Isaiah 43:14

Isaiah 43:14 says, Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.  Matthew Henry says that at this point the faith of the people that God was going to restore was very low, so God reminded them of Who He is.  He was their Redeemer and the Holy One of Israel.  He had shown His power over other countries in the past and He would now show His power over the Babylonians by bringing down their nobles and over the Chaldeans who had power because of their ships.  In effect, God was telling them there was no power that could stand against Him.  That was true then, and it is still true today.  If we are feeling defeated in the world, we just need to look to God once more.  He has already delivered us from the power of sin and death forever.  

Verse fifteen adds, I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.  This was just a further reminder to the people of Israel that God was their Lord, the One Who had created the nation of Israel to be His people.  He had delivered them out of bondage in Egypt and had given them the promised land, and He was no less powerful now than He was then.  God has delivered us out of the bondage of sin as followers of Christ, and He is no less powerful now than he was when He did this, so we can always have faith in His ability to keep us spiritually safe forever. 

Verse sixteen continues, Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;  God said that the Chaldeans might take pride in the power of their ships, but He was the One Who created the sea so He could make a way for the deliverance of the people of Israel from their power.  No matter how powerful a nation might be today that stands against God, He is still the all-powerful Creator, and we can put our faith in Him no matter what.  

Verse seventeen says, Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.  Isaiah said that God would also remind them that He was more powerful than any army of chariots and horses.  He is still more powerful than any army, so we just need to continue to put our faith in Him as Christians.  He has already won the victory, and if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we already have an everlasting victory spiritually. 

Verse eighteen states, Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.  God told them not to remember the things that He had done in the past and think that He couldn’t do even more now.  I believe they were looking back and thinking that God had lost His power because they were in captivity once more, and He was telling them to not dwell on what He had done in the past.  We should never forget what God has done for us in the past, but if it seems greater than what He is doing today, we don’t need to allow that to cause us to lose our faith in Him today. 

Verse nineteen adds, 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.  God told them that He was going to do a new thing, and that He could make a way in the wilderness and bring forth streams of water in the desert.  Though He had done this in the past, they weren’t to think that He couldn’t do a new thing now to deliver them.  Though He did deliver them from captivity in Babylon, I believe this new thing refers to the coming of Jesus Christ, Who would make a new covenant not only with the people of Israel but with all the people of the world who accepted Him as their personal Savior and Lord. 

Verse twenty continues, The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.  God said that even the animals would honor Him, even when people often didn’t, because He provided for them.  Of course, they would never be equal to people, but God still provided for them.  If He provides for the animals, He will provide even more for His people.  This does not mean that at times animals may not die from lack of water or food, but I believe when they do it is because people have corrupted the earth by sin, and until Jesus Christ returns in total victory over sin, the world will never work as God intended it to.  When we as followers of Christ live in obedience to God, the whole world around us benefits.