Isaiah — Chapter 43
Synopsis Capitis
Synopsis: God's redemption of Israel — 'I have called you by name, you are mine' (v.1). The new Exodus through water and fire (v.2). The declaration 'I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake' (v.25) — a key text on the gratuity of divine forgiveness. Lapide reads the chapter as developing the covenant theme: God's exclusive possession of Israel, His ransom of them by grace alone, and the new creation He will accomplish through them.
Verse 2
Cum transieris per aquas, tecum ero
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you — the divine promise of accompaniment through every trial. Waters = tribulation, baptismal waters; fire = persecution. Lapide: the three children in the furnace (Dan 3) are the paradigm — God accompanies His servants through fire without their being burned. Applied to martyrs: the Church's history is full of martyrs preserved through or in the midst of fire by divine protection. Applied to baptism: the catechumen passes through the waters of baptism accompanied by Christ.
Verse 10
Vos testes mei, dicit Dominus, et servus meus quem elegi
You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen — Israel is constituted as witness to God's uniqueness in a polytheistic world. Lapide applies this to the Church: the Church is Christ's witness in a secular, atheistic, or polytheistic world. 'Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me' (v.10b) = strict monotheism. 'I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior' (v.11) = applied to Christ who is the one Savior (Acts 4:12: 'there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved').