Foundation Text

Isaiah 43:18-19

Context: Isaiah 43:14-21 announces God's promise of "something new" that will surpass even the Exodus—Israel's defining act of divine redemption. God first identifies Himself as Israel's redeemer who destroyed Babylon's army (vv. 14-15), then recalls the original Exodus: "who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters" (v. 16). But then God commands a shocking shift: "Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to the things of old. Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert" (vv. 18-19). God commands Israel to stop looking backward to the Exodus and start looking forward to something greater. The new thing uses creation language (water in wilderness, reversing the curse on the ground) combined with exodus language (making a way), signaling a new exodus that is simultaneously a new creation. This passage bridges the original exodus and the eschatological redemption Christ accomplishes.

Hebrew Key Terms

  • H2319 חָדָשׁ (chadash) - "new" (qualitatively unprecedented)
  • H6779 צָמַח (tsamach) - "to sprout, spring forth" (growth imagery—organic development)
  • H1870 דֶּרֶךְ (derek) - "way, road" (path through wilderness—new exodus route)
  • H5104 נְהָרוֹת (neharot) - "rivers" (water in desert—reversing barrenness)

OT-to-OT Development

  • Exodus 14:21-22 records the original Exodus—dividing the sea. Isaiah declares the coming act will surpass this.
  • Isaiah 35:1-10 parallels: "The wilderness and the land will be glad... For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert."
  • Isaiah 41:18-19 shares the water-in-wilderness imagery: "I will open rivers on the barren heights, and fountains in the middle of the valleys."
  • Isaiah 65:17 escalates to full cosmic renewal: "For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth."

Connections

Christological Connection: God's declaration "Behold, I am about to do something new" anticipates Christ's redemptive work as the ultimate new thing that surpasses all previous divine acts. Isaiah's new exodus/creation imagery finds fulfillment in Christ who leads a greater exodus—from sin and death rather than from Egypt—through His death and resurrection. Luke uses exodus language for Christ's death: Moses and Elijah discussed Jesus' "departure" (exodos) at the Transfiguration (Luke 9:31).

The command "Do not call to mind the former things" does not erase the Exodus's significance but relativizes it in light of the greater redemption. Paul captures this in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!"—applying Isaiah's cosmic new creation language to individual transformation in Christ. The "way in the wilderness" becomes Christ Himself: "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6). The "rivers in the desert" become the living water Christ offers: "whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst" (John 4:14).

Christ's declaration at consummation consummates Isaiah's promise: "Behold, I make all things new" (Revelation 21:5)—the same "Behold" (hinne/idou), the same newness, but now achieved in cosmic fullness. The trajectory: Isaiah promises a new thing → Christ accomplishes it through cross and resurrection → believers experience it in new creation life → the consummated new heavens and earth realize it fully.

Connection Method(s): Promise-Fulfillment, Redemptive-Historical Progression — God's declaration "I am about to do something new" uses new exodus/creation language to promise a future act of cosmic renewal, inaugurated in Christ's redemptive work and consummated in the new heavens and new earth.

Trajectory Table: 107 - New Creation (Cosmic Redemption)

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Trajectory Tables 1
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