January 2, 2022

Isaiah 43: 1 (NIV)

But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you . . . he who formed you . . . : “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

God twice owns His people. He has right of ownership both as Creator and Redeemer.*

When my stepson and his wife were expecting their second child, they knew it was going to be another boy but they were having trouble settling on a name. The baby’s future aunts and uncles had a great deal of fun with their “helpful” name suggestions. It didn’t matter, of course, what his parents named him – his grandparents and aunts and uncles were going to love him. And God had already called him by name. 

It might be interesting to waste some time pondering whether the name by which God calls us is the same name our parents gave us. But what he calls us is not as important as that he knows us. And that he redeems us.

Isaiah’s words in this verse are addressed to the Israelites in exile in Babylon, and the promise of redemption refers to their deliverance from captivity. We can be comforted by this promise as well because God has redeemed us through his Son who paid our ransom. “Fear not” applies to us as much as it did to the Children of Israel. If God has pledged to deliver us, what are we afraid of? What’s the worst that can happen to us when he claims us as his?

Besides: “Fear not” is a command, not a suggestion!

It is not right for you who fear God to fear anything else.*