Isaiah
49
Isaiah in this
chapter, describes God’s dream with the remnant of all generations. There is
much of the repetition of the Messianic program outlined by Christ in Luke
4:18-19 but Christ did not use this chapter, He was using similar ideas in
Isaiah 61. Christ is supreme and the Perfect One whereas the remnant of the
generations past and even now, remains short of that perfection. Isaiah is
showing the winding path of Christ and His remnant here. On the sideline, we
need to say that suspicion scholars whined about expressions in this chapter
that they claim could not have come from Isaiah: “Lift up your eyes and look around” (v. 18a) because it is not found
earlier in Isaiah! We can only smile. “To
break out” [into singing] (v. 13b); “Israel’s
Redeemer” (v. 7a); a shade foreign to earlier Isaiah chapters apparently “isles or coasts” (v. 1); “in whom I will show My glory” (v. 3b).
Modern poets and writers did the same as Isaiah and were not called ‘separated cloned
writers’. Isaiah begins by saying that islands and people not of the land of
Israel should pay attention that [spiritual] Israel was called from the womb
(v. 3a) “you are My servant Israel” and v. 1c where the Lord has called Israel
from the womb. From the inception of spiritual Israel, from the time of the sin
of Adam and Eve, the Lord has called His remnant. The mouth of the remnant and
its chosen spokesmen and women, the prophets, He made “My mouth like a sharp
sword” (v. 2a linked also to Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God is that two-edge
sword. The remnant was instrumental to bring about in human language the
revelation of God. God purposed to show glory through His remnant (v. 3b). The
remnant worked with toil and felt that sometimes it was in vain and for nothing
with no results (v. 4a-b). However, the wheat in the remnant or believing
remnant is confident in the justice of God and that His reward is with Him [at
the Second Coming] (v. 4c). The faithful remnant is the Servant of God, formed
from the womb with a purpose (v. 5a). The role of the faithful remnant is “to
bring Jacob back to Him in order that [the weeds or wayward of spiritual]
Israel might not be gathered” (v. 5b-c). The negative gathering here is
probably the weeds that will be gathered first to separate them from the good
at the Second Coming. God then said about the remnant that it is too light that
the remnant should be a servant for Him (v. 6a). That the remnant should raise
up the tribes of Jacob and restore the preserved ones of Israel (v. 6b) but the
Lord will make the remnant a light unto the tribes of Jacob (v. 6d). The
purpose is that “My salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (v. 6e). Again
the Elijah message template for the remnant appears here. It seems as if this
servant role of the remnant in Isaiah 49 is built into Maleachi 3:23-24 with
the role of Elijah. God then speaks to [spiritual] Israel which is the despised
soul; the abhorred nation (goy not am); to the servant of rulers (v. 7b).
God promised better days for this suffering remnant “kings shall see and princes
shall rise” and “shall bow down” (v. 7c). This restoration shall happen because
of who God is (v. 7d). The remnant cannot take the role of Christ and therefore
there is a blending of Christ’s role in history and the historical purpose of
the remnant in vv. 8-13. Paul cites from this passages to say that spiritual
Israel of his time has this task to fulfill in these verses (2 Corinthians
6:2). Two images are blend here namely the Warrior Messiah in His strength and
the Shepherd Messiah in the life and work of Christ. As Shepherd Messiah Christ
came and released people from the bondage of illnesses and death (v. 9a-b). God
promised that “in a favorable time I will answer You” and “in a day of
salvation, I will help You” (v. 8b-c). The day of salvation is the role of the
Messiah and what the Messiah did is for the benefit of the remnant and their
salvation. The Messiah is the One who keep them (v. 8c) and Christ gave them to
the covenant people (v. 8d). God gave Himself to the world and the remnant to
those all over the globe that He wants to save (everybody) with a covenant of
requirements and promises available for everyone. The role of Christ is seen in
the work of the remnant that they help “restore the land and make them inherit
the desolate heritages” (a work Christ promised to do ‘I will go and prepare a
place for you’) (v. 8e). Christ sets the prisoners free (v. 9). The remnant
will be on the road for evangelism but they will be fed and in the mountains,
like the Waldensians, they will pasture (v. 9c-d). The remnant will not hunger
or thirst in their tribulation or persecution time (v. 10a) for their Navigator
is their Shepherd Christ who “has compassion on them will lead them” (v. 10c)
and like Psalm 23 said, “guide them to springs of water” (v. 10d). God makes
the roads for them easy (v. 11). The saved ones come from everywhere (v. 12).
God has comforted His people the remnant (v. 13). His remnant is called the “afflicted”
remnant (v. 13d). Isaiah then changed the panel to focus on the grumbling weed
in the remnant: “And Zion said: ‘The Lord has forsaken me’” (v. 14). In vv.
15-16 God compares His love to them as a mother her child and they are written
in His palms, the marks of the cross nails (v. 16). They are suffering in the Time of Trouble to come but God promised
that destroyers and devastators “will depart from you” (v. 17b-c). At the
Second Coming the destroyers will run away and the Resurrection will take place
and then Isaiah described in the next few verses the joy of Resurrection. “Lift
up your eyes and look around” [at the Second Coming] (v. 18) “all of them
gather together, they come to you” [the Resurrected Ones to the Living Remnant]
(v. 18b). They will join the “bride” [of Christ] (v. 18d). The resurrected
crowd will be so big that there will hardly be space and the destroyers “will
be far away” (v. 19c). Parents and their children will be reunited (v. 20-21). “Behold
I was left alone, from where did these come?” (v. 21f). The Resurrection scene
of Isaiah is not completed yet. Christ will lift His hand to the nations and
set up His standard to the peoples and after the Resurrection took place,
angels will “bring your sons in bosom” (v. 22d) and “your daughters will be
carried on shoulders” [of the angels] (v. 22e). At the Resurrection all are
equal and kings will be guardians and princesses nurses, they will bow down and
lick the dust of some of the remnant’s feet, an image of thankfulness that they
are also saved by them and not lost (v. 23d). The remnant will then know that “I
am the Lord”. “Those who hopefully wait for Me [to come at the Second Coming]
will not be put to shame” (v. 23e-f). The panel is changed again by Isaiah to
focus on the Warrior Messiah: “can the prey be taken from the mighty man?” (v.
24a). God is saying that remnant captives can be rescued by Him from a tyrant
and that will take place at the Second Coming no matter what. Surely the
captives will be rescued from tyrants and Christ will save the children of the
remnant that day (v. 25e). The evil will not be in a good situation that day
(v. 26) and for the remnant Christ says “I the Lord am your Savior and your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Jacob” (v. 26e).
Dear
God
What
a wonderful Resurrection hope Isaiah is painting for us here. Mothers and
fathers will receive their babies from the arms of angels and from their
shoulders. We also do not want to miss this event. May nothing stand between us
and our Savior. Amen.
Koot van Wyk, (DLitt et Phil;
ThD) Kyungpook National University, Department of Liberal Education, Sangju,
South Korea; conjoint lecturer of Avondale College, Australia