Isaiah 44

The Blessings of Israel

1 "But now listen, O Jacob, My ¹servant, And Israel, whom I have chosen:

2 Thus says the LORD who made you And ²formed you from the womb, who ³will help you, '⁴Do not fear, O Jacob My servant; And you ⁵Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

3 'For ⁶I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will ⁷pour out My Spirit on your ⁸offspring And My blessing on your descendants;

4 And they will spring up among the grass Like ⁹poplars by streams of water.'

5 "This one will say, 'I am the LORD'S '; And that one will call on the name of Jacob; And another will ¹⁰write on his hand, 'Belonging to the LORD,' And will name Israel's name with honor.

6 "Thus says the LORD, the ¹¹King of Israel and his ¹²Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the ¹³first and I am the last, And there is no God ¹⁴besides * Me.

7 'Who is like Me? ¹⁵Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place.

8 'Do not tremble and do not be afraid; ¹⁶Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And ¹⁷you are My witnesses. Is there any God ¹⁸besides * Me, Or is there any other ¹⁹Rock? I know of none.' "

The Folly of Idolatry

9 Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be ²⁰put to shame.

10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to ²¹no profit?

11 Behold, all his companions will be ²²put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame.

12 The ²³man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary.

13 ²⁴Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of ²⁵man, so that it may sit in a ²⁶house.

14 Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow.

15 Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also ²⁷makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and ²⁸falls down before it.

16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, "Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire."

17 But the rest of it he ²⁹makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also ³⁰prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god."

18 They do not ³¹know, nor do they understand, for He has ³²smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.

19 No one recalls * *, nor is there ³³knowledge or understanding to say, "I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an ³⁴abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!"

20 He ³⁵feeds on ashes; a ³⁶deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, "³⁷Is there not a lie in my right hand?"

God Forgives and Redeems

21 "³⁸Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are ³⁹My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant, O Israel, you will ⁴⁰not be forgotten by Me.

22 "I have ⁴¹wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist. ⁴²Return to Me, for I have ⁴³redeemed you."

23 ⁴⁴Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; ⁴⁵Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; For ⁴⁶the LORD has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He ⁴⁷shows forth His glory.

24 Thus says the LORD, your ⁴⁸Redeemer, and the one who ⁴⁹formed you from the womb, "I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, ⁵⁰Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all * alone *,

25 ⁵¹Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, ⁵²Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness,

26 ⁵³Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited!' And of the ⁵⁴cities of Judah, '⁵⁵They shall be built.' And I will raise up her ruins again.

27 "It is I who says to the depth of the sea, 'Be dried up!' And I will make your rivers ⁵⁶dry.

28 "It is I who says of ⁵⁷Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.' And he declares of Jerusalem, '⁵⁸She will be built,' And of the temple, 'Your foundation will be laid.' "

Isaiah 44 Commentary

Chapter 44

Here are promises of the influences of the Holy Spirit. (1-8) An exposure of the folly of idolatry. (9-20) Also the deliverance of God's people. (21-28)

Verses 1-8 Israel is here called Jeshurun, which means "the upright one." Such only are Israelites indeed, in whom is no guile. Those that serve God he will own. He will help them over difficulties, and in their services. Water is the emblem of the Holy Spirit; as water refreshes, cleanses, and makes the earth fruitful, so do his influences the soul. This gift of the Holy Ghost is the great blessing, the plentiful pouring out of which God kept for the latter days. Where God gives his Spirit, he will give all other blessings. Hereby shall be a great increase of the church; thus it shall be spread to distant places. Was there any other Rock, or Protector, that could defend them? None besides could foretell these things to come, of which God by his prophets gave notice. All was set in order in the Divine predictions, as well as in the Divine purposes. Could any other have done so? Who can compare with Israel's Redeemer and King?

Verses 9-20 Image-making is described, to expose the folly of idolaters. Though a man had used part of a log for fuel, he fell down before an image made of the remainder, praying it to deliver him. Man greatly dishonours God, when he represents him after the image of man. Satan blinds the eyes of unbelievers, causing absurd reasonings in matters of religion. Whether men seek happiness in worldly things, or run into unbelief, superstition, or any false system, they feed on ashes. A heart deceived by pride, love of sin, and departure from God, turns men aside from his holy truth and worship. While the affections are depraved, a man holds fast the lie as his best treasure. Are our hearts set upon the wealth of the world and its pleasures? They will certainly prove a lie. If we trust to outward professions and doings, as if those would save us, we deceive ourselves. Self-suspicion is the first step towards self-deliverance. He that would deliver his soul, must question his conscience, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

Verses 21-28 Return unto me. It is the great concern of those who have backslidden from God, like the Jews of old, to hasten their return to him. The work of redemption wrought for us by Christ, encourages to hope for all blessings from him. Our transgressions and our sins are as a thick cloud between heaven and earth: sins separate between us and God; they threaten a storm of wrath. When God pardons sin, he blots out, he dispels this cloud, this thick cloud, so that the way to heaven is open again. The cloud is scattered by the Sun of righteousness; it is quite gone. The comforts that flow into the soul when sin is pardoned, are like clear shining after clouds and rain. Let not Israel be discouraged; nothing is too hard for God: having made all, he can make what use he pleases of any. Those that learn to know Christ, see all knowledge to be foolishness, in comparison with the knowledge of him. And his enemies will find their counsels turned into foolishness, and themselves taken in their craftiness. The exact fulfilling the prophecies of Scripture confirms the truth of the whole, and proves its Divine origin. The particular favours God designed for his people in captivity, were foretold here, long before they went into captivity. Very great difficulties would be in the way of their deliverance; but it is promised that by Divine power they should all be removed. God knew who should be the Deliverer of his people; and let his church know it, that when they heard such a name talked of, they might know their redemption drew nigh. It is the greatest honour of the greatest men, to be employed as instruments of the Divine favour to his people. In things wherein men serve themselves, and look no further, God makes them do all his pleasure. And a nobler Shepherd than Cyrus does his Father's will, till his work is fully completed.

Cross References

• 1. Isaiah 41:8; Jeremiah 30:10; Jeremiah 46:27, 28
• 2. Isaiah 44:21, 24
• 3. Isaiah 41:10
• 4. Isaiah 43:5
• 5. Deuteronomy 32:15; Deuteronomy 33:5, 26
• 6. Isaiah 41:17; Ezekiel 34:26; Joel 3:18
• 7. Isaiah 32:15; Joel 2:28
• 8. Isaiah 61:9; Isaiah 65:23
• 9. Leviticus 23:40; Job 40:22
• 10. Exodus 13:9; Nehemiah 9:38
• 11. Isaiah 41:21; Isaiah 43:15
• 12. Isaiah 41:14; Isaiah 43:1, 14
• 13. Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 48:12; Revelation 1:8, 17; Revelation 22:13
• 14. Isaiah 43:11; Isaiah 44:8; Isaiah 45:5, 6, 21
• 15. Isaiah 41:22, 26
• 16. Isaiah 42:9; Isaiah 48:5
• 17. Isaiah 43:10
• 18. Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; 1 Samuel 2:2; Isaiah 45:5; Joel 2:27
• 19. Isaiah 17:10; Isaiah 26:4; Isaiah 30:29
• 20. Psalms 97:7; Isaiah 42:17; Isaiah 44:11; Isaiah 45:16
• 21. Isaiah 41:29; Jeremiah 10:5; Habakkuk 2:18; Acts 19:26
• 22. Psalms 97:7; Isaiah 42:17; Isaiah 44:9; Isaiah 45:16
• 23. Isaiah 40:19, 20; Isaiah 41:6, 7; Isaiah 46:6, 7; Jeremiah 10:3-5; Habakkuk 2:18
• 24. Isaiah 41:7
• 25. Psalms 115:5-7
• 26. Judges 17:4, 5; Ezekiel 8:10, 11
• 27. Isaiah 44:17
• 28. 2 Chronicles 25:14
• 29. Isaiah 44:15
• 30. 1 Kings 18:26, 28; Isaiah 45:20
• 31. Isaiah 1:3; Jeremiah 10:8, 14
• 32. Psalms 81:12; Isaiah 6:9, 10; Isaiah 29:10
• 33. Isaiah 5:13; Isaiah 44:18, 19; Isaiah 45:20
• 34. Deuteronomy 27:15; 1 Kings 11:5, 7; 2 Kings 23:13, 14
• 35. Psalms 102:9
• 36. Job 15:31; Hosea 4:12; Romans 1:21, 22; 2 Thessalonians 2:11; 2 Timothy 3:13
• 37. Isaiah 57:11; Isaiah 59:3, 4, 13; Romans 1:25
• 38. Isaiah 46:8; Zechariah 10:9
• 39. Isaiah 44:1, 2
• 40. Isaiah 49:15
• 41. Psalms 51:1, 9; Isaiah 43:25; Acts 3:19
• 42. Isaiah 31:6; Isaiah 55:7
• 43. Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 48:20; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Peter 1:18, 19
• 44. Psalms 69:34; Psalms 96:11, 12; Isaiah 42:10; Isaiah 49:13
• 45. Psalms 98:7, 8; Psalms 148:7, 9; Isaiah 55:12
• 46. Isaiah 43:1
• 47. Isaiah 49:3; Isaiah 61:3
• 48. Isaiah 41:14; Isaiah 43:14
• 49. Isaiah 44:2
• 50. Isaiah 40:22; Isaiah 42:5; Isaiah 45:12, 18; Isaiah 51:13
• 51. Isaiah 47:13
• 52. 2 Samuel 15:31; Job 5:12-14; Psalms 33:10; Isaiah 29:14; Jeremiah 51:57; 1 Corinthians 1:20, 27
• 53. Zechariah 1:6; Matthew 5:18
• 54. Isaiah 40:9
• 55. Jeremiah 32:15, 44
• 56. Isaiah 42:15; Isaiah 50:2; Jeremiah 50:38; Jeremiah 51:36
• 57. Isaiah 45:1
• 58. 2 Chronicles 36:22, 23; Ezra 1:1; Isaiah 14:32; Isaiah 45:13; Isaiah 54:11

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "him who is thirsty"
• [b]. Another reading is "like grass among the waters"
• [c]. Another reading is "will be called by the name of Jacob"
• [d]. Or "with"
• [e]. Lit "From My establishing of"
• [f]. Or "people"
• [g]. Or "an idol"
• [h]. Or "a graven image"
• [i]. Lit "and fashions"
• [j]. Lit "there is no strength"
• [k]. Or "holm-oak"
• [l]. Lit "makes strong"
• [m]. Lit "returns to his heart"
• [n]. Or "shall I make?"
• [o]. Or "shall I fall...?"
• [p]. Or "is a companion of ashes"
• [q]. Lit "his soul"
• [r]. Or "cloud"
• [s]. Or "who was with Me?"
• [t]. Lit "signs"
• [u]. Lit "He makes"
• [v]. Lit "He turns"
• [w]. Lit "He performs"
• [x]. Lit "to say"
• [y]. Lit "You will be founded"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 44

In this chapter the Lord comforts his people with the promise of the effusion of his Spirit, and the blessings of his grace upon them; the consequence of which would be fruitfulness in them, and the conversion of others, who should profess themselves the Lord's people, Isa 44:1-5, he proves his deity in opposition to all false gods from his eternity, omniscience, and foretelling future events, Isa 44:6-8, exposes the stupidity of idol makers and the worshippers of them, Isa 44:9-20, makes gracious promises of the remembrance of his people, the remission of their sins, and their redemption by Christ, Isa 44:21-23, of which redemption from Babylon was a type; and of that assurance is given, from the Lord's creating all things by his power; from his frustrating and infatuating diviners and wise men; from his fulfilling his predictions delivered by his prophets; and from his mentioning by name the instrument of their redemption, Cyrus, Isa 44:24-28, which makes way for a particular prophecy concerning him in the next chapter.