Moving Forward Without Looking Back

Isaiah Chapter 43 talks about Israel, God’s Chosen People, being created, then formed and then, "redeemed". God is telling the Israelites, "I have redeemed you." To be redeemed means to be "bought with a price, or to be bought back". God is telling Israel that He has paid for their sins. After the Israelites were redeemed, the Lord goes on to say that "I have called thee by thy name, you are Mine. After creating, forming, redeeming and naming them, God goes on to remind them of what He did for them. (read v 2) Elaborate...Thenn he tells them in the beginning of v 5 to "fear not: for I am with thee." To fear means to be "intimidated". God is telling the Israelites not to be intimidated because He is with them. (elaborate).

Read v 18- (do not remember)...... To "remember means to look back or to think back. When you move ahead.....(elaborate)....

Then he goes on to say, "neither consider the things of old." To Consider means too pay attention to. Go back to v 2 and elaborate.

Read v 19-Behold means to "look"....A new thing signifies that things were previously done "another way". Recall that the Israelites murmured and complained to Moses to the point of telling him in the 14th chapter of Exodus that he brought them to the wilderness to die as Pharoah drew near to them. Moses told the doubting Israelites to "fear not" you know the story..(elaborate)

In this lesson, the Israelites are called upon to forget when they had struggled to be a nation. For God now has a new destiny. This new thing is based on a group of people being rebuilt through the process of coming out of many trials & tribulations.

v 19 goes on to say , "I will make a way, or a road in the wilderness. Now the wilderness is barren and uncultivated and there isn’t a definite way out of the wilderness. Elaborate

And rivers in the desert. A desert is any place lacking something, whether it be water, or food, or the word of God. Our churches today are lacking peopel who w ant to work. A person not working or wanting to work in the church can be just like a car that is broke down in the middle of the road and they are holding up traffic. They aren’t moving and they are keeping everyone else from moving because traffic is coming from the other way too. But then the traffic director, or the pastor, comes and attempts to direct traffic. Moves the unworking car out of the way so that traffic can flow freely....God had to show the children of Israel that He could move Pharoah out of their way....

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