Matthew Henry Commentary Isaiah 41:10-20

"Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that are incensed against thee shall be put to shame and confounded: they that strive with thee shall be as nothing, and shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contend with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. For I, Jehovah thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith Jehovah, and thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I have made thee [to be] a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; and thou shalt rejoice in Jehovah, thou shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. The poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst; I, Jehovah, will answer them, I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, and the myrtle, and the oil-tree; I will set in the desert the fir-tree, the pine, and the box-tree together: that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it." — Isaiah 41:10-20 (ASV)

God speaks with tenderness; Fear not, for I am with you: not only within call, but present with you. Are you weak? I will strengthen you. Are you in want of friends? I will help you in the time of need.

Are you ready to fall? I will uphold you with that right hand which is full of righteousness, dealing forth rewards and punishments.

There are those that strive with God's people, that seek their ruin. Let not God's people render evil for evil, but wait God's time. It is the worm Jacob—so little, so weak, so despised and trampled on by everybody.

God's people are as worms, in humble thoughts of themselves, and in their enemies' haughty thoughts of them—worms, but not vipers, not of the serpent's seed. Every part of God's word is calculated to humble human pride and to make a person appear little in their own eyes. The Lord will help them, for he is their Redeemer.

The Lord will make Jacob become a threshing instrument. God will make him fit for use, new, and having sharp spikes. This is fulfilled in the triumphs of the gospel of Christ, and of all faithful followers of Christ, over the power of darkness. God has provided comforts to supply all their wants and to answer all their prayers.

Our way to heaven lies through the wilderness of this world. The human soul is in want and seeks satisfaction, but becomes weary of seeking in the world what is not to be found there. Yet God's people will have a constant supply where one would least expect it. I will open rivers of grace, rivers of living water, which Christ spoke of concerning the Spirit (John 7:38–39). When God establishes his church in the Gentile wilderness, there will be a great change, as if thorns and briers were turned into cedars, fir trees, and myrtles.

These blessings are kept for the poor in spirit, who long for divine enlightenment, pardon, and holiness. And God will render their barren souls fruitful in the grace of his Spirit, so that all who behold may consider it.