ISAIAH 54-55 “The Blessing On
By
1.
INTRO
1.1.
In our last study, we looked
at chapter 53, the chapter that has been called “the pinnacle of Biblical
prophesy” both in the book of Isaiah as well as in the rest of the entire Old
Testament. We saw in chapter 53 that
Isaiah completely unveiled for us the nature of God’s ‘ideal servant’ as well
as the work that he would perform in becoming the once-for-all time sacrifice
for the sins of mankind.
1.1.1.
Substantiating that Chapter
53 is “the pinnacle of Biblical prophesy,” we saw that:
1.1.1.1.Dr. Kyle M. Yates said that chapter 53 and this fourth servant song of
Isaiah’s is “the Mt Everest of Bible prophesy,” because of its “beauty
and grandeur.”
1.1.1.2.Delitzsch wrote that, “It is the center of this wonderful book of
consolation (ch. 40-66), and is the most central, the deepest, and the loftiest
thing that the Old Testament prophecy, outstripping itself, has ever achieved.”
1.1.1.3.The chapter is quoted at least 41 times in the New Testament, each time
in order to show how that Christ fulfilled the prophesies listed
1.1.2.
The nature and work of God’s
‘ideal servant’ was fully revealed
1.1.2.1.We saw again that God’s ideal servant could only be a man of flesh and
blood
1.1.2.2.We saw that God’s ideal servant is none other than God Himself, in His
3rd person, Jesus Christ
1.1.2.3.We saw that God’s ideal servant suffered vicariously (in our place) for
each and every one of us so that we might have our sins and iniquities forgiven
and thus be justified by his sacrifice for us
1.1.2.4.We saw the many sufferings of God’s ideal servant described, as well as
the fact that it was the Lord who caused him to suffer and who was pleased with
the sacrifice for sins which he made
1.1.2.5.We saw that God’s ‘ideal servant’ will be highly exalted as a result of
his willingness to be that perfect sacrifice on our behalf
1.2.
In our study today, we are
going to look at chapters 54 and 55.
These chapters are predicated upon their following chapter 53, and thus
they show the results of the God’s ‘ideal servant’ coming and taking upon
himself all of our iniquities and then raising from the dead. In chapter 54 we read of the blessing that
shall come to
1.2.1.
Blessing on
1.2.1.1.The people are admonished to enlarge the place of their tents because
they will spread to the right and to the left
1.2.1.2.The people will be honored and exalted above the nations
1.2.1.3.The people will forever have their shame, disgrace, and humiliation
removed
1.2.1.4.God will establish a ‘covenant of peace’ with them which shall last
forever and nothing and no one shall harm them again
1.2.1.5.Their sons will all come to know the Lord
1.2.2.
The invitation has been made
to the world to come to the Lord and receive salvation
1.2.2.1.People are invited to come to the waters and drink and eat at the table
of the Lord
1.2.2.2.People are invited to incline their ear and hear the gospel message so
that they might be saved
1.2.2.3.People are invited to seek the Lord while He may be found and to call
upon Him while He is near
2.
VS 54:1-3 - “1 “Shout for joy, O barren one,
you who have borne no child; Break forth
into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; For the sons of
the desolate one will be more numerous Than the sons of the married woman,”
says the Lord. 2 “Enlarge the place of
your tent; Stretch out the curtains of
your dwellings, spare not; Lengthen your
cords, And strengthen your pegs. 3 “For
you will spread abroad to the right and to the left. And your descendants will possess nations,
And they will resettle the desolate cities.” -
2.1.
This chapter does not speak of events that
will occur when the Lord returns the captive Judeans from
2.2.
When
2.3.
2.4.
The faithful remnant of
3.
VS 54:4-8 - “4 “Fear not, for you will not be
put to shame; Neither feel humiliated,
for you will not be disgraced; But you
will forget the shame of your youth, And the reproach of your widowhood you
will remember no more. 5 “For your
husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of
3.1.
Because the Lord is
3.2.
Though the Lord had given
3.3.
The Lord tells Israel, His people, that it
was just a brief moment in reality, when He became angry and sent her away,
however He is going to show ‘great compassion’ on them and will ‘gather them’
again to their land.
3.4.
The Lord says that it is with ‘everlasting
lovingkindness’ that He will have compassion yet on His people. This phrase is also translated as the
‘steadfast love’ of the Lord. The Lord
sets His love upon a people, and He will not remove it.
3.4.1.
In 2 Tim. 2:13,
Paul wrote to pastor Timothy about how the Lord remains faithful to us even
when we are unfaithful to Him, “13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.”
3.4.1.1.We
are not called as God’s people because we deserve it, rather it is only because
of the grace of God and because He has chosen to love us and call us to
Himself.
3.4.2.
In Rom. 11:9,
Paul wrote about how that once the Lord has called us to be His people He will
never forsake us, “29 For the gifts and
calling of God are irrevocable.”
3.4.2.1.The
Lord had once called
3.4.3.
We Christians can take heart that Jesus told
us in Heb. 13:5 that He will never leave nor forsake us.
4.
VS 54:9-10 - “9 “For this is like the days of
Noah to Me; When I swore that the waters
of Noah Should not flood the earth again, So I have sworn that I will not be angry
with you, Nor will I rebuke you. 10 “For
the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness
will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
says the Lord who has compassion on you.” - The Lord tells Israel that just as He gave
Noah the sign of the rainbow as a witness that He would never again destroy all
the people on the earth by flood, so after He restores Israel the Lord will
never again give over His people to captivity nor send them away
4.1.
The Lord tells
4.1.1.
In the book of Romans we read that God was
separated from mankind due to our sins, for He is a holy and just God, and that
all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
4.1.2.
So, mankind and men and women in particular
from birth are at enmity (hostility) with God.
However, Eph. 2:14-18 reveals
to us that when God sent Jesus that the Lord removed that enmity through the
cross so that now if a person comes to faith in Christ for salvation they have
peach with God, “14 For He Himself is our
peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the
dividing wall,15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of
commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two
into one new man, thus establishing peace,16 and might reconcile them both in
one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.17 And
He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who
were near;18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the
Father.”
4.1.3.
This ‘covenant of peace’ is a peace treaty
which the Lord signed for us in His own blood.
Now, any and all who come to Christ merely have to accept the terms of
the treaty which is just to place your entire faith and trust in Jesus and His
death upon the cross as full payment for your sins, as you yield your life and
rights up to Jesus as your Lord, or Master.
In Rom. 5:1, Paul wrote about
how that our merely having faith in Christ in this way gives us ‘peace’ with
God, “Therefore having been justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
5.
VS 54:11-15 - “11 “O afflicted one,
storm-tossed, and not comforted, Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
And your foundations I will lay in sapphires.
12 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, And your gates of
crystal, And your entire wall of precious stones. 13 “And all your sons will be taught of the
Lord; And the well-being of your sons
will be great. 14 “In righteousness you
will be established; You will be far
from oppression, for you will not fear;
And from terror, for it will not come near you. 15 “If anyone fiercely assails you it will
not be from Me. Whoever assails you will
fall because of you.” - The Lord tells His people
5.1.
When we look at the history of
5.2.
The Lord is planning to honor His people, to
raise them up to rule over the earth on that day when He is establishing His
kingdom over the earth. He is going to
raise them up in and establish them in ‘righteousness.’ It will be the “imputed righteousness” of
Christ on their account however, since because of the fact that we are all
sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God and thus no man has the slightest
hope of ever being able to become righteous before God based upon His own
merit, goodness, or works.
5.3.
When the Lord finally establishes His
Millennial Kingdom the nation will no longer worry about terror and oppression,
and any who try to assail them will be brought down by the Lord.
5.4.
The nation of
6.
VS 54:16-17 - “16 “Behold, I Myself have
created the smith who blows the fire of coals, And brings out a weapon for its
work; And I have created the destroyer
to ruin. 17 “No weapon that is formed
against you shall prosper; And every tongue
that accuses you in judgment you will condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication
is from Me,” declares the Lord.” - The Lord tells His people
6.1.
The Lord encourages His people by the fact
that it is Him who has created the ‘smith’ who builds a fire and forges a weapon
of steal. The Lord has also created ‘the
destroyer’ to ruin or kill those who are His enemies. Therefore, the nation need not fear those who
would threaten them.
6.2.
There is not a weapon that will succeed
against His people when the Lord is fighting for them, for Lord is able to
route all of her enemies.
6.3.
The tells His people that even the tongues
that accuse them in judgment they will condemn.
6.4.
The Lord is going to raise up and honor His
people, and nothing shall be able to harm them, and the Lord will raise up ‘the
destroyer’ to ruin their enemies.
7.
VS 55:1-2 - “1 “Ho! Every one who thirsts,
come to the waters; And you who have no
money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine
and milk Without money and without cost.
2 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what
does not satisfy? Listen carefully to
Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.” - The invitation is made to
‘all’ to ‘come to the waters’ and to drink and to sit at the table and eat
7.1.
Whereas chapter 54, and its promise of
blessing and abundance to Jerusalem and God’s people, the Israelites, was based
upon the full revelation of God’s ‘ideal servant’ procuring the forgiveness of
sins for all mankind, chapter 55 follows upon this and as a natural extension
offers reconciliation with the Lord to all mankind through the work that God’s
‘ideal servant,’ the Messiah, has completed.
7.2.
The invitation here in this chapter is to Jew
and Gentile alike. The offer of
salvation goes out to all mankind. This
invitation is very similar to the many ‘whosoever’ statements in the New
Testament. The general call to salvation
is sent out to all mankind.
7.3.
The Lord asks His people why they waste their
money on the things that don’t satisfy, salvation through God’s ‘ideal servant’
is the only thing that will bring lasting contentment and satisfaction.
7.4.
Notice that salvation is by the grace of God
for it is free, everything has already been provided, no money is needed. Salvation is a gift available to all and
availed by those who simply are willing to receive it by faith.
7.4.1.
In Eph. 2:8-9,
we read that salvation through Christ is received by grace through faith, not
as a result of any works which we might perform, “8 For by
grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the
gift of God;9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”
8.
VS 55:3-4 - “3 “Incline your ear and come to
Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with
you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David. 4 “Behold, I have made him a witness to the
peoples, A leader and commander for the peoples.” - Everyone is admonished to incline their ears
to hear and to listen to the Lord in order to receive the salvation God’s
‘ideal servant’ has procured
8.1.
Salvation comes through the preaching of the
gospel by those of God’s people who are willing to heed the call to go out and
share the good news (Rom. 10:15). What
we believe is critical, for a man must come to salvation only on the Lord’s
terms, not via any other means which he may conjure up or imagine. It is only by God’s grace and through faith
in Christ and His completed work on the cross of
8.2.
David was promised in 2 Samuel 7:12-13 that one of his descendants would be a king
who whose kingdom would last forever, “12 “When
your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your
descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.13
“He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his
kingdom forever.”
Therefore, it was according to the ‘faithful mercies shown to David’
that all mankind has been blessed, for through him has come God’s ‘ideal
servant,’ the Messiah of God.
8.3.
God’s ‘ideal servant’ will be a ‘witness to
the peoples’ and ‘a leader and a commander for the peoples.’
9.
VS 55:5 - “5 “Behold, you will call a
nation you do not know, And a nation which knows you not will run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of
9.1.
In the book of Revelation, we also see that
when the Lord begins to restore the nation of
9.2.
In John 4:22, Jesus told the Samaritan woman
that salvation was “from the Jews,” for it was through them that the Messiah
would come and bless all nations, opening up the way of salvation to all who
will enter.
9.3.
Many of these promises to God’s people are
actually fulfilled by the church, whom Paul described in the book of Romans as
being grafted into
10.
VS 55:6-7 - “6 Seek the Lord while He may be
found; Call upon Him while He is
near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” - The Lord extends the
invitation to salvation inviting men and women to ‘seek the Lord,’ to ‘call
upon Him,’ for the wicked to ‘forsake his way,’ and the ‘unrighteous man his
thoughts’
10.1.
The door of faith in Christ for salvation
must be opened with a repentant heart.
There is no salvation apart from repentence. Thus, the invitation to seek and to call upon
the Lord is also a call for the wicked to forsake his way and the unrighteous
man his thoughts. This is the path of
‘return to the Lord.’
10.2.
These verses also reflect the need for
Christ’s forerunner to come, John the Baptist, the man who came in the spirit
and power of Elijah. John the Baptist
came preaching repentence to God’s people as the means of preparing their
hearts to receive their Messiah and salvation through Him.
10.3.
There is a promise that is precious also in
these verses. The man who does come to
Christ in repentence is promised that the Lord ‘will have compassion on him’
and ‘abundantly pardon’ his sin. God
never turns a repentant sinner away!
10.4.
There is a window of opportunity only that is
available for a person to respond to the gospel message and be saved, therefore
the people are admonished to seek the Lord while He may be found and to call
upon Him when He is near. One day it
will be too late to turn to the Lord.
Therefore, as the scriptures teach us, “Now is the day of salvation!”
11.
VS 55:8-9 - “8 “For My thoughts are not your
thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” - The Lord tells His people
that it is understandable that they might not be able to conceive all that the
Lord has promised nor understand how He will bring what He has promised to
pass, for His ways and thoughts are so much higher than theirs
11.1.
God’s people, the Israelites, were slow to
learn and understand the ways of the Lord, as really most of us human beings
are in this life. The glorious and
grandiose plans that the Lord had for Israel, especially as she sat as a
miniscule remnant captive and humbled in Babylon, must have been hard to
imagine or comprehend. Only the eye of
faith could see that what God had promised that He was able and could be
trusted to fulfill. The people could
only through faith trust in a God who is able to do abundantly beyond what they
were able to ask or think, in restoring them as a nation and honoring and
exalting them over all the nations for all of eternity.
11.2.
The Lord is much better able to handle
things. It is such a blessing for us as
Christians when we finally do give our burdens over the Lord to shoulder. When we just give up being concerned over how
we are going to eat, where we will sleep, what clothes we will wear, however we
will pay our bills, etc., it is such a freeing kind of thing. As the hymn goes, “What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and
griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry Ev’rything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Ev’rything to God
in prayer!”
12.
VS 55:10-11 - “10 “For as the rain and the snow come
down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, And making
it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the
eater; 11 So shall My word be which goes
forth from My mouth; It shall not return
to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the
matter for which I sent it.” - The Lord
promises that His word will not return void without accomplishing what He sent
it to perform
12.1.
The Lord
gives us a pictorial illustration concerning the surety that His word which He
has spoken will come to pass. He says
that, in the same way that when rain and snow fall that they are guaranteed to
water the earth and cause it to bear a crop and sprout a seed so that people
can be fed by those who harvest their crops, so also shall the word of the Lord
not fail to accomplish the thing that the Lord desires it to accomplish.
12.2.
God’s word
succeeds in accomplishing what He sends it to accomplish, however that does not
mean that men who hear His word will always respond in the way in which they
should to that word. The response of man
is a matter of their choice and free will.
God is a gentleman and He does not force His will upon any man.
12.3.
The prophetic
word of God will always succeed in accomplishing what the Lord says will
happen. God cannot lie or go back upon His
word and likewise His promises can never fail.
13.
VS 55:12-13 - “12 “For you will go out with joy, And be
led forth with peace; The mountains and
the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of
the field will clap their hands. 13
“Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up; And instead of the nettle the myrtle will
come up; And it will be a memorial to
the Lord, For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”” - The Lord tells His people that they will go
out with joy and be led forth with peace and that the mountains and the hills
will break forth in to shouts of joy before them, and the trees of the feed
will clap their hands
13.1.
As happens
many times in the scriptures there is a dual fulfillment in these verses.
13.1.1.Going back to the continuing theme began in chapter
42, the captive Judeans in
13.1.1.1.In 536 B.C., the captive Judeans began returning from
13.1.2.When the Lord returns His people to their own land
during the 7 Year Tribulation period of the book of Revelation as He is
establishing His Millennial Reign, these verses will be fulfilled in much
greater proportions. The people will be
filled with utter joy and the peace of the Lord as they realize that the Lord
is establishing His kingdom which will be undisturbed for perpetuity. Jesus Christ, the Messiah of God, shall reign
and rule from
13.1.2.1.When the Lord is establishing His kingdom at this
time, the curse of the earth that occurred at the fall in the garden of Eden
will be being reversed, and thus thorns and thistles will be dying off to be
replaced by
14.
CONCLUSION:
14.1.
The Lord has made the way of salvation open to mankind through Jesus
Christ, who was God’s ‘ideal servant’ prophesied of by Isaiah. Jesus has made everything ready for mankind
to know God and to come to salvation.
The table is set, the food placed for eating, and the drink put before
us, and the Lord is beckoning each of us to come to Him and be saved
14.2.
The debt has been paid and the gift is ready to be received and all
that we need to do is to answer the call and repent of our sin of turning away
from the Lord and disobeying His law and commandments and ask the Lord Jesus to
come into our lives, forgive our sins, and make us the person He wants us to
be.
14.3.
Let’s be wise and seek the Lord while He may be found and call upon Him
while He is near, for if we do not do this today a day will come when it will
be too late to do so.