Tang Wei Ping
Prayer Warrior
Isaiah 43:10 :
Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Commentary on this verse:
Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord The people of Israel, who could testify that the Lord had foretold their affliction in Egypt, their coming from thence, and settling in the land of Canaan, many hundreds of years before they came to pass, and which were exactly fulfilled; and so the apostles of Christ, and ministers of the word, and all Christian people in all nations, are witnesses of the prophecies concerning Christ, his birth, miracles, obedience, sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension to heaven, and session at the right hand of God, all which are exactly accomplished, ( Acts 1:8 ) :
and my servant whom I have chosen; meaning either the Prophet Isaiah, or the prophets in general; or rather the Messiah. So the Targum,
``and my servant the Messiah, in whom I am well pleased;'' and who is called the faithful witness, ( Revelation 1:5 ) ( 3:14 ) , and to whom the characters of a servant, and the Lord's chosen, well agree, ( Isaiah 42:1 ) : that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he; by which testimonies and evident proofs of deity, from the prediction of future events, and the accomplishment of them, you may have a competent knowledge, a firm persuasion, and a clear perception of this important truth, that the God of Israel, and of all true Christians, is the one only Lord God: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me; intimating that idols were formed by the hands of men, and yet none of these were formed before him, and therefore could make no pretensions to deity, or to an equality with him; nor should any be formed afterwards, that could be put in competition with him. In short, the sense is, there is no other god beside him; as the Targum, Septuagint, and Arabic versions render it.
Our prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness to Your people, Israel, who for so long have been a nation living in unbelief and in rebellion to the truth of the gospel. Thank You for Your long-suffering mercy and the assurance that they will one day fulfil the work that You have called them to do, to believe on You and to be Your witnesses to a world that is lost in sin. Thank You that in Your grace, You called out of the Gentiles a people for Your name, to tell forth the good news of the gospel of grace until the day when Israel proclaims the gospel of the kingdom and acknowledges Jesus as their Messiah and Lord. In Jesus' name, AMEN.
Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Commentary on this verse:
Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord The people of Israel, who could testify that the Lord had foretold their affliction in Egypt, their coming from thence, and settling in the land of Canaan, many hundreds of years before they came to pass, and which were exactly fulfilled; and so the apostles of Christ, and ministers of the word, and all Christian people in all nations, are witnesses of the prophecies concerning Christ, his birth, miracles, obedience, sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension to heaven, and session at the right hand of God, all which are exactly accomplished, ( Acts 1:8 ) :
and my servant whom I have chosen; meaning either the Prophet Isaiah, or the prophets in general; or rather the Messiah. So the Targum,
``and my servant the Messiah, in whom I am well pleased;'' and who is called the faithful witness, ( Revelation 1:5 ) ( 3:14 ) , and to whom the characters of a servant, and the Lord's chosen, well agree, ( Isaiah 42:1 ) : that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he; by which testimonies and evident proofs of deity, from the prediction of future events, and the accomplishment of them, you may have a competent knowledge, a firm persuasion, and a clear perception of this important truth, that the God of Israel, and of all true Christians, is the one only Lord God: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me; intimating that idols were formed by the hands of men, and yet none of these were formed before him, and therefore could make no pretensions to deity, or to an equality with him; nor should any be formed afterwards, that could be put in competition with him. In short, the sense is, there is no other god beside him; as the Targum, Septuagint, and Arabic versions render it.
Our prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness to Your people, Israel, who for so long have been a nation living in unbelief and in rebellion to the truth of the gospel. Thank You for Your long-suffering mercy and the assurance that they will one day fulfil the work that You have called them to do, to believe on You and to be Your witnesses to a world that is lost in sin. Thank You that in Your grace, You called out of the Gentiles a people for Your name, to tell forth the good news of the gospel of grace until the day when Israel proclaims the gospel of the kingdom and acknowledges Jesus as their Messiah and Lord. In Jesus' name, AMEN.