Transition: Isaiah 49-55 is a section within a section. Weak believers, in their despondency, are ready to say, "God has forsaken his church and forgotten the sorrows of his people." the Isaiah scroll that we have met the expression 'the day of YHWH' (verse 6), the idea runs through Isaiah chapter two (see 2:12). And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob ( Isaiah 49:26 ). And it is equivalent to Revelation 7:16 . Jesus set the righteous dead captive in Hades free from their place (Ephesians 4:8). Isaiah 49:1-13 Bringing Light to The Gentiles. The LORDs love and faithfulness for Zion are also shown by His promise for their future. Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? He will crush the Babylonians in a judgment suited to the cruel oppression that they inflicted on their helpless victims (25-26).Other Jews blamed God for their troubles, as if he had cast them off like a husband who divorces his wife or a father who sells his children to pay off his debts. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; But, says God, I will not forget thee. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. The book of Isaiah contains 66 chapters divided into 39, and 27 the same way the Old and New Testament is divided. But we have no more reason to question his promise and grace than we have to question his providence and justice. 13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. God replies that they have no evidence to support such an accusation, for he has neither divorced them nor sold them. Though he exhorts and encourages all the godly to thanksgiving, yet he likewise aims at confirming the promise which might have been regarded as doubtful; for afflictions trouble our consciences, and cause them to waver in such a manner that it is not so easy to rest firmly on the promises of God. And that is the equivalent here to, "Thou hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hast thou made mention of my name. Moody Bible Commentary summarizes Isaiah 49:1-13. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. What is the book of the Lord in Isaiah 34:16? Isaiah 46:1-13 Sovereign Control of God. To Him whom man despises, The work of God's Servant v1 Listen to me, you foreign nations. He is as sure a rewarder as he is a revenger. While some might need to brandish a weapon to show their authority, the Messiah needs only to speak. It is Best to Obey The Lord. 3 He said to me, "Israel, you are my servant; By Christ the prince of this world, the great destroyer, is cast out, is dispossessed, has his power broken and his attempts quite baffled. Partners In a New Creation / Lesson #5 They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . Shout for joy, O heavens! God's compassion is too immense to be limited to . Can a woman forget her nursing child, Isaiah concluded by calling on the whole created universe to rejoice because the Lord had comforted His people (cf. Her enemies, who had threatened and assaulted her, shall be forced to withdraw from her: Thy destroyers, and those who made thee waste, who had made themselves masters of the country and ravaged it, shall go forth of thee. Infidels, in their presumption, say God has forsaken the earth (Ezekiel 8:12), and has forgotten their sins,Psalms 10:11. . iii. are without the yod or the conjunction vau before the verb: and so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate. When the Servant completes His work of salvation, the whole creation, not just humankind, will experience liberation from the effects of the Fall (cf. ; Place of Action: Jerusalem Golden Text: "Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages." (Isaiah 49:8). God's people are the blessings and ornaments of the world, and therefore let there be universal joy, for God has comforted his people that were in sorrow and he will have mercy upon the afflicted because of his compassion, upon his afflicted because of his covenant. He made me like a sharp arrow For your waste and desolate places, (13-27) The Source Of True Deliverance (28-35) Historical Interlude (36-39) In short, men either remain in suspense, or tremble, or utterly fall and even faint. All these gather together and come to you. b. Jesus set the sick and diseased free from the bondage of their infirmities (Luke 13:16). Formal, beautiful, memorable, remarkable speech. i. Verse 14 Verse Isaiah 49:14. The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. ( Isaiah 49:16-21 ). But these, where were they? That he has a constant care of his church and people (Isaiah 49:16; Isaiah 49:16): I have engraven thee upon the palms of my hands. Gives you the idea of the size of Israel. ", You remember in Psalms 137:1-9 is the psalm of Babylonian captivity, "When we were in Babylon by the rivers we sat down. I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver. And will have mercy on His afflicted. Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. The Most Amazing Child You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. The triumphs of the church, after her troubles, will in due time put the matter out of question. Which may be understood of the heavens, and the earth by a personification, a figure usual in Scripture, to express the greatness of the benefit received, and to raise thankfulness and admiration in the hearts of God's people; see Psalms 90:11 or by the heavens may be meant the angels in heaven, who, as they rejoice at the conversion of a single sinner, will much more rejoice at such numerous conversions among Jews and Gentiles, here prophesied of, Luke 15:10 and, by the "earth", the saints on earth, the excellent in it, who have a more immediate concern in, and must be affected with, the case here represented: and break forth into singing, O mountains; such as are in high office either in the state, as Christian kings and princes, Isaiah 49:23 or in the church, as prophets and apostles, Revelation 18:20. "You think that I have forgotten you. Some apply his engraving his church on the palms of his hands to the wounds in Christ's hands when he was crucified; he will look on the marks of them, and remember those for whom he suffered and died. "In the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me.". To this he submitted for our salvation. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. We wept when we remembered Zion. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. In whom I will be glorified. Isaiah 51:12-23 . 1) ( Isaiah 3:1-15) Rejection of God leads to the collapse of society and specific judgment against lofty, male leaders 2) ( Isaiah 3:16-4:1) Rejection of God leads to the collapse of society and specific judgment against arrogant, aristocratic women b. Listen carefully, you people who live far away. He's brought them back in the land. To bring Jacob back to Him: This shows that an important aspect of the Messiahs mission was to bring Israel back to the LORD. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. But he still loves them and has the power to save them. But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contends with you, and I will save thy children ( Isaiah 49:24-25 ). We need 2 cookies to store this setting. He could know, based on this promise, that the LORD would hear, help, and preserve Him. They are dwelling there. The mountains in the way are still the LORDs mountains, allowed there for a purpose. And they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; The whole world will know it, and of course, God tells us in that day that He destroys the invading Russian army with her allies shall the whole world know that I am God. 49:1-13) God's Servant, the Messiah, is the speaker in verses 1-5. 49:16-17 This is another powerful metaphor of God's constant remembrance of His covenant with Abraham's descendants. i. Kings shall be your foster fathers: Calvin and most expositors believe that the text teaches that one day the greatest in the nation will love and care for the children of the Church. Then you will know that I am the LORD, The promises exceed anything that took place in the return from captivity under Cyrus. That I, the LORD, am your Savior, I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly" ( Psalms 22:9-10 ). It's exciting, because God fulfilled His promise. Her friends, who had deserted her, shall be gathered to her, and shall contribute their utmost to her assistance and comfort: Thy children shall make haste. ", Isaiah began this pericope by clarifying the calling and ministry of the Servant. Whether exiled in Babylon or scattered in other places, the people will return home amid much rejoicing (11-13).Some of the Jews thought God had forgotten them. The glorious day of Israel's future when the kings of the earth come and pay their homage year by year. It is mainly on the basis of this phrase that there is the practice of kissing the popes feet. (Bultema). Notice it says My mountains. Instead of serving Him with humility and offering love to their neighbors, the nation of Judah offered meaningless sacrifices in God's temple at Jerusalem and committed injustices throughout the nation. And it is a thing that is actually causing millions of people to starve to death in the third world. Even by the springs of water He will guide them. Thus says the Lord GOD: in whom I will be glorified. There is nothing in life no obstacle, no loneliness, no trial, no sorrow which may not be a way into Gods richest blessing. Chapters 49 to 51 contain especially strong messages of encouragement and hope. The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name. You see, our world problems today, especially the problem of starving, the great starvation that is coming in the third world is all the result of the increased oil prices. Isaiah now announced more about the work of the Servant (cf. This assumes that Sinim is derived from sewenim. Israel 40-66 is all about the comfort of God lay upon them command after command, rule alter rule, a constant series of minute injunctions, under which they will . 13.Praise, O heavens; and rejoice, O earth. This shows that ethnic Israel has an enduring place in Gods plan, and that plan will be fulfilled when all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26). For the Lord has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted. As they rejected Him, as they despised Him, His coming to them was in vain. 49:15 This is a powerful metaphor of God's covenant love (cf. That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth. Isaiah 50:4-9a Commentary; Isaiah 51 Commentary. What is the highway of holiness (Isaiah 35:8)? The Lord ( Yehovah) hath forsaken me, and my Lord ( Adonai) hath forgotten me. and who hath brought up these? The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, They began "Thus says the Lord", and they do not usually address a worldwide audience. He adds, "Thy walls shall be continually before me; thy ruined walls, though no pleasing spectacle, shall be in my thoughts of compassion." We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. So long as they are oppressed by fear or anxiety, or grief, they scarcely accept of any consolation; and therefore they need to be confirmed in various ways. And My God shall be My strength), Can a nursing mother forget her nursing child? The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb he named me. Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. As the prophet spoke, he called on nature, personified, to rejoice (on the mountains rejoicing see 44:23). Who has begotten these for me, Pay attention, you who are far away! I've heard some Bible scholars suggest the possibility and some analysts, and I've talked to some Israelis who have suggested also the possibility, that the next outbreak of warfare over there in the Middle East, that Israel plans for it to be the last outbreak by so thoroughly defeating all of those who have risen against them that they will not be able to rise against them again. And when the Israelis go in and take the oil and cut the prices in half, everybody is going to hail them as the heroes, because suddenly this whole problem of world economy is going to be reversed. What is the voice of one calling in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3; John 1:23)? "Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar! - The Burden against Babylon. What God will do for Zion we are told, Isaiah 49:17; Isaiah 49:17. He was a "Jewish prophet who lived during the eighth century BC." Isaiah's words were written more than 700 years before the birth of Christ. It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant We are finishing up Isaiah 49 - with verses 18-23 - for Sunday, June 19. And my Lord has forgotten me.. Nothing can furnish us with better matter for songs of praise and thanksgiving, Isaiah 49:13; Isaiah 49:13. This probably has reference to the hidden years of Jesus, when He lived in obscurity, as a polished shaft waiting in the quiver of the LORD. He is a pledge for all the blessings of the covenant; in him God was reconciling the world to himself. For He who has mercy on them will lead them, i. And some of the old rabbis say that that is God speaking there in response to the people who were captives in Babylon, who said, "God has forgotten us. Surely these shall come from afar; Read online Bible study, search parallel bibles, cross reference verses, compare translations & post comments in bible commentaries at qBible.com. Listen, O coastlands, to Me: As the context will show, these words come prophetically from the Messiah, the Servant of the LORD revealed in previous chapters. And the land of your destruction, The place is too small for me; "Thy builders shall make haste" (so some read it), "who shall build up thy houses, thy walls, especially thy temple; they shall do it with expedition." Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But, Secondly, It is possible that she may forget. But even they shall be taken away. Converts to the faith of Christ are the children of the church; they shall join themselves to her with great readiness and cheerfulness, and flock into the communion of saints, as doves to their windows.