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Creating
a Redeemed People
INTRODUCTION
Isaiah was a prophet who lived over one hundred years before the exile of Judah, but who wrote about the coming exile that would start with the capture and destruction of Jerusalem. Our previous lesson focused on the covenant that God made with David, to give to him a perpetual dynasty and a son that would sit on the throne throughout eternity. But over the years all was not well in the life of the tribes nor in David’s tribe of Judah. Today’s lesson looks at Isaiah’s examination of the Judah of his day which he described in the most unflattering terms. We quote: “
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have
nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The
ox knoweth its owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not
know, my people doth not consider. Ah
sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children
that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the
Holy One of Israel until anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken anymore? Ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bounded all, neither mollified with ointment.” Isaiah could foresee Israel’s or Judah's exile in Babylon, and thus examined the dispute between the Lord and his people. The focus in this section of Isaiah therefore is on this most important matter of spiritual reformation. He tells us about the attitude of God towards his people when they err grievously and as a result are sent into exile. The
Book of Isaiah is one of the most important books of the Old Testament. It
is a collection of oracles, prophecies, and reports; but the common theme
is the message of salvation. Not surprising then, the Messiah is very
prominent, particularly with regard to His Person, ministry and millennial
reign, for this person is the one that must ultimately bring salvation to
the people of God.
Isaiah’s
name means: “The Salvation of Jehovah,” or “Jehovah Saves,”
and fittingly that was his central message to the people of Judah. He was
the son of Amoz and prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz,
and Hezekiah, and may also have lived past Hezekiah into the reign of
Manasseh. Isaiah
was a contemporary with Amos, Hosea and Micah for at least part of his
ministry. He lived in Jerusalem, in Judah, the Southern Kingdom and his
ministry extended for at least forty years; even though he was informed at
the very outset that his mission would be fruitless.
Under the major theme of
‘God Alone Saves’, there are a number of secondary themes throughout
the book:
-God Himself will rule Israel and the entire Earth one day. -God is sovereign and all rulers, governments and events are subjected to Him. -God always
preserves a few of His chosen people. There is always a remnant; God
always has a few that “haven’t bent the knee to Baal.” -God is
always disgusted with hypocritical religion. Like
much of Scripture, the book has its critics. Some dispute the exact nature
of some of the prophecies, claiming they had to have been written in
hindsight by someone other than the prophet himself.
Jesus Himself did not seem to have had any problems with it’s
authenticity, quoting both early (chapter 6:10) and late sections
(chapter 53:1) in His last public discourse (John 12:37-41). For most
Christians, Jesus’ acceptance is proof enough of the book’s
legitimacy. In
Isaiah’s day, the northern kingdom of Israel was already in captivity (722 B.C.), and Judah the southern kingdom was in
the throes of idolatry and evil. Assyria was the dominant regional power
soon to be replaced by Babylon and both posed a serious threat to Judah.
In view of a fast-changing international scene and shifting alliances, the
people of Judah were concerned about their very future; one writer
comments: What
would become of the promises of God? How could the chosen people survive,
let alone be a theocracy again? And must the remnant of the righteous also
suffer with the nation that for all purposes had become pagan? To
these and many other questions the book addresses itself. The
setting of the first half of the book is Judah in the days of the
Assyrians, and the setting of the second half of the book is Babylon, then
Jerusalem again, and then beyond to the age to come. As is so typical of
biblical prophecy, in both parts the oracles have their main meaning and
application in the distant future, though this did not diminish the
relevance to those who actually heard the prophet speak. The
first thirty- nine chapters deal with judgment upon the nations for their
indifference to God and His Word. This included both the northern kingdom
of Israel and southern kingdom of Judah. The Northern kingdom of Israel
had already been taken into captivity by the Assyrians when the Prophet
wrote the book of Isaiah. In another ninety years, the southern kingdom of
Judah would go into the Babylonian captivity. There, Judah would be
disciplined by the Lord for her disobedience and rebellion for seventy
years. In
view of the nations’ present troubles and the coming invasion and
captivity by the Babylonians, in chapters 40-66 Isaiah proclaims comfort
to the people of God. Writing prophetically, the Prophet views Judah as on
the eve of her restoration at the close of the seventy years. Ultimately,
he depicts Israel’s (the two kingdoms united) final restoration
following the tribulation or the blessings of the millennium with the
coming of the Lord as her ultimate hope and comfort. The climax of this
restoration is a glorious vision of the new heavens and the new earth in
the age to come. The
prophet list a litany, a literal rap sheet of the sins of the nation and
God’s intended judgments in the first section of the book but also,
interspersed throughout this sordid account are some of the most explicit
messianic references in the Old Testament and many relate to the final
restoration of Israel. It
is important to bear in mind that the restoration of Israel is also a time
of blessings for the Gentiles (Rom. 11); for the Abrahamic Covenant speaks
of blessings for all nations. First,
in chapter forty the prophet discussed the power, wisdom, and sovereignty
of God, and the giving of this power to those who wait for the Lord their
God, who actively yearned and hoped in the promised deliverance.
He
declared that the nations and rulers who will seem to hold Judah in
captivity are really nothing, that God is incomparable.
He has decreed great promises to Israel, and they will come to
fulfillment in his time. In
captivity they will find supernatural strength to endure and flourish, and
he will change them when they are in exile, for the purpose of the exile
is to discipline them and make them learn to turn to the Lord, and be
reformed spiritually. In
chapter fortytwo immediately preceding our text, we are introduced to one
who is to do a great work for the Lord on behalf of Israel, and on behalf
of the entire world. This is the ‘Servant of Jehovah’ and he is said
to be a ‘covenant of the people and a light to
the Gentiles’. The
Servant’s mission as outlined here and in other texts in Isaiah, is the
means through which God will ensure the survival of a righteous
‘remnant’ and the ultimate redemption of all those who are His’,
according to His covenant with Abraham and David. This is a specific task.
He has been chosen to be a blessing. By
embodying the Lord’s covenant and light, He will bring justice to the
nations, establish this over the entire earth, open the eyes of the blind,
bring out prisoners and will “ embrace bruised reeds and dimly
burning wicks- the oppressed and the weak, the damaged and the
discarded.” And
in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an
ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be
glorious, (Isa.
11:10). One
writer notes: The
comfort of the chapters which follow Isaiah 40 is nothing less than the
good news of the incomparable majesty of God, and the good news of Messiah
in both His sufferings as the Lamb of God and His reign as the Lion of
Judah. The
redemption, cleansing and purification would ultimately be the work of the
Servant of the LORD, the promised Messiah. This
final redemption has been the hope of all God’s people from as far back
as Abraham and the Patriarchs. They saw themselves as sojourners and
pilgrims and looked for a city whose builder and maker was God (Heb.
11:10). God
always preserves a remnant, and as Isaiah prophesied on the eve of
Judah’s Babylonian captivity, the very survival of the nation must have
seemed tenuous at best. Surely the prophet’s words of God’s assurances
of restoration to the land joined a long line of miraculous preservations
(see Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Israel etc.) and must have provided
some comfort; but to the faithful, their ultimate hope and desire was for
God to remove the iniquity from Jacob. One
can hardly fail to notice the recurring use of the pronoun ‘I’ in
our text by God, in relation to some action He has taken, is doing
or intends to take in relation to His people nor the emphatic tone of the
pronouncements. If we keep in mind that this is against a backdrop of
reckless disobedience on the part of His people and their imminent capture
and exile by God, then it is God’s grace and His initiative alone that
will effect their redemption. This is the pattern of God’s redemptive
action toward sinners, it is all by His grace! As
we come to this final section of the book containing our study, the
prophet’s words to Judah provided some comfort and hope to the people.
Their hope would be rooted in the omnipotent power, sovereignty and
faithfulness of the covenant keeping God Yahweh as reiterated by the
Prophet. God
declared that he intended to do a brand new thing that had never been seen
before. He
called on the people to sing a new song unto the Lord, to give glory
unto the Lord and to declare his praise. (42:9-12) The
Lord declared that he was furious, stirred up to jealousy like a man of
war, and he would roar, and prevail against his enemies. He
had kept his peace and restrained himself for a long time, but now would
destroy and devour at once. In
his anger and fury, He had disciplined and destroyed the idolatrous and
those that despised correction, but He would lead those that belonged to
him, make darkness light before them, and make the crooked things
straight. The
physical restoration of the nation will be a type of the spiritual
redemption that God will accomplish through the work of the promised
Messiah. His work will finally defeat sin, as his blood will be shed as a
ransom to create a redeemed people of both Jews and Gentiles. Isaiah
laid down the strength of God, and the provision for strength for His
people who turn to him and who wait on him.
Now he tells how God loves His people, and provides a new way for
them. THE
TEXT Verse
1. The
first word of the chapter ‘but’ links what follows with what
was just said in chapter 42. There (verses 18-25) the rejection and
ruin of the people for their unbelief and stubborn rebellion was
pronounced but here the whole tenor of the prophet’s message changed
from reproach to consolation. Though
many among them were wilful and incorrigible, yet God would continue his
love and care for his people, and the body of that nation should still be
reserved for mercy Note
that the words pronouncing the judgment of the Lord were not his last
words to His people. This is
the beauty of the Lord. The people were facing exile under God’s displeasure but their redemption and restoration was assured, on account of the unbreakable bonds God had with them, which are emphatically stated in this verse. The change in God's tone from reproach to consolation without Israel doing anything that merited this change is quite startling. This is a great example of the grace of God. God’s wrath had taken the dominant position before this. The gross sins of the people had deserved this response. But now God’s love had come in front of his wrath, and the people would now live-in peace, since the punishment and lasted long enough. God is said to have 'created' them, meaning that as his special people, they owed their origin to him, as the universe owed its origin to his creative power. The unique structure of their society was His doing, their institutions, laws, customs, and privileges, and whatever they had that was valuable, were all to be traced to him. Indeed, God’s language made it clear that he had formed Israel as a people in the same way as He formed the first man. God had called Israel prior to their misbehaviour, chosen them, and established them as his people. It is on account of this fact therefore, that he could tell Israel :Do not fear”.
Fear not…Their suffering and long captivity in Babylon would not mean assimilation and the end of the nation, as some might have feared. The point was; they were the chosen people of God, they had been loved, formed, organized, provided for, and constituted for the loving and gracious purposes of God, and those purposes could not be frustrated. Consequently, they would survive captivity, and be restored again to the land. I have redeemed thee…"to redeem," means to ransom by means of a price, or a valuable consideration, as of captives taken in war; or to redeem a farm that was sold, by paying back the price. It is sometimes used, however, to denote deliverance from danger or bondage without specifying any price that was paid as a ransom. Thus the deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian bondage is sometimes spoken of as a redemption (Ex 6:6; 15:13). The Lord is Israel's redeemer, who acted in Egypt to save her and to bring her into covenant relationship with Him. Note that in a general sense, all redemption recorded in Scripture in some way speaks to the work of the Great Redeemer Christ, who was put to death, in order that his chosen people might be saved. I have called thee…shows the intimacy of the relationship and that God had particularly designated them to be his people. Theirs’ was not a general call, addressed to the nations at large, but had been addressed to them in particular. God had an indisputable claim on the nation. Verse 2. Fire and water are often used in Scripture as metaphors for catastrophe, the latter because it overwhelms; the former because it consumes; Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place, Psalm 66:12. The miraculous crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites at the time of the Exodus and the Hebrew boys in Babylon are two examples of the preserving presence of God among his people. The use of fire and water to describe what Israel would pass through, indicates the severity and completeness of the judgment that they would experience. Their unbelief would have serious repercussions. They would go through a journey away from home that involved judgment, passing through the rivers, and passing through the fire. Note that these are fearsome things to walk through. But though Israel will be judged they will be protected. There will be a limit to the judgment. They belonged to God, and therefore there will be no need to fear. Verses
3-9. The term “The Holy One of Israel” expresses the idea that God is both ‘Holy” and that he is so in relation to Israel. The linking of both concepts show that God expects that everyone will realize that his holiness is directly connected to his relationship to Israel. Israel is so loved that he will give other people who are under the judgment of God in exchange for Israel. Israel is redeemed because she is precious in his sight, and he loves her. There is much comfort and assurance in this strong statement from the Sovereign Lord to the certainty of Israel’s re-gathering. Who can vie with the omnipotent God of Israel? The Lord would be with them when they are coming out of judgment. He would gather the descendants of the people from every direction and bring them home to Jerusalem. Everyone would see that Yahweh was still with Israel, for he would completely restore them, bringing them from every quarter and direction. All the nations would see this. These nations had no right to hold the sons and daughters of God, and they would recognize this and help the people to leave and go back to their own land. Nothing would so show the might, the mercy, the riches of God's grace, and what one writer calls ‘the freeness of God’. For God had produced and shaped his people, and made them perfect, complete, and restored. These sons and daughters which God is now dealing with, are described as persons who are called by the name of the Lord. Note that the redeemed are ‘persons’, and individuals. Clearly redemption of Israel and the people of Israel is not only a national matter but is also an individual matter. Here
is another very definite prophecy; this regarding the annexation of parts
of Egypt and Ethiopia by the Persians, spoken by Isaiah but which did not
happen until a good time after his death. This has proved a little too
exact for the liking of some critics. It means that God beforehand granted
the Persians the country of Egypt, and a portion of Ethiopia as additions
to their empire, as a reward for their release of the captive Israelites. The blind people…these are the rebellious Jews who had mixed themselves with the heathen,
learned their ways, and had rejected the Word of God. They are called
willingly or not to witness to God’s unchallenged power and control over
the affairs of men. The greatest possible triumph over false gods was
demonstrated in the delivery of Israel from Egypt; and in the conquest of
Canaan under Joshua, the same sensational triumph was again demonstrated. Idol
worshippers and their gods are challenged to show proofs of the divinity
of their false gods, by witnessing to occasions or events where they
predicted the future. Here in this very instance, the redemption of the
Jews out of Babylon was proof for the people of Israel that their God is
the true and living God, and He only. Verse 10-11. The gods of the nations could not meet the challenge of foretelling the future or accomplishing anything super-natural on behalf of their followers. On the other hand, the Jews who are not blind and who are capable of seeing and hearing, could testify to God’s credentials as the true and living God. They had received the predictions of future events that had been literally fulfilled. Their experiences were so many that they could testify to the many acts of God on their behalf. Secondly, His display of power in delivering them on so many occasions, showed Him as a God able to save and so his people should have confidence in Him. Jehovah stands therefore as God forever, and the only God. God had a purpose in calling them to himself. His purpose in calling them, is that they understand him, and believe him. God wants them to know that he is absolutely unique. His power cannot be compared with that of others. They should consider the great difference between what they had in Him, compared to what the heathen had in their idols. He is the only true and eternal God. God exclusively, and God forever. There is no sense of succession with Him, He was the first being and thus owes his existence to Himself only. One writer notes: His dominion was original, underived, and independent. I am He…is similar to 'I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last' (Rev 1:11). Note that this expression speaks of God’s eternality and is used of Jesus in Revelation also. His being had no beginning and no end, and therefore all the other pagan deities are artificial, and the very thought of them is a contradiction. I even I…is for emphasis, the idea being that there was no other being to whom the name Lord (Yahweh=the Self-existent covenant-keeping God) could be applied. There was no one that could deliver them from oppression, captivity and exile, such as they faced and would experience in Babylon. He proved His existence by His acts, and indeed by His saving acts. Verse 12. God makes the case to be the object of their faith and confidence- I have declared….have announced or predicted future events, showing an infinite and infallible knowledge; counselled, warned and laid out the path of prosperity, as the true God. Since he is the only true God, he can and has proclaimed and brought salvation. His word brings certainty. No one can change his declaration. And have saved…have on many occasions delivered the nation in times of danger, demonstrating the ability to protect, an irresistible power. He has proved who He is and pledged the coming redemption. And have showed ….caused you to understand that I am God. All this was done when there were no idols in the nation, therefore God’s actions could in no way be credited to any foreign gods. He and he alone shows divine nature and divine life. They had seen His great works and were the beneficiaries on all fronts at His hand. Consequently they were His witnesses. Note, all God’s people are the recipients of His grace and can and should testify that He is the true God, through their personal experiences of being saved and the presence of indwelling His Holy Spirit in their lives. Verse 13. Before the first day, before there was light, before creation, from everlasting He is God; He is the ever living, self existent One. I am he… I am the same. I will work…his purposes cannot be thwarted, his designs will be accomplished….. he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; (Rev. 3:7). …and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? (Dan. 4:35). ….who shall let it means who can hinder it? One
writer comments on this verse in part:
The meaning is, ' And the doctrine taught here is: 1.
That God is from everlasting, for if he was before time, he must have been
eternal. 2.
That he is unchangeably the same-a doctrine which is, as it is here
designed to be used, the only sure foundation for the security of his
people-for who can trust a being who is fickle, changing, vacillating? 3.
That he can deliver his people always, no matter what are their
circumstances. 4.
That he will accomplish all his plans; no matter whether to save his
people, or to destroy his foes. 5.
That no one-man or devil-can hinder him. How can the feeble arm of a
creature resist God? 6.
That opposition to him is as fruitless as it is wicked. If people wish for
happiness, they must fall in with his plans, and aid in the furtherance of
his designs. Verse
14-17. Captivity
and exile would so sap their faith and hope that they needed a lot of
assurance and encouragement. Thus these verses are particularly
encouraging. Your redeemer, your king, your Holy One;
all speak to the personal and intimate nature of His relationship to the
nation and mentioned in such roles as to guarantee, that He must act to
restore them to their land. He is their God and will be all to them that
they need, and so captivity was not their end. Secondly,
God is portrayed as the omnipotent, all conquering warrior, adding the
then known powers to his long list of victories on their behalf. A
beautiful picture of redemption is given here for the Lord declared that
for their sakes, He will make a way through the sea, and through the
waters. This represents the
mighty forces of destruction, but his people are to look forward, to the
new thing that God would do. He had done great things in the past but this new redemption
would open up new wonders and riches for them. He
would transform the desert which was dry and infertile, so that the people
of God would go through safely. The people of God would suffer no longer. Verse
18. Remember
not….comparatively
speaking since the old things are occasionally recalled, but better things
are promised, so much so as to surpass in some way, God’s great acts of
the past. There should be no wistful longing and looking back to His past
mercies, such as the deliverance from Egypt and God’s triumph over
the gods of that land, in light of the great mercies that were
forth coming. Because of the LORD's great
love we are not consumed, Verse
19. God
will show new mercies that will come as a sort of surprise on them and
they will acknowledge God’s providential hand in their blessing. I
will even make…it
seems, the way from Babylon to Canaan, as that
from Egypt, lay through a desert and the promise is that God would
make a way in that pathless wasteland for the returning captives. They
would be nourished and fed on their trek and the mention of rivers instead
of just water, suggests the liberality with which God would deal with
them. The
prospect of such a journey was daunting and having done it under duress on
their way to Babylon, the memories could not have been pleasant. So even
for the sake of freedom some might have shrunken back from such a journey.
Thus they are assured of God’s providential care through the desert
after being reminded of His ability to deliver as their omnipotent,
ever-living and covenant-keeping God. One
writer notes: This
looks back to what God did for Israel when he led them through the
wilderness from Egypt to Canaan, and fetched water out of a rock to follow
them; what God did for them formerly he would do again, for he is still
the same. And, though we do not find that the miracle was repeated in
their return out of Babylon, yet the mercy was, in the common course of
Providence, for which it became them to be no less thankful to God. CONCLUSION God
offers comfort and encouragement to those he has redeemed.
His mercies to Israel and the testimony to His person that were
noted in our study is part of His record that we keep. Thus Christians can
be assured and comforted in the God they worship and of his care and
concern for them. This
comfort is offered to those called “my people.” This refers to
God’s covenant people who were related to the Lord through the promises
of the Old Testament, and who were also the recipients of God’s promises
concerning the coming Messiah/Saviour. By
application for us today, this means that only those who are rightly
related to God through faith in the New Covenant accomplished through the
person and work of Christ, the Redeemer, can know and experience the
comfort God offers. This means there is no hope for anyone that do not
know Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour by having trusted in Him God
called a people and designated them His and He is still calling people and
all are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. The
same God Who condemns and judges also provides a remedy for our condition:
His own blood shed on our behalf. Through Isaiah, the Lord tells His
people to be “washed clean” (1:16). If you know Jesus Christ as your
Savior, you are clean! You need not fear these judgments
unless, like the ancient Israelites, you try to cover up sin in your life.
If you’ll confess it, Jesus is faithful to forgive (1
John 1:9). The Jews refused to do that. God’s discipline resulted. Note
that God’s mercies do not come because of the merits of their own works.
God did not demand any great work from them, and had not burdened them. The
sustaining power of God’s divine love is very great. It will overcome his divine wrath. Remember
that Israel’s history is one of continuous sinning. They very often were
unfaithful to God. Their history did not shine, but the grace of God shone
brightly. Let
us learn the lesson and walk as those who have been redeemed.
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