“I Am Doing a New Thing” — God (Isaiah 43:8-44:5)

Isaiah 43:8-44:5 tells us about a new thing, a new creation — a new Exodus, that God would accomplish.  People today might mistakenly think that the first Exodus event was a much more spectacular one than the new Exodus accomplished with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And so we picture Moses and his staff and the waters parting and the people of Israel going through on dry ground and then the waters coming back together to drown the Egyptians who were following them.  It all sounds so grand.  So God says, ‘Forget that.  If you thought that was something, you have not seen anything yet, I am doing a new thing.’  Others simply hope for similar events to the Exodus today, especially those who are being oppressed in some way — but this too is thinking too small.  The salvation of the new Exodus is a far greater one than freedom from the slavery of Egypt.  Salvation from slavery in Egypt was but a shadow of salvation from slavery to sin.  Crossing the Jordan was but a shadow of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river, or better yet the baptism of His death and resurrection.  Sometimes we Christians can fall into habits of sin that can become addicting and enslaving just so that we can testify that God broke the power of that sin in our lives — we rather enjoyed it, but God changed us, God did a work of new creation in our hearts.  It is not as if we will no longer struggle with such sins, but they no longer rule over us — we are free.  This is good news — this is indeed something really amazing and spectacular.

New audio link.