John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 43:10

"Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, 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." — Isaiah 43:10 (ASV)

You are my witnesses. After having summoned the Gentiles to a contest, and after having proved that the stories which they circulated concerning their idols were false and unfounded, God now separates himself from the multitude of them and produces his “witnesses,” so that he may not be thought to be of the same class with them. He justly boasts, therefore, that they are his witnesses, and that he has true witnesses; for the Jews had been instructed by heavenly oracles, as far as was necessary for attaining perfect certainty. Yet he indirectly reproaches them with ingratitude if they do not openly declare that they know everything that is necessary for maintaining the glory of God; and, indeed, he calls them to bear witness, and adjures them not to cover with silence those predictions by which the true religion might be proved, because that would be unjustly to defraud a good cause of their support.

And my servant. By the word “servant” some think that Isaiah is meant, but I prefer to take it collectively for all the prophets, as there is a change of number. Now, this name was specially bestowed on the prophets, whom the Lord chose for the purpose of maintaining his truth. Yet, in using the singular number, there can be no doubt that he looked chiefly to Christ, in whom all the prophecies are contained and accomplished (John 1:45; Acts 3:24 and 10:43; Romans 1:2–3; Hebrews 1:1). It is also certain that by him chiefly, as the highest witness, all men are convinced.

Yet we should observe God’s design, which I previously mentioned, to call the Jews to be witnesses, so that he might accuse them of ingratitude if they did not freely utter what is demanded by the faith of those who, after having received such numerous and remarkable proofs, could not be ignorant of the power and goodness of God, or call them in question without the greatest treachery. At the same time, he shows in general that the Lord has chosen the Church to bear testimony to his truth; and on that ground Paul calls the Church the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Timothy 3:15).

It is therefore the duty of the Church to defend and publish the truth, so that it may be honored by posterity from age to age; not that the Lord needs this assistance, but because in this way he wishes to prove and establish its truth among men. Here Isaiah includes all believers, for this office of bearing testimony is binding on all, but especially on ministers, who should be standard-bearers, and set an example for others. For this reason also they are particularly mentioned; but in general no one should be considered a believer who conceals the knowledge of God within their own heart and never makes an open confession of the truth.

Therefore you shall know. So that it may not be thought that the Lord asks them to bear witness about what is unknown, he adds, “You shall know, you shall believe, you shall understand;” and by this order of the words he shows that faith goes before confession. If, therefore, confession proceeds merely from the lips and not from the heart, it is vain and useless, and is not such as the Lord demands or approves. Yet there is still some difficulty in the order of those words, “to know, to believe, to understand;” for we do not say that all who know believe, and, in ordinary speech, where there is knowledge, there may not be faith. Besides, it is doubtful what is meant by “understanding,” which is mentioned after faith, as if it differed from knowledge.

But in this passage the Prophet shows that there is a kind of preparation for faith, by which God procures reverence for his word when he sees that it needs such assistance. The beginning of faith, indeed, is humility, by which we yield our senses as captives to God; but because we do not embrace the doctrine offered to us with such certainty as is necessary, God confirms us by proofs, so that we may fully believe. Thus John relates that he and Peter believed the Scriptures (John 20:8), when they saw in the grave the signs of Christ’s resurrection; and in another passage he says that the disciples believed in Christ (John 2:22), when what they had heard from his mouth was accomplished.

We may therefore sum it up in this manner: “The Jews will actually perceive it, when their faith has been aided by signs to worship the true God.” At the same time, a distinction is made between true faith and that credulity which easily sways fickle people; and God always bestows on his elect knowledge and judgment, so that they may distinguish truth from falsehood. Next follows faith and firm certainty, so that they embrace without hesitation all that the Lord has spoken; and afterwards faith increasingly kindles in our hearts the light of understanding, and even in proportion to the progress we make in it, our knowledge grows and becomes brighter. But these things are not done by our own judgment, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, insofar as we are enlightened by him.

That I am he. He means here that it is necessary for faith that we know who our God is, and that it is he whom we worship, and no other; so that our minds may not foolishly waver, go astray, and admit everything that is supported by human opinion. Thus, faith is not that which devises anything according to its own fancy, or thoughtlessly assents to any assertion, or doubts and hesitates, but that which rests on firm certainty, so that, yielding obedience to the one true God, it surveys (as if from a lofty position) and despises all false gods, and frees and delivers their minds from the dread of error.

Hence we see what we should think of the perplexed faith of Roman Catholics; for they think that people who are dull and lacking understanding, who can scarcely utter a syllable about God (whom they do not know, or of whom they are uncertain), are believers, provided that they profess that they believe what their holy mother, the Church, believes. But the Lord does not approve of such a trivial thing, but has united faith with understanding, so that we may not imagine that the one can be separated from the other. Besides, there is no faith unless you believe that it is God who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and who spoke by the prophets and apostles; for it will not be faith, but a vain and wandering imagination, if we do not believe in that God.

Before me there was no God formed. To confirm still more what he recently said, that he is the only God, he again adds that “there was no other God before him.” Yet לא נוצר (lo notzar) may be taken in a passive sense, conveying a different meaning—that of a “creature,” or “workmanship,” or “work” of God. But as that seems to be a strained interpretation, I willingly concur with the ordinary opinion, that “no other God had been formed before him.” This contains a kind of irony, as if it had been said that there was no other god that had not been made and formed by mortals, and consequently, that none can be compared with the eternal God.

And after me there shall not be. He adds that “there will be none afterwards,” because God always preserves his dominion entire and unimpaired, and does not fail through old age or length of days. His object is to show that, until we rely on him, there is no faith in us. Those who know that there is some deity, but do not understand what it is, continually hesitate and entangle themselves in strange labyrinths. Let us, therefore, believe that he alone is God, and for that reason cannot permit anyone to be equal to him, or to share with him in his majesty.