Isaiah 44 Commentary

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NOTE: This Verse by Verse Commentary page is part of an ongoing project to add notes to each verse of the Bible. Therefore many verses do not yet have notes, but if the Lord tarries and gives me breath, additions will follow in the future. The goal is to edify and equip you for the work of service (Eph 4:12-13+) that the Lord God might be glorified in your life and in His Church. Amen (Isa 61:3b, Mt 5:16+)

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Isaiah 44:1 “But now listen, O Jacob, My servant, And Israel, whom I have chosen:  

• now: Isa 42:23 48:16-18 55:3 Ps 81:11-13 Jer 4:7 Lu 13:34 Heb 3:7,8 
• O Jacob: Isa 41:8 43:1 Ge 17:7 De 7:6-8 Ps 105:6,42,43 Jer 30:10 46:27,28 Ro 11:5,6 

But now listen, O Jacob, My servant, And Israel, whom I have chosen:  

Isaiah 44:2 Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you, ‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant; And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.  

• that made: Isa 44:21 43:1,7,21 
• formed: Isa 44:24 46:3,4 49:1 Ps 46:5 71:6 Jer 1:5 Eze 16:4-8 20:5-12 Heb 4:16 
• Fear: Isa 41:10,14 43:1 Lu 12:32 Ro 8:30 Eph 1:4 1Th 1:4 
• Jesurun: De 32:15 33:5, Jeshurun

Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you, ‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant; And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen

"Jeshurun," derived from the root yashar (Heb.), "upright," is synonymous with Israel. God's sovereign promise is to pour His Spirit upon Israel and to change the character of His people.
 

Isaiah 44:3 ‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants;  

• pour water: Isa 41:17 59:21 Eze 34:26 Joe 3:18 Joh 7:37-39 Rev 21:6 22:17 
• floods: Isa 32:2 35:6,7 43:19,20 48:21 49:10 Ps 78:15,16 107:35 
• dry ground: Ps 63:1 Mt 12:43, Greek
• pour my: Isa 32:15 59:21 Pr 1:23 Eze 39:29 Joe 2:28 Zec 12:10 Ac 2:17 Ac 2:33,39 10:45 Tit 3:5,6 

For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground;

I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants - This begs the question WHEN will Yahweh do this? One might say Pentecost in Acts 2:17 which might be a partial fulfillment, but the full fulfillment will be in Zechariah 12:10  at the end of this present age where Yahweh says “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 

HM - The Holy Spirit is here symbolized by life-giving waters; this figure is often appropriated in the New Testament (John 1:33; 3:5; 7:38,39; Titus 3:5).

Isaiah 44:4 And they will spring up among the grass Like poplars by streams of water.’  

• spring: Isa 58:11 61:11 Ps 1:3 92:13-15 Ac 2:41-47 4:4 5:14 
• willows: Ps 137:1,2 Eze 17:5 

And they will spring up among the grass Like poplars by streams of water - Who is THEY? In context this is Spirit filled Jews. 

Isaiah 44:5 “This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’S’; And that one will call on the name of Jacob; And another will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the LORD,’ And will name Israel’s name with honor.  

• I am: De 26:17-19 Ps 116:16 Jer 50:5 Mic 4:2 Zec 8:20-23 13:9 
• subscribe: Ne 9:38 10:1-29 2Co 8:5 
• the name: Ga 6:16 1Pe 2:9 

EVIDENCES OF BELIEVING
CHILDREN OF ISRAEL 

This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’S’; And that one will call on the name of Jacob; And another will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the LORD,’ And will name Israel’s name with honor.

Isaiah 44:6 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.  

• the King: Isa 33:22 43:15 Mal 1:14 Mt 25:34 27:37 
• his redeemer: Isa 44:24 41:14 43:1,14 48:17 54:5 59:20 Jer 50:34 
• I am the first: Isa 41:4 48:12 Rev 1:8,11,17,18 2:8 22:13 
• beside: Isa 44:8 37:16,20 42:8 43:10,11 45:6,21,22 De 4:35,39 6:4 32:39 1Ti 3:16 

Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me

HM - It seems that two divine Persons are speaking here, yet both are only one God, the Creator and Savior.

The Lord identified Himself as Israel’s King (43:15), Redeemer (43:14), Champion in battle (1:9), Eternal One (41:4; cf. 48:12). Jesus, in a direct affirmation of His deity, called Himself the First and the Last not just once BUT 3 Times! (Rev1:17; 2:8; 22:13). Besides Me … no God. God’s exclusive claim to deity prepared the way for another challenge to false gods in vv. 7–20 (cf. 43:10).

AND HIS REDEEMER: GA'AL: {Rhuomai: (Ro11:26: Deliverer) AMPartMSN:}     

I AM THE FIRST & THE LAST:This is clearly MESSIAH, our Lord jesus, Who repeats this incomprehensible truth 3x in Revelation (Rev1:17,2:8 22:13). Greek Lxx not "ego eimi" here for "I Am" as in (Ex3:14).
    The Lord identified Himself as Israel’s King (43:15), Redeemer (43:14), Champion in battle (1:9), and Eternal One (41:4; cf. 48:12). 

THERE IS NO GOD BESIDES ME: God’s exclusive claim to deity prepared the way for another challenge to false gods in v7-20 (cf. 43:10).

Isaiah 44:7 ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place.  

• who: Isa 41:22,26 43:9,12 45:21 46:9,10 48:3-8 
• since: Isa 41:4 Ge 17:7,8 De 32:8 Ac 17:26 

Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place.  

God alone is able to declare ''the end from the  beginning'' [Isa 42:9 44:7 46:9,10  45:21]  

Isaiah 44:8 ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’”

NET: Don't panic! Don't be afraid! Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it? You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me? There is no other sheltering rock; I know of none.
 

• neither: Isa 44:2 41:10-14 Pr 3:25,26 Jer 10:7 30:10,11  Joh 6:10 
• have declared: Isa 42:9 48:5 Ge 15:13-21 28:13-15 46:3 48:19 49:1-28 Lev 26:1-46 De 4:25-31 28:1-68 
• ye are: Isa 43:10,12 Ezr 1:2 8:22 Da 2:28,47 3:16-28 4:25 5:23-30 6:22 Ac 1:8 14:15 17:23-31 Heb 12:1 1Jn 1:2 
• Is there: Isa 44:6 45:5,6 46:9 De 4:35,39 32:39 1Sa 2:2 2Sa 22:32  Joh 1:1 Joh 10:30 
• no God: Heb. no rock, De 32:4,31 Ps 18:31 

Do not tremble and do not be afraid

Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?

And you are My witnesses.

Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none

Context: In Isaiah 44:6-23 we see a striking contrast between the Lord's power to control history and the inability of worthless idols. There is only one God and He alone is sovereign. Get a grip on this truth and it will grip you and hold you in the "cleft of the Rock" when times are tough (which will happen at some time in everyone's life!)
Comment: Notice the "antidote" for trembling fear in this passage. God alone is our Rock. Notice also that this true God has "announced" (read Isa 44:7) what will happen before it happens (another reason to be diligent to study the prophetic books of Scripture). Our problem is forgetfulness of how stable and sure is God as our Rock. One reason we must be daily eating His Word, is because of fallen, fleshy, forgetful spirits. When we read His Word which is purer than silver refined sevenfold, we are reminded that our omniscient, omnipotent Rock is the only rock on which to build for salvation (past tense and salvation present tense = daily sanctification), the only Rock we can run to for shelter and safety, the Rock of Ages, Christ Jesus, on which the Church is founded such that the gates of hell cannot prevail (Mt 16:18). And notice that if the omniscient One knows of no other gods, there can be no other! Worship Him with your whole being every hour of every day.

M Villiers has an excellent, practical comment: THE REASON WHY WE SHOULD NOT FEAR. The reason is, that the Lord thus argues with us: “Have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it?” That is, God challenges man to deny this fact, that He knows the end from the beginning, and has proved that He knows it by foretelling the end from the beginning. This is the manner in which God argues in other passages. (Isa 42:9). God knows the end; God foresees the means, and foreseeing the means He exercises control over those means--everything that happens therefore, great or small, is under the control of God, who “orders all things after the counsel of His own will,” (Eph 1:11) and consequently we have nothing to fear, because we are in His hands who “doeth all things well.” (Mk 7:37) This is the manner in which we find the argument used in Isa 51:12. Having thus stated the Christian’s duty as well as his privilege--not to fear; and having seen what the reason is, that God has foretold all things, and therefore decreed and settled all things from the beginning, HE THEN CHALLENGES HIS PEOPLE in these words--“Ye are even My witnesses,” and therefore urges upon them, by the strongest possible personal appeal, to bear testimony to the fact that the Lord He is God, and our God too, for ever and for ever. (Biblical Illustrator-Isaiah)

Isaiah 44:9 Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame.

• make: Isa 41:24,29 De 27:15 Ps 97:7 Jer 10:3-8,14,15 
• and their: Isa 2:20,21 37:18-20 46:1,2,6,7 Jud 10:14 1Ki 18:26-40 Jer 2:11,27,28 14:22 16:19,20 Da 5:23 Ho 8:4-6 Hab 2:18-20 1Co 8:4 
• delectable: Heb. desirable, Da 11:38 
• their own: Isa 44:18,20 42:18 43:8 45:20 Ps 115:8 135:18 Ro 1:22 2Co 4:4 Eph 4:18 5:8 

Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know,

so that they will be put to shame

WILL BE PUT TO SHAME (repeated v11x2): The workmen who manufactured idols were mere men and could make nothing as good as or greater than man. They and others who put their trust in idols had ample reason to fear and be ashamed of such folly (v11; contra. v8).

CR - Another devastating attack on idolatry (an intended "vaccination" against the coming exposure to idolatry in Babylon!). 

Isaiah 44:10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no profit?

NLT -  Who but a fool would make his own god--an idol that cannot help him one bit!

• 1Ki 12:28 Jer 10:5 Da 3:1,14 Hab 2:18 Ac 19:26 1Co 8:4 

THE FOOLISHNESS OF 
FASHIONING "GOD"! 

Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no profit

Isaiah 44:11 Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame.  

NLT All who worship idols will stand before the LORD in shame, along with all these craftsmen--mere humans--who claim they can make a god. Together they will stand in terror and shame.

• all his: Isa 1:29 42:17 45:16 1Sa 5:3-7 6:4,5 Ps 97:7 Jer 2:26,27 10:14 Jer 51:17 
• let them all: Isa 41:5-7 Jud 6:29-32 16:23-30 1Ki 18:19-29,40 Da 3:1-7 5:1-6 Ac 19:24-34 Rev 19:19-21 

Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame.  

Isaiah 44:12 The man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary.

NLT The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool, pounding and shaping it with all his might. His work makes him hungry and thirsty, weak and faint.

• The smith: Isa 40:19 41:6,7 46:6,7 Ex 32:4,8 Jer 10:3-11 
• the tongs: or, an axe
• he is: Hab 2:13 

The man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary

44:12–19 Human workers expended all their energy to produce a beautiful idol, but the best they could make was the likeness of a man (Dt4:15–18; Ro 1:23), and that could not renew their strength. Yet they who wait on the Lord will renew their strength (40:28-31). The same humanly nurtured trees used as fuel for fires to furnish warmth and to cook also provides wood for people to make idols, which they worship and to which they entrust their prayers and themselves. Nothing could be more foolish than worshiping as deity a piece of wood, while burning the same wood in a fire to keep warm. Idol-makers cannot comprehend the idiocy of creating gods from materials used for the most trivial domestic purposes. Cf. 6:9,10; Dt27:15.

Isaiah 44:13 Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, so that it may sit in a house.

NLT Then the wood-carver measures and marks out a block of wood, takes the tool, and carves the figure of a man. Now he has a wonderful idol that cannot even move from where it is placed!

• he marketh: Ex 20:4,5 De 4:16-18,28 Ac 17:29 Ro 1:23 
• that it may: Ge 31:19,30,32 35:2 De 27:15 Judges 17:4,5 18:24 Eze 8:12 

Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, so that it may sit in a house.

Isaiah 44:14 Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. 

NLT   He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak; he plants the cedar in the forest to be nourished by the rain.

• heweth: Isa 40:20 Jer 10:3-8 Ho 4:12 Hab 2:19 
• strengtheneth: or, taketh courage

Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow

CR - 44:14-20  How ludicrous to think that the same piece of wood used to make a fire could also make an idol-god. To worship a block of wood is to feed on ashes. 
 

Isaiah 44:15 Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it.

NLT And after his care, he uses part of the wood to make a fire to warm himself and bake his bread. Then--yes, it's true--he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god for people to worship! He makes an idol and bows down and praises it!

• a god: Isa 44:10 45:20 Jud 2:19 2Ch 25:14 Rev 9:20 

Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and falls down before it.

Isaiah 44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”

NLT  He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm.

Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire

Isaiah 44:17 But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.”  

NLT Then he takes what's left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it. "Rescue me!" he says. "You are my god!"

• Deliver me: Isa 36:19,20 37:38 Da 3:17,29 6:16,20-22,27 

But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.”

Isaiah 44:18 They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.

NLT Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.

• have not: Isa 44:9,20 45:20 46:7,8 Jer 10:8,14 Ro 1:21-23 
• for he hath: Isa 6:10 29:10 Ps 81:12 Mt 13:14,15 Ac 14:16 Ro 1:28 11:8-10 2Co 4:3,4 2Th 2:9-12 
• shut: Heb. daubed
• cannot: Isa 56:11 Ps 92:6 Pr 2:5-9 28:5 Jer 5:21 Da 12:10 Ho 14:9 Mt 12:34 Joh 5:44 8:43 12:39,40 2Pe 2:14 

They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend

Isaiah 44:19 No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!”

The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, "Why, it's just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a chunk of wood?"

• heart: Heb. setteth to his heart, Isa 46:8 Ex 7:23 De 32:46 Eze 40:4 Hag 1:5 *marg: Ho 7:2 
• an abomination: De 27:15 1Ki 11:5,7 2Ki 23:13 
• the stock of a tree: Heb. that which comes of a tree

No one recalls, nor is there knowledge or understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an abomination, I fall down before a block of wood

Isaiah 44:20 He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

NLT The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He is trusting something that can give him no help at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, "Is this thing, this idol that I'm holding in my hand, a lie?"

• feedeth: Job 15:2 Ps 102:9 Pr 15:14 Ho 12:1 Lu 15:16 
• a deceived: 1Ki 22:20-23 Job 15:31 Ho 4:12 Ro 1:20-22,28 2Th 2:11 2Ti 2:13 Rev 12:9 13:14 18:23 20:3 
• Is there: Isa 28:15-17 Jer 16:19 Hab 2:18 2Th 2:9-11 1Ti 4:2 

He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand

Isaiah 44:21 “Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant, O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.  

NLT "Pay attention, O Israel, for you are my servant. I, the LORD, made you, and I will not forget to help you.

• Remember: Isa 42:23 46:8,9 De 4:9,23 31:19-21 32:18 
• thou art: Isa 44:1,2 41:8,9 43:1,7,15 
• thou shalt: Isa 49:15,16 Ro 11:28,29 

Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant, O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me

Isaiah 44:22 “I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”  

NLT  I have swept away your sins like the morning mists. I have scattered your offenses like the clouds. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free."

• blotted: Isa 1:18 43:25 Ne 4:5 Ps 51:1,9 103:12 109:14 Jer 18:23 33:8 Ac 3:19 
• as a thick: Job 37:11 La 3:42-44 
• return: Isa 1:27 43:1 48:20 51:11 59:20,21 Jer 3:1,12-14 Ho 14:1-4 Lu 1:73,74 Ac 3:18,19 1Co 6:20 Tit 2:12-14 1Pe 1:18,19 

I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.

I HAVE WIPED OUT YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS:(Lxx = apaleipo Aorist = at a point in time Active = God did it Indicative = actual real event [ultimately this pictures the Cross] = God has expunged & blotted out their transgression. This verb not in NT but used in Lxx of Ge6:7 7:4 Ex17:14 Dt9:14 29:20 Ps51:1,v9 Je18:23)  

We must understand the breadth and length and height and depth of God's forgiveness on the Cross, foreshadowed by beautiful OT metaphors and types - Lev 16:20, 21 the scapegoat sent off into the wilderness never to be seen again! Ps 103:12 - as far as E is from W! Isa 38:17 - Cast all my sins behind His back! Isa 44:22 - wiped them clean! Micah 7:19 - Tread them under foot, cast them into the depths of the sea! --- and put up a "No Fishing" sign like Corrie Ten Boom likes to say) 
    
Further reassurances of God’s sovereign grace at work on behalf of Israel were given (43:25). God had blotted out their sins written in His book against them (cf. Rev20:12). As a person can’t see what is ahead because it is blocked by a “thick cloud,” so God obliterated the sins of those He redeemed. Return to Me. God has already provided for redemption, even before the cross, but based on it alone. For those who turn from sin and return to Him, there is redemption (because the purchase price for the sinner was paid by the sacrifice of Christ). The Lord calls on His people to repent so they may receive the promised redemption (cf. Neh1:9; Je4:1; 24:7; Joe2:12; Zec1:3; Mal3:7; Mt3:2; 4:17; Ro3:25,26; Heb 9:15).

RETURN TO ME: 

I HAVE REDEEMED YOU: LUTROO:FMInd: 

Isaiah 44:23 Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; For the LORD has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He shows forth His glory. 

NLT Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done this wondrous thing. Shout, O earth! Break forth into song, O mountains and forests and every tree! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob and is glorified in Israel.

• Sing: Isa 42:10-12 49:13 55:12,13 Ps 69:34 96:11,12 98:7,8 Jer 51:48 Lu 2:10-14 Rev 5:8-14 12:12 18:20 19:1-6 
• glorified: Isa 26:15 49:3 60:21 Eze 36:1,8 39:13 Eph 1:6,7 3:21 2Th 1:10-12 1Pe 4:11 

Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; For the LORD has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He shows forth His glory

Isaiah 44:24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone,  

NLT The LORD, your Redeemer and Creator, says: "I am the LORD, who made all things. I alone stretched out the heavens. By myself I made the earth and everything in it.

• thy redeemer: Isa 44:6 43:14 48:17 49:7,26 54:5,8 59:20 60:16 63:16 Ps 78:35 Jer 50:34 Rev 5:9 
• and he: Isa 44:2 43:1,7 46:3,4 49:1 Job 31:15 Ps 71:6 139:13-16 Ga 1:15 
• I am: Isa 40:22 42:5 45:12 48:13 51:13 Job 9:8 26:7 Ps 104:2 Jer 51:15 
• by myself: Joh 1:3 Eph 3:9 Col 1:16,17 Heb 1:2,10-12 

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone

HM - maketh all things.  In contrast to the idol gods of paganism, made by men (Isaiah 44:15), the LORD made everything in heaven and earth after first creating heaven and earth.

44:24-28  Only the true God can predict the future with total accuracy--in this case the return from exile to rebuild and inhabit Jerusalem, a prophecy made through Isaiah about 150 years before it happened. 

Isaiah 44:25 Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness,  

25  I am the one who exposes the false prophets as liars by causing events to happen that are contrary to their predictions. I cause wise people to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools.
 

• frustrateth: Isa 47:12-14 1Ki 22:11,12,22-25,37 2Ch 18:11,34 Jer 27:9,10 Jer 28:9-17 50:36 
• maketh: Ex 9:11 Da 1:20 2:10-12 4:7 5:6-8 
• turneth: Isa 19:11-14 29:14 2Sa 15:31 16:23 17:23 Job 5:12-14 Ps 33:10 Jer 49:7 51:57 1Co 1:20-27 3:19,20 

Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness,

False prophets must suffer the consequences of their deceptive counsel (47:12–14; Deut. 13:1–5; Josh. 13:22; Jer. 27:9; 29:8; 50:36; Mic. 3:7).

Isaiah 44:26 Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’ And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’ And I will raise up her ruins again.  

NLT But I carry out the predictions of my prophets! When they say Jerusalem will be saved and the towns of Judah will be lived in once again, it will be done!

• confirmeth: Isa 42:9 Ex 11:4-6 12:29,30 1Ki 13:3-5 18:36-38 Eze 38:17 Zec 1:6 Mt 26:56 Lu 24:44 Ac 2:25-28 2Pe 1:19-21 
• that saith: Isa 54:3,11,12 60:10 Ezr 2:70 Ps 102:13-16 147:2 Jer 30:18 Jer 31:4,38-40 33:7 Eze 36:33-36 Da 9:25 Zec 2:4 12:6 Zec 14:10,11 
• and I will: Isa 58:12 Ne 1:3 2:3 3:1-32 Am 9:14 
• decayed places: Heb. wastes, Isa 61:4 Eze 36:10 

Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’ And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’ And I will raise up her ruins again.

In contrast with His breaking the word of false prophets (v. 25), the Lord confirmed the word of His true prophets such as of Isaiah (Zech. 1:6). Most specially, God confirmed the Word of the Messiah, who is the consummate embodiment of all the prophets and messengers of God (Mal. 3:1; Matt. 21:34,36,37). raise up her waste places. The fall of Jerusalem came in 586 b.c. when the Babylonians invaded the Land. God promised to restore the Land to prosperity, the foretaste of restoration coming after 70 years with the help of the Persians (41:2), but the greater restoration to come in Messiah’s kingdom.

Isaiah 44:27 “It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’ And I will make your rivers dry.  

NLT When I speak to the rivers and say, 'Be dry!' they will be dry.

• Be dry: Isa 11:15,16 42:15 43:16 51:15 Ps 74:15 Jer 50:38 51:32,36 Rev 16:12 

It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’ And I will make your rivers dry

Isaiah 44:28 “It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.’ And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”

NLT  When I say of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd,' he will certainly do as I say. He will command that Jerusalem be rebuilt and that the Temple be restored."

• Cyrus: Isa 42:15 45:1,3 46:11 48:14,15 Da 10:1 
• my shepherd: Isa 63:11 Ps 78:71,72 
• saying: Isa 45:13 2Ch 36:22,23 Ezr 1:1-3 6:3-18 

It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.’ And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid

HM - Thou shalt be built.  This is a remarkable prophecy, one of the main stumbling blocks of critics, who use it as an excuse for their notion of a "second Isaiah." Long before Jerusalem was destroyed by the armies of Babylon, Isaiah was prophesying its rebuilding.

BSB - Here is an unusual instance of the mention by name of a yet unborn king, about 150 years before the event. Although critics find this impossible and argue for a late date and authorship by someone other than Isaiah, their protest simply exposes their prejudice against God's revelation. If God can create a universe, if the incarnation of Christ is a reality, and if the resurrection is true, then predicting Cyrus's name prior to his birth is no great difficulty (cf. a similar instance in 1 Kin. 13:2).