https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/4162515435973?autoplay=1

Hymns: RHC 243 The Comforter Has Come 246 Open My Eyes, That I May See 233 O Breath of Life

Isaiah 49

1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. 2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; 3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. 4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God. 5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength. 6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. 7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. 8 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; 9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. 10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. 11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. 12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. 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. 14 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. 15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. 17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. 18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth. 19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. 20 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. 21 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? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? 22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. 23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. 24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? 25 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 contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. 26 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.

Christ’s Coming Foretold (2)

OUTLINE

• His Mission and Rejection (v1-8)
• His Glorious Work of Salvation (v9-23)
• His Salvific Work to the Gentiles (v24-26)

INTRODUCTION

The LORD is the speaker in this passage. Here in this chapter, Cyrus is not mentioned, for the prophet Isaiah now concentrates upon the delivery from sin to be brought about by a Deliverer infinitely greater than Cyrus, the Servant of the LORD. 

He who speaks with great compelling authority is the Messiah, the Christ, as Head of His people. As the isles or islands are to hearken unto Him, so our attention is to be directed unto Him throughout this chapter.

Thus there is preparation for the worldwide proclamation with a message not merely addressed to Israel but to the world.

The isles indicate not merely actual islands, but the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea; and the nations of the Gentiles. Thus, the address is to the entire heathen world with emphasis to nations from afar or far away.

• His Mission and Rejection (v1-8)

… 5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.

This verse forms the true contrast to 4a, in that it gives the LORD’s answer to the servant’s disappointment. 

The servant is conscious that God has prepared him for his mission, even knowing that God had formed him from the womb. The servant was born to accomplish a specific mission.

The language emphasizes the fact that the servant is God’s and serves Him. 

Hence, the LORD did not separate the servant in vain from his mother’s womb. The purpose of the servant’s being formed, however, is not primarily to be a king, but to be a servant.

Sin divides and disperses, but the servant unites. Only in God is a true union to be found, hence the servant brings Israel back to God.

The servant again utters his assurance that he will be vindicated. To be honoured in the eyes of God is to be honoured before God in His sight.

And the strength or power that the servant possesses to accomplish his task is found in God. 

6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

The coming salvation is one in which the dispersed and fallen people are again raised and united. Isaiah repeats the thought, and the preserved of Israel is to be restored. The raising up and restoring of the people is essentially the same work as becoming a light and salvation. 

It is in Him being a light and salvation to Israel (apart from the fact that he is also that to the Gentiles) that the servant raises up and restores Israel. 

The first step in the work of restoration was the return from exile. This restoration make possible the spiritual restoration of Israel accomplished by Christ.

Yet the work of the servant is greater than the redemption of Israel. God has appointed the servant to this work and determined that he should carry it out. Light is intimately related with salvation.

The Gentiles are conceived as being in spiritual darkness, and when light comes to them they are delivered from their darkness. This light is the servant, just as Jesus in the days of His flesh, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

The Apostle Paul uses this verse in Acts 13:47 supports the identification of the servant as the Messiah and His people. When His people labour in His Name as Paul and Barnabas were doing. He works through them.

Acts 13:47 (KJV) For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

The Gentiles are in darkness and need light. They are not already redeemed but are lost in the darkness of sin and ignorance. Hence the need for vigorous missionary work. Christ alone is the Light of this dark world.

Israel is the first-born in the household of faith. Therefore, Gentiles who have been brought in from without must love Israel and must bend every effort to bring the Gospel to the Jews.

True unity is found in Jesus Christ alone in whom both Jew and Gentile have become one.

7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

What follows here is a response on the LORD’s part to the utterance of the servant. The servant has appeared speaking without particular introduction; but the language of the LORD is introduced with “Thus saith the LORD,” and He is described as the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One. 

The servant is a slave and the rulers are evil rulers. Not only did the masses despise the servant, also the kings. He who is the Servant of the LORD is also the slave of tyrants. This despised one is to receive the homage of which the reminder of the verse speaks.

The true dignity of the servant breaks through and men see him for what he actually is. And when the princes see, they will do obeisance, for the servant is deserving of their deepest adoration. 

The obeisance is for the sake of the LORD, for the kings realize that He has brought the servant into glory, and they themselves would through their action glorify him.

8 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;

The day of salvation is the day when God will accomplish salvation for His people. 

The time of favour is one in which the salvation of God will be seen. At that time, God will help the servant.

The servant is made a covenant of the people. Here is the grand and central point of the passage. 

This picture refers primarily not to the return from the exile, but to the reestablishment of the Davidic kingdom under the Messiah, when all the true seed of Abraham will receive their promised inheritance.

• His Glorious Work of Redemption (v9-20)

9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

The prisoners, bound in sin, are commanded to go out. Obviously they are unable to do this, for they are imprisoned; but the command is similar to all commands to repent and believe the Gospel. Christ commanded, “Come unto me,” but no one can come unto Him unless the Heavenly Father draw him. Those who are in darkness are to come out of that darkness so that they will be seen of men.

The blessedness of the life of the prisoners and those who had been in darkness. They are pictured as a flock that will pasture on ways that had formerly been without pasture.

Now there is a complete change, and along the ways as they go the now prove to be the pastures for the flock. Thus, the flock need not even turn aside far to find pasture, and where one would least expect it, it is present. In fact, the most unlikely places are the places of pasture.

10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

The prophet continues the figures of a flock. As a result of the rich pasturage they will neither hunger nor thirst. The second half of the line states that the flock will be protected from the burning sun of the desert.

Psalm 121:6 (KJV) The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

Isaiah is apparently reflecting upon the Exodus, as Calvin well says, “… It is customary with the prophets to mention the departure of the people out of Egypt whenever they intend to demonstrate the kindness of God, either publicly towards all, or privately towards an individual.”

The people will not wander through the desert aimlessly, nor will their leader be unconcerned about them; but He will show them mercy. Here is expressed tenderness and comfort. He who leads His people through desolate places is concerned to show them mercy. 

Isaiah employs the beautiful figure of springs of water to express the truth that God provides for all the needs of His people and blesses them abundantly. They find not merely a small stream, but flowing, abundant springs of water, even in desolate places.

11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

The prophet continues his description of God’s gracious work, changing the figure to that of a marching people. In the way of their march there will be obstacles of all kinds, but God will remove these. 

These obstacles are pictured as mountains. The reference is probably to all mountains; these belong to God, and He ahs sovereignty in deposing of them as He will. As much as He is their Creator, He is able to lower them so that they become the way itself. 

Thus, a complete reversal of the situation occurs. The emphasis of the prophet is upon a spiritual return from the bondage of sin unto the one living and true God. 

The ways of God are those artificially raised up so that an army or a group of people can march upon them, so that their way will be clear to them, preventing them from going astray and protecting them from the ravages of any wild beasts.

12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

The prophet now points to the extent of the dispersion in that he indicates the places from which the redeemed will come. The dispersion will be worldwide; here is no talk of a return from Babylonian exile. It is rather a regathering of the children of God that are scattered to the four corners of the earth. At the same time, only two technical terms are used to indicate the directions, north and sea.

An ancient interpretation would identify the land of Sinim with China, and is a possibility. Quite possibility, therefore, the reference is to a district to the east, so far away that it stands for a quarter of the earth. China may be that reference.

What is important is that a faraway district, a quarter of the earth, is intended, for the return to God in Christ will be worldwide.

When the favour of the LORD has come, they return unto the LORD from all the earth. The earth gives back what belongs to the LORD.

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.

Commensurate with the magnitude of the salvation is the command that all nature rejoice. By thus commanding all nature to rejoice he is foretelling the joyful change that the day of favour will bring.

The heaven and earth are to shout for joy at the marvellous redemption the God of Israel has accomplished. 

They that proclaim the glory of God are now to break forth into joyful shouting – Psalm 19:1 (KJV) To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Finally a reason is given why nature should thus rejoice. Thought is that God has shown comfort to His people in that He has once more established them as such.

The afflicted ones who belong to the LORD has obtained mercy.

To be continued….