Devotions

I Have Called You by Your Name

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The coming of Jesus Christ is foretold. The Lord has always operated this way, He speaks, and things come into existence. There is a great lesson in faith for us here as the nations around them had been overrun and destruction had come right to their door, now they are told in Isaiah 42:1 Look! here is my servant; I hold him, my chosen one, in whom my soul delights. I have put my spirit on him; he will bring justice forth to the nations”. The Lord tells them “you must not fear” and promises an outpouring of his spirit where we become his witnesses. 

I Declare New Things

Isaiah 42:1–9
The Lord always shows us things before they happen. This is how things work with God as it says in

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand the worlds were created by the word of God, in order that what is seen did not come into existence from what is visible.

So then, in

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the realization of what is hoped for, the proof of things not seen.

Since this may still seem cryptic lets look at it in operation, “God said” and it came into being in

Genesis 1:2–3 Now the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light.

And again in Genesis 1:6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28, 29 “And God said” through every step of creation even to Genesis 2:18 “God said, “it is not good that the man is alone. I will make for him a helper as his counterpart”.

So why am I belaboring this point here? Because the Lord says through in

Isaiah 42:9 Look! the former things have come, and I declare new things. I announce them to you before they sprout up.”

The Lord is announcing the coming of Jesus Christ and says in

Isaiah 42:1 Look! here is my servant; I hold him, my chosen one, in whom my soul delights. I have ⌊put⌋ my spirit on him; he will bring justice forth to the nations.

Sing a New Song to Yahweh (the Lord)

Isaiah 42:10–17

Who Among You Will Heed This

Isaiah 42:18–25 

I Have Called You by Your Name

Isaiah 43:1–13
The Lord again extends his hand to the children of Israel. He began a work in them and made them a nation. He “created—not only in the general sense, but specially created as a peculiar people unto Himself … So believers, “created in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:10), “a peculiar people” (1 Pe 2:9)”.1

Now, the Lord says to them in Isaiah 42:1 “”you must not fear” and again in Isaiah 47:5 “you must not fear”. He is saying to them that they must not have that “Emotional foreboding or dread of impending distress or misfortune”.2

People of the world may easily think that way because there is trouble in the world. There are those that will take advantage. There are those that will oppress others. There is a real devil and his fallen angels, principalities and powers that rule as it says in

1 John 5:19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

But the Lord is encouraging them, that they are not alone as he says in Isaiah 43:1″I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are mine”. And, even more than that, he is actively gathering them in Isaiah 43:5 “I will bring your offspring from the east, and I will gather you from the west”.

Now again, he makes a statement twice, in Isaiah 43:10 and 12 “you are my witnesses”.

I Am About to do a New Thing!

Isaiah 43:14–28 

I Will Pour My Spirit Out on Your Descendants

Isaiah 44:1–5
Again the Lord says in Isaiah 44:2 “you must not fear” and follows this with a promise in

Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour out water on a thirsty land and streams on dry ground. I will pour my spirit out on your descendants and my blessing on your offspring.

The promise that we recognize as the day of Pentecost in

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability to speak out.

This promise was a sign to those around them, but even more it was that they would know they belong to the Lord as it says in

Isaiah 44:5 This one will say, ‘I belong to Yahweh!’ And that one will be called by the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand ‘Yahweh’s’ and take the name of Israel.”

I Established an Eternal People

Isaiah 44:6–8

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Isaiah 42:1-25
  • Isaiah 43:1-28
  • Isaiah 44:1-8

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 478). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
  • 2. Sacks, S. D. (1988). Fear. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 781). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.