Do not be afraid …. I am doing a new thing
Why would Isaiah say “Don’t be afraid?” unless his hearers were gripped by fear. The Assyrian armies were ruthless. They had wiped out the kingdom of Israel based in Samaria, deporting its population and replacing them with other conquered people. Now they threatened Judah.
It was also not easy being a prophet with a message most of the hearers did not want to hear. “You have been unfaithful to God … you are treating the poor unjustly … your religious activities stink … God will use your conquerors to judge you …” Then he told them that actually God will move through the shifts in global politics and - after they have been dispersed into exile by the new conquerors - He would bring a remnant back to the promised land. It all seems too much to take in!
Then, “Forget the former things ..I am doing a new thing!” That seemed contrary to the many scriptures urging people to remember the Exodus, the supreme example of God’s saving power (Isaiah 46:8-9, for example). Surely they should remember not forget.
Now Isaiah talks about God making a path with through the desert, with pools, not through the sea. What is going on and what does it mean for us?
All Old Testament scripture is relevant to us indirectly as we read in the light of Jesus and the illumination of the Spirit. Usually there are several layers of meaning as the literal sense of a passage points to an example to follow or avoid and then a symbolic significance that leads us to truths revealed fully in the New Testament. This is a good example.: Exiles returning to the Promised Land is a prophetic picture of the people of God coming out of bondage and enjoying our inheritance in Christ. Isaiah and other prophets elsewhere point to a great harvest of people from all nations. This is all part of the “new thing” we can expect. -
But we often need to forget, or let go of the former things - the way it used to be - in order to move on into what God is leading us into. We need a shock - we need to be shaken out of assuming that many people turning to God will look like it did in any of the past revivals. We can be inspired by the stories of pioneer missionaries or revival breaking out, but we have to live by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). We live by every word that comes from God, not on history or principles we learn from the past, even from scripture. We live by intimate fellowship - abiding in Jesus - not by our own human skills and abilities.
By definition, the new things will not look familiar. We might even miss them in our efforts to please God and do the right things to welcome revival.
So let’s seek Him together and listen to what He says, with open heart and minds … and be prepared for the unexpected.
Chris Horton