Isaiah 43:20

20 Even wild dogs and owls honor me. That is because I provide water in the desert for my people to drink. I cause streams to flow in the dry and empty land for my chosen ones.

Isaiah 43:20 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 43:20

The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons, and the
owls
Which is not to be understood literally of these creatures, who as they had honoured the Lord, when Israel passed through the wilderness, so would again in their way praise the Lord, when they came through the deserts from Babylon, for giving them water to drink in such dry and thirsty places, to which there may be an allusion; but spiritually of the Gentiles, compared to those creatures for the savageness, fierceness, and stupidity of them, and who were reckoned by the Jews no other than as the beasts of the field; who should honour and glorify God for the Gospel brought unto them, and for his grace and mercy bestowed on them: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert;
as before; (See Gill on Isaiah 43:19); because of the plenty of divine grace, and the means of it: to give drink to my people, my chosen;
to refresh and comfort the hearts of his people, whom he had chosen out from among the Gentiles, and now would call them by his grace, and set them a thirsting after Christ, and salvation by him.

Isaiah 43:20 In-Context

18 "Forget the things that happened in the past. Do not keep on thinking about them.
19 I am about to do something new. It is beginning to happen even now. Don't you see it coming? I am going to make a way for you to go through the desert. I will make streams of water in the dry and empty land.
20 Even wild dogs and owls honor me. That is because I provide water in the desert for my people to drink. I cause streams to flow in the dry and empty land for my chosen ones.
21 I do it for the people I made for myself. I want them to sing praise to me.
22 "Family of Jacob, you have not prayed to me as you should. People of Israel, you have not even begun to get tired while doing it.
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