Charles Spurgeon Commentary Isaiah 44

Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: Thus says the LORD that made you, and formed you from the womb, who will help you; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and you, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.

He comes back to that point again, you see: Israel whom I have chosen, Thus says the Lord that made you. See the deep argument for infinite love. God will not forsake the work of His own hands. I have formed you, and chosen you; therefore, fear you not, but come to me anew, and serve me from now on with all your heart.

Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: Thus says the LORD that made you, and formed you from the womb, which will help you; Fear not, O Jacob, my Servant; and you, Jesurum, whom I have chosen.

God cannot bear his people to be sad; he delights to drive away fear, trembling, and mistrust. He loves faith, for faith brings confidence, hope, and rest. So he says to us, "Fear not, fear not, do not be afraid." It is God himself, who made us and who chose us, who says to us, "Do not fear." Come, dear hearts, lay aside your anxiety, if God tells you to cast away fear, will you not do it?

Nothing hushes a baby to sleep like its mother's voice. Let God's voice hush you into sweet and blessed calm whenever you are troubled and full of fear.

Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: Thus says the LORD that made you, and formed you from the womb, which will help you; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and you, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your offspring:

That is exactly what we need. Oh, that God would thus revive His Church! A little while ago, you saw the earth become dry and brown and bare; the very pastures were chapped and parched, and opened their mouths to cry for rain. What could we have done if the clouds had still withheld their nourishment? But at last down came the refreshing showers, and all the face of nature was revived. What we have had upon our fields, we need upon our churches; nothing will do for our souls but a visitation of the Spirit. Let us pray for it.

Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly rain, pour out your life-giving treasures upon thirsty souls even as the floods have been poured out upon the dry ground. Here is a divine promise, let us plead it: I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your offspring.

Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant and Israel, whom I have chosen. Thus says the LORD, that made you, and formed you from the womb, which will help you; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and you, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your offspring:

"Do not think that I am anxious to punish you for your sin. Only return to me, and I will be delighted to bless you. I will help you out of your troubles; I will supply your needs; and not only so, but I will bless your children generation after generation."

Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: Thus says the Lord that made you, and formed you from the womb, which will help you; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and you, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand to the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.

There are different ways of making the same profession of attachment to the Lord. All do not acknowledge in the same way their faith in God, but it is a great blessing when our offspring do acknowledge it. Let us end our reading with that sweet blessing upon our children: I will pour my spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your offspring. May it come to pass in all our families, for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake! Amen.