Does the message of salvation move from Jerusalem to the whole world? Let’s look at Isaiah 52.
Is this talking of physical circumcision only or is it possibly being circumcised of heart?
Awake, awake! Put on your strength, Zion. Put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city, for from now on the uncircumcised and the unclean will no more come into you. Shake yourself from the dust! Arise, sit up, Jerusalem! Release yourself from the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion! For Yahweh says, “You were sold for nothing; and you will be redeemed without money.” (Isa 52:1-3 WEB)
With a checkered history of slavery and captivity, did God have a purpose behind it, that Israel would know His name?
The Lord God proclaims: Long ago my people went down to reside in Egypt. Moreover, Assyria has oppressed them without cause. And now what have I here? says the Lord. My people are taken away for nothing. Their rulers wail, says the Lord, and continually all day long my name is despised. Therefore, my people will know my name on that day; I’m the one who promises it; I’m here. (Isa 52:4-6 CEB)
Did Isaiah foresee the Good News, the Gospel, for Jerusalem and all nations?
What a beautiful sight! On the mountains a messenger announces to Jerusalem, “Good news! You're saved. There will be peace. Your God is now King.” Everyone on guard duty, sing and celebrate! Look! You can see the Lord returning to Zion. Jerusalem, rise from the ruins! Join in the singing. The Lord has given comfort to his people; he comes to your rescue. The Lord has shown all nations his mighty strength; now everyone will see the saving power of our God. (Isa 52:7-10 CEV)
Are coming out of Egypt and Babylon symbolic of eternal victory?
Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. (Isa 52:11-12 ESV)
Who is this Servant who was so disfigured and who sprinkled the nations?
See, My Servant will act wisely; He will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were appalled at You—His appearance was so disfigured that He did not look like a man, and His form did not resemble a human being—so He will sprinkle many nations. Kings will shut their mouths because of Him, For they will see what had not been told them, and they will understand what they had not heard. (Isa 52:13-15 HCSB)
Did Paul quote this last verse in explaining his desire to proclaim the gospel where the name of the Messiah is not known?
Rather, as it is written, “Those who were never told about him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (Rom 15:21 ISV)
Does the message of salvation move from Jerusalem to the whole world? You decide!
Salvation (Isaiah 51)
Is salvation conditional upon obeying the entire law of Moses, or having the faith of Abraham? Let’s look at Isaiah 51.
Is Moses or Abraham the rock from which we were hewn?
Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him. For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. (Isa 51:1-3 ESV)
Is the ultimate salvation just Israel being saved from slavery and captivity, or all nations saved forever?
Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation; for instruction will come from Me, and My justice for a light to the nations. I will bring it about quickly. My righteousness is near, My salvation appears, and My arms will bring justice to the nations. The coastlands [far off lands] will put their hope in Me, and they will look to My strength. Look up to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like gnats. But My salvation will last forever, and My righteousness will never be shattered. (Isa 51:4-6 HCSB)
When hatefully insulted for our faith in God’s salvation, what should we focus on?
Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people who have my instruction in their hearts. Don’t fear the insults of mortals, and don’t be dismayed at their hateful words. For moths will eat them up just like a garment, and worms will devour them like wool; but my deliverance will last forever, and my salvation to all generations. (Isa 51:7-8 ISV)
Did God defeat the dragon and will He again grant the redeemed gladness and joy?
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab [a proud monster], and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. (Isa 51:9-11 KJV)
Is there distress in life, caused by politicians, dishonest businesses, wars, etc?
I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies And of the son of man who is made like grass, That you have forgotten Yahweh your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens And laid the foundations of the earth, That you tremble in dread continually all day long because of the wrath of the one who brings distress, As he makes ready to bring ruin? But where is the wrath of the one who brings distress? (Isa 51:12-13 LSB)
Are those who love the Lord sometimes persecuted and imprisoned in this world? Will God set them free?
The exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon, nor will his bread be lacking. For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar (the Lord of armies is His name). And I have put My words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’” (Isa 51:14-16 NASB)
Whether we suffer because of our own sins or the sins of the world, does God encourage us to look to and trust Him?
Awake, awake! Rise up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes people stagger. Among all the children she bore there was none to guide her; among all the children she reared there was none to take her by the hand. These double calamities have come upon you—who can comfort you?—ruin and destruction, famine and sword—who can console you? Your children have fainted; they lie at every street corner, like antelope caught in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the Lord, with the rebuke of your God. (Isa 51:17-20 NIV)
Though we may be drunk with pain from persecution, does God encourage us to trust His rescue, His salvation from those who walk all over us?
Therefore please hear this, you afflicted, And drunk but not with wine. Thus says your Lord, The Lord and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: “See, I have taken out of your hand The cup of trembling, The dregs of the cup of My fury; You shall no longer drink it. But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, Who have said to you, ‘Lie down, that we may walk over you.’ And you have laid your body like the ground, And as the street, for those who walk over.” (Isa 51:21-23 NKJV)
Who are the real children of Abraham spiritually speaking?
The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. (Gal 3:7 NLT)
Is salvation conditional upon obeying the entire law of Moses, or having the faith of Abraham? You decide!
Is Moses or Abraham the rock from which we were hewn?
Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him. For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. (Isa 51:1-3 ESV)
Is the ultimate salvation just Israel being saved from slavery and captivity, or all nations saved forever?
Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation; for instruction will come from Me, and My justice for a light to the nations. I will bring it about quickly. My righteousness is near, My salvation appears, and My arms will bring justice to the nations. The coastlands [far off lands] will put their hope in Me, and they will look to My strength. Look up to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like gnats. But My salvation will last forever, and My righteousness will never be shattered. (Isa 51:4-6 HCSB)
When hatefully insulted for our faith in God’s salvation, what should we focus on?
Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people who have my instruction in their hearts. Don’t fear the insults of mortals, and don’t be dismayed at their hateful words. For moths will eat them up just like a garment, and worms will devour them like wool; but my deliverance will last forever, and my salvation to all generations. (Isa 51:7-8 ISV)
Did God defeat the dragon and will He again grant the redeemed gladness and joy?
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab [a proud monster], and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. (Isa 51:9-11 KJV)
Is there distress in life, caused by politicians, dishonest businesses, wars, etc?
I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies And of the son of man who is made like grass, That you have forgotten Yahweh your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens And laid the foundations of the earth, That you tremble in dread continually all day long because of the wrath of the one who brings distress, As he makes ready to bring ruin? But where is the wrath of the one who brings distress? (Isa 51:12-13 LSB)
Are those who love the Lord sometimes persecuted and imprisoned in this world? Will God set them free?
The exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon, nor will his bread be lacking. For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar (the Lord of armies is His name). And I have put My words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’” (Isa 51:14-16 NASB)
Whether we suffer because of our own sins or the sins of the world, does God encourage us to look to and trust Him?
Awake, awake! Rise up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes people stagger. Among all the children she bore there was none to guide her; among all the children she reared there was none to take her by the hand. These double calamities have come upon you—who can comfort you?—ruin and destruction, famine and sword—who can console you? Your children have fainted; they lie at every street corner, like antelope caught in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the Lord, with the rebuke of your God. (Isa 51:17-20 NIV)
Though we may be drunk with pain from persecution, does God encourage us to trust His rescue, His salvation from those who walk all over us?
Therefore please hear this, you afflicted, And drunk but not with wine. Thus says your Lord, The Lord and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: “See, I have taken out of your hand The cup of trembling, The dregs of the cup of My fury; You shall no longer drink it. But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, Who have said to you, ‘Lie down, that we may walk over you.’ And you have laid your body like the ground, And as the street, for those who walk over.” (Isa 51:21-23 NKJV)
Who are the real children of Abraham spiritually speaking?
The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. (Gal 3:7 NLT)
Is salvation conditional upon obeying the entire law of Moses, or having the faith of Abraham? You decide!
Human Solutions (Isaiah 50)
Do human solutions naturally cause us grief? Should we trust God? Let’s look at Isaiah 50.
Has God divorced Israel or has she sold herself into her own iniquities? Why did nobody answer when God called?
Thus says the Lord: “Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce, Whom I have put away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? For your iniquities you have sold yourselves, And for your transgressions your mother has been put away. Why, when I came, was there no man? Why, when I called, was there none to answer? Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish stink because there is no water, And die of thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness, And I make sackcloth their covering.” (Isa 50:1-3 NKJV)
Is this a prophecy of Jesus, who submitted to suffering because of His love for us?
The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me, and I have listened. I have not rebelled or turned away. I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting. (Isa 50:4-6 NLT)
Do we have confidence in God’s help, setting our face hard “like flint” towards God alone, as did Jesus?
For the Lord Yahweh will help me. Therefore I have not been confounded. Therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I won’t be disappointed. He who justifies me is near. Who will bring charges against me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord Yahweh will help me! Who is he who will condemn me? Behold, they will all grow old like a garment. The moths will eat them up. (Isa 50:7-9 WEB)
Does the Servant bid us to trust in the Lord as He does? Will those who choose human solutions, to light their own fires instead of trusting God, naturally suffer grief?
Who among you fears the Lord? Who listens to the voice of his servant, who walks in darkness and has no light? They will trust in the Lord’s name, and rely upon their God. Look! All of you are kindling fire, igniting torches. Walk by the light of your fire, by the torches you have ignited. This is what will happen to you by my hand: you will lie down in grief. (Isa 50:10-11 CEB)
Do we keep our eyes on human solutions to humanity’s problems or Jesus?
We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne! (Heb 12:2 CEV)
Do human solutions naturally cause us grief? Should we trust God? You decide!
Has God divorced Israel or has she sold herself into her own iniquities? Why did nobody answer when God called?
Thus says the Lord: “Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce, Whom I have put away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? For your iniquities you have sold yourselves, And for your transgressions your mother has been put away. Why, when I came, was there no man? Why, when I called, was there none to answer? Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish stink because there is no water, And die of thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness, And I make sackcloth their covering.” (Isa 50:1-3 NKJV)
Is this a prophecy of Jesus, who submitted to suffering because of His love for us?
The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me, and I have listened. I have not rebelled or turned away. I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting. (Isa 50:4-6 NLT)
Do we have confidence in God’s help, setting our face hard “like flint” towards God alone, as did Jesus?
For the Lord Yahweh will help me. Therefore I have not been confounded. Therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I won’t be disappointed. He who justifies me is near. Who will bring charges against me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord Yahweh will help me! Who is he who will condemn me? Behold, they will all grow old like a garment. The moths will eat them up. (Isa 50:7-9 WEB)
Does the Servant bid us to trust in the Lord as He does? Will those who choose human solutions, to light their own fires instead of trusting God, naturally suffer grief?
Who among you fears the Lord? Who listens to the voice of his servant, who walks in darkness and has no light? They will trust in the Lord’s name, and rely upon their God. Look! All of you are kindling fire, igniting torches. Walk by the light of your fire, by the torches you have ignited. This is what will happen to you by my hand: you will lie down in grief. (Isa 50:10-11 CEB)
Do we keep our eyes on human solutions to humanity’s problems or Jesus?
We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne! (Heb 12:2 CEV)
Do human solutions naturally cause us grief? Should we trust God? You decide!
Light to the Nations (Isaiah 49)
Was Israel meant to be insular and exclusive or a light to the nations? Let’s look at Isaiah 49.
Is the Messiah tasked with what Israel failed to do as a nation?
Listen to me, coastlands; pay attention, peoples far away. The Lord called me before my birth, called my name when I was in my mother’s womb. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, and hid me in the shadow of God’s own hand. He made me a sharpened arrow, and concealed me in God’s quiver, saying to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I show my glory.” But I said, “I have wearied myself in vain. I have used up my strength for nothing.” Nevertheless, the Lord will grant me justice; my reward is with my God. (Isa 49:1-4 CEB)
Was the Messiah chosen to not only lead Israel back but to save the whole world?
Even before I was born, the Lord God chose me to serve him and to lead back the people of Israel. So the Lord has honored me and made me strong. Now the Lord says to me, “It isn't enough for you to be merely my servant. You must do more than lead back survivors from the tribes of Israel. I have placed you here as a light for other nations; you must take my saving power to everyone on earth.” (Isa 49:5-6 CEV)
Will the Messiah be someone despised and rejected by people?
Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” (Isa 49:7 ESV)
Is Jesus not just the mediator of a new covenant, but is He the new covenant?
This is what the Lord says: I will answer you in a time of favor, and I will help you in the day of salvation. I will keep you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to make them possess the desolate inheritances, saying to the prisoners: Come out, and to those who are in darkness: Show yourselves. They will feed along the pathways, and their pastures will be on all the barren heights.
They will not hunger or thirst, the scorching heat or sun will not strike them; for their compassionate One will guide them, and lead them to springs of water. I will make all My mountains into a road, and My highways will be raised up. See, these will come from far away, from the north and from the west, and from the land of Sinim [a distant Oriental region]. Shout for joy, you heavens! Earth, rejoice! Mountains break into joyful shouts! For the Lord has comforted His people, and will have compassion on His afflicted ones. (Isa 49:8-13 HCSB)
Doubting, did Zion think that God has abandoned her?
But Zion said, ‘The Lord has abandoned me, and my God has forgotten me.’ “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or have no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these mothers may forget; But as for me, I’ll never forget you! Look! I’ve inscribed you on the palms of my hands, and your walls are forever before me. Your builders are working faster than your destroyers, and those who devastated you go away from you. Lift up your eyes and look around—they have all gathered together and are coming to you. “As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “you will clothe yourself with all of them like ornaments, and tie them on like a bride.” (Isa 49:14-18 ISV)
Will the number of descendants of Israel be overwhelmingly large?
For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? (Isa 49:19-21 KJV)
Will nations rescue our children? Will those who hope in God not be put to shame?
Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations And make high My standard to the peoples; And they will bring your sons in their bosom, And your daughters will be lifted up on their shoulders. Kings will be your guardians, And their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth And lick the dust of your feet; And you will know that I am Yahweh; Those who hope in Me will not be put to shame. Can the prey be taken from the mighty man, Or the captives of the righteous be granted escape?” (Isa 49:22-24 LSB)
Will God rescue the prey from tyrants and save our children from their oppressors?
Indeed, this is what the Lord says: “Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away, And the prey of a tyrant will be rescued; For I will contend with the one who contends with you, And I will save your sons. I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And humanity will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Isa 49:25-26 NASB)
Did Paul and Barnabas quote verse 6 to explain their mission to the Gentiles?
For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 13:47 NIV)
Was Israel meant to be insular and exclusive or a light to the nations?
Is the Messiah tasked with what Israel failed to do as a nation?
Listen to me, coastlands; pay attention, peoples far away. The Lord called me before my birth, called my name when I was in my mother’s womb. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, and hid me in the shadow of God’s own hand. He made me a sharpened arrow, and concealed me in God’s quiver, saying to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I show my glory.” But I said, “I have wearied myself in vain. I have used up my strength for nothing.” Nevertheless, the Lord will grant me justice; my reward is with my God. (Isa 49:1-4 CEB)
Was the Messiah chosen to not only lead Israel back but to save the whole world?
Even before I was born, the Lord God chose me to serve him and to lead back the people of Israel. So the Lord has honored me and made me strong. Now the Lord says to me, “It isn't enough for you to be merely my servant. You must do more than lead back survivors from the tribes of Israel. I have placed you here as a light for other nations; you must take my saving power to everyone on earth.” (Isa 49:5-6 CEV)
Will the Messiah be someone despised and rejected by people?
Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” (Isa 49:7 ESV)
Is Jesus not just the mediator of a new covenant, but is He the new covenant?
This is what the Lord says: I will answer you in a time of favor, and I will help you in the day of salvation. I will keep you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to make them possess the desolate inheritances, saying to the prisoners: Come out, and to those who are in darkness: Show yourselves. They will feed along the pathways, and their pastures will be on all the barren heights.
They will not hunger or thirst, the scorching heat or sun will not strike them; for their compassionate One will guide them, and lead them to springs of water. I will make all My mountains into a road, and My highways will be raised up. See, these will come from far away, from the north and from the west, and from the land of Sinim [a distant Oriental region]. Shout for joy, you heavens! Earth, rejoice! Mountains break into joyful shouts! For the Lord has comforted His people, and will have compassion on His afflicted ones. (Isa 49:8-13 HCSB)
Doubting, did Zion think that God has abandoned her?
But Zion said, ‘The Lord has abandoned me, and my God has forgotten me.’ “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or have no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these mothers may forget; But as for me, I’ll never forget you! Look! I’ve inscribed you on the palms of my hands, and your walls are forever before me. Your builders are working faster than your destroyers, and those who devastated you go away from you. Lift up your eyes and look around—they have all gathered together and are coming to you. “As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “you will clothe yourself with all of them like ornaments, and tie them on like a bride.” (Isa 49:14-18 ISV)
Will the number of descendants of Israel be overwhelmingly large?
For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? (Isa 49:19-21 KJV)
Will nations rescue our children? Will those who hope in God not be put to shame?
Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations And make high My standard to the peoples; And they will bring your sons in their bosom, And your daughters will be lifted up on their shoulders. Kings will be your guardians, And their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth And lick the dust of your feet; And you will know that I am Yahweh; Those who hope in Me will not be put to shame. Can the prey be taken from the mighty man, Or the captives of the righteous be granted escape?” (Isa 49:22-24 LSB)
Will God rescue the prey from tyrants and save our children from their oppressors?
Indeed, this is what the Lord says: “Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away, And the prey of a tyrant will be rescued; For I will contend with the one who contends with you, And I will save your sons. I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And humanity will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Isa 49:25-26 NASB)
Did Paul and Barnabas quote verse 6 to explain their mission to the Gentiles?
For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 13:47 NIV)
Was Israel meant to be insular and exclusive or a light to the nations?
Peace Like a River (Isaiah 48)
Could Judah have had lasting peace all along? Let’s look at Isaiah 48.
What did God say about the obstinate hearts of Judah?
Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is his name. I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. (Isa 48:1-5 KJV)
How long has Judah been a transgressor and her ear not open to listen to God?
You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I caused you to hear new things from this time, Even hidden things which you have not known. They are created now and not long ago; And before today you have not heard them, Lest you say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’ Indeed, you have not heard; indeed, you have not known. Indeed, even from long ago your ear has not been open Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously; And you have been called a transgressor from the womb. (Isa 48:6-8 LSB)
Why did God delay His wrath and restrain it from cutting Judah off?
For the sake of My name I delay My wrath, And for My praise I restrain it for you, In order not to cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another. (Isa 48:9-11 NASB)
Who is the real God of the Universe? Will God direct Cyrus to carry out His purpose against Babylon?
Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last. My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.
Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The Lord’s chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon; his arm will be against the Babylonians. I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission. (Isa 48:12-15 NIV)
What would have given Israel peace like a river, and righteousness like the waves of the sea?
“Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and His Spirit Have sent Me.” Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.
Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me.” (Isa 48:16-19 NKJV)
Will Israel leave Babylonian captivity with singing and shouting?
Yet even now, be free from your captivity! Leave Babylon and the Babylonians. Sing out this message! Shout it to the ends of the earth! The Lord has redeemed his servants, the people of Israel. They were not thirsty when he led them through the desert. He divided the rock, and water gushed out for them to drink. “But there is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord. (Isa 48:20-22 NLT)
Why have the nations been unable to find lasting peace on earth?
The way of peace, they haven’t known. (Rom 3:17 WEB)
Could Judah have had lasting peace all along? You decide!
What did God say about the obstinate hearts of Judah?
Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is his name. I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. (Isa 48:1-5 KJV)
How long has Judah been a transgressor and her ear not open to listen to God?
You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I caused you to hear new things from this time, Even hidden things which you have not known. They are created now and not long ago; And before today you have not heard them, Lest you say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’ Indeed, you have not heard; indeed, you have not known. Indeed, even from long ago your ear has not been open Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously; And you have been called a transgressor from the womb. (Isa 48:6-8 LSB)
Why did God delay His wrath and restrain it from cutting Judah off?
For the sake of My name I delay My wrath, And for My praise I restrain it for you, In order not to cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another. (Isa 48:9-11 NASB)
Who is the real God of the Universe? Will God direct Cyrus to carry out His purpose against Babylon?
Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last. My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.
Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The Lord’s chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon; his arm will be against the Babylonians. I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission. (Isa 48:12-15 NIV)
What would have given Israel peace like a river, and righteousness like the waves of the sea?
“Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and His Spirit Have sent Me.” Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.
Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me.” (Isa 48:16-19 NKJV)
Will Israel leave Babylonian captivity with singing and shouting?
Yet even now, be free from your captivity! Leave Babylon and the Babylonians. Sing out this message! Shout it to the ends of the earth! The Lord has redeemed his servants, the people of Israel. They were not thirsty when he led them through the desert. He divided the rock, and water gushed out for them to drink. “But there is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord. (Isa 48:20-22 NLT)
Why have the nations been unable to find lasting peace on earth?
The way of peace, they haven’t known. (Rom 3:17 WEB)
Could Judah have had lasting peace all along? You decide!
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