Daily Bible Devotionals

“Who can I speak to and give such a warning that they will listen? Look, their ear is uncircumcised, so they cannot pay attention. See, the Word of the Lord has become contemptible to them – they find no pleasure in it. But I am full of the Lord’s wrath; I am tired of holding it back.” Jeremiah 6:10-11a (HCSB)

For all of my adult life, I have been in the Christian music business. Writing songs leads to recording; recording leads to touring, and touring has led me through the doorways of over 1000 churches in all 50 of our United States. The Lord has given me a privileged survey of the “church-at-large” in America, and one consistent trend I have noticed is a departure from the Bible. More and more, I see preachers who use the Bible to teach lessons but have no strategy to comprehensively teach the whole counsel of God to their congregations. Less and less does a pastor even carry his Bible to the pulpit. So, is it any wonder that today’s Church strives for cultural relevance more than Biblical adherence? They are more preoccupied with “not offending” non-believers than with offending God. When did systems & processes replace soul-winning and proclamation?

What is sad about today’s chapter is how it seems to describe the present-day Church in America as much as it describes ancient Judah and Jerusalem. Why wouldn’t people accept Jeremiah’s message? They could not distinguish Jeremiah’s words from those of the false prophets and wicked priests.  

“For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the brokenness of my people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace.” Jeremiah 6:13-14 (NASB)

And why couldn’t they distinguish truth from falsehood? Because they had abandoned the Word of the Lord, the ancient path which leads to what is good.

“This is what the Lord says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths: Which is the way to what is good? Then take it and find rest for yourselves. But they protested, ‘We won’t!’ I appointed watchmen over you and said: Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn. But they protested, ‘We won’t listen!’” Jeremiah 6:16-17 (HCSB)

Notice that Jeremiah alludes that there is more than one “ancient path,” but only ONE leads to what is good. Jesus says,

“…I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (HCSB)

Why do we believers study God’s Word every day? To honor, worship, and obey Him, to nurture our personal relationships with Him so we won’t get fooled again!

“Listen, earth! I am about to bring disaster on these people, the fruit of their own plotting, for they paid no attention to My Word. They have rejected My instruction.” Jeremiah 6:19 (HCSB)

“If you return, Israel – this is the Lord’s declaration –you will return to Me, if you remove your detestable idols from My presence and do not waver, then you can swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in truth, in justice and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him and will pride themselves in Him. For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up the unplowed ground; do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it because of your evil deeds.” Jeremiah 4:1-4 (HCSB)

Today’s chapter begins with a solemn call to repentance but quickly moves to an arresting prediction of judgment. Judah’s repentance must not be superficial; it must be sincere. “Break up the unplowed ground; do not sow among thorns.”

It is a matter of fact that people do not surrender their lives to Jesus out of convenience.  Rather, they surrender out of desperation. Salvation is not an arbitrary decision. Nobody says, “I could go fishing today, or maybe I’ll follow Jesus.” Consider my salvation story. I grew up around Christians and heard the gospel hundreds of times but never responded. I felt I was doing just fine on my own and didn’t see where I needed to change anything.

But the Lord allowed difficult circumstances in my life, which “plowed my ground,” so to speak. My unresponsive, rebellious spirit was broken, and that season of broken desperation created the perfect “soil condition” for new seed. Before God’s “plowing,” my heart was full of deep-rooted cynical thorns. He prepared good ground for the good seed of His gospel, the perfect conditions from which to choose Him.

This is precisely what God does with Judah and Jerusalem in today’s chapter. He is commanding them to look past their outward religious appearance (or what’s left of it) and focus on the internal: their hearts. It is possible for one to go through the motions of religion: learn to speak, act, and serve in the manner of a true believer, yet to do so without having surrendered their heart to Jesus. As pertains to being a follower of Jesus, the “heart of the matter” is a matter of the heart. A true believer is, first, one inwardly. Their inward transformation motivates good works. The non-believer may do good works, but eventually, their core motivation will be exposed to be selfishly motivated, to be seen as righteous by men instead of pleasing the Lord.

Judah was beyond trying to appear righteous; they were openly idolatrous. They had abandoned God’s command for their lives to be consumed with His Word.  

“These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (HCSB)

The over-arching lesson today is that God is holy. He will righteously judge sin - even among His children - and He commands our hearts to be separate, undivided, and completely devoted to Him. “Echad” (One) as He is Echad.  Deut 6:1-5; John 17:21

“Return unfaithful Israel. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will not look on you with anger, for I am unfailing in My love. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt – you have rebelled against the Lord your God. You have scattered your favors under every green tree and have not obeyed My voice. This is the Lord’s declaration. ‘Return, you faithless children’ – this is the Lord’s declaration – ‘for I am your master, and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. I will give you shepherds who are loyal to Me, and they will shepherd you with knowledge and skill.’” Jeremiah 3:12b-15 (HCSB)

Unlike the discourse of denunciation in Chapter 2, this second prophecy is one of repentance with a message of hope for all who would return to the Lord. First, though, it also contains a solemn warning in the form of an object lesson.  

Judah knew the Lord had given Israel a “decree of divorce” (verse 8) for her idolatry. Yet she imitated Israel’s evil examples. Judah’s sin was worse because she had seen God’s punishment for Israel’s idolatry. Therefore, Judah could expect a similar discipline.

An attempt at reform had been made under the leadership of good king Josiah, yet Judah had not returned to the Lord with her “whole heart,” only in pretense. Certain outward forms of religion had been established, but there had been no true repentance and obedience. (verses 6-10)

While Judah awaited her fall and exile, the Lord turned to Israel with an offer of mercy to all who would return to Him.  Israel had been deported for many long years, but to His “wife” whom He had “put away,” there came a call to repentance and a promise of restoration. The Lord’s message is addressed to the wretched remnant of a fallen nation, but it constitutes a direct message of hope to Israel and an implied one for Judah. (and to us!)  She, too, might be restored to divine favor if she should return to the Lord.

It is important to note that restoration would be granted to a purified remnant. From this remnant, a new people of Israel would be developed and brought to Zion: one person from a city and two from a family. Not ALL Israel (or Judah) would repent, which is the crux of the apostle Paul’s statement:

“Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” Romans 9:6 (HCSB)

The kings of this remnant would “shepherd” the nation “with knowledge and understanding.” Religion, for them, would not be a matter of forms and symbols but an experience of the heart. Even the sacred Ark, which stood in the Holy of Holies “would neither be remembered nor replaced.” (Jeremiah 3:16). Jerusalem would be called the “throne of the Lord,” and all the nations would be gathered to it.

Interestingly, there is no record that the Ark ever returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exiles returned. Therefore, at Jesus’ crucifixion, when the curtain was torn in the Holy of Holies, it quite possibly revealed the Ark’s absence, as well as ushered in a new era where the Holy Spirit would reside in the hearts of men, teaching them the truth of God’s Word. Luke 23:45; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Mathew 23:8-10

“Has a nation ever exchanged its gods? (but they were not gods!)  Yet My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols. Be horrified at this, heavens; be shocked and utterly appalled. This is the Lord’s declaration. For My people have committed a double evil: they abandoned Me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:11-13 (HCSB)

The Samaritans were “half-breeds”: part Jewish and part Gentile. When Israel returned (from their 70-year exile), the Samarians were not considered “Jewish,” and they were prohibited from worship at the Temple. Why? They were the living proof of Israel’s past apostasy. That is why the Jews hated them. The Samaritans were a constant reminder of Israel’s national sin of inter-marrying, which led to their idolatry. Today’s chapter is very similar to the first half of John, chapter 4: The Samaritan Woman at The Well. Compare Jeremiah’s (above) “living water” with Jesus’ use of the same imagery.  

“A woman from Samaria came to draw water. ‘Give Me a drink,’ Jesus said to her, for His disciples had gone into town to buy food. ‘How is it that You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ she asked Him. ‘For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.’ Jesus answered, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would ask Him, and He would give you living water.’” John 4:7-10 (HCSB)

Furthermore, consider Jeremiah’s imagery of “virgin-turned-harlot” Israel in relation to Jesus’ revelation of the Samaritan woman’s five husbands...the same number of nations who had controlled Israel between Jeremiah and Jesus.

“Can a young woman forget her jewelry or a bride her sash? Yet My people have forgotten me for countless days. How skillfully you pursue love; you also teach evil women your ways.” Jeremiah 2:32-33 (HCSB)

“‘Go call your husband,’ He told her, ‘and come back here.’  ‘I don’t have a husband,’ she answered. ‘You have correctly said, “I don’t have a husband.”’ Jesus said. ‘For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.’”  John 4:16-17 (ESV)

Jesus and this woman have a verbal exchange (John 4:19-24) about the Samaritan forefathers’ digging the well and commanding them to worship on a mountain other than Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. But Jesus tells her how, in the future, it won’t matter what mountain people worship on. Rather, they should worship in “spirit and in truth .”When we place our faith and trust in Jesus at the moment of salvation, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, whose ministry is to reveal the Word of God. Literally, we worship Him in “Spirit and Truth” when we read His Word, enabled by His Spirit, who reveals more and more of God to us each day.

“The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us?’  ‘I Am He,’ Jesus told her, ‘the One you are speaking of.’” John 4:25-26 (HCSB)

“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.’ Then said I: ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.’ But the Lord said to me: ‘Do not say, “I am a youth,” for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.’” Jeremiah 1:4-10 (NKJV)

We all have excuses for why we cannot follow God’s calling.  

Moses had an excuse.

“Then Moses said to the Lord, ‘O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.’” Exodus 4:10 (NKJV)

Isaiah had one.

“So I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5 (NKJV)

Gideon had one:

“And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!’ Gideon said to Him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, “Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?” But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.’ Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?’ So he said to Him, ‘O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’”  Judges 6:12-15 (NKJV)

Do you struggle for the right words to share the gospel? Not a problem for God! (Luke 12:11)  Sinful lips? God has a fix for that. (Ephesians 4:22-24) Are you weak? His strength is made perfect in weakness! (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)   Too young in the faith to be taken seriously? Faith has no age limit. (1 Timothy 4:12-15)

So, let’s cut to the chase. What is your excuse for not faithfully responding to God’s call? I am not talking about the call to salvation. I am talking about how, now that we are saved, we must be willing to follow His leading: all day, every day. Let’s be about the tasks He ordained for us when He formed us in our mother’s womb!

“Look down from Heaven and see from Your lofty home – holy and beautiful. Where is Your zeal and Your might? Your yearning and compassion are withheld from me. You are our Father, even though Abraham does not know us and Israel doesn’t recognize us. You, Lord, are your Father; from ancient times, Your name is our Redeemer.” Isaiah 63:15-16 (HCSB)

At the heart of Isaiah’s prayer is Israel’s need for revival. But what is revival? Today’s chapter brings out some important aspects of it.

First, the Lord makes His presence and power known suddenly and dramatically. All revivals are marked by a mysterious, irresistible sense that God is near. His power is felt in an awesome way – like the way He had shown Himself at the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. Someone who witnessed a revival in the 1800s said, “It was so evidently the work of God that not a dog dared move his tongue!”

Secondly, revival has a sense of holy fear. When God comes down, the nations tremble. Pride and arrogance are humbled. Unbelievers are convicted of their sins; believers are humbled and worship the majesty of God. During the Great Awakening in the eighteenth century (in Britain and New England), entire nations were affected; leaders were raised up, laws were changed, patterns of life were altered, and places of sin were abandoned. When God moves, everything is affected by it.

Thirdly, revival is a display of God’s righteous rule. It is the “impotence” of the Church-at-large that necessitates the cry for God’s coming. Revival is the sovereign work of God. By that, I mean that unless God comes and comes powerfully, there can be no revival. George Whitefield made thirteen trips to America in his lifetime, but only on one occasion (1740-1742) did revival break out. On the other hand, after a period of unparalleled blessing in his preaching in Scotland, William Charles Burns went to China and labored faithfully for twenty-one years with little fruit. That is why we must pray for revival instead of solely working toward it.

Fourthly, revival is a display of God’s mercy. God had withdrawn from Israel, but only for a season. He was angry, and He stood outside the door of the Temple, so to speak. The people’s hearts were hardened, and they had grown insensitive to the demands of the Lord. Things had reached the point where it was hard to distinguish Israel from the other nations. Can the same be said of us believers today? You see, when we act as the nations, we are rebuked as the nations. Were it not for God’s mercy (not giving the fullness of the punishment deserved), we would be utterly destroyed in His presence!

Lastly, during revival, there is a sudden conversion of sinners in great numbers. Most recently, the “Jesus Movement” of the 1960s and 70s is an excellent example of such a rush of new believers. Could the Lord be leading us to read His Word daily (literally, thousands of people are reading the Bible w/us daily) because He is sowing in us the seeds of readiness for such a coming revival?

“For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make will endure before Me” – the Lord’s declaration – “so will your offspring and your name endure. All mankind will come to worship Me, from one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, says the Lord. As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against Me; for their maggots will never die, their fire will go out, and they will be a horror to all mankind.” Isaiah 66:22-24 (HCSB)

Having begun his prophecy with a statement of Israel’s sinful and apostate condition, Isaiah closes with a vision of the new heavens and the new earth.  

“Comfort, comfort My people, says your God.” Isaiah 40:1 (HCSB)

The word of “comfort” promised in chapter 40:1 has by now reached its climax. Throughout the exile, the true Jew lived inwardly as an inhabitant not so much of a foreign prison but of his own broken heart. The healing of that broken heart has come through the prophet’s evangelical insistence on the centrality of Messiah in the redemption of God’s covenant people. Jesus came to provide the atonement necessary for sinners to be reconciled to God.  

Isaiah portrayed God as the sovereign Lord of history and as the supreme Creator of the universe, powerful and majestic. He made the very planets that ignorant men were worshipping. He knows the end from the beginning, determining the outcome of the universe. In short, Israel’s exile was no accident but part of His plan. It was God’s punishment for Judah’s apostasy, but He arranged a way back for the remnant, those who remained faithful and believed through it all.  

Yet for all God’s power and holiness, He is also tender and gracious. This reality of God is lost on many “New Testament” Christians. That is, many people believe there are two “Gods” in the Bible. To them, the “Old Testament” God is angry and unappeasable. Their “New Testament” God is loving and gracious. Isaiah describes God in both terms. He is obviously holy and powerful…but also Israel’s Lover (43:4), their Mother (49:15), and their Husband (54:5). It is inconceivable – blasphemous even – to think that He would abandon his own people. “His people,” Isaiah is quick to point out, are those whose righteousness is counted to them when they believe, by faith, in Messiah. Nobody expects to see Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:25-33), Korah (Numbers 16:32-33), or Judas (Matthew 26:23-25) in Heaven…even though they are all Jews. Simply being Jewish does not ensure salvation. Only those who lived in faithful expectation-of (pre-advent) and faithful belief-in (post-resurrection) Messiah Jesus will be saved.

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6 (NKJV)

The good news of the gospel is that while salvation comes exclusively through Messiah, it is offered to men of all nations who will believe in Jesus by His grace through faith.

“I was sought by those who did not ask; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said: Here I am, here I am, to a nation that was not called by My name. I spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people who walk in the wrong path, following their own thoughts. These people continually provoke Me to My face, sacrificing in gardens, burning incense on bricks, sitting among the graves, spending nights in secret places, eating swine’s flesh, and polluted broth in their bowls. They say, ‘Keep to yourself, don’t come near me, for I am holy for you!’  These practices are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.” Isaiah 65:1-5 (HCSB)

The prayer for revival in chapter 64 is answered in the opening verses of chapter 65. God’s answer to Isaiah’s prayer for revival is of such magnitude that we are meant to learn from it and be thankful. Israel’s near-dead condition would not last long – at least, not as God measures time.

God’s answers to our prayers are sometimes in terms that surpass our understanding. Even though we struggle to think His thoughts (based on our comprehension of what we have read in the Bible), we must understand that His ways and thoughts are so different than ours, to the point that unless He reveals His thoughts, we could only guess them, at best.

It is possible to see the remaining two chapters (65-66) as the answer to the prayer of Isaiah 64.

“After all this, O Lord, will You hold Yourself back? Will You keep silent and punish us beyond measure?”  Isaiah 64:12 (NIV)

The answer, in part, is as follows: God will show Himself to a multitude larger than you can imagine. His people, though they may be in a pitiful condition at present, will be restored to prosperity. Even though Israel was chosen as God’s special nation, not everyone in Israel chose the Lord. (i.e., not every Israelite was a true believer)

“For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” Romans 9:6b (NIV)

What distinguishes the true community of God is not the division between Jew & Gentile but between those who “seek” God and those who “forsake” Him.  (65:10-11)

When the apostle Paul saw that far more Gentiles than Jews believed in Jesus, he faced a problem for which he needed a Scriptural answer. He found it in Isaiah’s prophecy, and he said so in Romans 10:20-21, where he quoted Isaiah 65:1-2. The obstinate Jews of Isaiah’s day (who were intent on pursuing their own ways) were cut off, whereas Gentiles – a nation who did not call on God – were grafted in. (Romans 11:22-24). Salvation has always come by grace, through faith, whether the believer is Jew or Gentile. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 21:43; Deuteronomy 32:5-6, 21)

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord, to glorify Him.” Isaiah 61:1-3 (HCSB)

In today’s chapter, the covenant is referred to as “an everlasting covenant” (61:8). Isaiah has mentioned it before in chapter 55:1-5. Jeremiah and Ezekiel also use this same phrase and call it “the New Covenant.”

“‘Look, the days are coming’ – this is the Lord’s declaration - ‘When I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt – a covenant they broke even though I had married them’ – the Lord’s declaration. ‘Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days’ – the Lord’s declaration. ‘I will place My instruction within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be My people. No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying: Know the Lord, for they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them’ – the Lord’s declaration. ‘For I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin.’” Jeremiah 31:31-34 (HCSB)

It is important to note that (what we refer to as) the “New Testament” is translated in Hebrew as “B’rit Hadashah” (New Covenant). The close connection between “everlasting covenant” and “new covenant” in today’s chapter reminds us that the “newness” of the New Covenant is the quality of freshness and fulfillment. It is not that God abandons what He had been doing with Israel in the “old” and begins afresh with the Church in the “new.” Instead, He brings to the forefront what had been there all along in the “old” yet was not understood. Several features of the everlasting, or “new,” covenant are underlined in today’s chapter; together, they lead to the conclusion that all who believe in Messiah Jesus and follow Him by faith alone are “a people the Lord has blessed.” (61:9)

Jesus took the Passover cup and said,

“This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you,” Luke 22:20b (NKJV)

Jesus declared Himself (and His ministry) to be the consummation of a historical process of prediction and preparation. He saw today’s passage as a crucial one in setting the terms and mandate of His own mission. Following His baptism and temptation in the wilderness, Jesus entered His hometown synagogue, where, armed with Isaiah 58:6, He declared himself as the fulfillment of today’s passage. (Luke 4:17-21). Strangely, these bold words did not make people want to kill Jesus. It was His recalling to their memory how God had shown mercy to faithful Gentiles and not to unfaithful Israel.

“I will not keep silent because of Zion, and I will not keep still because of Jerusalem until her righteousness shines like a bright light, and her salvation like a flaming torch. Nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You will be called by a new name that the Lord’s mouth will announce. You will be a glorious crown in the Lord’s hand, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God. You will no longer be called ‘Deserted,’ and your land will not be called ‘Desolate’; instead, you will be called ‘My Delight is in Her,’ and your land ‘Married’; for the Lord delights in you, and your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:1-5 (HCSB)

Chapter 62 opens with yet another poem in verses 1-5 in today’s passage. Commentators are divided as to who the “I” is. Some think it may be Isaiah himself. If that were the case, it would mean that the prophet would not rest until the things predicted came to pass. Of course, we know that was not the case.

Others argue that the Lord is speaking here, which is my belief. That means that God Himself will not rest until what He has promised is fulfilled. Having spoken, He is eager to bring it to pass. God is always like that, anxious to show us He can be trusted. He is utterly dependable. He will not rest until the salvation that He promised for His people is accomplished.

The righteousness of Zion alluded to in the last verse of chapter 61, will shine out like the dawn. This is what Jesus does for sinners:  He makes them shine. (Ephesians 4:18; 5:8) The counterpart of this picture is Malachi’s description of the coming of Messiah.

“…the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings…” Malachi 4:2 (HCSB)

The Church-at-large is Messiah’s bride. The wedding gown and jewelry of 61:10 now make way for her change of name. We are familiar with the concept that new wives change their names. So, it is here in Isaiah’s prophecy. She will be called “Hephzibah”. (My delight is in her), as opposed to “Deserted,” and the land in which she lived will be called “Beulah” (married) as opposed to “Desolate.” Any wonder that faithful believers pray earnestly the Lord will bring forth the wedding day?

This whole “change of names” theme is very much like the story of the prophet Hosea.

“When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him: Go and marry a promiscuous wife and have children of promiscuity, for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity by abandoning the Lord.” Hosea 1:2 (CBS)

Two of Hosea’s children’s names were: “No Compassion” and “Not My People.” Of course, Hosea’s God-commanded adulterous marriage (and its subsequent offspring) was a greater metaphor for Israel’s spiritual adultery. Isaiah’s message is similar to Hosea’s: When we repent, our identities change. Hence, God changes our names.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you. For, look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the Lord will shine over you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your radiance. Raise your eyes and look around: they all gather and come to you; your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried on the hip. Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will tremble and rejoice, because the riches of the sea will become yours, and the wealth of the nations will come over you. Caravans of camels will cover your land – young camels of Midian and Ephah – all of them will come from Sheba. They will carry gold and frankincense and proclaim the praises of the Lord.” Isaiah 60:1-6 (HCSB)

We are, of course, familiar with the fact that Gentiles (non-Jews) comprise the majority in the Church today. But in Isaiah’s day, this was not so. For many of Isaiah’s generation, it was unthinkable that Gentiles could be counted among God’s people. The historic precedence of Gentile believers is clearly articulated in the Torah yet almost completely overlooked by the Jewish community, even today. It is true that Ruth, Tamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba were all accounted for as righteous. (See also: Matthew 1)  But they were an exception, not a rule. I say this to help you feel the gravity of Isaiah’s insistence on the coming influx of Gentiles, counted among God’s people, by faith in Messiah.

The closing chapters of Isaiah depict this Gentile influx but go beyond it. The language is exalted. It depicts things that transcend even our own era. For us, the “Gentile believer phenomenon” is commonplace. Much of the shock of Isaiah’s message is lost on us because we are literally living in an era of fulfillment (in part) of Isaiah’s prophecy.   In our day, the uncommon thing is to find JEWS who believe Jesus is Messiah, although Jewish believers are growing in number. Isaiah points beyond our understanding of his generation’s “things to come.”  

We should keep in mind the fact that Revelation 21, with its picture of the New Jerusalem, draws heavily on Isaiah 60. So much so that the apostle John is considered the “Isaiah” of the New Testament. The nations will walk by the light of the holy city, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. (Revelation 21:24)  This may also be an allusion to the star that appeared over Bethlehem at the birth of Jesus. (Matthew 2:1-12)  Further references to the wealth and riches, including “gold and incense,” together with “camels” from far-away places, maybe an even clearer reference to wise men who came “from the east” to present their gifts to Jesus. (See also: Psalm 72:10-11)

Clearly, today’s passage is an announcement of God’s intention to gather a worldwide harvest through the gospel. The “sons and daughters” are of every nationality. The nations, islands, and foreigners comprise a large part of those who “honor the Lord .”They are pictured as doves coming home to their lofts. Have you come home yet? There is still time to place your faith in Him, who draws all men unto Himself. So, have you come home to roost, or have you flown the coop, still looking for a safe place to land? (Matthew 11:28)

“Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil is plundered.  The Lord saw that there was no justice, and He was offended.  He saw that there was no man – He was amazed that there was no one interceding; so His own arm brought salvation and His own righteousness supported Him.  He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and He wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak.”  Isaiah 59:15-17 (HCSB)

When God’s patience runs out, He puts on His clothes and weapons of war.  The well-known imagery of the Christian soldier in Ephesians is based on today’s passage.

“Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil.  For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the World powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.  This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day and having prepared everything to take your stand.  Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandals with readiness for the gospel of peace.  In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word.”  Ephesians 6:10-17 (HCSB) - (see also Psalm 18:9-15)

This vision is the same one that John gives of Messiah in Revelation 19:11-21 when he depicts Him as a Warrior who comes to judge the World on the last day.  Put simply, God is displeased with injustice.  Sin is at the root of injustice, and Satan is the root of all sin.  

Our duty, to go into battle against His enemies, equipped with the full armor of God, is merely a reflection of Jesus Himself.  His enemy is our enemy…and that enemy is a spiritual one.  In fact, the armor the Bible commands us to don is spiritual in nature.  Each piece is designed to protect in a specific way…but no one part can comprehensively defend.  That is, our breastplate does not protect our head or feet; hence, the command to put on the FULL armor.

Notice that among all these defensive items, there is only one piece of armor that is used for offense: The Sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word.  And Who is God’s Word?  Jesus.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with him in the beginning, and apart from Him, not one thing was created.  Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men.  That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.”  John 1:1-5 (HCSB) - (see also: John 1:14)

The believer is equipped for defense, but our power to OVERCOME is the same source as Isaiah describes today.  We go through the motions of obedience, but Jesus provides the victory.  Where we cannot defend against sin and Satan, Jesus completely destroys!

“At that, when you call, the Lord will answer; when you cry out, He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you get rid of the yoke from those around you, the finger pointing and malicious speaking, and if you offer yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.” Isaiah 58:9-10 (HCSB)

Humility shows itself in a willingness to turn away from sin and toward God. This is a spirit that is obviously lacking in the Southern Kingdom of Judah’s attitude to worship in Isaiah 58, a chapter that contrasts true and false worship.  

“The Lord does not see as man sees;. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b (NKJV)

There are indications in today’s passage of formal religion, but it is a religion with which God is displeased. Both negative and positive aspects are highlighted. We learn that “formal religion” is not (in and of itself) “true religion .”When a transformed heart is absent from worship, good works are meaningless and void of proper Biblical motive and Spirit-leading. The evidence of Israel’s distortion of proper worship is “doing as one pleases” and is a hindrance to prayer.  

True religion is a “heart religion,” leading to true joy and true happiness.   The outworking of heart religion expresses itself within formal religion but places good works in proper perspective. Of course, we know this is a message that Jesus saw as important to teach us. The same yoke (burdensome religious ways) that Isaiah exposed as “false religion,” Jesus offers to relieve us of if we will repent from our sin and come under His “yoke” through a personal saving relationship with Him.

“Come to Me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Place My yoke over your shoulders, and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble. Then you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (GNT)

Furthermore, James, Jesus’ half-brother, also felt it was important to point out the hypocrisy inherent in Israel’s worship and distinguish between false and true “religion” among people who professed to be believers.  

“If anyone thinks that he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 1:26-27 (ESV)

Perhaps you have spent much time in or around Church. But are you certain that you are truly following Jesus? Many have bought into “Jesus-themed” religion, clinging to a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. (2 Timothy 3:1-5) Of such, Jesus will say, “Turn away, I never knew you!” (Matthew 7:22-23)

“No foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord should say, ‘The Lord will exclude me from His people’; and the eunuch should not say, ‘Look, I am a dried-up tree.’  For the Lord says this: For the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold firmly to My covenant, I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters. Will give each of them an everlasting name that will never be cut off.”  Isaiah 56:3-5 (HCSB)

In today’s chapter, once more, Isaiah raises expectations that Messiah’s coming is near:

“…my salvation is close at hand and My righteousness will soon be revealed.” Isaiah 56:1 (NIV)

Consequently, those who have received God’s blessing of salvation should be serious in their concern to be holy. “Doing what is right” and keeping one’s “hand from doing evil” involves a concern for the fourth commandment: Remember the Sabbath day. In fact, three different types of “Sabbath keepers” are mentioned: Repentant Jews, foreigners, and eunuchs. All three had a burden that needed to be lifted, a barrier between them and worship. Knowing the word “Sabbath” translates as both “seven” and “rest,” consider Jesus’ words.

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (HCSB)

The eunuch was burdened because he was barred from worshipping in God’s temple because of his physical deformity.  

“No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 23:1 (NKJV)

This makes the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch in the Book of Acts even more powerful. Most likely a dispersed Jew and obedient pilgrim, the Ethiopian eunuch had traveled to Jerusalem to worship and most likely had stayed over for Shavuot (Pentecost) and heard of the strange happenings there. He was faithful despite being barred from entering the Temple complex. Now, on his way home, he was reading the Isaiah scroll (not readily available to non-Jews) in Isaiah 53. That is when God sent Philip to him.  

“So he (Philip) got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem and was sitting in his chariot on his way home reading the prophet Isaiah aloud. The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go and join that chariot.’”  Acts 8:27-29 (HCSB)

I have no doubt that Philip continued reading all the way to Isaiah 56, where this eunuch would have learned that Jesus had made him “kosher,” so to speak. Through Messiah, this eunuch was given a memorial and a name. See, eunuchs had no name to pass on because they were unable to father children. But this eunuch’s name was now “The Lord’s son,” and his memorial would be his spiritual children who would come forth because of his gospel testimony. So, what is your name and memorial?

“‘Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.’”  Isaiah 55:1-2 (NIV)

Isaiah 55 is a gospel call. It is an urgent and passionate call to the lost. Isaiah 55 has been called God’s own gospel sermon: the entire chapter is in first person singular. The offer is universal and sincere, directed to all who are hopeless.

It immediately reminds us of a similar expression used by Jesus in His encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.

“Jesus said, ‘Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I give him will never get thirsty again – ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life.’” John 4:13-14 (HCSB)

Relieving hunger by supplying bread reminds us of Jesus’ words on the occasion of feeding the 5000.

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” John 6:48-51 (HCSB)

Three matters are worth noting in today’s passage:

1) The recipients of the call are needy. They have no money; they have nothing with which to bargain with God for their salvation. Jesus’ parable of the great banquet ends with an invitation:

“‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and lame!’” Luke 14:21b (HCSB)

2) God genuinely desires the salvation of all sinners. Isaiah began his prophecy with these words:

“‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)

3) Salvation is by grace, alone:

“For it is by grace that you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God - not of works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) (see also: Romans 3:24-28)

“‘Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; don’t be humiliated for you will not be disgraced. For you will forget the shame of your youth, and you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood. For your husband is your Maker – His name is YHVH of Hosts – and the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth. For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,’ says your God. ‘I deserted you for a brief moment, but I will take you back with great compassion.’”  Isaiah 54:4-7 (HCSB)

It is essential to understand that you are reading a prophecy. God is telling His “Bride” that He will take her back, even before He has sent her away. It is important to understand that because otherwise, God seems wishy-washy, as if He cannot make up His mind or is an emotional wreck.  

So, what is the value of this knowledge? It restores our trust in the Lord. It reminds us that He will “never leave or forsake us,” which is the core of the security of our salvation. Essentially, the Lord tells His “Bride” that while He will put her out for a season, His intention is not to leave her forever. There are times when, because of our personal sins, believers feel distant or even forsaken by God. If you are indeed a believer, even though you are a disobedient believer, the Lord is only intent on your restoration and not your damnation. Repent and approach the Lord. He is our faithful “Husband”.

The idea of “union and communion” lies at the heart of the Old Testament understanding of God’s relationship with his people. The Bible describes this relationship in four terms: Father/Son, Master/Slave, Shepherd/Sheep, and Husband/Wife.  

One of the most charismatic phrases that Paul uses in the New Testament is “in Messiah (Christ) Jesus .”(1 Corinthians 1:2; Eph 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1)  Parallel this with another emphasis: “Messiah is ‘in’ the believer .”(Romans 8:10; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27)  Together, these two concepts indicate the closeness of the “marriage” bond between Messiah and His people. Jesus expands this idea even further:

“I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message. May they all be one, as You, Father are in Me and I am in You.  May they also be one in Us, so the World may believe You sent Me.” John 17:20-21 (HCSB)

Jesus desires that just as He is in the Father and the Father is in Him, we should share in that relationship: in the Father and Him.   Furthermore, that is how closely we believers should be with each other: One. Truly, the “Bride of Messiah” (singular) is actually the sum of all believers. As a husband and wife become “one,” so is the relationship of Jesus to His Bride. That means He is completely devoted and intimately concerned with the Church at large and with us as individuals at the same time. He cares for his “Bride” corporately, and He cares for you personally.

“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:10-12 (NKJV)

There are certain Bible passages that were of great importance with respect to understanding Jesus. Perhaps no other passage from the Tanakh (Old Testament) is as crucial as Isaiah 53. Jesus Himself quoted Isaiah 53:12 and applied it to Himself.

“For I say to you that this which is written must still be [a]accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.” Luke 22:37 (NKJV)

On other occasions, when Jesus declared that He “must suffer many things” and that He had not “come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 8:31; 10:45), He was also alluding to Isaiah 53.

Of great significance is the fact that the major contributors to the New Testament refer to at least eight different verses from Isaiah 53. Verse 1 is quoted by John and applied to Jesus (John 12:38); Matthew cites verse 4 about how Jesus healed (Matthew 8:17); and verses 5, 6, 9, and 11 are picked up by Peter (1 Peter 2:22-25).

Others have suggested that the various statements in the New Testament, to the effect that Jesus should be “rejected” and “taken away,” are taken from Isaiah 53. His being “buried” like a criminal without any preparatory anointing, the parable of the stronger man who “divides up the spoils,” His silence before the judges, His intercession for the transgressors, and His laying down His life for others – all these are rooted in Isaiah 53.

Every verse of today’s chapter, except verse 2, is directly applied to Jesus in the New Testament, some verses several times. There is good evidence that Jesus’ whole public ministry: His immersion, healing, teaching, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension - are all seen as a fulfillment of the pattern foretold in Isaiah 53.

Today, if I were to share the gospel with a Jewish non-believer, I would begin with Isaiah 53 (then move to Micah 5:2, Psalms 22 and 69) before entering the New Testament.

I chose today’s passage because many of us are facing struggles during this difficult season. God is not ignorant of our suffering; nor is He a sadist, as some have put forth. He does not take pleasure in our pain. Rather, He is pleased when we are faithful to honor and worship Him despite the pain. Seasons come and go. This one, too, shall pass. True shalom is not the absence of conflict; it is peace from and with God in the midst of it.

“Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain. When I called him he was only one; I blessed him and made him many. For the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places, and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and melodious song.” Isaiah 51:1-3 (HCSB)

The previous chapter ended by expressing concern for the spiritually depressed. Chapter 51 continues the application of a remedy. The two “servant songs” (49:1-6; 50:4-9) are undoubtedly meant to encourage true believers, captive in Babylon, to “turn their eyes upon Messiah.”

Chapter 51 elaborates by a threefold use of either “listen” or “hear,” all of which urge tired believers to continue living faithfully. Three sections of Isaiah 51 (1-3, 4-6, 7-8) advocate that believers look backward, forward, and to the present, carefully observing God’s promises surrounding each perspective. Now, on to today’s passage.

God encourages us first to remember what He has done in our past, rescuing us from sin and assuring us of His promise of love and abiding presence.

Isaiah uses the image of a “piece of rock” (shapeless and black) and the quarry from which it is taken – dirty, dark, and dismal. The sculptor has fashioned it into a work of great beauty and design. “look back at your roots,” God urges. “Think of what I have done for you.”

Taking Abraham (the father of the faithful) and his wife Sarah as examples, Isaiah reminds his hearers how God took these two people and multiplied them. God blessed Abraham and his descendants. Out of one couple (and an old one at that), God miraculously formed a great nation. No matter how small and difficult things may be, God can transform our situations beyond recognition. Nothing is too difficult for God. Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. It begins where man’s power ends.

In place of gloom and despair, God promises comfort, compassion, paradise (He will make her wilderness like Eden), and joy. The desert-like experience of Babylon will give way to restored paradise. We already saw the use of a garden (Eden) as a symbol of what God intends for His children in Isaiah 35:12

When the dying thief asked to be remembered by Jesus, he was promised to experience “paradise” that day. (Luke 23:43)  Paul momentarily experienced it (2 Corinthians 12:4), and the last book of the Bible takes up the word again, holding out the prospect of Heaven. (Revelation 2:7)  If you were to die tonight, do you know for certain that you will enter eternal life, “paradise” with Messiah Jesus?

“‘So now what have I here’ – the Lord’s declaration – ‘that My people are taken away for nothing? Its rulers wail’ – the Lord’s declaration – ‘and My Name is continually blasphemed all day long. Therefore, My people will know My Name; therefore they will know on that day that I am He who says: Here I am.’  How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”  Isaiah 52:5-7 (HCSB)

Chapter 52 begins with a repetition of the cry to awaken. God throws back at Israel her own cry (51:9), repeating the same words. Zion, God’s people, is in danger. She is drunk with her sins. Foreigners (the uncircumcised) are at present occupying the streets of Jerusalem. But all of this will change. (52:1)  She is to arise and sit up in a dignified royal manner. (52:2)  Zion will be redeemed; God has promised it.  They have not been sold for money. God owes no one anything in Zion’s redemption. (52:3)  He is a debtor to no one. (50:1)  God’s saving work is to glorify his own name.

“Therefore My people will know My Name; therefore they will know on that day that I am He who says: Here I am.”  Isaiah 52:6 (HCSB)

Peter uses the same analogy:

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”  1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV)

Or how about the words of Paul?

“They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:24 (HCSB)

Put simply, Israel did not fall into captivity because God owed some foreign god a debt. They were taken into captivity because they transgressed against the Lord. Furthermore, nobody has helped God in His act of deliverance. God does not owe any mention to the merits of men: He alone saves!

The way of salvation is being made clear, and all mankind should take note of it. It is not exclusive to any particular ethnic group; it is free to all who will believe and follow. But it comes exclusively through God’s “Servant” Messiah Jesus.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Isaiah 50. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, declare, proclaim this, utter it to the end of the earth; say ‘The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!’  And they do not thirst when He led them through the deserts: He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them; He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out. ‘There is no peace,’ says the Lord, ‘for the wicked.’”  Isaiah 48:20-22 (HCSB)

After having pronounced judgment upon Babylon for their pride and idolatry, the Lord turns back toward Israel with a message of hope and redemption. He informed Israel that His rebuke (at the hand of Babylon) was not intended to destroy Israel completely, only to refine her through adversity, as silver through a fire.  

God’s intention is always to purge sin from His people. He prefers that we willingly release our sin, but He is not above letting His Name (and namesake) be tarnished temporarily to drive sin from His own children. It reminds me of the parent who is not afraid to reprimand their child in public if the situation requires it. Ultimately, questions about parenting styles will be vindicated by the testimony of kids raised rightly! The call for Israel to flee Babylon is echoed in the New Testament book of The Revelation. “Babylon,” henceforth, becomes a Biblical metaphor for spiritual adultery & worldly harlotry among God’s people.

“After these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:1-4 (NKJV)

Notice how the Lord reminds Israel of His provision of water throughout desert periods. It also reminds us of how Jesus promised “living water” to the Samaritan “woman at the well.”  Also, consider Paul’s words to the church in Corinth:

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, and all were immersed into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (HCSB)

Finally, compare the Lord’s declaration of “no rest for the wicked” with King David’s exhortation in Psalm 1:

“How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path of sinners, or join a group of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 (HCSB)

“And now, says the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him; for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God is my strength - He says, ‘It is not enough for you to be My Servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a light for the nations, to be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Isaiah 49:5-6 (HCSB)

Even before Jesus arrived, His mission had been designated: He would be a preacher. “Sword and arrows” speak of the opposition He could expect. (49:2) When Jesus came, He acted as Israel’s representative. He labored on behalf of His covenant people. His mission involved transforming sinful Israel into ideal Israel. Just as Isaiah had warned, Jesus’ message was rejected by most of the Jewish community, a rejection maintained by most of the Jewish community in our time. However, their rejection of Messiah opened up evangelism for the Gentiles, which was God’s plan all along. (Romans 11)

Isaiah continues to describe the Servant’s task in today’s passage. He will be a “light for the nations.” The gospel of the kingdom (which Jesus makes possible) is meant not simply ethnic Israel. It is to be comprised of both Jew and Gentile, by God’s promise to all who trust in Messiah. (Romans 9:6) Though Jesus restricted Himself almost entirely to the Jews during His earthly ministry, Gentiles were not excluded – something Matthew’s gospel, written primarily to Messianic Jews, underlines.

Matthew’s gospel takes up today’s passage. (Matthew 12:17-21) Gentile women, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah’s wife (Bathsheba), and Tamar are among Jesus’ genealogy. (Matthew 1) Jesus’ ministry is primarily conducted in “Galilee of the Gentiles.” (Matthew 4:15) And so on. Of course, the “Great Commission” is worded in such a way as to emphasize the need to go “and make disciples of all nations .” (Matthew 28:19)

Paul justified his mission to the Gentiles with today’s passage. He was speaking to a mixed (Jew and Gentile) audience in Antioch but focusing on Jews who opposed him.

“Then Paul and Barnabas boldly said: ‘It was necessary that God’s message be spoken to you first. But since you reject it, and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles! For this is what the Lord has commanded us: I have appointed you as a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’  When many Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the message of the Lord, and all who were appointed to eternal life believed.” Acts 13:46-48 (HCSB)

The idea that “Gentiles get in” was completely revolutionary in Isaiah’s time and the apostle Paul’s generation. “What do we do with all these Gentiles?” was the greatest question debated amongst the early Church, which was primarily comprised of Jewish believers. Perhaps the obvious question for today’s Church should be, “Where did all the Jews go?” followed closely by, “How does the Lord want to use me to share the gospel with the Jewish people?”

“I was angry with My people; I profaned My possession and placed them under your control. You showed them no mercy; you made your yoke very heavy on the elderly. You said: ‘I will be the mistress forever.’  You did not take these things to heart or think about their outcome. So now hear this, lover of luxury, who sits securely; who says to herself: ‘I, and no one else, will ever be a widow or know the loss of children.’  These two things will happen to you suddenly, in one day: loss of children and widowhood. They will appear to you in their entirety, in spite of your many sorceries and the potency of your spells.” Isaiah 47:6-9 (HCSB)

Today’s passage brings to mind how salvation can only come through Messiah Jesus. We learn today that if God were to raise up another nation to replace Israel, giving them the same opportunities and favor as He gave to Israel, that newly favored nation could not fulfill God’s requirements, either. God showed favor to Babylon to judge the nations and rebuke Israel. But God-given power went to their heads. They humiliated God and elevated their man-made gods. Instead of showing grace to Israel, the Babylonians punished them. Compare Babylon’s burden and yoke to that of Jesus:

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (HCSB)

In addition, God will never be a widower or father orphans. (Hebrews 13:5) His “Bride” is His Church, all who are saved by His grace through faith in His Son, Messiah Jesus. (Ephesians 2:8-9) His children are the “sheep of His pasture.” Therefore, His “Bride” equals the sum total of His “sheep,” as it were.

“My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I have given them eternal life, and they will never perish – ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father – We are One.” John 10:27-30 (HCSB)

God’s warning to Babylon (when Babylon said they would be His “Mistress forever”) is curiously similar to Paul’s warning to Gentile believers who displayed arrogance towards what they considered to be “rejected” Israel. (In Biblical imagery, people are also referred to as “branches,” with Jesus being the “True Vine”)  

“Now if some of the branches (the unfaithful of Israel) were broken off, and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted-in among them, and have come to share in the rich root of the cultivated olive tree, do not brag that you are better than those branches. But if you do brag – you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.”  Romans 11:17-18 (HCSB)

The World is prone to forsaking both wedding vows and offspring. God has no mistresses, only one “Bride”. He is eternally faithful to His vows and His natural and adopted children.

“Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols are consigned to beasts and cattle. The images you carry are loaded, as a burden for the weary animal. The gods cower; they crouch together; they are not able to rescue the burden, but they themselves go into captivity. ‘Listen to me house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth. I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and save you.’” Isaiah 46:1-4 (HCSB)

Having been reintroduced to the figure of Cyrus in chapters 46-47, we are taken a little beyond that horizon to the eventual downfall of Babylon itself. Behind Babylon’s collapse lies her idolatry. Idolatry and collapse are always intimately bound together.

The kingdoms of this world are notoriously unstable. Babylon’s power was awesome, but it disappeared in a moment. Perhaps this is also a warning to our United States. We should take heed lest we stray from the reality that Jesus is Lord and the truth that apart from God, there is no salvation, revelation of spiritual truth, or true justice. Man’s empires exist only so long as God allows.

In a sermon titled “God’s Providence,” C.H. Spurgeon said, “Napoleon once heard it said that man proposes, and God disposes. ‘Ah,’ said Napoleon, ‘but I propose and dispose, too.’  How do you think he proposed and disposed? He proposed to go and take Russia; he proposed to make all Europe his. He proposed to destroy that power, and how did he come back again? How had he disposed it? He came back solitary and alone, his mighty men perished and wasted, having well-nigh eaten and devoured one another through hunger.”  Man proposes, and God disposes. (Proverbs 16:9)

It is true that Babylon was given power over Israel for a time. God was angry with His people and wanted to teach them a lesson. But Babylon showed no mercy and failed to recognize that God must be worshipped exclusively (not worshipped alongside idols); therefore, Babylon received no mercy. Babylon’s arrogance is captured by the striking similarity of her boast to that of God Himself.  

“I am God, and there is none like me.” Isaiah 46:9 (NKJV - Compare to Isaiah 47:8, 10)

Moving to today’s passage, everything this world’s kingdoms are devoted to is unstable. This applies not just to idols in the sense that we usually think of them but also to such idolatrous things as ambition, power, fame, and materialism. The same truth is taught in the apocalyptic vision of Daniel 11. Kingdoms, void of a true foundation, are bound to crumble. Ultimate success is only guaranteed to the kingdom of God.  

It is good for us to ask the Lord to reveal those things in our lives to which we have ascribed worship and honor, attributes that belong only to the Lord. Once revealed, we must destroy those “idols” and restore proper worship to Him only. As enticing as some worldliness may seem at the outset, it has a horrible, predictably ruinous end.