Jehovah is well pleased for His righteousness sake; He will magnify the Law and make it honorable. But this is a people robbed and spoiled; all of them snared in holes, and they are hidden in prison-houses; they have been taken, and none delivers them; a prize, and none says, Give back. Who among you will hear this? He will listen and hear for the time to come? Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to robbers? Did not Jehovah, against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in His ways, nor did they obey His Law. So He has poured on him the fury of His anger, and the strength of battle. And it has set him on fire all around, yet he did not know; and it burned him, yet he did not lay it to heart.
(Isa 42:21-25 MKJV)
Israel had this pattern, even before they entered the Promised Land, of turning against God, then when God allowed times to get rough, turning back to God. The book of Judges is one continuous illustration of this. I’m not going to assert, as Job’s friends did, that all misfortune is a punishment from God, because it is illustrated many times in the bible that God allows bad events to occur for a number of reasons, sometimes consequences of sin, other times because adversity strengthens people. I’ve certainly seen both those reasons played out in my own life. Here’s Matthew Henry’s take on this:
Isa 42:18-25 -
Observe the call given to this people, and the character given of them. Multitudes are ruined for want of observing that which they cannot but see; they perish, not through ignorance, but carelessness. The Lord is well-pleased in the making known his own righteousness. For their sins they were spoiled of all their possessions. This fully came to pass in the destruction of the Jewish nation. There is no resisting, nor escaping God’s anger. See the mischief sin makes; it provokes God to anger. And those not humbled by lesser judgments, must expect greater. Alas! how many professed Christians are blind as the benighted heathen! While the Lord is well-pleased in saving sinners through the righteousness of Christ he will also glorify his justice, by punishing all proud despisers. Seeing God has poured out his wrath on his once-favoured people, because of their sins, let us fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should be found to come short of it.
I like Barnes comment, “Alas! how many professed Christians are blind as the benighted heathen! While the Lord is well-pleased in saving sinners through the righteousness of Christ he will also glorify his justice, by punishing all proud despisers.” You know who I mean, the holier-than-thou types who cause parodies like the Betty Bowers website to exist. They are modern-day Pharisees. Sure, I admit, those people just cry out to be mocked. And the site is pretty funny. But I resent being lumped in with the Betty Bowers-types – just like my notoriously liberal brother hates being grouped with certain leftist wingnuts. It’s a Crossfire kind of world these days I guess. But I digress….
But in the midst of all this Godly, righteous wrath being poured out on unrepentant sinners, here’s the beginning of the next chapter.
But now so says Jehovah who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel; Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; nor shall the flame kindle on you. For I am Jehovah your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for you. Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you; therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life. Fear not; for I am with you. I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Do not keep back; bring My sons from far and My daughters from the ends of the earth; everyone who is called by My name; for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
(Isa 43:1-7 MKJV)
So how to reconcile the end of chapter 42 with the beginning of 43? The God of the bible (as opposed to the warm fuzzy bearded old man people often think of) is both pure and holy, and the creator and father. His purity and holiness does not permit the stain of sin to go unpunished. Yet his fatherly love for his creation does not permit him to abandon us to the fate we deserve.
