Isaiah 43:26

26 Bring me again into mind, and be we deemed together; tell thou, if thou hast anything, that thou be justified. (Bring me again into mind, and be we judged together, or let us argue it out; tell thou it out, if thou hast anything, by which thou can be justified.)

Isaiah 43:26 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 43:26

Put me in remembrance
Of this gracious promise of free remission of sins, and of all others of the same kind; not that God ever forgets any of his promises, but he may sometimes seem to do so; wherefore he would have his people put him in mind of them, that he may by his good Spirit make a comfortable application of them to him: "let us plead together"; or come together in judgment, as God and the sinner may upon the foot of remission of sin, through the blood, sacrifice, and satisfaction of Christ; which may be pleaded, and will be allowed, in the court of justice: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified; declare the promise before made; declare the grace that is expressed in it; plead the blood and righteousness of my Son, that thou mayest be justified by it, on which account remission of sin is: or it may be rather, these words are directed to another set of men among the Jews, who rejected the doctrine of forgiveness of sin by the grace of God, through the blood of Christ; such as were the Scribes and Pharisees in Christ's time, those self-justiciaries, who sought to be justified by the works of the law; setting at nought the grace of God and righteousness of Christ: now these the Lord calls upon in a way of derision, to put him in mind of any of their good actions they had done, and he had forgotten, for the sake of which they expected pardon, and not for his name's sake; and to come into open court and plead their own righteousness, and see whether they could carry their cause upon the foot of their own merits; and declare publicly what these merits and good works were, that they might be justified by them, if they were sufficient for such a purpose; but alas! these would not bear examination at the bar of strict justice, and would be far from justifying them in, the sight of God; and as their own works would be insufficient, it would be a vain thing to have recourse to the works and merits of their forefathers; for it follows,

Isaiah 43:26 In-Context

24 Thou boughtest not to me sweet smelling spicery for silver, and thou filledest not me with [the] fatness of thy slain sacrifices; nevertheless thou madest me to serve in thy sins, thou gavest travail to me in thy wickednesses. (Thou hast not brought me sweet smelling spices with thy silver, and thou hast not fulfilled, or satisfied, me/and thou hast not filled me with the fatness of thy slain sacrifices; nevertheless thou hast burdened me with thy sins, and thou hast given me trials and tribulation with thy wickednesses.)
25 I am, I myself am, that do away thy wickednesses for me, and I shall not have mind on thy sins. (But I am, yea, I am he who do away thy wickednesses for my own sake, and I shall not remember thy sins.)
26 Bring me again into mind, and be we deemed together; tell thou, if thou hast anything, that thou be justified. (Bring me again into mind, and be we judged together, or let us argue it out; tell thou it out, if thou hast anything, by which thou can be justified.)
27 Thy first father sinned, and thine interpreters trespassed against me. (Thy first father sinned, and thy expounders trespassed against me.)
28 And I made foul (the) holy princes, and I gave Jacob to death, and Israel into blasphemy. (And I defiled the princes of the sanctuary, and I gave Jacob unto death, and Israel unto reproach./And thy leaders defiled my sanctuary, and so I gave Jacob unto death, and Israel unto reproach.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.