Isaiah 41:10

The Bible says in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” In this one verse two commandments are given to believers, and then five reasons are given why Christians are able to obey these commands. The commandments are: “Fear thou not,” and “be not dismayed.” These two commandments are closely related. The Hebrew word that is translated “dismay” refers to having anxiety as a result of looking around on one’s surroundings. Anxiety is fear about the future caused by the impact of current circumstances. God tells believers not to fear, because fear in reality is an absence of faith.

It is interesting to note that angels were sent to people with the message to fear not. An angel appeared to Joseph and told him not to fear. It says in Matthew 1:20, “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” An angel also appeared to Mary Magdalene after the crucifixion of Jesus and told her not to fear. It says in Matthew 28:5, “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.” Of course, Jesus told His believers not to fear. Notice what Jesus said in Luke 8:50, “But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.” And Jesus also said in Luke 12:32, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Five reasons why Christians are able to avoid fear are given in Isaiah 41:10. The first reason given for believers not to fear is because God said, “for I am with thee.” If you believe in Jesus, you are never alone. For God to say that He is “with” you means a lot of very good things. He is your constant companion. He is always there for you. You can count on Him. He is there to give you wisdom. He is there beside you to guide you. He is there to be your friend. That is what He said about Abraham in Isaiah 41:8. God called Abraham “my friend.” God is your friend also, if you believe in Jesus.

The second reason given in Isaiah 41:10 for believers not to fear or be dismayed is because God said simply, “for I am thy God.” If you believe in Jesus, the great “I am” is your God. The One who created all things is your God. The One who defeated the Egyptians and parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could pass through to the other side is your God. The One who gives life and who takes it as He will is your God. All human beings have a god: it may be a false god, and it may be humanism, or some other philosophy. But believers in Jesus have the great Almighty “I am” as their God, and therefore, they have nothing to fear. The capabilities of the Almighty are at our disposal.

Two of the things that God says in Isaiah 41:10 that He will do for believers are as follows: “I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee.” God will strengthen us. We need to be strengthened. Human beings are weak., sometimes terribly weak. We certainly cannot do God’s work without the spiritual strength that only He can give. Jesus said in John 15:5, “Without me, ye can do nothing.” The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.”

It is interesting to notice that God says that He will strengthen us, and He also says, “I will help thee.” There are some actions that we must do, but there are other measures that God must do for us. For example, we cannot touch anyone’s heart. Only God can touch hearts. By the strength that He gives us, we can fulfill our responsibilities to be involved in some way in the spread of the Gospel of Christ, but only God can touch hearts with the truth of the Gospel. The same is true concerning any endeavor or any work that we have. We rely upon Him to give us strength to perform the task, and we also rely upon Him to help us so that the results are according to His will. Another good example of what God must do for us that we cannot do for ourselves has to do with the opening of opportunities. We can go through an open door, but only Christ can open the door. Jesus is the One who opens the door that no man closes, and He closes the door that no man opens.

The last promise that God gives to us in Isaiah 41:10 is as follows: “I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” The picture that is painted here is that we will sink or we will fall unless God sustains us. Notice carefully what will uphold us: the right hand of God’s “righteousness.” A great battle between good and evil is going on in the world. This battle involves sin against righteousness. The problem that every human being has is that we are all sinners. We fail. We make mistakes. We are not everything that we ought to be. Perhaps our own sins will doom us to fall. Perhaps our own conscience will rise up and condemn us. How can we have the righteousness that we need to win the battle of righteousness against sin? The truth is that we can never attain to this righteousness on our own. As it says in Isaiah 64:6, “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” When Jesus gives us His righteousness, then we have all the righteousness that we need. Instead of gaining righteousness by our own actions, we are given righteousness by faith in Christ. This is called imputed righteousness.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 4:3-6, “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.” Paul also wrote in Philippians 3:8-9, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”

This is the situation for every believer in Christ: they have no righteousness of their own. But they do have the righteousness of Christ credited to them. Jesus Christ is our righteousness. This righteousness is important for many reasons, not the least of which is the victory over sin. The history of the world is the story of mankind’s problem with sin. You will have enemies because believers are hated at times. But remember that the promise of God to you is that you will be given victory. God said in Isaiah 41:10, “I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Concerning those who hate you because you love Christ, the Bible says in Isaiah 41:11, “Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.” Hatred does exist in this world, and there is a very great hatred that can be manifested against those who serve Jesus. Be ready for it, if you can, because it will happen. Jesus said in John 15:19, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” When you experience this kind of hatred, there are at least two important Christian principles for you to remember. The first is to make sure that you do not return hatred with hatred. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” If you love them, instead of thinking of getting revenge on them, make sure that you pray for them. This principle of love is an important principle that must be put into practice if you are going to learn to be a true follower of Jesus Christ in this world. The Apostle John wrote in First John 4:8, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Over the centuries Christians have endured every conceivable persecution because of this hatred. Many of those Christians won the victory with their last dying breath because they prayed for those who hated them.

When Christians are hated by people of the world, as stated above Christians should remember to love their enemies, and Christians should remember that God will take care of us. God will do what needs to be done. The Bible says in Romans 12:9, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Jesus is God of the whole earth. He is Judge of the whole earth. He is involved in everyone’s life in righteousness and in truth. He is even involved in the lives of those who are filled with hatred. God loves their souls and He wants them to turn to Christ to be saved. But God also has a special love for His children, and God will take care of His children in His way and in His time. The promise of Isaiah 41:11 is that the hatred of those who hate will not work. God will turn things around on them. God will punish them. “Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.”

The Bible says in Isaiah 41:12, “Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.” Notice the word “war.” There is a war going on in this world: a spiritual war. Ephesians 6:10-19 tells us how to fight that war. It says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.”

The promise of Isaiah 41:12-13 is that Christians will win the war because God will give us the victory over those who hate us.

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