What is the meaning of Isaiah 43:18? Do not call to mind the former things Isaiah opens this verse by calling His covenant people to stop rehearsing yesterday’s chapters. The Lord had just rehearsed His mighty acts—the Exodus, the parting of the Red Sea, the defeat of Pharaoh’s army (Isaiah 43:16-17). Yet He immediately says, “Do not call to mind the former things.” Far from diminishing those miracles, God is urging His people not to let even past victories limit their faith for what He will do next. • God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), yet He continually unfolds fresh works. • Philippians 3:13-14 echoes this posture: “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal…”; Paul refuses to be chained to either failures or accomplishments. • Israel’s failures were real—idolatry, rebellion, exile—but Micah 7:19 promises that God casts sins “into the depths of the sea,” freeing His children from perpetual self-condemnation. • Even triumphs can become spiritual fossils if we try to live off yesterday’s manna (Exodus 16:19-20). God’s mercies “are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). By commanding, not suggesting, that we stop dwelling on the past, the Lord protects us from nostalgia that dilutes present obedience and from regret that paralyzes future hope. pay no attention to the things of old The second line intensifies the first: “pay no attention” means to refuse a mental and emotional fixation. The “things of old” can be: 1. Past deliverances—Israel must expect a new act of redemption, foreshadowed in Isaiah 43:19, “Behold, I am doing a new thing.” 2. Past defeats—Satan is “the accuser of our brothers” (Revelation 12:10), but Romans 8:1 declares, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” 3. Former identities—2 Corinthians 5:17 assures believers, “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!” 4. Old covenant shadows—Jeremiah 31:31-34 foretells a new covenant written on the heart; Hebrews 8:13 says the old is “obsolete.” Practical outworking: • Refuse to relive personal sins God has forgiven. Confession brings cleansing (1 John 1:9), not indefinite self-punishment. • Celebrate past revivals and testimonies, but don’t fossilize them; ask God for fresh outpourings (Acts 4:31). • When former successes tempt pride, remember Jesus’ words: “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). • In trials, look forward to the promised restoration: “I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). summary Isaiah 43:18 invites God’s people to loosen their grip on both past glories and past griefs so they can take hold of His next redemptive act. The Lord who once split the sea is about to carve a river through the wilderness (Isaiah 43:19). By choosing not to rehearse yesterday—good or bad—we position our hearts to witness and participate in the fresh works our unchanging, ever-active God is ready to reveal. |
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