God’s Foreign Exchange Program

Biblegems #292

Question: I have read many versions and several commentaries on Isaiah 43:4, and what a wide variety of interpretations there are!! Some seemed trivial, some missed the point (I felt), and some were just bizarre.

The immediate context makes it clear that God is talking directly to Israel:

         Is. 43:1  But now, this is what the LORD says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

The broader context (Is. 42:18-25) reveals why God tells Israel not to fear—the nation is about to be ravaged by war because of her rebelliousness against Him. Historically, we know this devastating attack refers to the Babylonian invasion and seventy-years exile of the Jewish population.

                        

Even so, God assures His people beforehand that His covenant love and promises still stand:

         Is. 43:2  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

In other words, Israel will suffer the consequences of her sinfulness but she will not be utterly destroyed. Then, in striking historical accuracy before the fact, Isaiah 43:3b-4 details how Israel will be redeemed from exile (v. 3b; 4b):

         I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. …I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.

Then in verse 4a God explains why He will deliver His rebellious people:

         Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you…

Through Isaiah, God promised Israel that her return to her homeland would not be accomplished purely out of the goodness of the Babylonian king’s heart. Rather, Cyrus—and later his son Darius I—would be lured by God to expand their empire to the Mediterranean Sea, invading Egypt, Cush and Seba. Transplanting the powerless descendants of the Jewish captivity—second and third generations growing up in Babylon—back into Palestine would provide a friendly stepping stone for such an invasion.

So when God declares in Isaiah 43:4 that He is willing to sacrifice three people groups for the sake of Israel’s return to Palestine He is making a very clear announcement to mankind as a whole: It is far better to be among God’s covenant people (even if temporarily out of favor with Him) than to be outside His covenant.

Those who belong to God by covenant are “precious” to Him. Think of it! God, the Creator and Lord of the universe, loves us and holds us in great honor! Only to His own does He say, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you” (Is. 43:5). All others have every reason to be terrified, for God is in the process of creating a Kingdom people and will not hesitate to eliminate those who refuse Him. As Jesus taught centuries after Isaiah,

         Matt. 13:41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

        

Bread On The Waters

Biblegems #171

Question: What is the meaning of this verse: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again” (Eccl. 11:1)? All I picture is soggy bread!

The phrase “cast your bread upon the waters” is clearly a figure of speech in Hebrew that was readily understood by the people of Solomon’s time when this was written.  Like most figures of speech, it has its origins in a practice that was once very common.

There was a farming practice in ancient Egypt where rice would be sown on the wet banks of the Nile River following the flooding season. The watery ground created natural rice paddies, carrying the seed into the rich, moist soil as the waters receded. “After many days” the rice would grow, reach maturity and be harvested for food.

This practice of sowing seed on the waters seems to have been carried over into the farming practices of Israel along the shores of flooding rivers. The Israelite farmer would take some of the corn that could be ground into flour for bread for the family and instead use it as seed. He would scatter it on the flooding shores of the river during planting season, knowing the seed would take root along the river banks as the water receded and become a harvest of fresh corn “after many days.” Isaiah refers to this custom as a foreshadowing of the abundant harvests God’s people will enjoy during the millennial kingdom:

         Is. 32:20 …how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.

Jewish interpreters have traditionally understood this verse as teaching the wisdom of doing good to others even to the point of personal sacrifice, knowing that good deeds will eventually be rewarded. This makes sense in light of the sacrifice the farmer had to make in taking corn that could be used immediately for making bread to feed the family and ‘casting it upon the waters’ in hopes of a later harvest.

This is also very consistent with biblical teaching as a whole. As Paul would later write:

         Gal. 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

“Cast your bread upon the waters” therefore refers to “bread-corn” and has to do with using some of that as seed to ensure a future harvest. Ecclesiastes 11:1 is about hope for good in the future based upon our preparations for it here and now (see Ecc. 11:6). It is about sacrificing immediate gain for the prospect of a richer harvest to come. And that is a biblical principle that applies to every area of life. It is about giving—not for the sake of receiving, but with the understanding that the one who gives also receives. As Jesus said:

         Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”