The word “self-disclosure” is an important technical word that we don’t usually use, but we should get used to. The idea behind self-disclosure is that God takes the initiative and provides the means by which we know Him. God is the object that disclose the subject — Himself — to us. 

In Isaiah 43, God is directly speaking to His people. But before we look at the content, remember that God is disclosing Himself by His direct speech. For Christians, self-disclosure is the key mechanism by which we know God. If God did not reveal Himself, we do not know Him. 

What is the kind of God being revealed? How do we know? As we read Isaiah 43, let us compare what we know of God with how God has revealed Himself to us through the pages of Scripture. Here, God’s self-disclosure has something to do with His work in salvation (c.f Isa 43:3). 

In the previous study, we opened by thinking about the idea of theology. Who God is in our minds is important and it is also important to think about how we know these things about God. 

Today, we are exploring a related theme — who are you in God’s mind? What would you fill in at the end of this statement: “When God thinks of me, He thinks ______”. What do you think God thinks about you? How do you know? How does this change when we go through difficulties? 

What comes to your mind when you think about what God is like? Where do these come from and do they really come from the Bible? Where did we learn that God is all loving? 

We are all theologians. Each one of us have an idea of who God is and what He is like. Before we get into our text, think: What are those texts and influences in your life? Where did you acquire your theology? 

The word for “behold” begins and ends the section that we read here. This text shows us what God wants us to lift our eyes from, and turn towards. To behold and to look, is to fix our eyes on what God calls us to do. 

In this passage, God gives a message of assurance to His people in exile. We will see how the Sovereign Lord is the One who helps His people. Therefore, we can trust in Him who helps, and turn not to idols that know and do nothing. 

In this section of Isaiah, we find words of good news for the weary, hurting, and struggling. We are meant to hear these and be encouraged. 

This section of Isaiah speaks of good news, but what is this good news? Who is it for? What does it mean for us? And why can we trust that this good news is true? 

Isaiah has had slim threads of hope throughout the book that we’ve seen previously, in Isaiah 9 (speaking about the promised child) and Isaiah 35 (speaking of the return from exile). But from this section, we will see how God also has words of comfort for His people and an eternal hope for them.