Isaiah 45:19
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
God has not hidden His message in secrecy or darkness but has spoken openly what is righteous and right and true. He has not asked His people to seek Him pointlessly, so no sincere seeking of Him is ever in vain. This means looking to Him alone for wisdom rather than turning from Him to depend on finite human beings. His open promises of salvation and righteousness can be trusted, calling sinners to look to Him and be saved with the assurance that none who trust in Jesus will be left to perish. His command to seek Him is His pledge that prayer is heard and answered, inviting the burdened to lay troubles and perplexities at His feet and receive mercy, peace, pardon, and strength.
Open Speech and Context
God has not spoken in concealment or in a dark place of the earth, but openly, speaking righteousness and declaring things that are right and true. He has not said to the seed of Jacob to seek Him in vain, so seeking Him is never useless, purposeless, or without result. His open word declares what is righteous and right, giving assurance that no seeking is misleading or for nothing.
The verse stands in Isaiah 41-45, where God very fully reveals His purpose for His people, and those chapters should be prayerfully studied. It belongs to the promises in Isaiah 44 and 45 that show what the Lord has done for His people and what He will do for those who follow on to know the Lord, whose going forth is prepared as the morning. Those promises show what He has covenanted to do with them, and they are to be read with greater appreciation and acted upon rather than too little appreciated.
As part of Isaiah 45, the verse reveals the greatness of God's love and compassion and holds one of the loftiest themes of thought. It requires stretched faculties of mind to comprehend it. The chapter presents the Lord as the only just God and Saviour, with whom there is none else, in whom salvation and righteousness and strength are found for all the ends of the earth and for all who trust in Him.
Promise and Response
The declaration not to seek in vain means to look to God alone for wisdom, and not to turn away from His wisdom to look to finite human beings, for He is God and there is none else, and salvation and righteousness and strength are found in Him for all the ends of the earth and for all the seed of Israel. He has not spoken in secret or in a dark place to mislead the descendants of Jacob into seeking Him for nothing, but He speaks openly and truthfully, declaring what is righteous and right. His promises of salvation and righteousness are therefore dependable, and His invitation is open and sure.
He calls sinners to look to Him and be saved and to trust in Jesus, and no soul that so trusts will be left to perish, for He blots out transgressions for His own sake and forgets sins. He opens the invitation to lay troubles and perplexities at His feet, and those who ask Him to bear their too-heavy burdens will receive everlasting kindness, mercy, peace, pardon for sin, restored self-respect as His own bought with the price of His own blood, a strengthened will, and removal of remorse for sin. His given word to seek Him is His pledge that prayer is heard and what is asked is received, so that in severe trial, pain, and sickness the afflicted can ask Him for healing and believe they receive, praying for increased faith unto perfect trust and discerning blessing in every burden laid upon them.
He will not be sought in vain by those who feel their dependence on Him and take Him into their counsel and seek Him for guidance, instead of trusting their own competence to manage themselves and to lay and execute plans in their own judgment, which is unsafe for anyone. His call of mercy is to be answered by trusting in the Lord, being comforted in His love, praising Him because His anger is turned away, and rejoicing in the victory He gives. Answering that call brings the will into conformity to His will, laboring for Him and working in His vineyard, not letting precious hours of probation pass without spiritual advancement but continually cultivating moral powers instead of allowing them to become dwarfed, so they can be put to use for the salvation of souls.
The openly given promise not to let His people seek Him in vain shows what He has covenanted to do with them, and it is meant to be read, appreciated, and acted upon by following on to know the Lord. That promise calls for arousing to more missionary work and more missionary spirit in the churches, trusting that the Lord God of heaven uses His people so His name is glorified even into the highways and the hedges. It tells of the city being sought whose Builder and Maker is God, teaches that heaven is home and citizenship is above, and that lives must not be devoted to a world soon to be destroyed. It reveals the greatness of His love and compassion and holds one of the loftiest themes of thought, presenting the Word revealed in living characters in pure, excellent language with elevating, ennobling principles, requiring stretched faculties of mind to comprehend it, and making it a valuable study in schools, better than romance or fables.