Worshiping idols was perhaps the children of Israel’s most offensive and obvious sin in Isaiah’s day. Isaiah 41–47 tells how the Lord spoke to His people about why they should trust in and worship Him instead of idols. He testified to them that, among many other important titles and names, He was their Redeemer (meaning someone who would redeem them from spiritual bondage with His atoning sacrifice; see Isaiah 41:14; 43:1, 14; 44:6, 24; 47:4), their Savior (see Isaiah 43:3, 11; 45:15, 21), and their Creator (see Isaiah 42:5; 43:1, 7, 15, 21; 44:24; 45:9, 11, 18). To the children of the covenant He emphasized:“I am the Lord thy God, … thy Saviour …“… Your redeemer …“… Your Holy One, … your King” (Isaiah 43:3, 14–15).Although these chapters call the children of Israel to repent and return to the Lord, they are filled with hope in the promise that the Lord would receive them if they would choose to follow Him and that He has power to save and redeem them from all their sins and afflictions.Although the messages of these chapters can certainly be applied to our day, they had special meaning to the Jews who were captive in Babylon about 150 years after Isaiah’s death. They had been taken captive because they, as a people, refused to repent of worshiping idols. They needed the saving and redeeming power the Lord offered, and they especially took courage in the promise of King Cyrus of Persia as their deliverer (see Isaiah 45) and in the prophesied destruction of Babylon (see Isaiah 47).