\\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\\.