What is the book of the Lord in Isaiah 34:16? Biblical Commentary Isaiah 49:1-7 EXEGESIS: THE WIDER CONTEXT: THE SERVANT SONGS Chapters 42-53 of the book of Isaiah contain four Servant Songs. for the Lord hath comforted his people; with the discoveries of his love and grace; by his gracious presence among them; by the coming of Christ unto them in a spiritual way; by sending his Spirit, and renewing the face of things, and reviving his work in the midst of them; by the pure and powerful preaching of the Gospel, and comfortable administration of Gospel ordinances; and by large additions of converts made unto them: and will have mercy upon his afflicted, or "poor", or "meek" and "humble" ones, as the words (l) may be rendered: the Lord's people is a poor and afflicted people, poor in a temporal and spiritual sense; the church and interest of Christ is in a poor and low condition: the Lord's people are afflicted outwardly and inwardly, and so become meek, and are kept humble; these the Lord, in the latter day, will raise from a low and distressed condition to a more exalted and comfortable one; which will be an instance of his mercy and compassion, and be matter of joy unto them. i. What are the affections of nature to those of the God of nature! 1. Please do not deface or discard. New Revised Standard Version and Student Study Handout for Isaiah 9:2-7 International Bible Lesson "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6NRSV). God replies that they have no evidence to support such an accusation, for he has neither divorced them nor sold them. Verse 14 Verse Isaiah 49:14. and who hath brought up these? Isaiah 13 begins a section ending at Isaiah 23:18 where he prophesies against the nations. He declares that the Lord has sovereignly chosen him and called him to be his servant (verse 1b). He is a pledge for all the blessings of the covenant; in him God was reconciling the world to himself. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Lick up the dust of thy feet refers to the great honor which the great ones of the world will give Israel. Those from the north and the west, But we have no more reason to question his promise and grace than we have to question his providence and justice. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. This does not allude to the foolish art of palmistry, which imagines every man's fate to be engraved in the palms of his hands and to be legible in the lines there, but to the custom of those who tie a string upon their hands or fingers to put them in mind of things which they are afraid they shall forget, or to the wearing of signet or locket-rings in remembrance of some dear friend. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? Zion, in distress, said, The Lord has forsaken me, and looks after me no more; my Lord has forgotten me, and will look after me no more. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. She would not have compassion, well she might. The mountains in the way are still the LORDs mountains, allowed there for a purpose. Well, actually, you can drive from one side of Israel to the other in two hours; you can drive from one end to the other in six hours. 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 they required some happy songs from us saying, 'Sing one of the songs of Zion.' The idea in this verse is, that it was an occasion on which the heavens and the earth would have cause to exult together. 5 - 6 seem to distinguish the servant from . 3 And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified." Listen, O coasts, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; For the LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. c. Thus says the LORDto Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors: The LORD speaks to His Messiah, and reveals that He will be One whom man despises, and whom His own nation abhors. And He has chosen You.. And the land of your destruction, But Zion said, The LORD has forsaken me, Isaiah 55:1-13 Commentary; Isaiah 56 Commentary. A woman, whose honour it is to be of the tender sex as well as the fair one, cannot but have compassion for a child, which, being both harmless and helpless, is a proper object of compassion. yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. And he said, It is a light thing that you should 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 eaRuth ( Isaiah 49:5-6 ). 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. Free Online Commentary. God said, "No way. "Listen, O coastlands, to Me, He kept me safe in his hand. A mother, especially, cannot but be concerned for her own child; for it is her own, a piece of herself, and very lately one with her. For I will contend with him who contends with you, The servant who is the nation Israel is displeasing to God (42:18-25), but this servant is honored by God (49:5). iv. God now shows that for him this is impossible (14-16). And in the day of salvation I have helped You; But they are seeking to expand. Nevertheless, that Servant knew he was called by God. If the tokens of his wonderful power are to be seen everywhere, he intends that there shall be an eminent and remarkable example of it in the salvation of the Church. Surely they may forget, We wept when we remembered Zion. In answer to Zion's fears, God speaks as one concerned for his own glory (he takes himself to be reflected upon if Zion say, The Lord has forsaken me, and he will clear himself), as one concerned also for his people's comfort; he would not have them droop, and be discouraged, and give way to any uneasy thoughts. With such love, how could God ever forget His people? The Lord ( Yehovah) hath forsaken me, and my Lord ( Adonai) hath forgotten me. By Christ the prince of this world, the great destroyer, is cast out, is dispossessed, has his power broken and his attempts quite baffled. Not much. But, says God, I will not forget thee. They ignored God when he spoke to them through his servants the prophets. 49:13. What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? 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. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. But he still loves them and has the power to save them. For the LORD has comforted His people, But Zion said, The LORD has forsaken me, The LORD has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me., Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you, See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands, Your sons shall make haste. Moody Bible Commentary summarizes Isaiah 49:1-13. 17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. This chapter is full of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the words quoted could not possibly have their complete fulfillment in any other save in our Savior. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy" ( Psalms 137:4-6 ). God has forsaken us." It is mainly on the basis of this phrase that there is the practice of kissing the popes feet. (Bultema). Accordingly, he places the subject almost before their eye, that they may be fully convinced that they shall have the most abundant cause of rejoicing; though at that time they saw nothing but grief and sorrow. Isaiah 40:1; Isaiah 47:6) and had shown compassion on His formerly afflicted nation (cf. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly" ( Psalms 22:9-10 ). 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. The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. The place is too small for me; Isaiah 49 reminds us that God's deep and abiding love for God's world is just too enormous to be limited to just one kind of person or people. 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. So that Israel is gathered to Him ", Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. The scope of these verses is to show that the return of the people of God out of their captivity, and the eternal redemption to be wrought out by Christ (of which that was a type), would be great occasions of joy to the church and great proofs of the tender care God has of the church. 5. . for the Lord hath comforted his people; with the discoveries of his love and grace; by his gracious presence among them; by the coming of Christ unto them in a spiritual way; by sending his Spirit, and renewing the face of things, and reviving his work in the midst of them; by the pure and powerful preaching of the Gospel, and comfortable administration of Gospel ordinances; and by large additions of converts made unto them: and will have mercy upon his afflicted, or "poor", or "meek" and "humble" ones, as the words l may be rendered: the Lord's people is a poor and afflicted people, poor in a temporal and spiritual sense; the church and interest of Christ is in a poor and low condition: the Lord's people are afflicted outwardly and inwardly, and so become meek, and are kept humble; these the Lord, in the latter day, will raise from a low and distressed condition to a more exalted and comfortable one; which will be an instance of his mercy and compassion, and be matter of joy unto them. Lift up your eyes, look around and see; Listen, you people that live in distant places. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. a. Isaiah 49 - The Messiah's Mission This chapter is full of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the words quoted could not possibly have their complete fulfillment in any other save in our Savior. And set up My standard for the peoples; Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name, In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me, Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; yet surely my just reward is with the LORD, It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of JacobI will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth, Thus says the LORDto Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You, That You may say to the prisoners, Go forth, For He who has mercy on them will lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide them, Sing, O heavens! 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. God says, "It's all right, but I still won't. To Him whom the nation abhors, Jer 1:5 ). Princes also shall worship, And they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. That God has a tender affection for his church and people, Isaiah 49:15; Isaiah 49:15. Isaiah 49:1-13 Bringing Light to The Gentiles. Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth 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 Psalms 90:12 ) ( Isaiah 55:12 ) 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 ) . Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. He will receive the worship and honor He deserves, because He is the chosen of the LORD. Beg your pardon, I jumped. a. Then you will know that I am the LORD, We may request cookies to be set on your device. Even when Jerusalem is in ruins, God's people envision the new day of restoration! Verse Isaiah 49:13. 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. As they rejected Him, as they despised Him, His coming to them was in vain. Will say again in your ears, We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. We are told that the word the goes forth out of his mouth is like a sharp, two-edged sword--Revelation. The Servant's weapon is the word of the Lord (49:2). are without the yod or the conjunction vau before the verb: and so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate. They began "Thus says the Lord", and they do not usually address a worldwide audience. Yet these words can be set prophetically in the mouth of the Messiah, because surely Jesus was tempted by the discouraging thought that all His work was in vain and for nothing. This is the third of our four lessons from Isaiah in our set of reflections on humanity's participation in God's new creation. This is the reason why Isaiah describes the advantages of this deliverance in such lofty terms, in order that believers, though they beheld nothing around them but death and ruin, might sustain their heart by the hope of a better condition. * [ 49:3 ] Israel : the servant is identified with the people of Israel as their ideal representative; however, vv. 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. of God is saying, "I'll fight with those that fight with you." He adds, "Thy walls shall be continually before me; thy ruined walls, though no pleasing spectacle, shall be in my thoughts of compassion." It is not Isaiah, because prophets never begin "Listen to me". d. Your sons shall make haste. b. ; 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). Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Isaiah 42:10-13). Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Isaiah concluded by calling on the whole created universe to rejoice because the Lord had comforted His people (cf. . Kings shall see and arise, 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). They shall bring your sons in their arms, For the LORD has comforted His people: It is simply assumed that the people the LORD has comforted will praise Him; here, the LORD calls for creation itself to add their voices in praise for all the Messiah has done. Isaiah 49 The Lord 's Servant. 10 They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. To raise up the tribes of Jacob, Notice it says eachmountain (or, as in the King James Version, all mountains). 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 Psalms 90:12 ) ( Isaiah 55:12 ) or by the heavens may be meant the angels in heaven, who, as they Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; yet surely my just reward is with the LORD: The translators of the New King James do not believe these words belong in the mouth of the Messiah, because they do not capitalize the pronoun my, as they would if they believed it spoke of the Messiah. Isaiah 13. To the Servant of rulers: 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. How can the LORD speak of the Messiah as Israel? 66:9-13). ii. W E Vine writes that Isaiah 49:9-13 "give one of the most glorious descriptions of the effects of Christ's Second Advent. His charge to us every day is to look at him and "see.". When the Servant completes His work of salvation, the whole creation, not just humankind, will experience liberation from the effects of the Fall (cf. All these gather together and come to you. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. As Jesus told Thomas in a post-resurrection appearance, look at My hands (John 20:27). Do Zions' friends favour her dust?Psalms 102:14. Let us therefore remember, that whenever the Lord promises anything, we ought to add thanksgiving, that we may more powerfully affect our hearts; and next, that we ought to raise our minds to the power of God, who exercises a wide and extensive dominion over all the creatures; for as soon as he lifts his hand, heaven and earth are moved. Nothing in all creation can withstand his power (2-3). And He said to me, The pictures of eating their own flesh and drinking their own blood draw on the horrors of siege conditions. For over one hundred years International Critical Commentaries have had a special place among works on the Bible. This is rejoicing over deliverance from sin, not just exile. Why are both Jesus and Satan referred to as the morning star? There is no situation of entanglement, nothing that you can possibly conceive, but this can be part of Gods way to make His mountain a way of deliverance. (Redpath). This promise of salvation (49:8-12) leads into a rapturous eruption of praise and joy: "Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! You shall surely clothe yourselves with them all as an ornament, Hebrew OT - Transliteration - Holy Name KJV Yeshaiyah / Isaiah 9. This is a great way to read Andrew's notes on a mobile device or computer. iii. If you do that, then the mountain between you and Gods land of blessing becomes the way into it. (Redpath). Then I said, I have labored in vain ( Isaiah 49:3-4 ), "For He came to His own, His own received Him not" ( John 1:11 ). 3 He said to me, "Israel, you are my servant; For your waste and desolate places, And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.. That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth. And the purpose is not to torment you, or because He hates you. You can also change some of your preferences. Because of the LORD who is faithful, i. And give You as a covenant to the people: Jesus, the Messiah, doesnt merely bring a covenant; He is a covenant to the people. We hanged our harps on the willows in the midst thereof. Isaiah 47:1-15 The Humiliation of Babylon . c. From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name: This was fulfilled in Luke 1:31, where the LORD, through the angel Gabriel, declared the name of Jesus before the conception in Marys womb. Then you will say in your heart, Commentary on 16 New Testament books, from Matthew to 2 Timothy. When we see the nail-scarred hands of Jesus, we see how He has inscribed us on the palms of His hands. 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. And My highways shall be elevated. It's also for those who have made themselves God and God's children's enemies. b. He hid me under the shadow of his hand. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. 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. God will now speak to them, not by his prophet, but by the Assyrian conqueror, who will do what they said Isaiah had done, i.e. Thus says the LORD: 2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. d. For He who has mercy on them will lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide them: In an immediate sense, this refers to Gods supply and sustaining of the exiles returning from Babylon to Judah, through the unseen hand of the Messiah. The servant stands disbelieving in the face of God's call, blinded by self-condemnation to God's purposes. He is protected by the Lord (49:2). 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. Your destroyers and those who laid you waste And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights. Clarke on They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet: These expressions therefore of the prophet are only general poetical images, taken from the manners of the country, to denote great respect and reverence: and such splendid poetical images, which frequently occur in the prophetical writings, were intended only as general amplifications of the subject, not as predictions to be understood and fulfilled precisely according to the letter., iii. Since I have lost my children and am desolate, 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. Formal, beautiful, memorable, remarkable speech. And your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders; you shall surely clothe yourselves with them all as an ornament, For your waste and desolate placeswill even now be too small for the inhabitants. Break forth into singing, O mountains - "Ye mountains, burst forth into song"] Three ancient MSS. Jesus spoke of spoiling Satan in Luke 11:21-22: When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. The reason for rejoicing is that the Lord comforts and has compassion (cf. b. "He (Yahweh) said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor'.". The best commentaries on Isaiah ranked by scholars and reviewers: (1) Oswalt, John N. in NICOT, (2) Webb, Barry G. in BST, (3) Motyer, J. Alec .