Isaiah 43:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Therefore, since the Israelites were liberated after God performed numerous marvelous deeds on their behalf, only to forget and fall into apostasy by worshipping false gods, the Lord reminds them of His might by declaring, He made a path through the sea and a mighty route through the waters. When they departed from Egypt, they passed through the midst of the sea and crossed the Jordan on foot. This imagery reflects the path through the waters that the divine King David marveled at and sang: What is the sea to you, that you have fled, and the Jordan, that you have turned back (Psalm 113:5)? He further exclaims of God, They turned the sea into dry land, and in the river their feet passed (Psalm 65:6). Thus, He provided a passage through the sea and a stronger way through the waters. Moreover, He cast out chariots and horsemen, along with a mighty army. Pharaoh pursued the sons of Israel with chariots and cavalry, accompanied by a formidable force of warriors, yet he was unable to prevail or cause harm to the liberated people. Instead, they sank into the depths of the waters, perished along with their horses, and faced destruction by divine wrath, akin to easily ignited flax. Without effort, they were extinguished, reduced to nothing as if turned to ashes; for flax ignites quickly by fire but can be snuffed out by mere contact and offers a weak flame.

If one were to ask how it can be said that the God of all creation drove away the Egyptians' chariots and army, given that the ruler of Egypt pursued Israel of his own accord, we offer the Lord’s response to Pharaoh: For this purpose, I raised you up, that I may demonstrate My power through you, and that My name may be proclaimed throughout the earth (Romans 9:17). This can also be understood historically. Conversely, in a spiritual sense, we might view those striving to lead a godly life and abstain from the bondage of the enemy as being pursued by the adversary. Yet God saves them in wondrous ways; He makes the trials of this life bearable for them and through His immeasurable power leads them safely through. He ensures that the challenges of this world do not overwhelm them, managing the various temptations that assail them like an ocean, allowing them, while in the wilderness—a state of purity and tranquility—to partake of the heavenly bread and drink water from the rock, sharing in fellowship with Christ, crossing the Jordan, and ultimately entering the promised land. The spiritual individual will surely grasp the significance of this.

The Lord, who demolished and forsook Babylon, rendering powerless its mighty men, and took captive all the Chaldeans, who once thrived amidst the turmoil of this world, Himself opened a passage in the formidable waters of the Red Sea, allowing His people, liberated from Egypt, to cross through. Similarly, He who created a pathway through the Red Sea also opened a route in the fierce waters of the Jordan River, making the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land an awe-inspiring event. He immersed in the depths the chariots and horses of Pharaoh's entire army, who fell into an eternal slumber. They were crushed and faded swiftly, like flax, in an instant. For the flax, not yet consumed by fire, being naturally light, is quickly extinguished and turns to ashes. Therefore, I urge you that by those signs and wonders through which the formidable city of Babylon was laid waste, and through which My people found their way in the Red Sea and Jordan, do not reminisce about the past, for in the Gospel I will perform an even greater act, one that renders the old ways silent by comparison. For I will create a path, not in the Red Sea, but in the wilderness of the entire world. Many rivers shall flow from the rock, which will not nourish physical bodies as before, but shall satisfy thirsty souls, and what is written shall be fulfilled: ‘you shall drink from the waters of the springs of the Saviour’ (Is. 12). Then that which has never been will occur, that all creatures, dragons, and ostriches dwelling in the barren wastelands of the nations, once akin to beasts because of idolatry and crude ways, shall glorify and extol Me. Instead of dragons, which Theodotion uniquely referred to as thannim, as recorded in the Hebrew text, others translated as sirens—monstrous beings whose sweet yet deadly song lured prey to be devoured by the dogs of Scylla—this indicates that those once devoted to self-indulgence will turn to serve the Lord. Though it is perhaps more fitting to interpret this in relation to dragons, as ostriches are also mentioned, referring to the creatures of the wilderness that find their delight in isolation. Yet the wild beasts, dragons, and ostriches shall honor and glorify Me, says He, because I have given water in the wilderness of the Gentiles and rivers in the dry regions of the nations, that My chosen people, for whom I have paid the price with My blood, may drink, that they might proclaim My praises and My virtues.