Isaiah 43:22

20 The beast of the field will honor Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because ^aI give waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My people, My chosen.

21 ^aThis people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My ^bpraise.

Pleading with Unfaithful Israel

22 “But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob;
And you ^ahave been weary of Me, O Israel.

23 ^aYou have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings,
Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices.
I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings,
Nor wearied you with incense.

24 You have bought Me no sweet cane with money,
Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;
But you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have ^awearied Me with your iniquities.

25 “I, even I, am He who ^ablots out your transgressions ^bfor My own sake;
^cAnd I will not remember your sins.

26 Put Me in remembrance;
Let us contend together;
State your case, that you may be¹ acquitted.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Isaiah 43:22 Mean?

Isaiah 43:22-24

Compare this with I Peter 2:5 and 9 and the responsibility of the church: 1) to bring sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ and 2) to proclaim the praises of God.

Peter sees the church as part of the fulfillment of this prophecy—focusing on a people who will truly serve and glorify God in contrast to disobedient Israel. The church is a forerunner of what is to come. This also confirms, in a general way, that we have been formed for the purpose of proclaiming His praises, which is what a priest does! Thus, Peter writes that we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

This priesthood is not yet fully formed, but rather, it is one that is being formed. As such, we nonetheless are expected to perform certain functions in preparation for our formal installation that will not occur until Christ returns and establishes the Kingdom of God on earth. Then, that priesthood will appear suddenly, fully formed.

God has spent 6,000 years forming it. We are called to be kings and priests (Revelation 5:10). And even now Peter makes sure that we understand that we are already a priesthood—a priesthood in training.Yet, even though we are in training, we have priesthood responsibilities, for he says in verse 5 that we are—now, presently—to offer up spiritual sacrifices.

John W. Ritenbaugh
New Covenant Priesthood (Part One)

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Pleading with Unfaithful Israel

What Does Isaiah 43:22 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

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