Isaiah 42:9

Behold, the former things are come to pass

The philosophy of promise

One may observe, in reading Scripture, the general principle that God usually gives a promise of that which He means to bestow.

Before Christ came, the Father was continually speaking of His coming. Love meets man as a heralding fragrance before the actual bestowal of blessing. Why are covenant blessings the subject of promises?

I. IN ORDER TO DISPLAY GOD’S GRACE.

1. The freeness of His grace. The promise to which the text specially alludes is “to open the blind eyes,” etc. The blind referred to were not born in the days of Isaiah. God promises before we know our need or seek His face. There are many conditional promises in Scripture; but all God’s promises rest on an unconditioned covenant of grace (Romans 9:25).

2. The fulness of His grace. It is unmerited; Christ died for the ungodly.

3. The power of it. He will open the blind eyes, etc. God is great in nature, but greater in grace.

II. TO AROUSE OUR HOPES. Religious inquirers should find the promises of God unspeakably precious. There are promises enough in the Scriptures to stimulate hope in all. Christian believers even need to be told of what God will do, in order to encourage their hope.

III. TO EXERCISE OUR FAITH. God desires to exercise our confidence in Him.

IV. TO EXCITE OUR PRAYER. Prayer is sure to follow hope and faith. All God’s promises which are not fulfilled are meant to stimulate prayer.

V. TO FOSTER GRATITUDE AND ASSURANCE WHEN THE MERCY HAS BEEN RECEIVED. Man is made glad when he sees that God’s Word has not returned to Him void; then comes the inference, if He has done all this for me in the past, He will do as much for me in the future. In the next chapter the argument is, I will do, because I have done. This is the firm foundation of our hope,--our past experience of the faithfulness of God; and strong faith is God’s due. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

“Former things” and “new things”

“Former things,” i.e things formerly predicted. These predictions do not belong to the present prophet, but to others. The “new things” are the redemption of Israel from Babylon, and, through it, the revelation of the true God to all nations. (Prof. A. B. Davidson, D. D.)