Isaiah 51:1-12
Isa 51:1
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye
that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the
hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
Now Isaiah speaks directly to the Godly Jews in Israel
that they are to hearken or listen and regard what is being said.
Those who follow after righteousness are the true believers as those who
followed after false religions with idols were the ones who were instrumental in
the bringing down of Judah and Israel.
Only those who are truly saved will seek the LORD.
There is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God. (Romans 3:11)
Then they are to look at the rock from which they were hewn, that is,
they are to look at God who is the one who formed and created them.
He is the Rock, his work
is perfect: for all his ways
are judgment: a God of truth
and without iniquity, just and right
is he. (Deuteronomy 32:4)
Then they were to come to the realization that they were brought forth
put of the pit of sin from which they were dug out through the sacrifice of
Christ.
Isa 51:2
Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that
bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
Then they were to take into consideration their spiritual
father Abraham who came out of Ur of the Chaldees, a totally pagan nation and
God brought him to a land that he did not know.
Then they were to look at Sarah who was way past child bearing years and
gave birth to Isaac. It was through
the physical line of Abraham that the nation of Israel came into being and then
multiplied mightily when they were in Egypt.
God only called Abraham out of Ur and did not call a large group of
people. Just like Abraham, God only
called one nation to bring forth the Messiah and had a special relationship with
them.
You only have I known of all the families
of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. (Amos 3:2)
He blessed and prospered Abraham just as he blessed and prospered Israel
but one difference, Israel went apostate and Abraham did not even though he lied
to Pharaoh and Abimelech about Sarah, yet even though he did this, he showed
tremendous faith in God by offering Isaac on the altar until God stopped him.
Judah had waned in their faith.
Instead of getting stronger they became weaker.
Isa 51:3
For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her
waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the
garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and
the voice of melody.
Then as the LORD previously spoke about comforting his
people, he will comfort Zion which is the saved within Israel and those who are
unsaved will benefit from that divine comfort.
He will also comfort the waste places which points to the fact that
though the church at this time was in a desolate situation especially with the
upcoming seventy year captivity, nevertheless he will spiritually restore these
people as if they were still in the pristine garden of Eden before the fall of
man into sin. The desert will
blossom with the spreading of the true gospel and all that become saved through
it will grow spiritually as a plant grows in a garden.
Joy and gladness will be heard coming from the lips of the redeemed.
And he brought forth his people
with joy, and his chosen with
gladness: (Psalm 105:43) Then
along with joy and gladness will come a heart of thanksgiving unto the LORD for
his salvation.
Let us come before his presence with
thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. (Psalm 95:2)
Then there shall also be singing with great melody.
Speaking to yourselves in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the
Lord; (Ephesians 5:19) These
things describe the manner of the true believer.
Isa 51:4
Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my
nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for
a light of the people.
Now God speaks to the nation of Israel that they are to
heed what is being declared. God
declares first that they are his nation for now but eventually that status will
be removed from them.
Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of
God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits
thereof. (Matthew 21:43) God
declares that a law will go out from him.
This is not the law of Sinai but is the law of a different type.
It is called the Royal law.
If ye fulfil the royal law according to
the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: (James 2:8)
Then the judgment of God will be a light of the people.
That judgment was when Christ took the sins of all his people on Calvary
under the judgment of God and all the saved will have been justified and granted
everlasting life based upon grace.
They will go from darkness to light in their spiritual walk.
Isa 51:5
My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone
forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and
on mine arm shall they trust.
Then God continues to bring forth the gospel truth.
His righteousness is not speaking of his own but us speaking about the
righteousness that is found in Christ who will impute that to those who will
become saved. Even before Pentecost
the true gospel has been going forth in Israel and even into some of the pagan
countries surrounding Israel. Then
judgment is promised to those who will reject and come against God’s people.
The arm represents the power of God which will be brought against those
who oppose God. Then the isles
which represent the Gentile countries shall wait upon the LORD until the time
when the gospel will go out fully to the entire world.
The arm of God will be used to penetrate the spiritual darkness and the
people who become saved will rely on the power of God to save them and keep
them.
Who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5)
Isa 51:6
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth
beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax
old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my
salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
Then God commands them to look to the vastness of the
heavens and even to the earth upon which they dwell which looks like a permanent
dwelling place that will never be moved.
God guarantees that the heavens in all its vastness will vanish away like
smoke. Smoke from a fire vanishes
quickly in the atmosphere. Then the
earth will wax old like a garment in other words it will be destroyed and they
that dwell on the earth shall die in like manner.
7 The grass withereth,
the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the
people is grass. 8
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for
ever. (Isaiah 40:7-8) This is
the description what will happen to the old order of the earth and the heavens.
Then God states that his salvation shall be forever and his righteousness
shall never be abolished. This
means that those who have become saved will never die as the rest of the world
will die. Those who are saved will
live forever by God’s salvation and under his righteousness which was imputed to
the believer by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Isa 51:7
Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people
in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye
afraid of their revilings.
Then God once again tells his people to hearken or heed
what he has to tell them. These are
those who are the true believers in not only Israel but those believers all over
the world in which the royal law had been implanted.
The true believer will always face the opposition of unsaved men whether
in national Israel or in the rest of the world.
Here God encourages his people not to fear the reproaches of men.
Reproach means to deride or criticize.
Then they should also not be afraid of their reviling.
Reviling means to treat with verbal contempt or accusations.
The true people of God are never to fear these kind of people.
Isa 51:8
For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the
worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my
salvation from generation to generation.
Each of these scorners will eventually die out as a moth
eats a garment, they too will be eaten up by their own hatred and they shall
suffer death and then the judgment.
In contrast to their limited life spans, they will never stanch the
righteousness of God, because that is forever and they will never stop the
salvation from the LORD because it continues to all generations until the last
one is saved. No amount of
opposition can ever stop God’s plans from being fulfilled.
Isa 51:9
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake,
as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that
hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
Then the people of God are asking the LORD to come to
them and be strong on their behalf.
The arm of the LORD represents the strength of the LORD.
They want God to work as he did in ancient times and the generations that
were before them. They give the
example of Rahab which in this usage is speaking about Egypt and how God ruined
that country when they were at the pinnacle of their power.
The dragon here is speaking about Pharaoh who was looked upon as a god.
He was wounded as the power of Egypt was brought down by the ten plagues
and the destruction of their army.
Isa 51:10
Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the
waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the
ransomed to pass over?
The “it” here is speaking of the arm of the LORD
representing the delivering power of the LORD.
They acknowledge that it was the power of the LORD that dried up the Red
Sea and allowed Israel to cross on dry ground on their way to the Promised Land.
The Red Sea at that time was very deep but some claim it was only a foot
deep. That would be even a greater
miracle that the whole Egyptian army drowned in a foot of water.
Isa 51:11
Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come
with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head:
they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee
away.
Just as the LORD made a way for Israel to cross the Red
Sea on dry ground, he will make the way easy for the redeemed of the LORD to
return to him as he imputes salvation to his people.
Then when they are saved, they will come with joyful hearts that result
in singing. Then they shall receive
everlasting joy. Joy is something
that is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (Galatians 5:22)
It is a deep seated spiritual fruit to have joy and out of that joy will
come happiness. If they are saved
from the pits of sin and only knew sadness of life, salvation will bring them
gladness and joy. Gladness is mirth
or rejoicing. Then we are promised
that sorrow and mourning will flee away.
And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
(Revelation 21:4) These things
will be realized for the believer when we are in the New Heavens and New Earth.
Till that time even the true believer will experience sorrow and mourning
especially when a loved one dies.
Isa 51:12
I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who
art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die,
and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
Then God assures his children that he is the one who brings comfort to his people which would include protection and shelter. Then he asks if you are a true child of God, then who are you to be afraid of man that has a death sentence upon his head or even his son who is in the same situation that will fade away as the grass? God is the one who is our guide and protector and unsaved man is an enemy of God as well as the enemy of his children. God promises to deal with these people who oppose him and his people. They are weak and mortal creatures in comparison to an almighty God who never exhausts any of his power.