Zion, in distress, said, The Lord has forsaken me, and looks after me no more; my Lord has forgotten me, and will look after me no more. Break forth into singing, O mountains - "Ye mountains, burst forth into song"] Three ancient MSS. * [49:1-7] The second of the four "servant of the Lord" oracles (cf. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. Be assured, [1.] The reason of all this is, for the Lord hath comforted his people; with the discoveries of his love and grace; by his gracious presence among them; by the coming of Christ unto them in a spiritual way; by sending his Spirit, and renewing the face of things, and reviving his work in the midst of them; by the pure and powerful preaching of the Gospel, and comfortable administration of Gospel ordinances; and by large additions of converts made unto them: and will have mercy upon his afflicted, or "poor", or "meek" and "humble" ones, as the words F12 may be rendered: the Lord's people is a poor and afflicted people, poor in a temporal and spiritual sense; the church and interest of Christ is in a poor and low condition: the Lord's people are afflicted outwardly and inwardly, and so become meek, and are kept humble; these the Lord, in the latter day, will raise from a low and distressed condition to a more exalted and comfortable one; which will be an instance of his mercy and compassion, and be matter of joy unto them. (heaven) (Mt 7:13-14). And now the LORD says, Though the promise seems too good to be true, God confirms it with an oath to the nations. The "multitude" is "a great people" (Isaiah 13:4) who come together, mustered by the Lord of Hosts, ready to do battle (compare 2 Nephi 23:3-5). And some of the old rabbis say that that is God speaking there in response to the people who were captives in Babylon, who said, "God has forgotten us. 1. He will crush the Babylonians in a judgment suited to the cruel oppression that they inflicted on their helpless victims (25-26).Other Jews blamed God for their troubles, as if he had cast them off like a husband who divorces his wife or a father who sells his children to pay off his debts. Converts to the faith of Christ are the children of the church; they shall join themselves to her with great readiness and cheerfulness, and flock into the communion of saints, as doves to their windows. They accused God of forsaking them. Isaiah 42:10-13). So he speaks about them coming into the land and being prospered and the land being too small for them and their desire to extend and expand their borders.Now the regathering and the rebuilding of the nation Israel has been a very remarkable thing in our days. It is beautiful to imagine Jesus comforting and strengthening His soul with these promises as He anticipated and endured the ordeal of the cross. We may request cookies to be set on your device. He is a person that has revealed himself to us that we may know him and the power of his resurrection (Phil 3:10). Servant's call; the second, on his confidence. There is no exception in that great, but little word, all. That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth. To Him whom man despises, God the Father is a spirit. And the prey of the terrible be delivered; Shall go away from you. c. Your walls are continually before Me: The walls refer to the walls of the city of Jerusalem, which figuratively speak of the health, the strength, the prosperity, and the security of Gods people. He hid me under the shadow of his hand. Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth Which may be understood of the heavens, and the earth by a personification, a figure usual in Scripture, to express the greatness of the benefit received, and to raise thankfulness and admiration in the hearts of God's people; see ( Psalms 90:11 Psalms 90:12 ) ( Isaiah 55:12 ) or by the heavens may be meant the angels in heaven, who, as they rejoice at the conversion of a single sinner, will much more rejoice at such numerous conversions among Jews and Gentiles, here prophesied of, ( Luke 15:10 ) and, by the "earth", the saints on earth, the excellent in it, who have a more immediate concern in, and must be affected with, the case here represented: and break forth into singing, O mountains; such as are in high office either in the state, as Christian kings and princes, ( Isaiah 49:23 ) or in the church, as prophets and apostles, ( Revelation 18:20 ) . (Alan Redpath), Listen, O coastlands, to Me, ", Isaiah began this pericope by clarifying the calling and ministry of the Servant. And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him ( Isaiah 49:5 ). e. I will make each of My mountains a road: The mountains in the way of the returning exiles both in near and far fulfillment would seem to defeat the purpose of the LORD. Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, * [ 49:3 ] Israel : the servant is identified with the people of Israel as their ideal representative; however, vv. God is always mindful of the condition of His people, despite the objections of a doubting Zion. But it's about 5,800 years deep. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. Sing, O heavens! This was true for Zion when freed from the Babylonian captivity; it is even more true for those set free from captivity to Satan. God will now speak to them, not by his prophet, but by the Assyrian conqueror, who will do what they said Isaiah had done, i.e. But, says God, I will not forget thee. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. The triumphs of the church, after her troubles, will in due time put the matter out of question. (1-2) The call and the preparation of the Messiah. You won't find a clearer picture of Jesus Christ anywhere else in the OT. He reminds the doubting exiles that he is the all-powerful God and Israels covenant redeemer. The Lord called me to serve him. iii. How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. Then I said, I have labored in vain, And He has chosen You.. The whole world will know it, and of course, God tells us in that day that He destroys the invading Russian army with her allies shall the whole world know that I am God. Yet surely my just reward is with the LORD, And I'll be sanctified before the nations of the earth. When we consider what and who the Lord Jesus had to work with on this earth, we certainly must believe that one of the great temptations He faced was discouragement. i. Jesus sets those in bondage to sin and the law free (John 8:33-36, Galatians 3:22-23). God has forsaken us." (l) "pauperum suorum", V. L. "pauperes suos", Forerius; "inopes suos", Vitringa; "humiles", Sept. "mansuetorum", Targum. The LORD has called Me from the womb: The Messiah, later revealed as Jesus Christ, was called from the womb. Surely they may forget, you shall surely clothe yourselves with them all as an ornament, For your waste and desolate placeswill even now be too small for the inhabitants. We are finishing up Isaiah 49 - with verses 18-23 - for Sunday, June 19. b. And will have mercy on His afflicted. It is mainly on the basis of this phrase that there is the practice of kissing the popes feet. (Bultema). Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! Jesus set the righteous dead captive in Hades free from their place (Ephesians 4:8). And he wilt have compassion on his poor. But how will this prophecy be fulfilled? God's people are the blessings and ornaments of the world, and therefore let there be universal joy, for God has comforted his people that were in sorrow and he will have mercy upon the afflicted because of his compassion, upon his afflicted because of his covenant. 1) ( Isaiah 3:1-15) Rejection of God leads to the collapse of society and specific judgment against lofty, male leaders 2) ( Isaiah 3:16-4:1) Rejection of God leads to the collapse of society and specific judgment against arrogant, aristocratic women b. You have made my mouth like a sharp sword." Isaiah 51:1-11 Reassurance of Israel's Future. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? b. Verse Isaiah 49:13. Now God here speaks of the judgment He's going to bring on their oppressors. YHWH is described in terms of a nursing mother. Accordingly, he places the subject almost before their eye, that they may be fully convinced that they shall have the most abundant cause of rejoicing; though at that time they saw nothing but grief and sorrow. He could know, based on this promise, that the LORD would hear, help, and preserve Him. That's pretty smart. 49 Listen to me, distant nations, you people who live far away! The work of God's Servant v1 Listen to me, you foreign nations. . Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. God said, "No way. The land previously uninhabited and in ruins will become well populated and prosperous again (19-21). This week, we're looking more closely at "daughter Zion's" restoration to motherhood. 49:16-17 This is another powerful metaphor of God's constant remembrance of His covenant with Abraham's descendants. You are My servant, O Israel, What are the affections of nature to those of the God of nature! ii. Will say again in your ears, Changes will take effect once you reload the page. And My God shall be My strength), This verse is the clearest indication that the Servant is the nation of Israel. And God's purposes are to be fulfilled there. c. Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away: Babylon, the mighty empire, had taken Zion captive. The Servant's assignment is to restore Jacob/Israel to a right relationship with the Lord, to bring them back from the exile of sin as well as the Babylonian exile (49: . He adds, "Thy walls shall be continually before me; thy ruined walls, though no pleasing spectacle, shall be in my thoughts of compassion." Break forth into singing, O mountains - "Ye mountains, burst forth into song"] Three ancient MSS. I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; Since I have lost my children and am desolate, These multitudes are the Saints who will be gathered from every nation in the last days and enlisted . For the Lord has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted. The first song (42:1-4) tells of the call of the Servant to "bring justice to the nations" (42:1). Jesus set the sick and diseased free from the bondage of their infirmities (Luke 13:16). 2 He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword. And they that had carried us away captive said, 'Sing us one of your songs.' See Special Topic at 41:2. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in the high places. Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations, As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth. Even unmapped places are known to God, and even from them he will gather his pilgrims., Sing, O heavens! If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. a. It's exciting, because God fulfilled His promise. Isaiah 52:7-10 Commentary; Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 Commentary; Isaiah 55 Commentary. Shout for joy, O heavens! "Commentary on Isaiah 49:13". #2 "I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;". Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength. Because they do not have the economic base to afford the worldwide inflation that has ensued from the increased oil prices. But they are seeking to expand. Now by this it will appear that Zion's suggestions were altogether groundless, that God has not forsaken her, nor forgotten her, nor ever will.