Ésaïe 43:18-28

18 Ne pensez plus aux événements passés, Et ne considérez plus ce qui est ancien.

19 Voici, je vais faire une chose nouvelle, sur le point d'arriver: Ne la connaîtrez-vous pas? Je mettrai un chemin dans le désert, Et des fleuves dans la solitude.

20 Les bêtes des champs me glorifieront, Les chacals et les autruches, Parce que j'aurai mis des eaux dans le désert, Des fleuves dans la solitude, Pour abreuver mon peuple, mon élu.

21 Le peuple que je me suis formé Publiera mes louanges.

22 Et tu ne m'as pas invoqué, ô Jacob! Car tu t'es lassé de moi, ô Israël!

23 Tu ne m'as pas offert tes brebis en holocauste, Et tu ne m'as pas honoré par tes sacrifices; Je ne t'ai point tourmenté pour des offrandes, Et je ne t'ai point fatigué pour de l'encens.

24 Tu n'as pas à prix d'argent acheté pour moi des aromates, Et tu ne m'as pas rassasié de la graisse de tes sacrifices; Mais tu m'as tourmenté par tes péchés, Tu m'as fatigué par tes iniquités.

25 C'est moi, moi qui efface tes transgressions pour l'amour de moi, Et je ne me souviendrai plus de tes péchés.

26 Réveille ma mémoire, plaidons ensemble, Parle toi-même, pour te justifier.

27 Ton premier père a péché, Et tes interprètes se sont rebellés contre moi.

28 C'est pourquoi j'ai traité en profanes les chefs du sanctuaire, J'ai livré Jacob à la destruction, Et Israël aux outrages.

Ésaïe 43:18-28 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 43

Is this chapter the Lord comforts his own people, under their afflictions, with many precious promises; asserts his deity against the idols of the nations; promises deliverance from Babylon, and a greater redemption than that; one branch of which is forgiveness of sin; and closes the chapter with a prediction of the destruction of the Jews by the Romans, for their iniquities. The Lord claims his interest in his people, not only on the foot of creation, but of redemption and calling, and promises them his presence in the midst of afflictions, Isa 43:1,2, puts them in mind of what he had done for them; and assures them of future layouts, as the effect of his unchangeable love to them, Isa 43:3,4 and promises the conversion of their seed and offspring in the several parts of the world, Isa 43:5-7 then challenges the Heathen nations to give such proofs of the deity of their idols as he was capable of giving of his, as his people were witnesses, taken from his eternity and immutability, as the alone Jehovah, and from his omniscience and omnipotence, Isa 43:8-13, after which the destruction of Babylon is prophesied of, and the redemption of his people out of it; which they are encouraged to believe from his being Jehovah, their Sanctifier, Creator, and King; and from what he had done formerly for them, when he brought them out of Egypt, Isa 43:14-17, and which yet was not to be mentioned or remembered, in comparison of what he would do in the world, a new thing, redemption by the Messiah, and the conversion of the Gentiles to the glory of his grace, Isa 43:18-21, the sins of omission and commission the people of God had been guilty of are mentioned, which are freely pardoned for Christ's sake, Isa 43:22-25 when the body and bulk of the Jewish nation were given up to destruction, because of their sins, Isa 43:26-28.