parts” (41:9a, b). In the gospel, the mystery has now been revealed that true “Israel” includes believing Gentiles, who “are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph. 3:6). Gentiles from every tribe and tongue and people and nation are being gathered in from the ends of the earth, from its remotest parts to worship the Lord and to obey Him and to serve Him in His church.

SUMMARY. Our study so far has shown us that anyone who has believed in Jesus can legitimately claim the name of “Israel” and is thus a rightful recipient of the blessings and promises which the LORD pours out in the remainder of this passage (41:10-16). The LORD’s strength and help and presence and redemption are for true “Israel” who are God’s people through faith in Jesus.

NEXT ARTICLE. Now that we know that we are the “Israel” of Isaiah 41:10-16, we will see the promises and the blessings that the LORD provides for us in the rest of the passage.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 1/8/2024                     #688

“All that the Father gives Me” (John 6:37) – Part 1

INTRODUCTION: This is part of a series of blog posts on John 6:37, a verse in which Jesus teaches us about the sovereignty of God in salvation. In this series, we will examine not only what Jesus explicitly taught in this verse, but also its implications based on other passages of Scripture and plain reasoning.

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” – John 6:37 (NASB)

In our study, we will examine the verse in small bites.

“All that the Father gives Me” – From this opening phrase, we conclude that there is a specific, fixed number of souls that the Father has given to the Son. The Father has not given every soul to the Son, but only “all that the Father gives Me.” This phrase limits the number of those who will be saved to only those given by the Father. We know, therefore that all will not be saved.

It is also true that the Father certainly knows the number who will be saved, for “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19). If the Father knows the number of hairs on each person’s head (Matthew 10:30), then He certainly knows the exact number of souls that He has given to His Son, so we can say with confidence that the number is specific and fixed.

We also know that the number of those who are given to the Son for salvation is specific and fixed because these were chosen by the Father “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). At a time that was before all time, “before the foundation of the world,” God the Father chose the full number of those who would ever be in Christ. Once the Father “chose us in Him,” the full number of future saints was forever established and could not be changed. Thus, we can say that the number is specific and fixed.

Notice also that the Father is completely sovereign in this giving of souls to the Son. The Father alone has determined the exact number of souls that will be given to His beloved Son, and the Father alone is the One who gives them. The people who are chosen by the Father for salvation and then given to the Son are passive. (NOTE: This does not mean that we are saved passively. We will address what it means to come to Jesus for salvation later in this series, but our salvation is not passive. What we are discussing here is that we who are the recipients of salvation made no contribution to our being chosen by the Father and being given to the Son.)

Finally, we call “all the Father has given” to the Son “the elect” or “the chosen.” Substituting this term into the opening phrase yields, “All the elect (will come to Me).”

In the next post, we will consider the phrase, “will come to Me.”

SDG                 rmb                 12/6/2021                   #465

“I will regard them as good and they will return to Me” (Jeremiah 24:5-7)

POST OVERVIEW. This article was taken out of Jeremiah 24 where the LORD promises eternal blessings on people whom He “regards as good.” This introduces the idea of God’s sovereignty in salvation, that as God was sovereign over the destiny of the “good figs” and “the bad figs,” so He is also sovereign over our salvation. (NOTE: This article was originally posted on 3/21/2021 and was edited and reposted on 12/25/2023.)

“The Lord God is sovereign over His universe.” Most professing Christians will agree with this statement whether they have thought much about it or not. But it makes sense, especially when we remember that, according to Genesis 1, God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Since He is the Creator, He should also be the ruler. Many do not realize, however, that the Bible claims that God is sovereign over all that takes place to anyone anywhere in the world, including where people will spend eternity. And, as uncomfortable as this thought may be, the Lord God rules His universe as He sees fit, “to have mercy on whom He desires, and to harden whom He desires (Romans 9:18).” The biblical evidence of God’s sovereignty is plentiful in both testaments. So, in my daily Bible reading, I was in Jeremiah 24 and found a fascinating passage about good figs and bad figs.

BACKGROUND

In the Old Testament, it is often helpful to get the context of a passage. In Jeremiah 24, the year is 597 BC. The nation of Judah has been in moral and social decline for a long time. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has recently carried away into exile Jeconiah king of Judah along with many others in Jerusalem and has brought them to Babylon. Jeremiah has been the LORD’s anointed prophet to Judah for thirty years, warning them of coming judgment and urging them to repent.

In Jeremiah 24, the LORD shows Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs:

2 One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness.

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. 6 For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will also give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.’”

Consider carefully what the LORD God of Israel says:

“I will REGARD AS GOOD the captives of Judah, WHOM I HAVE SENT OUT of this place into the land of the Chaldeans.”

REGARDED AS GOOD

The LORD declares that He will regard the captives as good. Notice that it is of no importance how the captives regard themselves. Nor is it of any importance whether the captives are actually good or not. We search the text in vain for any mention of the obedience or of the moral character of the captives. We do not know if they fear the LORD and try to obey the Law or if they ignore the LORD altogether. When the LORD regards them as good, all other data or opinion becomes irrelevant.

Again, we ask, “Why does the LORD regard them as good?” No reason is given. The LORD regards the captives as good because the LORD regards the captives as good. No other reason is given because no other reason is needed. The LORD’s declaration of “good” establishes the fact of the captives’ “goodness,” and nothing can change it.

The LORD’s declaration of “good” was not based on anything the captives had done in the past, and so it cannot be lost by anything they will do in the future. The captives did nothing to merit the LORD’s regarding them as good. According to His sovereign will, the LORD chose to regard as good this group of people called captives, and whatever the LORD regards is irrevocable.

THE LORD AT WORK IN THE PAST

But notice also that the LORD’s sovereignty has already been at work in the past on behalf of these captives. The LORD says the captives are those “whom I have sent out of this place.”

How did this group of captives get taken from Jerusalem? The LORD sent them out. Well, how did these captives get taken to Babylon? The LORD sent them out. But didn’t Nebuchadnezzar come to Jerusalem from Babylon and take these captives away with him? Yes, the LORD sent out these captives by bringing Nebuchadnezzar and his army from Babylon to Jerusalem and then having him gather the exiles and take them back to Babylon That was how the LORD sent them out.

THE LORD HAS PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

And, also, notice that the LORD has plans for those who He has regarded as good. The LORD pours out eight promises for future blessing.

I will set My eyes on them for good.

I will bring them again to this land.

I will build them up and not overthrow them.

I will plant them and not pluck them.

I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD.

They will be My people.

I will be their God.

They will return to Me with their whole heart.

The LORD gushes out on the captives four promises of temporal, material blessings, but He also pours out four promises of eternal, spiritual blessings. Note that none of these blessings have been requested by the captives and that none of them are earned by the captives. These promised blessings are given by the LORD solely because it is His sovereign will to do so. Also observe that in these promises, the LORD is declaring what He will certainly do. These promises will certainly come to pass because the LORD always does what He intends to do. Nothing and no one resists His will (Romans 9:19).

ETERNAL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS

“I will give them a heart to know Me.” All children of Adam are born with a heart that is deceitful and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9). We have a hard heart (Ephesians 4:18), a foolish heart (Romans 1:21), a stubborn, unrepentant heart (Romans 2:5), and an evil, unbelieving heart (Hebrews 3:12). But the LORD here promises a new heart to those whom He regards as good, a heart that will know Him. He “will remove the heart of stone and give a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26-28).” And with that heart they will know the LORD.

“They will be My people and I will be their God.” The captives who are regarded as good will be the people of the LORD (1 Peter 2:10), and in all the earth they will be His treasured possession (Exodus 19:5). And the LORD will be their God: their defender, their shield, their refuge, their provider, their Lord and their God.

“They will return to Me with their whole heart.” Read this carefully, for in this blessing the LORD is making an unconditional promise about what free people will do. What does it mean when the Scripture says, “Return to Me with their whole heart”? This is an Old Testament way of saying that they will genuinely and fully believe in the LORD. We would say that they will be saved. But notice that the LORD is promising that these captives whom the LORD regards as good WILL CERTAINLY return to Him with their whole heart. How can the LORD promise that these captives will do that? He can make this promise because the LORD is the sovereign ruler of the universe and has ordained it to be so.

APPLICATION TO OUR LIVES

This story from Jeremiah 24 of God’s eternal promises and of His regarding some people as good to their eternal, unmerited benefit is the story of the gospel and of how God has sovereignly chosen His people for salvation. But this story in Jeremiah also shows that, when the Lord chooses to regard someone as good, He also ordains that all the means necessary to bring about that person’s salvation will providentially occur in their lives.

So, just as the LORD unconditionally regarded the captives as good, so the Lord has unconditionally “chosen His people in Christ before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).

As the LORD promised to give the captives a heart to know Him, in the same way the Lord has “made us alive with Christ and raised us up with Him” (Ephesians 2:4-5), and the Lord has “caused His people to be born again to a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3).

The LORD declared that these captives would return to Him with their whole heart, and now we who are in Christ have been given a heart to know the Lord that says, “To live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). We are those who declare, “I count all things loss in view of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8). We long “to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings” (3:9). Praise the Lord, we are the good figs!

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 3/21/2021                   #374