Isaiah 41:11-20 – With God we can never lose

These words were really for the remnant of Judah. It would be a reminder that they have a special place in God’s heart. He had chosen Jacob whom He later named Israel, and made his descendants His own special people. They not only became His people but also called to serve Him. The process of becoming God’s unique people started when God called Abraham, whom He addressed as “My friend”, out of the Ur of Chaldee, saying in Genesis 12:1-2:  

“Go from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you into a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing…”

 

Because of the covenant God had made with Abraham, his descendants became God’s covenant people. Though they had been unfaithful to God, He remained faithful and committed to them. While He would chasten them, He also promised to deliver them, to grant victory and prosper them.   

 

In verses 11-14, God assured them that He would deliver them. He would deliver them through Cyrus. Israel’s adversaries who were now hostile toward them would be put to shame and dishonor. All of them would, in fact, be eradicated from the face of history, never to be seen again. But they, His people, would have a different experience. He would be with them in all their hard struggles to encourage them and see them through. He, the Holy One of Israel, would be their Redeemer.

 

From the assurance of deliverance, God in verses 15-17 assured them of ultimate victory.  God would make them into “a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges.” A threshing sledge is an appliance drawn by oxen over a threshing floor of the harvested kernel to separate the husk from the grain. The enemies are likened to the husk that would be blown away by the wind. But God’s people would experience victory and enter a time of rejoicing. They would then do the befitting thing, i.e. to boast in their Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

 

Not only were the remnant assured of deliverance and ultimate victory, but were also assured of needful provision. Firstly, He promised to answer the cry of their needy and poor. As their God, He would never abandon them in their hour of need. Their barren land would become fertile again. Their once desert land would be well irrigated. And their once barren forest would become productive and lush. Their land would become thick forestry, richly cultivated with trees of all sorts, such as cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, juniper, elm, and cypress. As the people experienced His deliverance, His granted victory, and bountiful provision, they would be able to gain insight. They would  know that the faithful hand of their covenant LORD, the Holy One of Israel had been behind all their experiences.   

 

There are endless lessons to be drawn from our musing of these verses. But one thing that will immensely help us in our journey is to know that as God’s people, our lives are secured in His hand. Nothing ever happens to us by happenstance. Events will never take place in our life without His go ahead. But through every experience, He expects us to gain insight and become more adept at living for Him. Is there a hardship that one of us is going through? Know that He has permitted it. Know that He is there with us. His goal is to shape us to be like Christ so live for the greater glory of His name!