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