There is a link between Isaiah 1 and 41. We see it in the call to Judah in Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together.” Isaiah 41:1 expresses a similar invitation: “Let us come near together to judgment.” However, in this case, the invitation encompasses a broader arena and, by implication, a larger event: “the ends of the earth” (verse 5).
The expression mišp̱āṭ (judgment, Isa. 41:1) in the Hebrew language could also be rendered “dispute, case,” “legal claim” (Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, vol. 2, p. 651). This concept is quite similar to the meaning of the Hebrew word niwwāḵḥâ (to argue [in a lawsuit]) in Isaiah 1:18 (Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, vol. 2, p. 410). Isaiah 41:21 reinforces the idea of a legal dispute, and the verse is almost an echo of Isaiah 1:18: “ ‘Present your case,’ the LORD says. ‘Bring forward your strong arguments’ ” (NASB).
In the following verses, the two parts of the case are revealed. On one side, the Lord, and on the other side, Israel, the servant.
The Lord, in chapter 41, is described in many ways: “the Holy One of Israel,” the Redeemer, the Creator, and the King. And Israel or Judah is described as “my servant”; “my chosen one”; and “my friend,” a reference to Abraham.
Three main topics are explored in this study: (1) the God of the covenant; (2) God and other titles; and (3) Israel, the servant.
Part II: Commentary
The God of the Covenant.
God is portrayed in several ways in Isaiah 41. When God is referred to in relation to His people in a covenantal relationship, the Bible uses the name YHWH, “the Lord.” Isaiah uses this name around four hundred-fifty times in his book. The expression occurs 6,828 in the Hebrew Bible (David J. A. Clines, The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, vol. 4, p. 122).
The Pentateuchal account gives clear insights into this name. This study reviews some verses related to the personage to whom Isaiah alludes: Abraham. There are three moments in the covenant relationship between God and Abraham, and the divine name used here is YWWH: (1) the Lord (YHWH) calls Abram and promises him to make him a great nation (Gen. 12:1-3), (2) the Lord (YHWH) makes the covenant (Gen. 15:1-21), and (3) the Lord (YHWH) affirms the covenant (Gen. 17:1-27). Several expressions in Genesis 12 reveal a personal relationship between the Lord and Abraham. “I will show you; . . . I will bless you, . . . make your name great” (Gen. 12:1, 2; NASB).
The other section, Genesis 15, is also introduced by using the expression YHWH. The covenantal scene includes God’s language of personal care toward Abram: “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you” (Gen. 15:1, NASB). Genesis 15:2-6 describes the discussion of an individual concern before the Lord, wherein Abram states his concerns about the fulfillment of the covenant. The Lord, in Genesis 15:7, reiterates to Abram His name. “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it” (Gen. 15:7, NASB). And Genesis 15:18 shows us clearly the link between the name YHWH and the covenant. “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, To your descendants I have given this land” (NASB).
In Genesis 17, the Lord (YHWH) is once again interacting with Abram. The narrative denotes a personal relationship--“walk before me” (Gen. 17:1)--and it tells us that the covenant is going to be real: “I will establish My covenant between Me and you” (Gen. 17:2, NASB). It is repeated in Genesis 17:4, and it also affects the personal name of one of the members of the covenant, Abram: “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham” (Gen. 17:5, NASB).
Sometimes in covenantal formulas, the expression ʾᵉlōhim (God) is added to the name YWHW. Thus, in this type of literature, the subject of a covenant is YHWH, and sometimes the Lord God or the Lord your God. In the experience of Abraham, we have seen that the name is associated with the covenantal act and personal relationship with YHWH, the Lord.
There are covenantal elements in Isaiah 41. We infer this not only from the use of the name YHWH but also from the reference to Israel as the “chosen” one (Isa. 41:8). The allusion to Abraham, a great name in the covenant with Israel, is also another factor that suggests those elements. However, as it has been said above, the name YHWH (the Lord) is associated with God’s personal relationship with His people. Isaiah 41 makes the personal nature of this relationship clear. The Lord calls Abraham His friend (Isa. 41:8), as does the last of the expressions in “I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he” (Isa. 41:4).
The expression “I am he” is explained by John Oswalt in the following terms: “He is with us, for good or ill, depending on our response to him. He is the one like whom there is no other; he is the only noncontingent being in the universe, the only one who can say ‘I Am.’ ”--The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), p. 84.
Oswalt also sees some connection here with Isaiah and the New Testament. He says, “The regular LXX translation of ʾᵃnı̂ hûʾ, ‘I am he,’ is egō eimi. That Jesus would calmly apply this phrase to [H]imself (compare with John 8:58 and John 18:5) speaks volumes about [H]is sense of self-identity.”—The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, pp. 84, 85.
God and Other Titles.
Additional characteristics of the Lord are emphasized in Isaiah 41. He is the Holy One. “I will help you,” declares the LORD, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 41:14, NASB). A similar idea is expressed in Isaiah 41:20: “The hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.”
“The Holy One” is one of the main titles for the Lord in the book of Isaiah, and it constitutes one of the main topics of the book. The expression “Holy One” is used 33 times by Isaiah. As shown in Lesson 2, “holy” refers to “the purity, the perfection, the hidden glory of YHWH.” Holiness is the essence of His being. The title “Holy One” implies the moral standard for the nation. This call to holiness is rooted in Mosaic law, based on God’s self-proclamation of His own perfection: “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2).
The prophet Isaiah uses the title “Holy One” to tie together two other related characteristics of God: God as Creator and Redeemer. The idea of God as our Creator is expressed in beautiful parallelism in Isaiah 41:20:
“That the hand of the LORD has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it” (NKJV).
The Lord is featured as Redeemer in Isaiah 41: “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel” (verse 14, NASB). The Hebrew word commonly translated as Redeemer means “to reclaim as one’s own” or “to claim for oneself.”—Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, vol. 1, p. 169.
The features of the Lord as the Creator (in this case, of Israel) and as the Redeemer of Israel are evident in this section of the book. An example is Isaiah 43:1:
“Thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!’ ” (NASB).
Another title Isaiah uses in parallel to the Lord is “the King of Jacob” (Isa. 41:21). There is no doubt that this is a Messianic title.
Thus, Isaiah 41 reveals different names and titles by which God is described. Interestingly, the author uses in Isaiah 43:15 almost the same expression for referring to God: “I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.”
Israel, the Servant.
The Lord has been designated by different titles in Isaiah 41. Israel in its covenantal relationship with God has likewise received several titles. For example, Israel in relation to God is “the servant,” “the chosen one,” and “the friend.”
In many sections of the book of Isaiah, Israel, or, more particularly, the nation of Judah, is the servant of the Lord. Among other verses, compare Isaiah 41:8, 9; Isaiah 44:1, 21; Isaiah 45:4; Isaiah 48:20; and Isaiah 49:3.
Isaiah 41:8 implies many important things about the servant:
“But you, Israel, My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
Descendant of Abraham My friend” (NASB).
Alec Motyer identifies four features of the servant in this verse: “first, that Israel came to be the Lord’s servant by divine choice (Isa. 41:8b, 9d; Eph. 1:4); secondly, that the relationship began with Abraham. My friend (2 Chron. 20:7; [James] 2:23) is literally ‘my loving one’/‘who loved me.’ Thirdly, it tells us that the extension of the covenant promise to Abraham’s descendants (lit. ‘seed,’ Gen. 17:7) still stands (chosen you . . . not rejected you); and, fourthly, that in his choice and calling of Abraham the Lord showed that his power extends to the ends of the earth . . . its farthest corners. In all this there is nothing of any function the servant may perform; only that Israel has an honoured status.”—J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), vol. 20, p. 286.
Part III: Life Application
Our God is presented in the Bible in many ways. He is the great ʾᵉlōhim, the sovereign of the universe, and the transcendent God. However, God is also a personal God, and, to show this, biblical authors use the name YHWH, the Lord. YHWH is the God of the covenant, the God of personal interaction with human beings.
How can you distinguish those two aspects of God in relation to His creatures? Read Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 12:1 to help you answer the question.
Isaiah 41 reveals God in many different ways. The book refers to the Lord as “the Holy One of Israel,” Redeemer, Creator, and King. Which of these titles is particularly relevant to you in your life, and why?
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Study Focus: Isaiah 41
Part I: Overview
There is a link between Isaiah 1 and 41. We see it in the call to Judah in Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together.” Isaiah 41:1 expresses a similar invitation: “Let us come near together to judgment.” However, in this case, the invitation encompasses a broader arena and, by implication, a larger event: “the ends of the earth” (verse 5).
The expression mišp̱āṭ (judgment, Isa. 41:1) in the Hebrew language could also be rendered “dispute, case,” “legal claim” (Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, vol. 2, p. 651). This concept is quite similar to the meaning of the Hebrew word niwwāḵḥâ (to argue [in a lawsuit]) in Isaiah 1:18 (Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, vol. 2, p. 410). Isaiah 41:21 reinforces the idea of a legal dispute, and the verse is almost an echo of Isaiah 1:18: “ ‘Present your case,’ the LORD says. ‘Bring forward your strong arguments’ ” (NASB).
In the following verses, the two parts of the case are revealed. On one side, the Lord, and on the other side, Israel, the servant.
The Lord, in chapter 41, is described in many ways: “the Holy One of Israel,” the Redeemer, the Creator, and the King. And Israel or Judah is described as “my servant”; “my chosen one”; and “my friend,” a reference to Abraham.
Three main topics are explored in this study: (1) the God of the covenant; (2) God and other titles; and (3) Israel, the servant.
Part II: Commentary
The God of the Covenant.
God is portrayed in several ways in Isaiah 41. When God is referred to in relation to His people in a covenantal relationship, the Bible uses the name YHWH, “the Lord.” Isaiah uses this name around four hundred-fifty times in his book. The expression occurs 6,828 in the Hebrew Bible (David J. A. Clines, The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, vol. 4, p. 122).
The Pentateuchal account gives clear insights into this name. This study reviews some verses related to the personage to whom Isaiah alludes: Abraham. There are three moments in the covenant relationship between God and Abraham, and the divine name used here is YWWH: (1) the Lord (YHWH) calls Abram and promises him to make him a great nation (Gen. 12:1-3), (2) the Lord (YHWH) makes the covenant (Gen. 15:1-21), and (3) the Lord (YHWH) affirms the covenant (Gen. 17:1-27). Several expressions in Genesis 12 reveal a personal relationship between the Lord and Abraham. “I will show you; . . . I will bless you, . . . make your name great” (Gen. 12:1, 2; NASB).
The other section, Genesis 15, is also introduced by using the expression YHWH. The covenantal scene includes God’s language of personal care toward Abram: “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you” (Gen. 15:1, NASB). Genesis 15:2-6 describes the discussion of an individual concern before the Lord, wherein Abram states his concerns about the fulfillment of the covenant. The Lord, in Genesis 15:7, reiterates to Abram His name. “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it” (Gen. 15:7, NASB). And Genesis 15:18 shows us clearly the link between the name YHWH and the covenant. “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, To your descendants I have given this land” (NASB).
In Genesis 17, the Lord (YHWH) is once again interacting with Abram. The narrative denotes a personal relationship--“walk before me” (Gen. 17:1)--and it tells us that the covenant is going to be real: “I will establish My covenant between Me and you” (Gen. 17:2, NASB). It is repeated in Genesis 17:4, and it also affects the personal name of one of the members of the covenant, Abram: “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham” (Gen. 17:5, NASB).
Sometimes in covenantal formulas, the expression ʾᵉlōhim (God) is added to the name YWHW. Thus, in this type of literature, the subject of a covenant is YHWH, and sometimes the Lord God or the Lord your God. In the experience of Abraham, we have seen that the name is associated with the covenantal act and personal relationship with YHWH, the Lord.
There are covenantal elements in Isaiah 41. We infer this not only from the use of the name YHWH but also from the reference to Israel as the “chosen” one (Isa. 41:8). The allusion to Abraham, a great name in the covenant with Israel, is also another factor that suggests those elements. However, as it has been said above, the name YHWH (the Lord) is associated with God’s personal relationship with His people. Isaiah 41 makes the personal nature of this relationship clear. The Lord calls Abraham His friend (Isa. 41:8), as does the last of the expressions in “I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he” (Isa. 41:4).
The expression “I am he” is explained by John Oswalt in the following terms: “He is with us, for good or ill, depending on our response to him. He is the one like whom there is no other; he is the only noncontingent being in the universe, the only one who can say ‘I Am.’ ”--The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), p. 84.
Oswalt also sees some connection here with Isaiah and the New Testament. He says, “The regular LXX translation of ʾᵃnı̂ hûʾ, ‘I am he,’ is egō eimi. That Jesus would calmly apply this phrase to [H]imself (compare with John 8:58 and John 18:5) speaks volumes about [H]is sense of self-identity.”—The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, pp. 84, 85.
God and Other Titles.
Additional characteristics of the Lord are emphasized in Isaiah 41. He is the Holy One. “I will help you,” declares the LORD, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 41:14, NASB). A similar idea is expressed in Isaiah 41:20: “The hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.”
“The Holy One” is one of the main titles for the Lord in the book of Isaiah, and it constitutes one of the main topics of the book. The expression “Holy One” is used 33 times by Isaiah. As shown in Lesson 2, “holy” refers to “the purity, the perfection, the hidden glory of YHWH.” Holiness is the essence of His being. The title “Holy One” implies the moral standard for the nation. This call to holiness is rooted in Mosaic law, based on God’s self-proclamation of His own perfection: “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2).
The prophet Isaiah uses the title “Holy One” to tie together two other related characteristics of God: God as Creator and Redeemer. The idea of God as our Creator is expressed in beautiful parallelism in Isaiah 41:20:
“That the hand of the LORD has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it” (NKJV).
The Lord is featured as Redeemer in Isaiah 41: “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel” (verse 14, NASB). The Hebrew word commonly translated as Redeemer means “to reclaim as one’s own” or “to claim for oneself.”—Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, vol. 1, p. 169.
The features of the Lord as the Creator (in this case, of Israel) and as the Redeemer of Israel are evident in this section of the book. An example is Isaiah 43:1:
“Thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!’ ” (NASB).
Another title Isaiah uses in parallel to the Lord is “the King of Jacob” (Isa. 41:21). There is no doubt that this is a Messianic title.
Thus, Isaiah 41 reveals different names and titles by which God is described. Interestingly, the author uses in Isaiah 43:15 almost the same expression for referring to God: “I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.”
Israel, the Servant.
The Lord has been designated by different titles in Isaiah 41. Israel in its covenantal relationship with God has likewise received several titles. For example, Israel in relation to God is “the servant,” “the chosen one,” and “the friend.”
In many sections of the book of Isaiah, Israel, or, more particularly, the nation of Judah, is the servant of the Lord. Among other verses, compare Isaiah 41:8, 9; Isaiah 44:1, 21; Isaiah 45:4; Isaiah 48:20; and Isaiah 49:3.
Isaiah 41:8 implies many important things about the servant:
“But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend” (NASB).
Alec Motyer identifies four features of the servant in this verse: “first, that Israel came to be the Lord’s servant by divine choice (Isa. 41:8b, 9d; Eph. 1:4); secondly, that the relationship began with Abraham. My friend (2 Chron. 20:7; [James] 2:23) is literally ‘my loving one’/‘who loved me.’ Thirdly, it tells us that the extension of the covenant promise to Abraham’s descendants (lit. ‘seed,’ Gen. 17:7) still stands (chosen you . . . not rejected you); and, fourthly, that in his choice and calling of Abraham the Lord showed that his power extends to the ends of the earth . . . its farthest corners. In all this there is nothing of any function the servant may perform; only that Israel has an honoured status.”—J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), vol. 20, p. 286.
Part III: Life Application
How can you distinguish those two aspects of God in relation to His creatures? Read Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 12:1 to help you answer the question.