But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you.
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you.
God begins with the most basic reminder here: "I have created you." He infers that Israel as a nation had forgotten Him as their Creator individually, and as a people. The incarnation of Christ reminds us that we are created by God. Our first Question for today then is: Am I living like I have forgotten God created me? Are we as God's people living as if God created His church, not us? He then goes on to give two extreme opposite examples: water and fire. The Bible is full of illustrations where God delivers through water: the ark, the Red sea, the storms on the sea - God delivers from them all, when we are helpless. And there are trials by fire: the testing of gold and the fiery furnace. These bring up the question: Where do I turn in these times of trial? Do I remember my Creator? God then gives the bottom line in verse 4: you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you. Because God creates us, individually and corporately, we should know we are loved and cared for. That brings up the question: Have I been living as if I believe God cares about me? The final verse, verse 5 reminds us that we are in the midst of the incarnation story: "Fear not" - stop being afraid. God has a plan which involves not just me, or our little group, but many more. God is going to gather His people from all over the world. He is the great big God over all creation.
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