Isaiah 41:17-29
Q.1. What was God’s appeal to His people? Can anyone, other than God, claim to be the deliverer? What promise did He give His people? How prolific will the future Kingdom be? – (Isa.41:17-24 c.f. Ezk.47:6-7, 12)
God spoke of the drought conditions that would afflict Israel (Isa.41:17). However, He promised that a time would come when He will answer their cries – 17 … I, the Lord, will answer them Myself, as the God of Israel I will not forsake them. 18 I will open rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water (Isa.41:17-18). During this future time, the land would be lush and covered with forests of trees – I will put the cedar in the wilderness, the acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; I will place the juniper in the desert together with the box tree and the cypress (Isa.41:19). There is only one explanation – they will see and recognize, and consider and gain insight as well, that the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it (Isa.41:20). God again called on the nations and their gods to present their case to Him. He declared that He alone is able to reverse the fortunes of the nations, and to prophesy this in advance (Isa.41:21-24 c.f. Isa.41:1-4).
Q.2. Why would the destroyer inevitably come? How trustworthy were the plans of the nations? Did Israel listen to God’s messengers? Could the nation trust its leaders? – (Isa.41:25-29)
The destroyer would come exactly as God had predicted, and the plans of the nations would come under His scrutiny (Isa.41:25-26). God had previously warned His people, who actually had been given good news. However, this good news would only apply to them if they would trust in God alone (Isa.41:27). Sadly, their leaders did not listen to His servants and misled the nation, encouraging them to trust in idols (Isa.41:28-29).