Intro: Isaiah continually spoke to Israel about her spiritual blindness and deafness when it came to their awareness and obedience to God. In Chapter 42, Isaiah tells Israel God mourns their spiritual decay. Israel is not only a nation of people; Israel represents all the people that God uses to further his plan of redemption for the human race. Israel includes all people who respond to God in faith, believe in Him for salvation, and seek to serve and obey Him. In our passage today, the Lord reminds Israel who He is and the plans He has for them. God’s purpose for using Israel is to make the people into a holy nation of priests.
Think about your spiritual life and how you view yourself. As believers, we are being formed into a holy nation of priests; therefore, we have a part to play in the formation process. Our commitment to Christ involves surrendering to the leading of the Holy Spirit who brings spiritual life and imparts it into our spirits, produces spiritual maturity in our souls, and causes us to grow the spiritual fruit that identifies us as His holy priests—those who worship and witness to the sacred ways of our Lord. God is faithful to fulfill His purpose for us.
Isaiah 43:16-21 NLT
I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea.
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I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses.I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.
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“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
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For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
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The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and owls, too, for giving them water in the desert.Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed.
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I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world.
Prayer: Lord, today I must remember I am a new creation in Christ Jesus—chosen and destined to reflect Your divine priesthood. I am refreshed by Your Spirit through the washing of the Word over my soul; Your Word makes me fertile ground for the growth of Your righteous fruit. Draw me closer to Yourself, because I want to bring honor to Your glorious name. In Jesus’ name. Amen.