Isaiah 51

Isaiah is easier to read if you are an Adventist. This chapter has many panels put together, which is typical of Isaiah’s style. Isaiah may have even written them not continuously but in different time-zones. Nearly every panel starts with an address of the Lord to His remnant “Listen to me you who pursue righteousness” (v. 1) which is similar in the second panel “Pay attention to Me O My people” (v. 4a); the same in “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness” (v. 7a); equal to “say to Zion, you are My people” (v. 16); and “please hear this you afflicted [which is not the evil but ‘God Who contends for His people’] (v. 21a and 22b). The subject of the whole chapter is nothing but the identity of God and His personal involvement with an afflicted remnant. Possession is a key word since they belong to Him. There is no room for an absentee God in this hostile world. In the center of the chapter the remnant sings an eschatological song to the Lord to remind everyone what is going to happen in the future “so the ransomed of the Lord will return . . .and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (v. 11a and 11e). The afflicted remnant is called upon in the first panel by the Lord that they should investigate their history of origin. Almost do we think the origin is with Abraham “look to the rock from which you were hewn” (v. 1c) and “Look to Abraham and to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain” (v. 2a-b) when Isaiah went back to Adam and Eve in the restoration promise “and her wilderness He will make like Eden and her desert like the garden of the Lord” (v. 3c-d). This is not the restoration of physical ethnic Israel of history but the eschatological restoration of spiritual Israel “who seek the Lord” (v. 1b). In panel two the Lord is addressing again the remnant about the Investigative Judgment and Executive Judgment. He says that in the Investigative Judgment which started in 1844 according to Daniel 8:14 calculated with a year-day principle, “a Law will go forth from Me and I will set My justice [a court scene term] for a light of the peoples”. Daniel 7:22 says that the Son of Man will pass “judgment in favor of the saints of the Highest One” talking about this same 1844 and onward event. It is followed with the reward or verdict of the Investigative Judgment which is “My righteousness is near [His Second Coming but also the Latter Rain final cry] My salvation has gone forth” [the Latter Rain completed in the prophetic charts of the Lord] (v. 5a) and the result is “the coastlands [outside physical Israel] will wait for Me and My arm will wait expectantly” (v. 5c-d). It is the eschatological “harvest” of the Latter Rain that Joel also knew about (Joel 2:28 replayed as a harvest ingathering due to the Latter Rain Holy Spirit outpouring in the End Times in 3:12-17). The Resurrection will have the remnant “lift up your eyes to the sky” and the trip to heaven will have the faithful resurrected ones “then look to the earth beneath” (v. 6a-b). The “earth will wear out like a garment” as the Remnant is taken by angels to heaven, “and the inhabitants will die in like manner” which is clear that the remnant is no longer on earth and part of these evil remainder inhabitants on earth (v. 6e). It is “My salvation shall be forever” so that it is no longer in history. It is not the Babylonian or Assyrian Exile restoration here. It is forever and eternity started and Resurrection is passed and the Remnant as Zion moved to the heavenly New Jerusalem. In the third panel the Lord speaks directly to the faithful wheat in the Remnant, the good harvest, “you who know righteousness a people in whose heart is My law” (v. 7a-b) which is Paul’s theology in Romans and other letters and also Jeremiah promise cited by Paul in the New Testament. Righteous people, in God’s terms, have the Law of God in their hearts. It is the gospel of the Old Testament and Paul in the New Testament is exactly the same. Even afflicted the remnant of history should not be afraid since “moth will eat them like a garment” [the evil and afflicting ones] (v. 8a). It is again eschatological for “My righteousness shall be forever” (v. 8c). It is not just romantically or metaphorically in the mind or psychology of Isaiah. It is God speaking and reality. Preterists wish to apply everything to Isaiah and his times and cancel or tone down the promises of God from “forever” to “longer duration in present time”. It is to rewrite Isaiah. In the next panel which is a center piece of the chapter, the afflicted remnant is singing an eschatology song to remind themselves of God’s eschatological promises: He is the powerful Creator God (v. 9) Who did miraculous things “for the redeemed to cross over” (v. 10). The redeemed remnant “will return” (v. 11a). They will come with shouting to Zion but not physical geographical Israel or Palestine but Heavenly Zion which is the New Jerusalem or the Mountain of God (v. 11b). The joy is not historical joy but “everlasting joy on their heads” (v. 11c). Eternity started and history stopped. The Exile, the Restoration in history is not in view here at all. “And sorrow and sighing will flee away”. It cannot be the return in 457 BCE with Ezra since a lot of sighing came afterwards with Antiochus Epiphanes in 164 BCE and the Romans in 70 CE and more. Following this reminder song of the remnant is God’s ID panel in which He wants to know the ID of the remnant and explains that of His own. God addresses the weeds in the Remnant and in the Investigative Judgment it can be said that “you have forgotten the Lord your Maker” (v. 13a). He is Creator and the remnant do not need to fear oppressors in the Time of Trouble (v. 13d-f). The Lord then makes future predictions regarding the afflicted remnant’s condition: “from the mountain the deceased’ grave [Egyptian loanword s^cḥ meaning “mummy or deceased” probably a reference to the tomb or grave of the deceased] will be opened” (v. 14a) and it continues with a synonymous meaning in the second part confirming our translation “and will not die in the dungeon” (v. 14b). It is Resurrection since his bread will not be lacking (v. 14c). The Creator God is the Lifegiver “and I have put My words in your mouth” which is the giving of God’s revelation to the remnant with the task for God “to establish the heavens” to “found the [new earth after the millennium and destruction of hell or extermination of all evil] earth and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people’” (v. 16). The Little Horn of Daniel 8:11 personifying Satan’s actions threw down the place (mekon) of His sanctuary and the Little Horn flung truth to the ground. It is the opposite of the task of the Remnant. During the Time of Trouble the “cup of His anger” will be operative (v. 17) and the remnant needs to arise and there is no one to take the remnant by the hand for navigation (v. 18). Destruction and famine has befallen the remnant (v. 19). The sons of the weeds in the remnant lies “at the head of every street” (v. 20). The weeds are “drunk but not with wine” (v. 21). God is known to “contend for His people” (v. 22b). It is the last time they drink the chalice of His anger “will never drink it again” (v. 22e). That is why it is eschatology here and not present-day history for Isaiah. The anger cup will be placed in the hands of those who persecute the remnant during the Time of Trouble (v. 23a) “I will put it into the hand of your tormentors”.

Dear God

We learn in this chapter that you care for the faithful remnant in the Time of Trouble. You promise to turn the tide for the evil at the end of this period. We also want to be part of your faithful remnant and enjoy your protection. Amen.

Koot van Wyk, (DLitt et Phil; ThD) Kyungpook National University, Department of Liberal Education, Sangju, South Korea; conjoint lecturer of Avondale College, Australia