Commentary - Isaiah 43:8-13

Bird's-eye view

In this section of Isaiah, the Lord puts the world on trial. The issue before the court is a simple one: who is God? The nations are summoned to bring forth their gods, their idols, and present their case. At the same time, the Lord brings forth His own witness, the nation of Israel. The central irony, which is the very heart of the gospel, is that God’s chosen witness is blind and deaf. This is not a trial about who has the best raw materials, but rather about who has the power to speak and bring things to pass. The gods of the nations are mute, unable to predict or to save. Yahweh, in stark contrast, declares Himself to be the one and only God, the sole Savior, whose actions are decisive and irreversible. This passage is a powerful exercise in presuppositional apologetics, demonstrating that all other ultimate claims to truth are bankrupt.

Outline

Commentary

Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And the deaf, even though they have ears. (v. 8)

The Lord opens the proceedings by calling His star witness, Israel. But notice the condition of this witness. They are blind, but have eyes. They are deaf, but have ears. This is not a physical malady, but a spiritual one. This is the natural state of every man, and it was certainly the state of Israel for much of its history. They had the Torah, the prophets, the temple, all the sensory apparatus for knowing God, and yet they did not see or hear. So why call such a compromised witness? Because the power of the testimony is not in the witness, but in the one who calls him. God’s glory is magnified when He makes the blind see and the deaf hear. This is the essence of regeneration. The effectiveness of Israel as a witness does not depend on their native spiritual acuity, but upon the sovereign grace of God who chose them and who will, in His time, open their eyes and unplug their ears. This is a profound encouragement for us. Our effectiveness in witness is not in our cleverness, but in the power of the God who sends us.

All the nations have gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this And make us hear the former things? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say, “It is true.” (v. 9)

Now the other party is called to the stand. All the nations, all the peoples, are gathered in this great cosmic courtroom. The challenge is issued to their gods, represented here by the pronoun "them." The test for deity is twofold. First, can you predict the future? Can you "declare this?" Second, can you interpret the past? Can you "make us hear the former things?" True Godhead means sovereignty over time, from beginning to end. The idols are silent. They are manufactured things, and manufactured things cannot speak, let alone govern history. So the challenge is then put to their followers: "Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified." Bring forth your evidence. Show us the prophecies your gods made that came true. Show us how your gods have saved you. Of course, they cannot. The alternative is for them to listen to Yahweh's case and be forced to confess, "It is true." There is no neutral ground in this courtroom. Either your god is justified by the evidence, or you will end up confessing that Yahweh is.

“You are My witnesses,” declares Yahweh, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no god formed, And there will be none after Me. (v. 10)

Here is the central declaration. God points to His blind and deaf people and says, "You are My witnesses." Their very existence, their history of deliverance, their preservation despite their sin, all of it testifies to the reality of the God who chose them. They are also His servant, chosen for a purpose. And what is that purpose? It is epistemological and relational: "So that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He." God doesn't just save His people from Egypt; He saves them so that they might know Him. This is the foundation of all true knowledge. You cannot begin to understand reality until you begin with the fact of God's self-existence. "I am He." This is the ultimate presupposition. And from this starting point, God demolishes all idolatry. "Before Me there was no god formed, And there will be none after Me." God is not the first in a series of gods, or the best in a pantheon. He is in a category by Himself. He is uncreated, eternal, and singular. All other "gods" are manufactured counterfeits, latecomers to the scene, and destined for the scrap heap.

I, even I, am Yahweh, And there is no savior besides Me. (v. 11)

The Lord intensifies His self-disclosure. The repetition "I, even I" is for maximum emphasis. This is the bedrock of reality speaking. And what is the essential character He reveals here? He is Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God, and He is the only Savior. Salvation is not a generic concept that can be found under various brand names. It is the exclusive work of Yahweh. If you are not saved by Him, you are not saved at all. All other religious systems, all political ideologies, all self-help programs that promise salvation are lying to you. They are offering a product they cannot deliver because they are not the manufacturer. This is a direct blow to the pluralism of our age. There is one God, and there is one Savior, and He has a name.

It is I who have declared and saved and caused it to be heard, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares Yahweh, “And I am God. (v. 12)

God now presents His evidence, the basis for His claim. He has "declared", He prophesied what He would do. He has "saved", He acted in history to deliver His people, most notably in the Exodus. And He has "caused it to be heard", He revealed the meaning of these events through His prophets. The proof of His solitary power is that when these things happened, there was "no strange god among you." Israel wasn't dabbling in idolatry at the moment of the Red Sea crossing. God acted alone, so that the glory would be His alone. Because Israel saw this, because they are the living product of this history, they are therefore His witnesses. Their national story is the evidence submitted to the court. And the conclusion is inescapable: "And I am God." The Hebrew is stark: "and I, God." It is a final, unanswerable declaration.

Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?” (v. 13)

The testimony concludes with a statement of God's absolute and eternal sovereignty. "From eternity I am He." Before time began, He was. His being is not contingent on anything. And His power is absolute. "There is none who can deliver out of My hand." No one can rescue someone whom God has determined to judge. Conversely, and this is our great comfort, no one can snatch from His hand those whom He has determined to save. His actions are final and irresistible. "I act and who can reverse it?" The question is rhetorical. The answer is no one. No power in heaven or on earth, no demon, no king, no legislature, no army can undo what the sovereign God has determined to do. This is the foundation of our confidence. Our salvation and the ultimate victory of the gospel do not depend on our strength, but on the irreversible will of the Almighty God.

Application

This passage puts the world on notice. Every person is in a courtroom, and the central question of life must be answered: Who is God? We are surrounded by a multitude of idols clamoring for our allegiance, the gods of money, sex, power, security, and self. But like the idols of old, they are mute. They cannot predict the future, and they cannot save.

The Lord calls us, the Church, to be His witnesses. Like Israel of old, we are often blind and deaf, distracted and disobedient. But our qualification as witnesses does not rest in our own competence, but in the truth of the one we testify about. Our job is to point to the God who has declared, saved, and proclaimed. We point to the cross and the empty tomb, the ultimate declaration and act of salvation, and we proclaim the testimony God has given us in His Word.

We must understand that our apologetic is not one of trying to find neutral ground with the world. The world’s starting point is a fantasy, the idea that there could be a god besides Yahweh. Our starting point is the self-attesting declaration of God Himself: "I am He." From that foundation, we can make sense of everything else. And we can rest in the glorious truth that our God is sovereign. His plans cannot be thwarted. His salvation cannot be undone. He acts, and no one can reverse it. This is the rock on which we stand, and the truth we joyfully proclaim to a world of silent idols and their deluded followers.