Isaiah Chapter 41

[Isaiah 41:1] KEEP SILENCE BEFORE ME, O ISLANDS; AND LET THE PEOPLE RENEW THEIR STRENGTH: LET THEM  COME NEAR; THEN LET THEM SPEAK: LET US COME NEAR TOGETHER TO JUDGMENT.                 
" O ISLANDS” quite often connected to the Lost Tribes.  The Malbim says they are being called to return to the truth.  In Hebrew “Island” is “ey” .  Some say that as well as island this word can also denote a coastal area.  I only saw one real example and even that was uncertain.

 [Isaiah 41:2] WHO RAISED UP THE RIGHTEOUS MAN FROM THE EAST, CALLED HIM TO HIS FOOT, GAVE THE  NATIONS BEFORE HIM, AND MADE HIM RULE OVER KINGS? HE GAVE THEM AS THE DUST TO HIS SWORD, AND  AS DRIVEN STUBBLE TO HIS BOW.
“RIGHTEOUS MAN FROM THE EAST” the future Messiah son of David from Judah. Others said it referred to our forefather Abraham or to Cyrus the ruler of Persia and deliverer of the Jews.

 [Isaiah 41:3] HE PURSUED THEM, AND PASSED SAFELY; EVEN BY THE WAY THAT HE HAD NOT GONE WITH HIS FEET.
He pursues his enemies by a way his feet had not touched or do not touch. By airplanes?

 [Isaiah 41:4] WHO HATH WROUGHT AND DONE IT, CALLING THE GENERATIONS FROM THE BEGINNING? I THE LORD, THE FIRST, AND WITH THE LAST; I AM HE.
God foretells the future. The future is hidden in the Bible. The Bible is worth reading. Even if we do not understand all of it consciously on a higher level it reveals to us things that will later become apparent to us. God is first and last.

 [Isaiah 41:5] THE ISLES SAW IT, AND FEARED; THE ENDS OF THE EARTH WERE AFRAID, DREW NEAR, AND CAME.

 [Isaiah 41:6] THEY HELPED EVERY ONE HIS NEIGHBOUR; AND EVERY ONE SAID TO HIS BROTHER, BE OF GOOD COURAGE.
They are all comin g to fight against the Messiah.

 [Isaiah 41:7] SO THE CARPENTER ENCOURAGED THE GOLDSMITH, AND HE THAT SMOOTHETH WITH THE HAMMER HIM THAT SMOTE THE ANVIL, SAYING, IT IS READY FOR THE SODERING: AND HE FASTENED IT WITH NAILS, THAT IT SHOULD NOT BE MOVED.

[Isaiah 41:8] BUT THOU, ISRAEL, ART MY SERVANT, JACOB WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN, THE SEED OF ABRAHAM MY FRIEND.
“ISRAEL, ART MY SERVANT” a key expression. Israel is the servant of God. Israel is being spoken of and all the Prophecy is concerned with Israel.

 [Isaiah 41:9] THOU WHOM I HAVE TAKEN FROM THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, AND CALLED THEE FROM THE CHIEF MEN THEREOF, AND SAID UNTO THEE, THOU ART MY SERVANT; I HAVE CHOSEN THEE, AND NOT CAST THEE AWAY.
“THE ENDS OF THE EARTH” i.e. Israel in the last Days will be in the geographical extremities of the  earth, e.g. America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Scandinavia, Netherlands, etc.
“THE CHIEF MEN THEREOF” in Hebrew “Atziliah” which can also mean “the best places thereof”.
I once saw a book that discussed parchments made out of animal skins. The best cowhides (it said) come from North America due to the climate and environment of that area.
“THOU ART MY SERVANT” Israel is the servant of God.

 [Isaiah 41:10] FEAR THOU NOT; FOR I AM WITH THEE: BE NOT DISMAYED; FOR I AM THY GOD: I WILL STRENGTHEN THEE; YEA, I WILL HELP THEE; YEA, I WILL UPHOLD THEE WITH THE RIGHT HAND OF MY RIGHTEOUSNESS.

 [Isaiah 41:11] BEHOLD, ALL THEY THAT WERE INCENSED AGAINST THEE SHALL BE ASHAMED AND CONFOUNDED: THEY SHALL BE AS NOTHING; AND THEY THAT STRIVE WITH THEE SHALL PERISH.


 [Isaiah 41:12] THOU SHALT SEEK THEM, AND SHALT NOT FIND THEM, EVEN THEM THAT CONTENDED WITH THEE: THEY THAT WAR AGAINST THEE SHALL BE AS NOTHING, AND AS A THING OF NOUGHT.                      

 [Isaiah 41:13] FOR I THE LORD THY GOD WILL HOLD THY RIGHT HAND, SAYING UNTO THEE, FEAR NOT; I WILL  HELP THEE.                   

 [Isaiah 41:14] FEAR NOT, THOU WORM JACOB, AND YE MEN OF ISRAEL; I WILL HELP THEE, SAITH THE LORD, AND THY REDEEMER, THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL.
When Jacob and Israel are mentioned together, one refers to Judah the other to the Lost Tribes.  Which is which appears to be a subject of debate amongst the Commentators.

 [Isaiah 41:15] BEHOLD, I WILL MAKE THEE A NEW SHARP THRESHING INSTRUMENT HAVING TEETH: THOU SHALT THRESH THE MOUNTAINS, AND BEAT THEM SMALL, AND SHALT MAKE THE HILLS AS CHAFF.          
“MOUNTAINS” = other nations.

 [Isaiah 41:16] THOU SHALT FAN THEM, AND THE WIND SHALL CARRY THEM AWAY, AND THE WHIRLWIND SHALL SCATTER THEM: AND THOU SHALT REJOICE IN THE LORD, AND SHALT GLORY IN THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL.
Enemies from all over the world will come against Israel and be driven away.

 [Isaiah 41:17] WHEN THE POOR AND NEEDY SEEK WATER, AND THERE IS NONE, AND THEIR TONGUE FAILETH FOR THIRST, I THE LORD WILL HEAR THEM, I THE GOD OF ISRAEL WILL NOT FORSAKE THEM.                 
There are in dications that in the Last Days a new Exodus will take place and miracles will occur just like in the previous one.  These verses can also be applied to the migrations of the Lost Ten Tribes from place to place in the course of history.  God will not forsake His people.

 [Isaiah 41:18] I WILL OPEN RIVERS IN HIGH PLACES, AND FOUNTAINS IN THE MIDST OF THE VALLEYS: I WILL MAKE THE WILDERNESS A POOL OF WATER, AND THE DRY LAND SPRINGS OF WATER.
When all of the Israelites return to the Land of Greater Israel and re-possess most of the Middle East much of which is now desert miracles will happen, there will be climatic changes. What is now desert was once in part fertile cultivated land. In the future it will return to watered and cultivated.

 [Isaiah 41:19] I WILL PLANT IN THE WILDERNESS THE CEDAR, THE SHITTAH TREE, AND THE MYRTLE, AND THE OIL TREE; I WILL SET IN THE DESERT THE FIR TREE, AND THE PINE, AND THE BOX TREE TOGETHER:

 [Isaiah 41:20] THAT THEY MAY SEE, AND KNOW, AND CONSIDER, AND UNDERSTAND TOGETHER, THAT THE HAND OF THE LORD HATH DONE THIS, AND THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL HATH CREATED IT.

 [Isaiah 41:21] PRODUCE YOUR CAUSE, SAITH THE LORD; BRING FORTH YOUR STRONG REASONS, SAITH THE KING OF JACOB.               

 [Isaiah 41:22] LET THEM BRING THEM FORTH, AND SHEW US WHAT SHALL HAPPEN: LET THEM SHEW THE FORMER THINGS, WHAT THEY BE, THAT WE MAY CONSIDER THEM, AND KNOW THE LATTER END OF THEM; OR DECLARE US THINGS FOR TO COME.

 [Isaiah 41:23] SHEW THE THINGS THAT ARE TO COME HEREAFTER, THAT WE MAY KNOW THAT YE ARE GODS: YEA, DO GOOD, OR DO EVIL, THAT WE MAY BE DISMAYED, AND BEHOLD IT TOGETHER.           
Let the idolaters prove themselves. Let them try and predict the future.

 [Isaiah 41:24] BEHOLD, YE ARE OF NOTHING, AND YOUR WORK OF NOUGHT: AN ABOMINATION IS HE THAT CHOOSETH YOU.       

 [Isaiah 41:25] I HAVE RAISED UP ONE FROM THE NORTH, AND HE SHALL COME: FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN  SHALL HE CALL UPON MY NAME: AND HE SHALL COME UPON PRINCES AS UPON MORTER, AND AS THE POTTER  TREADETH CLAY.
A conqueror will come from the North and East. Again this could historicaly refer to Cyrus King of Persia as we will see.

 [Isaiah 41:26] WHO HATH DECLARED FROM THE BEGINNING, THAT WE MAY KNOW? AND BEFORETIME, THAT  WE MAY SAY, HE IS RIGHTEOUS? YEA, THERE IS NONE THAT SHEWETH, YEA, THERE IS NONE THAT DECLARETH, YEA, THERE IS NONE THAT HEARETH YOUR WORDS.            

 [Isaiah 41:27] THE FIRST SHALL SAY TO ZION, BEHOLD, BEHOLD THEM: AND I WILL GIVE TO JERUSALEM ONE  THAT BRINGETH GOOD TIDINGS.

 [Isaiah 41:28] FOR I BEHELD, AND THERE WAS NO MAN; EVEN AMONG THEM, AND THERE WAS NO  COUNSELLOR, THAT, WHEN I ASKED OF THEM, COULD ANSWER A WORD.

 [Isaiah 41:29] BEHOLD, THEY ARE ALL VANITY; THEIR WORKS ARE NOTHING: THEIR MOLTEN IMAGES ARE WIND  AND CONFUSION.              
The worshippers of idols bring no benefit but rather arouse negative forces.

Chapter Forty-Two
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