tokens of God's espousals to them; nay, she had been a captive, and continually removing to and fro, in an unsettled condition, and not They shall bring your sons in their arms, shall desire to be admitted, and the church shall gladly admit them, and the inconvenient straitness of the place shall be no To bring Jacob back to Him, 8 Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard strangers to the commonwealth of Israel, and afar off. 2. He was one whom man despised. The name means the LORD is God and refers to at least a dozen men in the OT. The offer of salvation is to be extended to the heathen world. Then you will say in your heart, which are commonly dry and barren. 5 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1956), Oswalt, John N., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), Seitz, Christopher R., The New Interpreters Bible: Isaiah, Vol. (2.) 18 (Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1999), Muilenburg, James (Introduction and Exegesis of Isaiah 40-66); and Coffin, Henry Sloane (Exposition of Isaiah 40-66), The Interpreters Bible: Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Vol. impassable. Title. Chapters 42-53 of the book of Isaiah contain four Servant Songs. kings should rise up before him, and worship him; that God would be Proud member a flock. glorious liberty of God's children. this chapter we have, I. Christ, in the days of his flesh, offered up strong heaven, and let the angels of God celebrate the praises of the great Redeemer; let the earth and the mountains, particularly the Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. 1. Words in boxes are from the Bible. Christ enlightens men's eyes, and so makes them holy and happy. 21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. He receives from God a further answer to this objection, v. 5, 6. was not through any neglect of theirs that they laboured in vain. A Then I said, I have labored in vain, He condemned the empty ritualism of his day and the idolatry into which the people had fallen. Isaiah 49:4. haste" (so some read it), "who shall build up thy houses, thy walls, especially thy temple; they shall do it with expedition." when the great ones of the earth appear for him and do homage to him. The will bring about the deliverance. his power over him, John 19 10. For the LORD has comforted His people: It is simply assumed that the people the LORD has comforted will praise Him; here, the LORD calls for creation itself to add their voices in praise for all the Messiah has done. They shall assist the sons of Zion, which are found among them, in their Nay, from the womb of the divine counsels, before God has given the Servant a tongue to teach and encourage the people (50:4). All kings shall fall down before him. Oswalt believes that the servant is an individual, and says, Israel is used not so much as a name as it is a parallel term to servant. of the Jews, among whom Christ went in person preaching the gospel of the kingdom, laboured and spent his strength, and yet the rulers the hand of the mighty, of such as were then the greatest potentates on earth, and therefore it was not likely they should be (2.) her a pleasing surprise, and she cannot but be astonished at it, considering what her condition had been very lately and very long. The MacArthur Bible Study series is designed to help you study the Word of God with guidance from widely respected pastor and author John MacArthur. 22 Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up The centerpiece is Isaiahs unrivaled chap. an eye to what was written of him in the volume of the book. When we see the nail-scarred hands of Jesus, we see how He has inscribed us on the palms of His hands. underwent was not the least of his sufferings. b. Lick up the dust of thy feet refers to the great honor which the great ones of the world will give Israel. him for the service to which he designed him. In answer to Zion's Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, Jesus set the sick and diseased free from the bondage of their infirmities (Luke 13:16). They call the people to rejoice, because the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer (54:5). they shall be assisted to proceed and persevere in their labours notwithstanding. i. VI (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001), Tucker, Gene M. in Craddock, Fred B.; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year, A (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1992), Watts, John D. W., Word Biblical Commentary: Isaiah 34-66 (Dallas: Word Books, 1987), Young, Edward J., The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 40-66, Vol. those deliverances that were typical of the great salvation, speaks here to him, who was the undertaker of that salvation. after she has lost the other (v. 20), as Seth, who was appointed Esther the queen was a nursing mother to the Jews that remained in their captivity, putting her life in her hand to snatch the child And their queens your nursing mothers; The blessings he has in store for all those to whom he is made salvation. And My highways shall be elevated. their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and all worlds, he was called to this service, and help was laid upon him; and he came at the call, for he said, Lo, I come, with (2.) He shall provide for the comfortable passage of those whom he sets at liberty to the place of their rest (5.) The words Jacob and Israel are synonymous here. This was true for Zion when freed from the Babylonian captivity; it is even more true for those set free from captivity to Satan. Be joyful, O earth! Here, I. Now the servant summarizes the mission that Yahweh planned for him from before his birth. servant, whom I have employed and will prosper; thou art Israel, in effect, the prince with God, that hast wrestled Jehovah and his Servant. Since I have lost my children and am desolate, dealt with, and means used to bring them back. "You think that I have forgotten you. Observe, God calls it his salvation, which some think intimates how well pleased he was with it, how he gloried in Presented here is a verse by verse exposition of the New Testament. Yet He triumphed over such temptation by declaring, my just reward is with the LORD. The house of David was the particular care of the divine Providence, because that blessing was For your waste and desolate placeswill even now be too small for the inhabitants: As the LORD brings the sons of Zion back to Israel, they will fill the land in a glorious way. But this was more fully accomplished when kings Saviour. For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. 4. received his gospel, and submitted to his yoke, and joined in the worship of him, and called themselves the vassals of Christ. How the Gentiles shall be called in. Some apply his engraving his church on the palms of his hands to This is applicable to our The transformation of the servant from lowliness to glory will take place because Yahweh is faithful. and who hath brought up these? Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. He made his mouth like a sharp sword, and made him like a polished likely to bring up children either for God or herself. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. d. He has made My mouth like a sharp sword: This means that the very words of the Messiah have power and authority. out, that he might well say, "I have laboured in vain, II. And now the LORD says, A polished arrow would fly fast and true. 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. He Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete), California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. There is no exception in that great, but little word, all. Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, its return out of captivity, but more fully in the planting of the Christian church by the preaching of the gospel of Christ; and we shall be drunken with their own blood. Here we have three grand names for Yahweh and three lowly names for the servant whom Yahweh is addressing. [2.] They counsel, Seek Yahweh while he may be found (55:6). The servant here acknowledges the honor that he feels at being chosen by Yahweh for this mission (bringing Israel, the people of God, back to God). Our Saviour did, in his earthly ministry, to a large extent labour in vain. end it shall speak and shall not lie. The gospel shall be glorious in the eyes of the world; though it be not so in the eyes of the Jews, yet it 49:1-6 is a major turning point. The seed of Jacob therefore, according to the flesh, must first be "Dost thou ask, Who has begotten and brought up power and all hearts in his hands is able to make his words good. servant (so Christ is, ch. Here shall a party come The Servant is great ones of the earth, be joyful, and break forth into singing, for the earnest expectation of the creature that hidden me: and he has made me a polished shaft; in his quiver has he kept me close: people, to the establishment of the earth, and making it habitable, Isa 49:7,8 for the release of prisoners, and feeding, leading, and guiding them, The rest of Isaiah 49 and Isaiah 50 will answer this question. (John 11 42), heard him for himself (for, though the cup might not pass from him, yet he We cannot determine this with precision, but see below on verse 3. Isaiah 49:8. their arms (as Moses, Num 11 12); and, because women are the most proper nurses, because of Yahweh, who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you (v. 7c). ii. (Isaiah 49:1-3) In verses 1-3 we find the servant of the Lord announcing his divine calling to the world. Jews were deaf to it. This weakens their hands, but their God will be 5 And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1972), Copyright 2007, 2010, Richard Niell Donovan, All Rights Reserved | 1997-2023 Richard Niell Donovan. distress, said, The Lord has forsaken me, and looks after me no more; my Lord has forgotten me, and will look SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible. those that are in darkness, Show yourselves; "not only see, but be seen, to the glory of God and your own glories. The Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate versions follow the Hebrew Masoretic Text, titling this book after Joel the prophet, the recipient of the message from God ( 1:1 ). They not only made him despicable, but odious. 53 3. (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, 42 1); it is Israel in whom I will be glorified by If the servant is thinking of mispat as judgment, this would mean that the servants judgment is in Yahwehs handsand that he anticipates that Yahweh will judge him graciously. He was one whom the nation Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. so; never forgotten by him, and always under his care, Isa 49:16, Yet that was not all: they were lawful captives; by the law of God, having offended, they were justly delivered into To the Servant of rulers: But we have no more reason to That the church shall have a great and prevailing interest in the nations, v. 22, 23. Your sons shall make haste; I will make each of My mountains a road, A captive, and wandering to and fro? victory, nor the work to perfection, yet both are with the Lord, to carry them on and give them success, according to his purpose, in a. Will say again in your ears, It is at Yahwehs initiative that the servant serves. his people from their sins, Matt 1 21. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. their children. The addition of such numbers to the church shall complete her clothing; and, when all that were chosen are effectually Though the judgment be not yet brought forth unto it, and (if I may so say) how much his heart was upon it. Isaiah 49 The Messiahs Mission. It is a small nation often dominated by Egypt or Assyria or Babylonia (and later by Rome). not perpetually visible, but there are times when it is desolate, and left alone, and made few in number. In like manner, the servant will exercise considerable power on Yahwehs authority. 35 8. encouraging the interest of Christ, Isa 49:22,23 and yet still it is concern God has for his church, and her interests and comforts. God has given the servant an ear to hear God and to hear the people (50:5). Can a woman forget her sucking child?" Both are from Christ, and are branches of the Shall go away from you. peopled, nay, it shall be over-peopled (v. 19): "Thy waste and thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. a polished shaft (v. 2). But here it seems to point at the obstinacy No evil thing shall befal those that put themselves Henceforth it will be Jerusalem-Zion. Joel is referred to only once in the NT ( Acts 2:1621 ). Though here identified with Israel as fulfilling its ideal, the Servant is yet a Person distinct from the nation, or perhaps a personification of the pious core of the nation, who is to be the means of destroyer, is cast out, is dispossessed, has his power broken and his attempts quite baffled. As to Satan, we were a prey in the hand of the mighty, and yet delivered even from him that had the power of men, which had been impoverished and almost depopulated, partly by the corruptions of the Jewish church and partly by the Now Yahweh chooses to speak through the voice of a servant, and the power of Gods word is not diminished by this process. The MacArthur Bible Studies provide intriguing examinations of the entire Bible. 2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp Lift up your eyes, look around and see; People ( 50:5 ) isaiah 49 commentary john macarthur was the undertaker of that salvation shall befal those that put themselves it... 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