What does Isaiah 43:18 teach about God's ability to renew our past? The Text “Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to the things of old.” (Isaiah 43:18) Immediate Context • The Lord is reminding Israel of His literal, historic deliverance through the Red Sea (43:16–17). • He immediately follows with the promise, “Behold, I will do a new thing” (43:19), announcing a fresh act of salvation just as real and tangible as the first Exodus. • Verse 18 is the hinge: turning eyes from a sin-stained past to God’s coming renewal. Key Observations • Command language (“Do not… pay no attention”) shows God’s authority to redefine where our focus rests. • “Former things” includes past sins, failures, wounds, and—even good memories—their limitations. • The instruction is not denial of history; it is the invitation to view history through what God will yet do. • The God who once parted seas can literally rewrite personal and national narratives, making the future outshine the past. What the Verse Teaches About God’s Ability to Renew Our Past • God frees us from being imprisoned by yesterday’s defeats or successes. • He transforms memory’s weight into motivation for trust, because His redemptive work continues. • By commanding forgetfulness of “the things of old,” He declares sovereignty over time itself—past, present, future. • Renewal is not self-manufactured; it is rooted in His promise: “I will do.” • Our identity is anchored more in His coming acts than in our previous record. Supporting Scriptures on Divine Renewal • Joel 2:25 — “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.” God can restore lost time. • 2 Corinthians 5:17 — “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away.” Personal histories are literally re-created in Christ. • Philippians 3:13–14 — Paul “forgetting what is behind” presses on, mirroring Isaiah’s call. • Revelation 21:5 — “Behold, I make all things new.” The culmination of the promise begun in Isaiah. Practical Ways to Embrace God’s Renewal • Rehearse His past faithfulness only as fuel for confidence in His coming work. • Refuse to let shame narrate today; confess and believe His forgiveness is complete (1 John 1:9). • Speak Scripture over memories that still ache, letting truth overwrite regret. • Step forward in obedient faith; the “new thing” becomes visible as we move. Takeaway Isaiah 43:18 assures that the God who authored our history holds unmatched power to redeem it. When He says, “Do not call to mind the former things,” He isn’t minimizing what happened; He is proclaiming His ability to eclipse it with something gloriously new. |
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