Redeemed and Never Forsaken
“O Israel, do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!” Isaiah 43:1
In the eighth century B.C., the prophet Isaiah began proclaiming the Word of God to Judah. The nation had fallen deeply into idolatry and rebellion, refusing to repent and return to the Lord. Isaiah opened his prophecy by calling heaven and earth as witnesses against them. From the highest to the lowest, the nation had become corrupt. They were compared to Sodom and Gomorrah and described as a sinful nation, weighed down with guilt, a people given to evil and corruption.
Yet they continued to worship God outwardly. They observed religious ceremonies and offered sacrifices according to the customs handed down through Moses, but their hearts were far from God. Their worship had become empty because their lives were filled with sin. They maintained the appearance of religion while lacking its spiritual reality.
Isaiah also looked beyond his own lifetime to events that were still to come. Because of Judah’s persistent rebellion, Jerusalem would eventually fall to Babylon. The city would be devastated, the temple destroyed, and many of the people carried away into captivity. But captivity would not have the final word.
When we come to Isaiah 43, the tone is one of tremendous comfort. The same God who warned His people of judgment now assures them that He has not abandoned them. He says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!” Their captivity would be real, but so would their redemption.
God had formed Israel, chosen them, and entered into covenant with them. Though He disciplined them for their rebellion, He would not forget His promises. Babylon would not destroy the purposes of God. In His appointed time, He would break the power of their captors and bring His people home. History records the fulfillment of that promise. Babylon fell, and under Cyrus of Persia the Jewish exiles were permitted to return to their land and rebuild. God had disciplined His people, preserved His people, and ultimately delivered His people.
The promise of Isaiah 43 was first spoken to Israel, but it also displays something wonderful about the character of our redeeming God. For those who are in Christ Jesus, that truth shines even more brightly through the gospel. Therefore, Christian, take heart. God set His love upon His people before the foundation of the world. In grace He called you to Himself and brought you into His family through adoption. He granted you faith to lay hold of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Scriptures declare that nothing in all creation can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Christian, you have been redeemed through His blood. You belong to Him. Christ declared that no one can snatch His sheep from His hand. And the One who began a good work in you will carry that work to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. That does not mean your journey will be free from trouble. There will be raging storms during this pilgrimage. There will be valleys so deep that, for a season, it may seem impossible to see the sunlight. But you do not walk through them alone. God has placed His seal upon His people through the Holy Spirit. The One who began His work in you will not abandon you along the way. He is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy.
Though the individual author of this prayer is unknown, may the Holy Spirit help us grasp the glorious truth it expresses: “How great are my privileges in Christ Jesus! Without him I stand far off, a stranger, an outcast; in him I draw near and touch his kingly scepter. Without him all is wrath and consuming fire; in him is all love, and the repose of my soul. Without him is gaping hell below me, and eternal anguish; in him its gates are barred to me by his precious blood. Without him darkness spreads its horrors in front; in him an eternity of glory is boundless horizon. Praise be to thee for grace, and for the unspeakable gift of Jesus.”
Therefore, Christian, you who have repented and fled to the shed blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, whatever valley you may be walking through today, remember whose you are. You have been redeemed. You have been called. And in Christ, you belong to Him. May God’s grace help you to rest in this eternal reality.