What does it mean when God says, "I am with you" (Isaiah 41:10)?

(Vv. 8, 9). In the verses that follow (8–20) we see the glory of God maintained in His dealings in grace with Israel. With the words “But thou Israel” God turns from the Gentiles to address the Jewish nation. However much they have failed and come under the governmental dealings of God for their idolatry, yet they are the people of God’s sovereign choice, the seed of Abraham the friend of God, “called” out from the great ones of the earth, and “chosen” to be God’s servant to witness for Him. God may, indeed, chasten His people but He will not cast them off.

(V. 10). In view of their failure they have come under the judgment of God, but in view of the sovereign choice of God they will, in the end, be blessed. But their blessing depends wholly upon God and His grace. Thus God can say, “I am with thee”; “I am thy God”; “I will strengthen thee”; “I will uphold thee.”

(Vv. 11–13). Moreover, we are definitely told that all the nations that oppose Israel will ultimately be ashamed, confounded, and perish. Those that war against Israel will come to “nothing.” Not indeed that Israel has any strength, but because the LORD, Israel’s God, will “hold,” and “help” Israel.

In verses 8 and 9 of our chapter Israel is reminded that as the seed of Abraham, who is honoured as "My friend," they are a chosen people and called to be the servant of God. How foolish then this turning to idols! And in the succeeding verses we find the most assuring words of encouragement and support which, if only received in faith, would have lifted them far above any reliance on idolatrous things. They should be upheld and their enemies confounded. The Holy One of Israel would be their Redeemer, and make them like a threshing instrument scattering their foes. Moreover He would be as a fountain of water to them, meeting all their needs.

Verses 116 and 117 carry the theme of this section of eight verses: “Uphold me,” “Hold… me up.” The Word of God gives us the support we need day by day to live the Christian life. “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” (Isa. 41:10). What a wonderful promise for us to lay hold of! He who gives life, also sustains it. We are “kept by the power of God” (1 Peter 1:5). Indeed, all our springs are in Him. Our sufficiency is of God. If we trust in His precious Word we will never be put to shame.

We find in Isaiah that wonderful portion where God speaks of "upholding them by the right hand of his righteousness" (41:10). That tremendous hand of power is available for His people at all times, and we have all experienced that in one way or another.

Lastly, when the guilty people, bowed beneath the judgment of God, chastened and repentant but near despair, shall hear these words pronounced at the end of their time of trial: "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people! we hear this word "Fear not" repeated and multiplied in echo after echo. Fear not, my love will comfort thee, I will help thee, I will strengthen thee, I will be with my servant. Have I not redeemed thee? Am I not with thee? Fear not, I will refresh thee. Fear neither shame, nor insult, nor reproach. Thou are mine, and I have received thee in grace. The entire latter portion of Isaiah has this consoling word from God as a refrain (Isa. 41:10, 13, 14; Isa. 43:1, 5; Isa. 44:2; Isa. 51:7; Isa. 54:4).

The assurance of God's favor dispels fear, perfect love banishes it. How many times in the Psalms do we find this absence of all fear before the enemy, before the shaking of all things, before the threats of the flesh and of man (Ps. 27:3; Ps. 46:2; Ps. 56:4, 11; Ps. 118:6)! In truth, all is joy for the believer, all is confidence, perfect assurance and peace, because through everything he has God for him, He of whom it is said, "If God be for us, who against us?"

Much additional evidence that the meaning here ascribed to the "righteousness of God" is the right one is afforded by reference to the use of the expression "the righteousness of the Lord" in Old Testament scripture, where it constantly has the sense of God's faithfulness to His character and promises, manifested in His ways toward a sinful people. When Balak sent for Balaam to curse the children of Israel, God, though He had Himself to chasten them frequently for their misconduct, again and again refused to allow anything against them, and turned the curse into a blessing, so that Satan was foiled in his efforts and Balak in his purpose to smite them, and to this He appeals as a proof of His righteousness in His dealings towards them: "Oh, my people, remember now what Balak, king of Moab, consulted, and what Balsam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord" (Micah 6:5). So Samuel says: "Stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord, of all the righteous acts (or righteousnesses) of the Lord which He did to you and your fathers" (1 Sam. 12:7); and he then rehearses the frequent deliverances God wrought for them on different occasions, when they cried to Him, notwithstanding their sin and disobedience, sending one judge or deliverer after another to save them from the hand of their enemies (cp. for the same expression Judges 5:11).

So God declares, in the book of the Prophet Isaiah, that in this righteousness towards His people, He will raise up Cyrus and cause him to fulfil His promised restoration of them to their own land (see Isa. 45:13), and that He will uphold that failing people in this final weakness and distress with the right hand of His righteousness (see Isa. 41:10); and David and Daniel both, when confessing sin, apply to God for aid in the same way, on the ground of His righteousness (Ps. 51:14; Dan. 9:16). Most of these passages refer to temporal deliverance or interference on God's part, such as is evidently desired in Psalm 71:2, 24, "Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape." "My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long, for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame that seek my hurt" (cp. also Ps. 31:1; 36:6; 143:1-2, 11). This intervention is sought for on the ground of His righteousness towards those who are conscious of their own sinfulness; in the case of David, in Psalm 51 it is especially the conscience that is in question, for he asks to be delivered from blood guiltiness, and says that then his tongue shall sing aloud of God's righteousness, which would be displayed in acting according to His revealed character as a God that pardons iniquity, transgression, and sin. This righteousness of God, being manifested in relation to the guilt of which he complains, is another proof that the word of God does not recognize the distinction between pardon and justification, and corresponds entirely with what we have already found in the New Testament.

The saint that always fears God is always strong; for God is always with him; the secret of his strength is, he has God on his side. We are apt to look at means, even right means, and forget God. The most important victory has often come when we have been most afraid of being beaten; the brightest songs, when an evil day has forced us to lean on God. The soul fearing and in dependence, difficulties fall before us. We might not be able to explain why success was there; but the secret is, the hands were lifted up.

Thus the Psalmist, very blessedly realises in trial that the LORD will not forsake us, the LORD is our help, and the LORD will hold us up. So too the prophet Isaiah links these three things together when he says, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: … I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isaiah 41:10-13).

We commend the psalm specially to the Christian women; their steadfast faith and hope is a great help to the church of God and to His servants. The wife of George Whitefield used to stand behind him when the mob threatened him and say, “Play the man for God, George.” The psalm does not celebrate natural courage, not even faith but the greatness and absolute reliability of God—“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear.” It is what God is that drives away the fear—God greater and nearer than all circumstances, God greater than all foes, “God for us.” We may dwell too much on faith and lose sight of God we may even put our trust in prayer instead of in the God to whom we pray. If we know God our faith will be active, if we know His care, His love, His wisdom, His power, we shall pray and shall believe while we pray, but it will be God Himself and not our faith or our prayers that will be important to us

Twice in the psalm we read “The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our refuge.” Innumerable hosts of angels own His supremacy and serve His will sustained by His power, yet unspeakable grace! He is also “the God of Jacob.” He bends down to the individual, even to the most wayward and fickle, to the fearful and the needy, to you and me. His strength is against every foe that would hurt His people, His grace is their support in trial and drives away their fears. He has said “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” He said that to Jacob and the words are quoted and applied to us, so that we may boldly say, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what “man shall do unto me” (Heb. 13:5-6). “Be still and know that I am” (Ps. 46:10). “Some trust in chariots and some in horses: but we will remember the Name of the Lord our God” (Ps. 20:7). “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22).

39 The saint that always fears God, is always strong, for God is always with him; the secret of his strength is, he has God on his side. We are apt to look at means, even right means, and forget God. The most important victory has often come, when we have been most afraid of being beaten - the brightest songs, when an evil day has forced us to lean on God. The soul fearing, and in dependence, difficulties fall before us. We might not be able to explain why success was there, but the secret is, the hands were lifted up. The Lord is always working out His own plans.