The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
Isaiah 41:5 stands within Isaiah 41-45, where God very fully reveals His purpose for His people, and those chapters are to be prayerfully studied. Distant islands and nations in distant lands saw the Lord's acts and were seized with fear, and the ends of the earth were afraid and drew near together. In its setting their fear follows the Lord's raising up of a righteous conqueror from the east and his victory over nations, demonstrating that the Lord directs events and is first and last.
The verse calls God's people to look to Him alone for wisdom and salvation and to be saved, and not to turn away from His wisdom to look to finite man or to trust in men and make flesh their arm, for the Lord alone is to be trusted. It reminds them that they are His servants whom He will not forget, whom He has redeemed and whose transgressions He has blotted out. The chapter warns that the Lord will not be trifled with, calls His people to diligent and most earnest work of repentance, and promises that strength is given to His own people.
In its last-days setting the chapter is connected with preparing the way for Christ's second appearing and with the gospel going to all nations. The verse is part of a declaration from the Lord full of promises, assurance, and encouragement for the latter days, given to comfort true, sincere, humble, righteous followers of Christ amid afflicting providence coming upon the rebellious people of the world in judgments near the closing of this earth's history, in earthquakes, storms on land and sea, and heavy calamities by sea and railroad. The word will certainly be fulfilled, and those who fulfill it in these latter days place themselves where the Lord will surely do all He has promised and should not be discouraged even while Lucifer, the fallen angel warring against God and all who exalt the Lord, causes calamities and as a mighty deceiver takes many from the ranks to unite them in deception.
Isaiah 41:5 stands within Isaiah 41-45, where God very fully reveals His purpose for His people, and those chapters are to be prayerfully studied. Distant islands and nations in distant lands saw the Lord's acts and were seized with fear, and the ends of the earth were afraid and drew near together. In its setting their fear follows the Lord's raising up of a righteous conqueror from the east and his victory over nations, demonstrating that the Lord directs events and is first and last.
The verse calls God's people to look to Him alone for wisdom and salvation and to be saved, and not to turn away from His wisdom to look to finite man or to trust in men and make flesh their arm, for the Lord alone is to be trusted. It reminds them that they are His servants whom He will not forget, whom He has redeemed and whose transgressions He has blotted out. The chapter warns that the Lord will not be trifled with, calls His people to diligent and most earnest work of repentance, and promises that strength is given to His own people.
In its last-days setting the chapter is connected with preparing the way for Christ's second appearing and with the gospel going to all nations. The verse is part of a declaration from the Lord full of promises, assurance, and encouragement for the latter days, given to comfort true, sincere, humble, righteous followers of Christ amid afflicting providence coming upon the rebellious people of the world in judgments near the closing of this earth's history, in earthquakes, storms on land and sea, and heavy calamities by sea and railroad. The word will certainly be fulfilled, and those who fulfill it in these latter days place themselves where the Lord will surely do all He has promised and should not be discouraged even while Lucifer, the fallen angel warring against God and all who exalt the Lord, causes calamities and as a mighty deceiver takes many from the ranks to unite them in deception.