Isaiah 51
OGCEXAMINATION Chapter S FORTY-NINE THROUGH FIFTY-THREE
DEFINITION
(Define the following words or phrases as they were discussed in the comments.)
Israel
cup of staggering
acceptable time
sprinkle man nations
Sinim
griefs and sorrows
graven on palms
wounded
face like flint
pleased, pleasure
monster
bruised
MEMORIZATION
Surely he hath _____ our griefs, and carried our _____; yet we did esteem him _____, smitten of God, an _____ But he was _____ for our transgressions, he was _____ for our iniquities; the chastisement of our _____ was upon him; and with his stripes we are _____. All we like sheep have gone _____; we have turned every one to his own _____; and Jehovah hath laid on him the _____ of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)
EXPLANATION
Explain the prediction that the Messiah would experience frustration.
Explain how the Messiah was to become a covenant.
Explain why the Servant (Messiah) was to be as one who was taught.
Explain how O.T. people could have God’s law on their heart.
Explain how the cup of staggering was taken out of Jerusalem’s hand.
Explain how Christ bore our griefs and sorrows in His death.
Explain why Isaiah 53 does not teach divine healing for today.
Explain why the Messiah would be satisfied with the travail of His soul.
Explain why the majority of the Jews did not accept Jesus as the Servant.
APPLICATION
(In its context every scripture has one meaningthe author’s intended meaning. How may the following be applied in the believer’s life?)
Is there an application for overcoming frustration in our own human experience from the Messiah’s overcoming?
How may we apply the proofs we have that God bared His holy arm in Jesus Christ?
Does the humiliating entrance and exit of the Messiah in history apply to modern man’s relation to God?
Does the personal refusal of Christ to defend Himself at His illegal trial and death mean Christians must never defend themselves? Why?
How can modern men accept and apply the death of a Jewish man (Jesus) nearly 2000 years ago for the atonement of their personal sins?
Are there any definitive manifestations of God’s love in this section that may contradict the allegation that the God of the O.T. is only a God of wrath?
Are there any teachings in this section which may be applied to the idea that there is salvation for the world only in Jesus Christ?
SPECIAL STUDY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD AS MANIFESTED BY THE PROPHETS
by John Butterman INTRODUCTION
I.
God is Righteous in Judging His People
God is the judge over all the earth
a.
From the beginning in the Hebrew community the judges were acting on behalf of God (Deuteronomy 1:17)
b.
It was unthinkable that he would act unfairly (Genesis 18:25)
God is the fountain of justice
a.
Everything he does may be relied upon as just (Deuteronomy 32:4; Zephaniah 3:5)
b.
God’s equity as judge will be seen most clearly in the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God (Romans 2:5)
c.
Man’s righteousness is defined in terms of God’s judgment
God is impartial in his dealings
a.
The prophet Amos called for a similar righteousness in men (Amos 5:15; Amos 5:24)
b.
Inflicting retribution is an element of the righteousness of God (Isaiah 61:2)
c.
If in a world of unrighteousness, righteousness is to be established, God himself must become the indicator and protector of the oppressed.
d.
God’s righteousness is manifested in his defense of those who have no helper (Psalms 10:14; Psalms 72:12)
II.
God is Righteous in Protecting His People
In his rescue of them from Egypt
a.
The victories which accomplished this are described as the righteous acts of God (Judges 5:11; 1 Samuel 12:7)
b.
The pharaoh himself acknowledged that the ten plagues were evidence of God’s righteousness (Exodus 9:27)
In his redemption of his people from exile
a.
God showed his righteousness by this deliverance
b.
This righteousness is closely associated with salvation (Isaiah 45:8; Isaiah 46:13; Isaiah 51:5-6)
In his redemption of his people from sin
a.
The messianic king is just and having salvation (Zechariah 9:9)
b.
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes; in it is revealed the righteousness of God
MAIN THOUGHTS
I.
The Prophets Revealed the Righteousness of God
Man has no righteousness of his own
a.
It hurts to be told that man’s righteousness is but a filthy rag in God’s sight
b.
How futile to try to establish our own righteousness by our own works (Isaiah 64:4)
c.
The human heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9) and therefore cannot produce righteousness acceptable to God
d.
The garment of our own self-righteousness is our pride (Isaiah 64:9)
e.
Man must turn from his own self-righteousness to Christ who was made unto us righteousness (Isaiah 45:8; Isaiah 45:24; Isaiah 46:12-13; Isaiah 54:17)
God provided for man what he could not do for himself
a.
A way to return to Zion
(1)
He will come and save you (Isaiah 35:4)
(2)
There shall be streams in the desert (Isaiah 35:6)
(3)
The highway shall be called the Holy Way (Isaiah 35:8)
(4)
The ransomed of the Lord shall return (Isaiah 35:10)
b.
A river shall flow from the sanctuary
(1)
Everything will live where the river goes (Ezekiel 47:9)
(2)
This river will enable trees to grow with fruit for food and leaves for healing (Ezekiel 47:12)
c.
A fountain shall be opened
(1)
To cleanse the inhabitants from sin (Ezekiel 13:1)
(2)
To cleanse them from all uncleanness
d.
A well of salvation will be opened
(1)
To draw the water of life from
(2)
To proclaim that his name is exalted
The prophets revealed the righteous One
a.
His revealed birth
(1)
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)
(2)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given (Isaiah 9:6)
b.
His revealed ministry
(1)
Beyond Jordan, in Galilee. the light shined (Isaiah 9:1-2)
(2)
The Lord shall suddenly come to his temple (Malachi 3:1)
(3)
Sent to the lost sheep of Israel (Ezekiel 37:11; Jeremiah 50:6)
(4)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (Isaiah 61:1)
(5)
The eyes of the blind shall be opened (Isaiah 42:7)
c.
His revealed death
(1)
They weighed my price thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12)
(2)
He opened not his mouth (Isaiah 53:7)
(3)
They shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod (Micah 5:1)
(4)
He was wounded for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5)
(5)
He was numbered with the transgressors (Isaiah 53:9)
(6)
He made intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12)
(7)
They shall look upon me whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10)
(8)
It shall come to pass on that day, that I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth on a clear day (Amos 8:9)
(9)
He would make his grave with the rich (Isaiah 53:9)
(10)
He gave his back to smiters (Isaiah 50:6)
(11)
He poured out his soul unto death (Isaiah 53:12)
d.
His revealed resurrection
(1)
Thy dead men shall live together. they shall arise (Ezekiel 37:7-10)
(2)
Those that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake (Daniel 12:2)
(3)
In the third day he shall raise us up, and we shall live in his sight (Hosea 6:2)
(4)
I will ransom them from the power of the grave (Hosea 13:14)
II.
The Christ Brought the Righteousness of God
Unrighteous man is totally incapable of making himself righteous enough to be accepted by God
Jesus brought righteousness to man
a.
By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many (Isaiah 53:11)
b.
The righteousness is of me, saith the Lord (Isaiah 54:17)
c.
Unto the Son, God said. a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom (Hebrews 1:8)
d.
To declare his righteousness. that he might be just (right) and the justifier (the one who puts right) of him which believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26)
e.
He (Jesus) is righteous (1 John 2:29)
Jesus was qualified to become our righteousness
a.
Because he was just and right in all his ways and witness, ever obedient to his righteous Father
b.
Because he was never crooked in his dealings with others
c.
Because his life was never out of the least fraction from the plumbline of truth and morality
Jesus brought the justice of God
a.
Of the increase of his government and peace. upon the throne of David. to establish it. with justice (Isaiah 9:7)
b.
Behold thy king comes. he is just (Zechariah 9:9)
c.
I judge and my judgment is just (John 5:30)
d.
Peter claims him to be just:
(1)
You denied the Holy One and the Just (Acts 3:14)
(2)
Christ. the just for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18)
III.
The Believers are Constituted the Righteousness of God
The sinner through believing is constituted the righteousness of God
a.
The devil cannot call in question the fact that God is just and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus (Zechariah 3:2)
b.
So we can rest secure and serene in the confidence that
(1)
Christ is our peacewho can disturb it?
(2)
Christ is our hopewho can destroy it?
(3)
Christ is our righteousnesswho can tarnish it?
Man’s righteousness came by someone not something
a.
Even him who possessed Lordship (Mark 12:36-37)
b.
Righteousness is not earned, it is imputed to man
c.
Daniel speaks of the wise turning many to righteousness (Daniel 12:3), which means they are brought to God who alone can justify them
d.
Such righteousness is said to be reckoned or imputed, and put to the account of a guilty sinner accepting God’s terms of salvation, Isaiah 55:1 ff.
e.
It is reckoned unto man on the ground of Christ’s finished work
Divine righteousness can only become ours by faith in Christ
a.
By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11)
b.
In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The Lord is our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:7)
c.
The righteousness of God by faith (Romans 3:26; Romans 4:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
CONCLUSION
I.
God’s Righteousness is Shown in His Saving of His People
The prophets revealed it
In Christ he is now doing it
His people are no longer a restricted race but include all who believe (Romans 2:28-29)
As many as call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Joe 2:32; Acts 2:38-39)
II.
God’s Righteousness Declares Righteous Those Who Believe in Jesus
God justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:22)
It is the righteousness of God that is imparted to man, not man’s own self-righteousness that he is to seek after (Philippians 3:9)
III.
God’s Righteousness of His People is Based on Redemption Brought by Christ
Men are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption (Romans 3:24)
It is a righteousness through forgiveness, based on the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7; 1 John 1:9)
God put Christ forward as an expiation by his blood to be received by faith (Romans 3:25)
This was to show God’s passing over sins aforetime (Romans 3:24)
It was to prove in the present time that He himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26)
IV.
God’s Righteousness Provides Manifold Blessings
The righteous are blessed with prosperity: Say you to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doing (Isaiah 3:10)
The righteous are surrounded by divine favor: For thou, Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor will thou compass him as with a shield (Psalms 5:12)
The righteous experience deliverance from affliction: Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all (Psalms 34:19)
The righteous enjoy peace, quietness, and assurance: And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever (Isaiah 32:17)
V.
God’s Righteousness Provides Hope in His Glory.
The time is coming when the heavens will delcare his righteousness.
When the Sun of Righteousness appears with healing in his wings (Malachi 4:2) accompanied by all the heavenly saints, what a glorious consummation that will be of his work on our behalf.
The ultimate blessing of righteousness by faith is eternity with Him who is our righteousness. This is the glad hope of the righteous (Malachi 3:17-18).
Hope of righteousness is the sight of the righteous One himself, who promised to return for his own (John 14:3).
**SPECIAL STUDY
PEOPLE OF THE PROPHETIC PROMISES**
by Fred Long
I.
Pre-Assyrian Prophets
A.
Obadiah 1.
Obadiah 1:15-21 The Kingdom shall be Jehovah’S
a.
Who: House of Jacob means God’s covenant people (Acts 15:13-18; Acts 13:29-37).
b.
When: Christian age, when Gentiles were added to kingdom (Acts 15:13-18).
c.
Where: Mt. Zion is the Church (Hebrews 12:18-29).
B.
Joel 1.
Joe 2:28-32 Promise of Holy Spirit
a.
Who: Twelve Apostles (Acts 2:14-21)
b.
When: Day of PentecostChristian age (Luke 1:68-75)
c.
Where: In Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22)
Joe 2:30 to Joe 3:3 Great and Terrible Day of the Lord
a.
Who: Children of promise (Romans 9:6)
b.
When: Second coming of Christ (Matthew 24:29)
c.
Where: Valley of Jehoshaphatsymbolic of Last Judgment
Joe 3:17-21 Jerusalem shall be holy
a.
Who: Jerusalemsymbol of Church, Christians
b.
When: Messianic age (Hebrews 6:17-20)
c.
Where: Zion, Jerusalem is the Church (covenant people)
C.
Jonah 1.
Jonah 1:17 Jonahsymbol of Christ’s death (Luke 11:30)
a.
Who: Christ (Matthew 12:40-41, Matthew 16:4)
b.
When: Messianic age
c.
Where: Jerusalem (literal), Nineveh is type of Gentiles
D.
Amos 1.
Amos 9:11-15 Raise up the Booth of David
a.
Who: Gentiles (Acts 15:14-18)
b.
When: Messianic age
c.
Where: Church
E.
Hosea 1.
Hosea 1:10-11 Great shall be Day of Jezreel
a.
Who: Gentiles (Romans 9:24-26; 1 Peter 2:9-10)
b.
When: Messianic age (John 10)
Hosea 2:21-23 Pity on Not Pitied
a.
Who: Gentiles (Romans 9:25-26)
b.
When: Messianic age
Hosea 3:4-5 Israel shall return and seek Lord
a.
Who: IsraelChurch (Hebrews 12:22)
b.
When: In latter days (Messianic)
II.
Assyrian Prophets
A.
Isaiah 1.
Isaiah 2:1-4 Mt. of the house of the Lord established as highest
a.
Who: Covenant people (Luke 24:47)
b.
When: Messianic age (Hebrews 12:22-23; Colossians 1:23)
c.
Where: Jerusalem (Church) (Romans 10:18)
Isaiah 6:9-10 Jews reject the Gospel
a.
Who: Jews (Matthew 13:14-15; Mark 4:12)
b.
When: Jesus-’ ministry (parables) (Luke 8:10; John 12:40) (Romans 11:8)
Isaiah 9:1-2 Gentiles of Zebulun and Naphtali see Great Light
a.
Who: Gentiles (Matthew 4:13-17)
b.
When: Jesus traveled to Zebulun and Naphtali (Luke 1:32)
Isaiah 10:21-23 Only remnant of Jacob will return
a.
Who: Gentiles (Romans 9:27-28)
b.
When: Christian age
c.
Where: Church
Isaiah 11:1-6 Shoot from the Stump of Jesse
a.
Who: Christ (Acts 13:23)
b.
When: Messianic age (Romans 15:12; Romans 12:12)
Isaiah 29:13; Isaiah 29:18-19 Deaf shall hear, Blind shall see
a.
Who: Hypocrisy of Jews (Matthew 11:5; Matthew 15:8-9)
b.
When: Jesus-’ ministry (Mark 7:22)
Isaiah 35:8-10 Highway called the Holy Way
a.
Who: Covenant people (Matthew 13:14)
b.
When: Christian age
c.
Where: Zionsymbol of Church
Isaiah 42:1-4 My Servant Brings Justice to the Nations
a.
Who: Gentiles (Matthew 11:4-5; Matthew 12:18-20; Matthew 3:16-17)
b.
When: Jesus-’ ministry (Matthew 17:5)
49:6 Light to the Nations
a.
Who: Gentiles (Luke 2:32)
b.
When: Christian age (Acts 13:47; Acts 26:23)
c.
Where: Ends of the earth
Isaiah 54:1; Isaiah 54:13 Children of the desolate
a.
Who: Gentiles (Galatians 4:27)
b.
When: Christian age (John 6:45)
Isaiah 55:3 Everlasting Covenant
a.
Who: Covenant People (Christians) (Romans 10:5; Acts 13:34)
b.
When: Christian age (Luke 22:37)
Isaiah 56:8 I will gather others
a.
Who: Gentiles (John 10:16)
b.
When: Jesus-’ ministry
Isaiah 61:1-2 Day of Vengeance
a.
Who: Jesus (Luke 4:18; Matthew 5:4)
b.
When: Jesus-’ ministry (read in synagogue) (Mark 4:17-21; Luke 21:21-28)
c.
Where: Nazareth
Isaiah 65:1-2 Jews rebellious
a.
Who: Jews (Romans 10:20-21)
b.
When: Messianic age
B.
Micah 1. Isaiah 4:1-6 Mountain of the House of the Lord (Isaiah 2:2-4)
a.
Who: Covenant people (Luke 24:47)
b.
When: Messianic age (Hebrews 12:22; Colossians 1:23)
c.
Where: Jerusalem (Church) (Romans 10:18; Luke 1:33; Revelation 11:15)
C.
Nahum
III.
Chaldean Prophets
A.
Zephaniah 1.
Zephaniah 2:7 Seacoast shall become possession of remnant of the house of Judah (Luke 1:68)
a.
Who: Covenant people (remnant of Judah)
b.
When: Birth of Christ
c.
Where: Bethlehem
B.
Habakkuk 1.
Habakkuk 1:5 Unbelief of Jews
a.
Who: Jews (Acts 13:41)
b.
When: Christian Age
Habakkuk 2:4 Righteous shall live by Faith
a.
Who: Gentiles (Hebrews 10:38-39)
b.
When: Christian age (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11)
C.
Jeremiah (and Lamentations)
Jeremiah 3:14-18 Jerusalem called Throne of the Lord
a.
Who: All nations
b.
When: Christian age (Acts 20:28)
c.
Where: Jerusalem and Zionsymbol of Church
Jeremiah 6:10 Jews reject the Gospel
a.
Who: Jews (Acts 7:51)
b.
When: Christian age
c.
Where: Jerusalem
Jeremiah 9:25 Punishment of uncircumcised in heart
a.
Who: Jews (outwardly) (Romans 2:8-9; Romans 2:28)
b.
When: Christian age
Jeremiah 17:25 Jerusalem inhabited forever
a.
Who: Covenant people (Christians) (Luke 1:32)
b.
When: Christian age (Hebrews 12:22)
c.
Where: The heavenly Jerusalem (Church)
Jeremiah 31:1 All Israel will be saved
a.
Who: Gentiles (Romans 11:26-28)
b.
When: Christian age
Jeremiah 31:31-34 Promise of a New Covenant
a.
Who: Covenant people (Gentiles) (John 6:45)
b.
When: Christian age (Hebrews 8:8-12; Romans 11:27; 1 Thessalonians 4:9)
Jeremiah 33:16-18 Judah will be saved
a.
Who: Covenant people (Hebrews 13:15; Philippians 3:9)
b.
When: Christian age (Luke 1:32-33)
IV.
Exilic Prophets
A.
Ezekiel 1.
Ezekiel 39:29 Promise of Holy Spirit
a.
When: Pentecost (Acts 2:17)
Ezekiel 47:21-23 Aliens shall be allotted an inheritance
a.
Who: Gentiles (Romans 10:12)
b.
When: Christian age (Ephesians 2:12-14; Ephesians 3:6)
c.
Where: In the Church (Colossians 3:11)
B.
Daniel 1.
Daniel 2:44-45 God’s Kingdom set upnever be destroyed
a.
Who: Christians (1 Corinthians 15:24)
b.
When: During Roman Empire (Iron Kingdom)
c.
Where: Heavenly Kingdom
Daniel 9:24-27 Promise of Coming Kingdom
a.
Who: Covenant people (Christians) (Matthew 9:12; Luke 19:43)
b.
When: After seventy weeks of yearsChristian age
c.
Where: Jerusalem (heavenly)Church (Matthew 24:15; Luke 21:20)
V.
Post-Exilic Prophets
A.
Haggai 1.
Haggai 2:6-7 I will shake the heavens and the earth
a.
Who: New Covenant people (Hebrews 12:26)
b.
When: Christian age
c.
Where: Heavenly KingdomChurch
B.
Zechariah 1.
Zechariah 13:1 Fountain opened for the House of David
a.
Who: Covenant people (Hebrews 9:14)
b.
When: Christian age
c.
Where: Jerusalem (heavenly)Church
C.
Malachi 1.
Malachi 4:5-6 Return of Elijah the Prophet
a.
Who: John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14)
b.
When: Before Jesus-’ ministry (Mark 9:11)
c.
Where: Israel (literal) (Luke 1:17)
VI.
New Testament scriptures that show the Gentiles taking part in prophetic promises:
**SPECIAL STUDY
THE WORD OF GOD, THE ILLUMINATING AGENCY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONVERSION**
by Paul T. Butler INTRODUCTION
I.
QUALIFICATIONS
A.
We believe the Scriptures plainly teach that the spoken and written Word of God (the Bible) is the only illuminating agency of the Holy Spirit in the conversion of sinners.
B.
This is contrary to the creeds of most major Protestant religious bodies today. They say, in essence:
Man, the sinner, has a mind biased and prejudiced by sin and he cannot, therefore, understand the spiritual truths of the Bible until.
The Holy Spirit acts, directly, irresistibly and apart from the written or spoken Word of God, regenerating man’s mind in order that man can understand the written truths in the Bible. only then will man be able to believe in Christ and become a Christian.
This is individually and subjectively experienced and one cannot be assured of his salvation until he is able to relate such an experience.
Those who have never had such an experience, so far as we are able to tell now, are not elected to salvation.
C.
By our statement in A. above we do not intend to exclude the providential actions of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit may act in providence to bring a Christian and non-Christian together for the purpose of allowing the non-Christian to hear the message of Christ (e.g., Philip and the Ethopian eunuch; Peter and Cornelius, etc.)
But in the final analysis, it is the written or spoken Word of God into the sinner’s mind and upon his heart that converts and leads him to become a Christian.
II.
WHAT WE ARE NOT DISCUSSING IN THIS STUDY
A.
We do not wish to discuss here, to any length, at least, the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the miraculous way the apostles were immersed in the Holy Spirit.
B.
We do not wish to discuss here the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit by which certain people spoke in tongues, prophesied, healed, etc.
C.
We do not wish to discuss whether or not people have had particular religious experiences.
That people have had subjective religious experiences is difficult to disproveat least to the one who claims such an experience.
But whether or not we are to follow what we think those subjective experiences teach, in order to the assurance of salvation, is quite another thing and is contrary to Biblical teaching.
III.
ASSUMPTIONS WE MAKE
A.
That the Bible is the infallible, inerrant, inspired Word of God and the ultimate and final authority in matters of faith and practice.
B.
That we learn all we need to learn on this particular subject from the New Testament.
DISCUSSION
I.
JESUS TAUGHT THAT THE WORD OF GOD
(WRITTEN AND SPOKEN) ILLUMINATES THE MIND OF MAN UNTO CONVERSION
A.
Matthew 11:25-30. only the Son can reveal the Father. we must take the Son’s yoke upon us and learn of Him.
B.
Matthew 7:24-27. the wise man is the one who hears the words of Christ and does them.
C.
Matthew 13:1-23; Luke 8:4-15. the seed of the kingdom is the word of God sown on the hearts of men. This word must be held fast in honest and good hearts to bear fruit.
D.
Matthew 4:4. Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
E.
Matthew 28:18-20. the great commission is to teach, baptize and teach all that Jesus commanded the 12 disciples.
F.
Luke 10:21-28. Jesus told a lawyer to do what he read in the Law in order to inherit eternal life.
G.
Luke 10:38-42. Mary chose the good portion for she sat at Jesus-’ feet and listened to His teaching.
H.
Luke 11:27-28. Jesus said, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.
I.
Luke 16:19-31. the rich man in Hades was told it would do no good for him to go back from the dead and warn his brothers. They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.
J.
Luke 24:13-35. Jesus took special time and effort beginning with Moses and all the prophets. interpreting, for some despondent disciples all the scriptures said concerning Himself.
K.
John 1:1-18. Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God, exegeted God to man; exegesato is the Greek word in John 1:18, from which we get exegesis, but it is translated declared.
L.
John 5:24. whoever hears the word of Christ and believes God, who sent Him, has eternal life.
M.
John 5:25. whoever hears the voice of the Son of God, will live.
N.
John 6:63. except men eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood they have no life in them. THIS IS TO BE DONE BY HEARING AND DOING THE WORDS JESUS SPOKE, FOR His words are spirit and life.
O.
John 6:44-45. No one comes unto Christ. unless they learn from the Father.
P.
John 6:69. Peter declared that Jesus has the words of eternal life.
Q.
John 8:31-32. only those who continue in His word are His disciples and in doing so they will be made free for it is the truth that makes free. and only by continuing in His word do we know the truth!
R.
John 10. the sheep follow the good Shepherd only because they know the difference between His voice (word) and the voice of the hireling.
S.
John 11. the spoken word of Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
T.
John 12:44-50. the words Jesus spoke will judge men at the last day, and the commandment which the Father gave Him to speak is eternal life.
U.
John 13:12-17. Jesus gave the disciples an example of humble and loving service to one another and then said If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
V.
John 14:23. Jesus made the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit specifically conditioned upon keeping His commandments. It must, therefore, be possible for a sinner to come to believe in, and begin to obey Christ before the Holy Spirit abides in him. in other words the sinner is converted by knowing, believing and obeying the Word, which is the agency of the Holy Spirit in the sinner’s conversion.
W.
John 15:3. the disciples were cleansed by the word which Christ had already spoken unto them.
X.
John 15:1-11. our abiding in Him and His abiding in us is conditioned upon our abiding in His word. it is not irresistible.
Y.
John 16:1-15. the Holy Spirit was sent to guide the apostles into all truth, etc., and thus, through their preaching to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.
Z.
John 17:1-26. eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ. this the disciples had because they accepted the words which Jesus was commissioned to give them from the Father. through His words spoken they had joy. They were sanctified in His word which is truth. Jesus even prayed for all who should subsequently believe in Him through the preached word of the apostles (John 17:20). AA. John 18:37. Jesus said. I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. BB. John 20:30-31. the gospels were written that men might believe and have eternal life.
II.
THE ACTS TEACH THAT THE WORD OF GOD (WRITTEN AND SPOKEN) ILLUMINATES THE MIND OF MAN UNTO CONVERSION
A.
Acts 2:37-38. when the multitude heard the preaching of Jesus they were convinced and obeyed. there is no notice that the Holy Spirit illumined their hearts apart from the preaching of the inspired word.
B.
Acts 4:4. many who heard the preaching of Peter in Acts 3, believed and became Christians.
C.
Acts 5:32. the Holy Spirit is given only to those who obey Christ. how can one obey Christ unless he has heard the commandment of Christ and understood the commandment?
D.
Acts 8:34-40. Philip preached unto the eunuch Jesus and then the man obeyed.
E.
Acts 10:22. Cornelius was directed by an angel of the Lord to send for Peter so that Peter might preach to him the gospel in order that Cornelius might hear and believe. cf. Acts 10:33; Acts 11:14.
F.
Acts 17:29-31. Paul said men should understand that God is going to judge the world and that He wants them to repent simply from knowing the fact that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.
G.
Acts 20:18-35. Paul charged the elders of Ephesus to feed the flock of God on the word of God as he himself had done. and Paul commended them to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
H.
Acts 26:24-29. Paul presented the facts concerning Jesus and appealed to the writings of the prophets in hope that Agrippa might become a Christian.
I.
Acts 28:23-28. Paul expounded the facts concerning Jesus all day to a group of Jews, trying to convince them about the kingdom of God, etc. some were convinced, some were not.
III.
THE EPISTLES TEACH THAT THE WORD OF GOD (WRITTEN AND SPOKEN) ILLUMINES THE MIND OF MAN UNTO CONVERSION
A.
Romans 1:16-17. the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
B.
Romans 6:17-18. men are set free from sin by obedience from the heart to the standard of teaching of the apostles.
C.
Romans 8:6. to set the mind on the Spirit. is life. the Spirit is revealed in the Word.
D.
Romans 8:13-14. it is by the Spirit that we put to death the deeds of the body and it is by the Spirit we are led. the Spirit only does that by revealing His will to us in the Scriptures.
E.
Romans 10:8-17. the word of faith which is in their hearts is the word which the apostles preached. all who call upon the Lord will be saved, BUT THEY CANNOT CALL UPON HIM IF THEY HAVE NOT HEARD HIS WORD, BECAUSE FAITH COMES BY HEARING THE WORD OF GOD!!!
F.
Romans 12:1-2. we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind in order that we may prove what is the acceptable will of God.
G.
Romans 15:18. Paul would win obedience to Christ from the Gentiles by preaching to them the word of Christ.
H.
Romans 16:25-27. Paul said that the preaching of Jesus Christ was. to bring about the obedience of faith.
I.
1 Corinthians 2:1-14. Paul said that the Spirit of Christ had been given to the apostles. and this Spirit was imparted to the Corinthians in words.
J.
1 Corinthians 15:1-2. the preached gospel was what the Corinthians received, that in which they stood fast, that by which they were saved.
K.
2 Corinthians 1:20. all the promises of God find their Yea in Jesus Christ objectively revealed. not subjectively.
L.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5. the preaching of the word of God has divine power and is able to destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God and bring every thought into captivity unto Christ!!!
M.
Galatians 2:20; Galatians 3:2; Galatians 3:26-27. The Spirit of Christ lives in men and is put on by men through the hearing of faith. and faith comes by hearing!
N.
Ephesians 3:17. Christ dwells in us through faith, and faith comes by hearing.
O.
Ephesians 1:9-14. those who have heard the word of truth, the gospel, have made known to them the mystery of His will and have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.
P.
Ephesians 3:8-19. Paul was made a minister to the Gentiles to preach to them the unsearchable riches of Christ and make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God. that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known.
Q.
Ephesians 4:11-16. the various offices of ministry (including evangelists) were given to the church to edify the church and bring the church to a mature knowledge of Christ.
R.
Ephesians 5:17-18. Paul connects being filled with the Spirit directly to first understanding what the will of the Lord is.
S.
Philippians 4:8-9. Paul said that true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious things were revealed to Christians by the preaching and Christian living of the apostles.
T.
Colossians 1:27-28. Paul proclaimed and taught Christ to every man in all wisdom so that Christ might dwell in men and they might have the hope of glory.
U.
Colossians 3:16. Christians are to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly.
V.
1 Thessalonians 2:13. Paul said the Christians there received their preaching as the word of God and that this word was at work in them.
W.
2 Thessalonians 1:8. Paul said God would bring vengeance upon all who do not obey the gospel … an objective standard!
X.
2 Thessalonians 2:14. Paul said that men were called by God through the preaching of the gospel.
Y.
1 Timothy 4:11-16. Paul told Timothy that by holding to that which he had been taught he would save both himself and his hearers.
Z.
2 Timothy 2:9. Paul speaks of the word of God as not being able to be fettered.
AA.
2 Timothy 3:16. The scripture is able to completely equip the man of God for every good work.
BB.
Titus 1:1-3. Paul said the faith of the elect was furthered by the preaching of the word.
CC.
Titus 2:11-15. Paul said the grace of God. trains us. and we should thus declare it.
DD.
Hebrews 4:12-13. the word of God is living and active. pierces even to the division of the soul and spirit. and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart.
EE.
James 1:18. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth … Here the word of truth is specifically said to be the agent of the Holy Spirit in the new birth.
FF.
1 Peter 1:22-25. You have been born anew … through the living and abiding word of God. that word is the good news which was preached to you. This they did by obedience to the truth: IT CANNOT BE ANY PLAINER THAN THIS THAT THE SPIRIT WORKS THROUGH THE WORD IN REGENERATION.
GG.
2 Peter 1:3-4. it is through a knowledge of Jesus Christ and through His precious and exceeding great promises that we become partakers of the divine nature.
HH.
1 John 2:3-6. we are sure we are in Him only when we know and keep His commandments.
II.
1 John 3:24. we abide in Him and He abides in us when we keep His commandments.
JJ. 1 John 4:1-6. whoever knows the Spirit of God listens to apostolic teachings and this is the only way man may know the difference between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
KK.
2 John 1:9-10. anyone who does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. he who abides in this doctrine has both the Father and the Son.
IV.
LOGIC TEACHES THAT WE MUST DEPEND UPON THE SPIRIT TO BRING US TO CONVERSION THROUGH OUR RESPONSE TO HIS OBJECTIVE REVELATION OF HIMSELF IN HIS WORD!
A.
Alexander Campbell, in The Christian System moral facts are those which either exhibit, develop, or form moral character. all the works and words of God are moral facts and truths.
The work of redemption is a system of works or deeds on the part of God and Christ which constitutes the most splendid series of moral facts which man or angel ever saw.
When these moral facts are brought into immediate contact with the mind of man, they delineate the image of God upon the human soul.
Testimony is but the channel through which these facts draw the image of God on the heart and character of man.
The love of God in the death of Jesus never drew a tear of gratitude or joy from any eye, or excited a grateful emotion in any heart among the nations of our race to whom the testimony never came. No TESTIMONY, NO FAITH!
The quality or value of faith is found in the quality or value of the testimony. If the testimony be valid, OBJECTIVE, and authoritative, our faith is strong and operative. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater.
The power of faith is also found in the power or moral meaning of the testimony, or of the facts which the testimony represents. If by faith I am filled with joy, or sorrow, that joy or sorrow is in the facts contained in the testimony. or in the relation of those facts to me. And, if faith purifies the heart. this power is in the facts believed.
It is neither the faculty of perception, nor the manner of perception, but the things perceived, that excited us to action. It is not the exercise of reflection, but the thing reflected upon, It is not reason itself, nor the exercise of reason, but the thing reasoned upon which affords pleasure or painwhich excites to actionwhich cheers, allures, consoles us.
Even in our volition this is true. It is not choosing, nor refusing; hating, loving, fearing, desiring, nor hoping; IT IS NOT THE NATURE OF ANY POWER, FACULTY, OR CAPACITY OF OUR BEING, NOR THE SIMPLE EXERCISE OF THEM, BUT THE object or things UPON WHICH THEY ARE EXERCISED, WHICH INDUCE US TO ACTION, OR INFLUENCE OUR BEHAVIOR!
AND SO MY FRIEND WE ARE PURIFIED BY OUR OBEDIENCE TO THE OBJECTIVE TRUTH. THE REVEALED, WRITTEN AND SPOKEN TESTIMONY ABOUT THE PERSON AND PROMISES OF JESUS CHRIST BECOME THE OBJECTIVE AGENT WHICH MOVES US. WITHOUT AN OBJECT (JESUS) AND AN OBJECTIVE REVELATION OF HIM WE WOULD BE LEFT ONLY TO LISTEN AND FOLLOW THE DECEITFUL WHISPERINGS OF OUR WICKED HEARTSSEE POINT #V ON PAGE 254.
B.
In the religious world today we have many groups, teaching about as many contradictory dogmas, most claiming to be led now or having been led in the past by special direct revelations of the Holy Spirit apart from the received Bible. IF THE HOLY SPIRIT OPERATES ON THE MINDS OF MEN APART FROM AN OBJECTIVE STANDARD (THE WORD), HOW DO WE KNOW WHICH IS CORRECT?
We appeal to such scriptures as Galatians 1:8-9; 1 John 4:1-6 and assert that there is only one leading of the Holy Spirit today and that is in the infallible, inerrant, objective standard called the Bible, and that only!
Don DeWelt says in his book, The Power of the Holy Spirit, Vol. I, pg. 31, commenting on Romans 8:16. the Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God.. The Bible does not say that the Holy Spirit bears witness to our spirit, thus making it a subjective experience within the Christian. The text does say the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit, thus making it an objective experience without or apart from the Christian. The witness of the Holy Spirit is the New Testament. This is His testimony as to how to become a Christian or child of God, and also how to remain faithful as God’s child. We know within ourselves if we have done what the Spirit has said to do in order to become a child of God. We then become a child of God, our spirits have agreed with the testimony of the Holy Spirit. when we have done what we are commanded to do in the New Testament. (cf. John 20:30-31; 1 John 5:13).
V.
THE SCRIPTURES TEACH US THAT WE WILL BE DECEIVED BY LISTENING TO THE SUBJECTIVE WHISPERINGS OF OUR HEART.
A.
Proverbs 16:2. all the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. (cf. also Isaiah 21:2)
B.
Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it? I the Lord search the mind and try the heart.
C.
Hebrews 3:13. warns that Christians must continually exhort one another (from the written word) lest their hearts be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
D.
Satan is able to transform himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14); quote scripture (Matthew 4:5-6); perform lying wonders (Revelation 13:11-18); and he is able to enter the mind of man by the power of thought. he is a spirit of disobedience, etc.
E.
Some examples of people who thought they were doing God’s service when following the subjective feelings of their hearts:
The disciples, led by Judas, thought that Mary wasted the ointment by pouring it upon Jesus and it could have been sold and given to the poor (Matthew 26:9; Mark 14:5; John 12:5). THEY HAD TO HAVE AN OBJECTIVE REVEALED TO THEM IN THE WORDS OF JESUS TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THEIR CROOKED SUBJECTIVE THINKING.
Peter thought that defending the life of Jesus against His enemies was the proper thing to do, but it was Satan whispering to Peter (Matthew 16:21-23; Mark 8:32-33).
Paul said, I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. even to the persecution and killing of Christians (Acts 22:4; Acts 26:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13; Philippians 3:6; 1 Timothy 1:13). he lived in all good conscience in so doing. IT TOOK AN OBJECTIVE REVELATION TO PAUL TO STRAIGHTEN OUT HIS THINKING.
Isaiah 51:1-8
- RULE, CHAPTER 51 a. TURN TO JUSTICE
TEXT: Isaiah 51:1-8
1
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek Jehovah: look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged.
2
Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you; for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him, and made him many.
3
For Jehovah hath comforted Zion; he hath comforted all her waste places, and hath made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
4
Attend unto me, O my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall go forth from me, and I will establish my justice for a light of the peoples.
5
My righteousness is near, my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the peoples; the isles shall wait for me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
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.
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 dismayed at their revilings.
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 unto all generations.
QUERIES
a.
Why look unto Abraham and Sarah?
b.
Is the garden of Eden to be reestablished on earth?
c.
How could anyone have the law of God in their heart before Christ?
PARAPHRASE
Listen to Me, you small and fearful remnant: If you are truly seeking to know Jehovah and wanting His way of life, look unto the character of your ancestors Abraham and Sarahthat is where you will find an example of what you seek. I called this one man, Abraham, and he responded in faith and obedience. I delivered him from all that opposed him and made of him a great nation. Now Jehovah has promised to deliver and strengthen true Zion, a small remnant though she may be. He has promised to change Zion’s despair and destitution into a salvation that will restore the fellowship between Him and man which was present in Eden. True joy and thanksgiving will abound when this has come to pass. Listen to Me, O My people: 1 am going to send into the world the final and full expression of My will and it will be a revelation to the Gentiles as well, to bring them to salvation. This is nearit is as good as done. When it comes to fulfillment (and it is beginning now), it will be both salvation and judgment; salvation for all (even Gentiles) who trust in Me, and judgment upon those who reject My will. Study the universe: both the heavens and the earth are doomed to disintegration and dissolution. All humanity likewise is dying. But what I will and what I work shall endure forever. Listen to Me, you who have allowed My will to rule your mind and heart so that you are doing right: Do not fear the threats of human beings, no matter how powerful they may appear to be. They will all be consumed and disappear like a garment eaten by moths, but My righteousness and salvation will endure forever.
COMMENTS
Isaiah 51:1-5 ESTABLISHED: This chapter predicts the coming of Jehovah’s rule of justice through His law. It is, of course, an integral part of the whole section discussing Salvation Through God’s Servant (ch. 40-53). Thus we are to understand Jehovah’s predicted rule of justice will be through the coming Servant. This chapter is a special message to that small remnant of true believers contemporary with Isaiah. They are designated ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek Jehovah. The majority of people in Isaiah’s day did not follow after righteousness. And even the remnant which did was sorely tempted to give up all hope. In view of the depraved morality and hypocritical religiosity of most of Israel and in view of the dreadful predictions of the true prophets of God that Babylonian captivity was near, the remnant must be encouraged. This remnant was sincere in its search for righteousness. The Hebrew word rodephey is translated follow after in the ASV, but is stronger and more properly translated pursue as in the RSV. There was not much righteousness to be found among this nation. They were a people laden with iniquity (Isaiah 1:4, etc.). Only a few disciples of Isaiah (Isaiah 8:16) desired real justice and the rule of Jehovah. The Lord encourages them to believe that He will establish His rule of justice by directing them to look backward to what He did through Abraham and to look forward to what He promises to do in the future. To the tiny remnant of Isaiah’s disciples it may appear impossible that Jehovah’s rule of justice will ever be established. However, Jehovah is able to do the impossible! Let the remnant look back to the rock from which the nation was hewnAbrahamand the hole of the pit from which it was diggedSarah. That Jehovah could produce a nation of many people from one man and woman who were past the age of childbearing was thought impossible. Nevertheless, from one lone sojourner who had a wife whose womb was barren and who was beyond the age of bearing children and who bore only one child, God produced a nation. Of course, Jehovah could not have done it without the faith of Abraham and Sarah (cf. Romans 4:1-25; Galatians 3:6-9; Galatians 4:21-27; Hebrews 11:8-12; Hebrews 11:17-22; James 2:18-26). This is the point. God is able to save this remnant and through them establish His rule of justice, but they must be people of stedfast faith like their forefather Abraham. Through one man, Abraham, and through the one son of Abraham, Isaac, God formed a people for Himself. But this people rejected His rule. Through the one Seed (Christ) of Abraham, Jehovah will produce a new Israel who will submit to His rule (cf. Galatians 3:15-29; Galatians 6:13-16). Isaiah’s remnant must believe even though they may not receive what is promised; they must see it and greet it from afar (cf. Hebrews 11:13-16). A remnant must be preserved through which the Messiah-Servant may come and establish the rule of Jehovah’s justice (cf. Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 11:1-9, etc.).
Jehovah’s comforting of Zion will reach its culmination in the coming Servant (cf. comments Isaiah 40:1-11; Isaiah 49:13). Verse three is in the predictive present. What Jehovah will do through the Servant is so certain it may be spoken of by Him as having already been accomplished! When the Servant finishes comforting Zion, all Zion’s spiritual desolation and moral destitution will be turned into a righteousness that will be like Eden restored. The prophet is not here intending that the land of Palestine shall be physically restored to the flora and fauna of pre-fallen Eden. This world is destined (including Palestine) for destruction (cf. 2 Peter 3:1-13). The prophet is speaking of a restoration of spiritual paradise; a restored Zion over which Jehovah rules in righteousness and justice, in which there shall be joy and gladness (see comments Isaiah 35:8-10).
Jehovah will comfort Zion through a rule of torah (law). This is not the law of Moses in commandments and ordinances which stood against us (Colossians 2:13-15). No man could be justified by that law (cf. Galatians 3:10-14; Galatians 5:1-6). This is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (cf. Romans 8:1-17). Young calls it, in particular. the law of faith, given -by the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith-’ (Romans 16:26). It is that final and full revelation of the will of God for man’s salvation which also sets before man what God requires of him. It is the same going forth of His law as predicted in Isaiah 2:1-4. This rule of Jehovah through the law of the Servant will provide light for all people (cf. comments on Isaiah 9:1 ff).
The Lord’s righteousness is near. Near is relative to God’s perspective! All time is as one day with Jehovah. When He declares a thing, it is as good as done. He will begin His great work toward this coming of the Servant with the Babylonian captivity and release from it through Cyrus. Israel may know Jehovah’s salvation is on its way when they see Him judge the peoples by His arm. When these great empires fall and Israel continues to survive she may know that His salvation is so certain it may be said to be near (Hebrews 11:13-16). For a discussion of the meaning of isles see comments on Isaiah 41:1 ff.
Isaiah 51:6-8 ENDURING: What seems as if it will go on and on, unalterably fixed and sure (the heavens and the earth) will one day vanish. Even the perpetuity of the human race seems assured. But it too will expire. Only that which is saved by Jehovah will endure forever. What is declared right (His righteousness) by Jehovah is eternal because that is truth. Anything declared not right by Jehovah will perish. And how does man know what God declares right?by hearkening unto God’s law! And what is this law which is in the heart?it is the law of Christ, the law of faith which was in the heart of Abraham and by which he was justified (cf. Romans 4:1-25). It is the will of God concerning redemption through the Servant (cf. Isaiah 42:1-4)the Servants law. That this law (or will) of God concerning future salvation through an atoning Servant was written on the hearts of some before Christ was born is evidenced by Abraham rejoicing to see Christ’s day (John 8:56), Isaiah seeing the glory of the Christ (John 12:41), the prophets inquiring about Him (1 Peter 1:10-12) and from all the faithful in Hebrews, chapter 11. The prophecy in Jeremiah 31:31-34 does not exclude every Jew of the Old Testament dispensation from the capacity to have God’s law written on their heart through faith. If that should be the case, it would contradict Romans 4, et al. The Jeremiah 31 passage, taken in harmony with this passage in Isaiah, seems to say that out of a small remnant of O.T. saints who believe God’s promises about an atoning Servant (the law of Jehovah about the Servant written on their hearts), Jehovah is going to form a new covenant people who will be covenant people only because they have His law written on their hearts and not because they were physically born to a particular nationality. In other words, there was a nucleus of people in the O.T. with Jehovah’s will (law) written on their hearts and they were justified, in prospect, by their faith. When the Servant came and fulfilled the predicted atonement, these O.T. believers were justified in fact (cf. Hebrews 9:15-16). The message of God expressed in all the sacrifices and offerings and in all the prophecies of the suffering Servant was that man could not atone for his sins by any worksGod alone could provide atonement. Now when the O.T. believer took that to heart, with the moral and doctrinal implications it had for his life, then he had the law of God written on his heart! The goal of all this is, of course, the New Testament dispensation. Without that goal the faith of the O.T. believer could not have justified him. If the Servant had not come and accomplished the atonement which was typified and prophesied there could have been no law of God written on any heart either before the fact or after. The N.T. covenant is enacted upon better promises because it is after the fact of the Servant’s work.
Those who have the law of faith written on their hearts do not need to fear the threats of those who stand in opposition to the rule of Jehovah’s Servant. Those who stand for the rule of the Servant will always be in the minority. Those who stand against the rule of the Servant will always be in the majority and will control all the resources of human power. But Jehovah has revealed historically that He is more powerful than all human power put together. His righteousness (what He declares right) will endure every opposition. There may be those of ethnic Israel who do not want to know that what God says is right (cf. Isaiah 30:9-11), but those who are true Israel do not need to fear for what God says is right and will last forever.
QUIZ
What is following after righteousness?
What relationship does Abraham have to the needs of Isaiah’s audience?
How will Jehovah comfort Zion?
What is the law that goes forth from Jehovah?
How is the Lord’s salvation near?
How may we say some of the people of Isaiah’s day had the law of God written on their hearts?
How are they to know the righteousness of God can withstand all opposition and endure forever?
Isaiah 51:9-16
b.
TRUST IN JEHOVAH
TEXT: Isaiah 51:9-16
9
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of Jehovah; awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Is it not thou that didst cut Rahab in pieces, that didst pierce the monster?
10
Is it not thou that driedst up the sea, the waters of the great deep; that madest the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?
11
And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
12
I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou art afraid of man that shall die, and of the son of man that shall be made as grass;
13
and hast forgotten Jehovah thy Maker, that stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and feareth continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he maketh ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
14
The captive exile shall speedily be loosed; and he shall not die and go down into the pit, neither shall his bread fail.
15
For I am Jehovah thy God, who stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar: Jehovah of hosts is his name.
16
And I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
QUERIES
a.
Does Jehovah have to be awakened?
b.
Who is the captive exile?
c.
Into whose mouth has Jehovah put his words?
PARAPHRASE
Help! Help! Come forth to help us girded with power as You did for our ancestors in olden times, O Lord. Did You not slay the Big Mouth dragon, Egypt? Did You not dry up a path through the great Red Sea for Your people to walk across and escape from Egyptian slavery? You have promised: Those whom the Lord purchases with a ransom-price will return to Him and to Zion rejoicing with songs about their redemption. Everlasting joy will crown their whole lives. They shall finally find the refreshment of their souls for which they have longed. All that would frustrate or hinder their travel will be made to disappear. Jehovah answers: Yes, I, the same God who delivered your ancestors, Am the God who is coming forth to deliver you. What kind of people are you that are so afraid of human beings? Mortal man is no more enduring than the grass of the field! Have you forgotten Jehovah, your Maker, who spread the stars through the skies and brought the earth into existence? Are you in constant dread of the oppressions of men? Are you paralyzed with terror at the anger of your enemies. Soon Zion shall be set free; dungeon, starvation and death are not going to put an end to Zion. Remember, I am Jehovah, your God, Lord of all creation. I control the sea and everything else. Zion’s deliverance will be revealed and accomplished through My Servant, for I have put my words in His mouth and I protect Him with My mighty hand. Through Him I will make a whole new creation, a new Zion, who shall truly be My people.
COMMENTS
Isaiah 51:9-11 PLEA: The Hebrew words -uriy -uriy (Awake, awake) do not mean to convey that Isaiah thought God had fallen asleep. The word is also used in Daniel 4:10; Daniel 4:14; Daniel 4:20 and translated, watcher. The idea of the word is watchfulness, alertness or awareness, that motivates action. In view of the impending Babylonian captivity, the prophet is calling upon the Lord to act on behalf of the small minority of believers and save Zion. God has promised protection from Babylon, but God has not acted. Men, even prophets, often run ahead of the Lord. Isaiah is representing the remnant, of course, and they are expressing their terror at the threats of Babylon. It appears from their fearful perspective as if God is either unaware of their plight or is aware but is not intending to do anything about it. Their appeal for action is based on what they know of His previous deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Their ancient writings tell of Moses-’ and Israel’s passage from slavery in Egypt through the Red Sea. Egypt is called Rahab (which means loud mouth in Hebrew; see Isaiah 30:7) and thanniyn the monster; thanniyn is translated serpent in most uses (cf. Isaiah 27:1). Jehovah delivered from the dragon Egypt, will He now allow Zion to be destroyed by the lion Babylon? The sea which was dried up must refer to the Red Sea crossing (Exodus 14:1 ff).
Isaiah 51:11 forms an excellent conclusion to Isaiah’s plea. It is a quotation, almost letter for letter, from Isaiah 35:10 which likewise forms a conclusion to a messianic section. Isaiah quotes himself (and why not, since it was such a beautiful and emphatic promise of God the first time it was spoken) as part of his pleas as if to remind Jehovah of His recently promised redemption; see comments Isaiah 35:8-10.
Isaiah 51:12-16 PROMISE: Jehovah answers the plea of Isaiah and the remnant by affirming that He is indeed that same Jehovah who kept His covenant with Israel and delivered them from Egypt. The I, even I. appears to be a retort in irony to awake, awake. Jehovah is who He is and will always be the same. What the remnant needs is to find its own identity. And that is the interesting thing here; the remnant’s identity is to be found in who Jehovah is! In other words, if Jehovah is always the same, then who are those who believe and trust in Him? They are those who need not fear mortal men. The same truth is relevant for today. Men and women can only find their true identity in relationship to their commitment to God. If they trust Him and follow Him, they are invincible; He will save them from all that threatens. If they do not trust Him and do not follow Him they will be lost. The fundamental identification of man is his savedness or his lostness! That is who he is! When man forgets his Makerwhen man forgets that he is creature and Jehovah is Creatorhe is a slave to fear and falsehood. When man forgets his Creator his whole perspective is warped. Anyone who searches for self-identity without first knowing who God is (and all that such knowledge of Him implies) searches in vain! If the remnant of Isaiah’s day remembers its Maker, it will be freed from fear of its enemies.
The Hebrew word tzo-’eh means to bend down; to stoop as though burdened down and is translated he who is bowed down in the RSV. It is predicting the circumstances of the Babylonian exiles being bowed down in chains or in prisons. Zion (the remnant of believers; disciples of Isaiah) may have to go into captivity but she shall speedily be released (70 years). Most assuredly, Jehovah does not intend Zion’s ultimate destiny to be imprisonment, starvation and death! She will suffer chastening but Jehovah will work through her to create a new Zion.
The final word of Jehovah (Isaiah 51:16) is manifestly addressed to the Servant because it shall be particularly through the Servant that Jehovah creates the new, ultimate Zion (cf. Hebrews 12:22). Jehovah reaffirms His promise (cf. Isaiah 50:4-11) that the Servant will be sent with the incarnate word of the Lord (my words in thy mouth). The special, intimate, divine companionship to the Servant is also reiterated (covered thee in the shadow of my hand). Jehovah will plant and lay the foundations and say unto Zion. Thou art my people. Some commentators think this refers to the creation of a new heavens and earth, or a new cosmos, after the present one is destroyed by fire (as per 2Peter 3, etc.). That may be the ultimate outcome of the new creation ushered in by the Messiah at His first coming, but we believe Isaiah is not really focusing on the end of the messianic age but on the beginning of it. The messianic age is often pictured as a new creation of Zion (cf. Isaiah 66:22-24; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, etc.). The Zion of the N.T. was created after the removal of what is shaken (Hebrews 12:25-29). The old creation (Judaism) was shaken down and the new creation (Christianity) remains and cannot be shaken. The abrogation of the old dispensation and the creation of a new dispensation (especially a dispensation which would include Gentiles in God’s covenant) would not be possible in Jewish thinking without a whole new creation (new heavens and earth)! The prophet figuratively accommodates his language to the Jewish thought-pattern. Of course, God did not intend to create a new physical heaven and earth when He sent the Servant on His first advent. And this is one of the major causes of Jewish rejection of the Messiah! They could not adjust their thought-patterns to the reality of the revelation that Jesus was the Christ and that He came to form a spiritual kingdom in this present earth and not to form a political kingdom in a rejuvenated physical earth! Certainly, God will one day destroy this present cosmos and create a new one. But mankind must be reborn and accept citizenship in a newly created Zion before he is ready for the new cosmos. The Jew, as well as the Gentile, must become a new creature first. Toward this first goal the prophets primarily pointed! Thou art my people is definitely a messianic term (cf. Hosea 1:10-11; Hosea 2:16-23; Romans 9:23-33; 1 Peter 2:9-10).
In the light of so much contemporary emphasis on personal subjectivism and feeling as criteria for proper relationship to God, it is important to notice in this chapter thus far the criterion for proper relationship to God is the objective revelation of His nature. Man’s relationship to God is properly built on who God isnot on how man feels. And God has objectively demonstratedin historical deedsthat He is absolutely powerful and absolutely faithful. Isaiah’s contemporaries are exhorted to look back at what Jehovah has done; look now at what He is doing; and look forward to what He promises to do. They are never asked, what do you think He ought to do, or, What is He doing to your feelings!
QUIZ
What does Isaiah mean when he cries to Jehovah, awake, awake?
What event in Israel’s history is appealed to in reference to the sea?
Why can man only find out who he is when he finds out who God is?
Why will God not leave the exiles to starve and die?
Why do we think God is addressing the Servant in Isaiah 51:16?
What are the heavens and. earth God is going to plant?
Why did the Jews think the heavens and. earth would have to be physical?
What criterion of man-to-God relationship is appealed to in this chapter?
Isaiah 51:17-23
c.
TORMENTORS JUDGED
TEXT: Isaiah 51:17-23
17
Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, that hast drunk at the hand of Jehovah the cup of his wrath; thou hast drunken the bowl of the cup of staggering, and drained it.
18
There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand among all the sons that she hath brought up.
19
These two things are befallen thee; who shall bemoan thee? desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword; how shall I comfort thee?
20
Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of Jehovah, the rebuke of thy God.
21
Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:
22
thus saith thy Lord Jehovah, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of staggering, even the bowl of the cup of my wrath; thou shalt no more drink it again:
23
and I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee, that have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over; and thou hast laid thy back as the ground, and as the street, to them that go over.
QUERIES
a.
When did Jerusalem drink the cup of Jehovah’s wrath?
b.
Why was there none to guide her among her sons?
c.
Who made her bown down and where did they go over?
PARAPHRASE
Attention! Be alert, Zion! You will soon drink of the cup of Jehovah’s punishment. You will have drained every drop; you will have been made to reel under your punishment. You must now decide what course you shall take. You cannot depend on any of this generation of Israelites to take spiritual leadership of Zion. None of them are capable of stopping the desolation and destruction that is coming upon you. Starvation and war and captivity is coming and how will I, Jehovah, save you? Your young men, in whom you hope for leadership, have collapsed everywhere from spiritual and moral weakness. They are as helpless as deer caught in a hunter’s net. They shall feel the full force of the Lord’s wrath. On account of this, you suffering people of Zion, you shall reel under the Lord’s punishment but the Lord your God will defend you. You can believe this: I will take the cup of staggering punishment out of your hand. You will not drink from My wrath-filled cup again when I comfort you through My Servant. I will put that cup of judgment in the hand of your tormentors. Those who have forced Zion to surrender to the chains of captivity and those who have oppressed and trampled her, body and soul, into the dustthey shall stagger under My judgment.
COMMENTS
Isaiah 51:17-20 STAGGERED: Again, this is Servant-centered. And again, we have the prophet predicting the captivity of Zion, her release, and out of that the ultimate comforting of Jehovah in the coming Servant. Jerusalem (Zion) is roused to wakefulness to prepare herself for the coming cup of God’s wrath (cf. Jeremiah 25:15-29; Ezekiel 23:31-35); Zion will drink the whole cup Jehovah has for herexile into a pagan land. Her walls and her temple will be leveled to the ground by a pagan people. The sacred vessels will be desecrated and carried away. Her people will be marched away in chains like slaves. They will be utterly cut off from Jehovah without a temple or a priesthood, unable to offer sacrifices or be ritually cleansed. This would be staggering to a Jew. The religious-psychological-moral shock would be more staggering than the physical suffering. People can endure great physical privation when they know they are not suffering the disfavor of God.
Zion is to learn something from this cup of staggering. She is to alert herself to the fact that only Jehovah can deliver her from the fix she has gotten herself into. None of Jerusalem’s wise old men could rescue her from the consequences of her sins. None of Jerusalem’s bright young men had the capability to step forward and deliver her from the coming ruin. In fact, those who were capable of leadership had become so self-centered and cynical they did not even want to become involved with civic mindedness (cf. Isaiah 3:6-12; Isaiah 4:1, etc.). Jerusalem is headed for desolation, destruction, starvation and slaughter; who will rescue the remnant of Zion? Jehovah asks the rhetorical question, How shall I comfort thee? If there are no sons of Jerusalem through whom Jehovah may work, what shall be the instrument of His salvation? All the sons of Jerusalem are as helpless as the antelope caught in the hunter’s net. The Hebrew word toa is translated oryx (Gr.) in the LXX and wild bull in the KJV. It is probably the dorcas gazelle, common to Syria, Palestine and Arabia, or the oryx beatrix (Arabian oryx). The Hebrew root word, tha-‘ah, means literally, to outrun, thus signifying the antelope-gazelle animal which is extremely fast but physically weak. The men Jerusalem expected to be leaders and deliverers will become victims like everyone else. They too have drunk the cup of the Lord’s wrath dry. They have imbibed of the same heady wine of rebellion and moral corruption in which the populace has indulged. Now they will all stagger and reel. How shall Zion be delivered?
Isaiah 51:21-23 SAVED: The word therefore is meant to be understood, on account of this. On account of Zion’s inability to save herself, Jehovah will plead her case. (the Hebrew word riyv is a term of the court; cf. Isaiah 45:9; Isaiah 49:25; Isaiah 50:8). When the proper time comes, Jehovah the judge will discontinue Zion’s punishment and give the cup she was drinking into the hand of her enemies. Undoubtedly this refers initially to the deliverance from Babylonian exile. This great event is predicted over and over by Isaiah (and other prophets). It will begin in the days of Cyrus, ruler of the Persian empire. But almost always, wherever the return from the captivity is predicted, it is pointed to as the initial step in a glorious program of redemption which shall culminate in the messianic age. Jehovah certainly did not literally take away Jerusalem’s cup of staggering with the return from exile. Jerusalem suffered severe physical warfare under the Seleucids and the Romans (predicted in Daniel). There are two possible interpretations of the phrase thou shalt no more drink it again: (a) The removal of the cup was to be conditional. Jerusalem would never stagger again after the captivity as long as she remained true to Jehovah. She did not remain true as evidenced by Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, and as evidenced by her murdering of the Messiah, so Jerusalem was given the cup of staggering again; or (b) the promise is to Zion, the true Jerusalem, the Jerusalem that is above (pre-eminent, cf. Galatians 4:26), the messianic kingdom, the church. The true people of God, the born-again kingdom, shall never suffer being cut off from the presence of God as were the Jews of the exile. The N.T. church will always have its one and only sacrifice (the Lamb of God). It shall always have its sanctuary in the heavens and its Eternal High Priest. Of course it may suffer trial and tribulation in the physical sense here on earth; but it shall always enjoy the favor of God. The cup of staggering is taken from the hand of God’s true Israel by the atoning death of the Servant. He became a curse for us (cf. Galatians 3:10-14), and delivered all who submitted to the rule of God in Christ from the wrath of God that is to come upon the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1-22). The cup of staggering is put into the hand of Babylon (humanity opposed to God) and it shall reel and fall under the wrath of God (Revelation 16:19; Revelation 17:6; Revelation 18:4-8). God will accomplish all this through the Suffering Servant and for the new Zion (the N.T. church and the O.T. saints who believed which form the one great Mt. Zion pictured in Hebrews 11:22-29). And thus we approach the climactic chapter of Isaiah’s entire workchapter 53the Suffering Servant. But first the transition-chapter, chapter 52. Actually, Isaiah 52:1-12 serves as the transition from generalities concerning the Servant to particulars, and Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12 detail the specifics concerning the Servant.
The Babylonians afflicted the souls as well as the bodies of the Jewish exiles. They humiliated them, taunting them about the whereabouts of their God, Jehovah; they took their sacred vessels and priests and desecrated them in their pagan country; they forced many of them to perform pagan, idolatrous rituals. They were tortured psychologically as well as being punished physically. We should probably understand the commanded bow down as figurative. However, certain Assyrian monuments show vanquished prisoners literally bowing down or lying down on the ground while the conquerors walked on their bodies.
QUIZ
How does the cup of staggering relate to the coming messianic age?
What would stagger Zion the most?
What is Zion to learn from this?
What does the word therefore in Isaiah 51:21 indicate?
Give the two possible interpretations of thou shalt no more drink it again.
Were the people of Jerusalem literally walked on?