A New Thing

Draft, under review

Isaiah 43:16–21

16Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters,

17who brings out the chariots and horses, the armies and warriors together, to lie down, never to rise again; to be extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

18“Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to the things of old.

19Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

20The beasts of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people.

21The people I formed for Myself will declare My praise.

Berean Standard Bible. Read the full chapter

Reflection

God introduces Himself by pointing to the past. He is the one who once cut a path through the sea and brought down chariot and horse (Isa 43:16–17). It was the Exodus, the defining rescue. Then, in the next breath, God says something startling: don't dwell on the former things (Isa 43:18).

He isn't telling them to forget His faithfulness. Elsewhere He commands them to remember it (Deut 5:15; Ps 77:11). He is telling them not to be so fixed on the old rescue that they miss the new one. He is about to do something new. He will cut a road through the desert and send rivers through dry ground (Isa 43:19). This was God's word to Israel in exile, promising a return that would point ahead to a greater rescue in Christ (Isa 43:1, 14; Luke 24:44).

New seasons often feel like wilderness. A move, a new job, an empty house, a diagnosis, a fresh start. The old map doesn't work anymore, and it's tempting either to cling to what was or to fear what's coming. The past is not your god. He is. Isaiah does not promise that your new season will turn out the way you hope, but it does show you who God is: faithful before, and present with His people wherever they go (Isa 43:2; Josh 1:9).

Notice where the new thing grows: in dry places. In every season, the call is the same: to trust Him and declare His praise (Isa 43:21; Ps 31:14–15). In Christ, everything is heading toward the day He makes all things new (2 Cor 5:17; Rev 21:5).

Word study: verified (STEPBible)

chadash (Hebrew, Strong's H2319): new (Isa 43:19). In the same verse, tsamach (H6779) means to sprout or spring up, a picture of something already growing before it is fully seen.

Cross-reference trail

  1. Exod 14:21-29: The first way through the sea.
  2. Lam 3:22-23: Mercies new every morning.
  3. Phil 3:13-14: Leaving the past behind and pressing on.
  4. 2 Cor 5:17: A new creation in Christ.
  5. Rev 21:5: All things made new.

Go deeper

Prayer

Lord of my past and my future, open my eyes to the new thing You are doing, and make a way where I see none.

Go deeper