Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Isaiah 51:14

Isaiah 51:14 says, The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.  Isaiah said that the captive in exile hurried to try to be released so that he would not die in the pit or of starvation.  We are captive in the pit of sin and dying of spiritual starvation until we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, but we should never want to die there.  God will always be calling us out of the pit if we only listen to His call. 

Verse fifteen adds, But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The Lord of hosts is his name.  God reminded them once again that He was the only God and that He was their God as long as they continued to put their faith in Him, and that He had delivered them in the past by parting the sea as they left Egypt.  He is still the only God, and He will deliver us from the power of sin and death if we put our faith in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  If we already have, and life seems to be getting very tough, we simply need to remember that just as God delivered us in the past, He has already delivered spiritually us to everlasting life with Him forever. 

Verse sixteen continues, And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.  Matthew Henry says this refers to Isaiah and all the prophets of God, but specifically refers to Jesus Christ, the great Prophet.  The other prophets could point people to God, but only Jesus Christ, the Living Word, could save them.  Since God is the One Who created it all, we can put our faith in Him to redeem us and keep us spiritually safe forever.  Of course, this has to begin by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. 

Verse seventeen states, Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.  God called on the people of Israel to awaken spiritually.  They had been drinking the dregs of God’s goodness because of their disobedience, but God was calling on them to return to Him in obedience and enjoy the Living Water once more.  Whatever we may be putting our faith in other than God will leave us drinking the dregs of life instead of enjoying the Living Water. 

Verse eighteen adds, There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.  Isaiah said that there was no earthly ruler to lead the people of Israel.  It was a sad state of affairs for there to be no one among God’s chosen people to lead them spiritually to walk in His ways.  It is not enough if we have church buildings on every corner if we don’t have people inside who understand and obey God’s word, from the preacher on down. 

Verse nineteen continues, These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?  Isaiah said that God had two things to say about what was happening to the people of Israel at that time.  First, desolation and destruction were coming to them, as well as famine and the sword, and second it was because of their failing to obey God.  Since their disobedience led them to this state, then God asked them who was going to have pity or mercy on them.  The world certainly wouldn’t, but fortunately for them, God did.  If we find no relief from dire situations in our life today from the people of the world, if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are already living under the mercy of God, and that is what really matters. 

Verse twenty says, Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God.  Isaiah said that the sons of the people of Israel had fainted and were lying at the heads of the streets helpless.  He also said they were like a wild bull in a net, trying to escape but only making things worse as they did.  When we turn away from God, we are helpless, and if we try to get ourselves out of a bad situation, it may be that the more we struggle, the worse things become.  The people then needed to turn to God for guidance and help, and so must we today, even before we find ourselves in trouble. 

Verse twenty-one adds, Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:  Isaiah called on the people to hear what God had to say to them.  We, as Christians, need to always hear what God has to say to us.  Isaiah said that they were like drunken people, but they weren’t drunk on wine, which can inhibit a person’s ability to think.  If we are not relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us today, we are no more effective in doing the right thing than one who is drunk on wine is. 

Verse twenty-two continues, Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:  Isaiah said that the Lord had taken the cup of fury out of their hand and that they would no longer drink from it.  Because of their disobedience, God had allowed them to suffer, but now that they had repented and returned to following Him, He would bring them comfort.  As followers of Christ, if we have strayed away from obeying Him, He stands ready to forgive and restore us if we repent and turn to Him once more.  Until we do, we should be trembling in fear.  If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, then we will always be one of His children, but if we are disobedient to Him, we should tremble at His judgment of our actions.  Though forgiven, we will one day have to answer for our disobedience after we have been saved. 

Verse twenty-three concludes, But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.  Isaiah said that they had bowed down physically to their captors, but not spiritually.  We may at times need to comply with man-made laws, even ones we may not agree with, but if they don’t contradict God’s laws, that is okay, unless we allow complying to become more important than our faith in Jesus Christ.  Sometimes, the choice may be life threatening, and if it is, we must choose to remain faithful to God.  God will one day deal with those who oppress His people, so we don't need to worry about it.

Monday, October 20, 2025

Isaiah 51:7

Isaiah 51:7 says, Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.  God called on those who believed in Him to not be afraid if they were reproached and reviled by non-believers.  The people of the world may reproach and revile us as followers of Jesus Christ today, but we should never allow that to stop us from being faithful to God. 

Verse eight adds, For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.  God said that those who opposed the people of Israel, His chosen people when they lived in obedience to Him, would be eaten up like a moth eating a garment or a worm eating wool.  They were powerless, but unlike them, God’s righteousness would last forever and His salvation from generation to generation.  We must come to God through His righteousness and not our own, and we must accept His salvation from generation to generation.  The people of Israel were not all saved forever because God chose them, but they were saved generation to generation when they put their faith in Him. 

Verse nine continues, Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?  God called on His people to awake to His righteousness once more as they had in the past and remember that He had given them victory over their enemies in the past and He would do so then and in the future.  We as followers of Christ should look to the Bible to times when God rescued His people in the past and also be able to look back on times when God has rescued us from bad situations in the past and then acknowledge that He has the power to deliver us forever from the power and penalty of sin. 

Verse ten states, Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?  The people of Israel were reminded to look back to the time when God had dried the sea, when they passed out of Egypt on dry land, and acknowledge that He was still the same God Who still had that power.  We should not serve God just because of what He has done for us in the past, when He ransomed us form the power of sin and death, but we should serve Him because He can continue to do the same thing every day.  His power will never fail. 

Verse eleven adds, Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.  Isaiah said that when the redeemed people returned to Zion that they would come singing and everlasting joy would be on their head.  They would obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and mourning would flee away.   This may have happened temporarily then, but the prophesy is ultimately about those who put their faith in Jesus Christ and the everlasting joy that we will have when He comes again, this time as the Conquering Lord and calls His people to their everlasting home. 

Verse twelve continues, I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;  Isaiah said that God said that He was the One Who comforted them and then asked why they should be afraid of men who would die, or the son on man who was like the grass.  The son of man here is not a reference to Jesus Christ but simply means a physical son.  Since God comforts us, why do we fear anyone or anything in this world.  God has secured the everlasting victory. 

Verse thirteen concludes, And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?  God continued by asking them if they had forgotten the Lord their Maker.  When things are going badly in life for us as followers of Christ, we should never forget Who our God is and that He is in control.  This might be even more so when things are going very well for us, since there is a tendency to forget God when they are and to begin to think that we deserve all the things He blesses us with to use for our own comfort and glory.


Sunday, October 19, 2025

Isaiah 51:1

Isaiah 51:1 says, Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.  God called on the people who followed after righteousness and sought the Lord to put their faith in the rock from which they were hewn and the pit from which they were dug, or their idolatrous nature before God called them to  covenant relationship with Himself.  Before we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord as we respond to His call, we were  an idolatrous person and a part of an idolatrous people.  We need to remember that so that we do not become puffed up in self-pride. 

Verse two adds, Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.  God said that they needed to look back to Abraham and Sarah and remember that He chose Abraham alone to be the father of His people.  I don’t believe that God just arbitrarily chose Abraham while rejecting all others, but that He chose Abraham because of Abraham’s faith in Him.  Sarah was also a part of this promise.  We are called to be a part of God’s people, not because we by our own merit are better than anyone else, but because God has chosen to redeem us if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord in spite of our unworthiness. 

Verse three continues, For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.  Isaiah said God was going to restore Zion, or His nation, to a state of fruitfulness like there had been in the Garden of Eden.  God said they would also become a joyous people once again because they once more knew Who He was and that they could put their faith in Him even if their lack of faith had caused them to be in captivity.  We as individual Christians and as the church as a whole have the promise that God will always supply our spiritual needs and because of this, we should be joyous people, no matter how badly things might be going in the world around us.

Verse four states, Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.  Isaiah said God called on His people to not just listen, but to hear and understand what He had to say to them.  It is not enough to just hear God’s word proclaimed.  As followers of Christ, we need to hear and understand what it means by faith as the Holy Spirit reveals God’s truth to us.  I believe the law and judgment that would proceed from Him refers to the coming of Jesus Christ, Who made it possible for us to find forgiveness.  Jesus Christ is the Light to the world.

Verse five adds, My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.  God told the people that His righteousness was near and that His salvation had gone forth.  His righteousness was not limited to the Jewish people but would go into the isles, or the rest of the world when it came.  Jesus Christ did not die just to save the people of Israel and Judah, since they were divided, but to save all who would put their faith in Him and the coming Messiah.  Jesus Christ did not die just to save certain people, but to save all people for all time who accept Him as their Savior and Lord.  God said His arm would judge the people.  We are not to judge others but to witness to them and let God judge them. 

Verse six continues, Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.  God said that they were to look to the heavens and the earth and realize that they would pass away but God’s righteousness would last forever and could not be abolished.  The things of the world that we may value will one day pass away, but our relationship with God through our faith in Jesus Christ will last forever. 


Saturday, October 18, 2025

Isaiah 50:9

Isaiah 50:9 says, Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.   Isaiah said that since God was helping him, who could condemn him.  If we are doing what God has called us to do, we have no need to be afraid of anyone.  As long as we are forgiven by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, there is no one who can ever condemn us.  Isaiah said that those who opposed him were about as powerful as an old moth-eaten cloth.  Our enemies today as Christians have no power over us spiritually. 

\Verse ten adds, Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.  Isaiah asked who were they that feared and obeyed the Lord but yet walked in darkness still and had no light.  He then told them if this was the case that they needed to just call on the Lord and keep faith in God.  We may walk in a world full of spiritual darkness where it is often hard to see the Light, but as long as we remain true to Jesus Christ, He will always light our way. 

Verse eleven continues, Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.  This is a warning against trying to provide your own light spiritually.  If we are struggling with doubts about God, we should never try to come to an understanding about what He wants from us by our own reasoning power, but we must always wait for God to shine His light on us.  False spiritual light is never going to do anything but confuse us even more.  In our darkest hour, we need to simply look to Jesus, the only true Light.

Friday, October 17, 2025

Isaiah 50:4

Isaiah 50:4 says, The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.  Isaiah said that God had given him the ability to speak and to hear, or understand, as learned men did.  Matthew Henry says that even though this applies to Isaiah and all prophets, as it does to all preachers today, that it also applies specifically to Jesus Christ, Who alone is able to completely understand God.  We may be given the understanding to proclaim the gospel, but we will never fully understand all of God.  We also need to understand that in order to speak with understanding so that people might understand Who God is, we must first listen to what God says to us.  We cannot reach people by being educated by the world’s standards, but we must reach the world by first listening to and then proclaiming God’s word as He gives us an understanding of it.  In His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ listened to and obeyed the Heavenly Father.  We as followers of Jesus Christ need to listen to and obey the Holy Spirit.

Verse five adds, The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.  Isaiah could be referring to what had happened with himself, but as we read the next few verses, this seems to refer to Jesus Christ and what happened to Him in His life here on earth.  This should apply to all prophets and preachers, or even individual Christians, but it also applies to Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry.  He was never rebellious and never turned away from the will of the Father, and as Christians, we never should either. 

Verse six continues, I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.  This specifically happened to Jesus in His earthly ministry, and it may have happened to others who were called to proclaim God’s word, but had He not been willing to endure this abuse, it would not matter if we do.  Had Jesus Christ failed to be obedient to the will of the Father, we could not be saved by His sacrifice.  If He was willing to endure this for us, we should be wiling to endure these things for Him and never be ashamed about it. 

Verse seven states, For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.  Matthew Henry says that though this applies to Isaiah, that in a broader context it is a reference to Jesus Christ, Who always depended on the Heavenly Father for strength and guidance.   Isaiah said that his support came from the Lord, which would be a reference to the coming Messiah, and our support as Christians comes from the Holy Spirit, Who was sent to indwell every believer in Jesus Christ after He died as a sacrifice for our sins. 

Verse eight adds, He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.  Isaiah said that since his Lord was near him and justified him, who could contend with him.  He also called for the people of Israel to stand together.  Isaiah then asked those who would stand against him to come near.  We need to be united as followers of Christ, and we should never be afraid to speak God’s truth no matter how powerful those who oppose us may be.  We don’t need to argue with the people of the world, but we do need to be willing to talk about our believes about God without fearing what others may do. 


Thursday, October 16, 2025

Isaiah 50:1

Isaiah 50:1 says, Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.  God said that He had never put away those who were a part of the covenant relationship with Him by a bill of divorcement or by selling them to pay off credit He was owed.  The people of Israel being once more in captivity by another nation was their own fault.  They had sold themselves into captivity by turning away from their covenant relationship with God.  God has never abandoned anyone or sold them for His benefit, so if we find ourselves in bondage to sin once more as followers of Christ, it is because we have failed to continue to live in obedience to Him.  If someone has never accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, it is also their responsibility, because Jesus Christ died to give them forgiveness from sin if they will accept it.

Verse two adds, Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.  God then asked if the people of Israel thought that He was not powerful enough to set them free.  He asked if in the people of Israel,  there was not even one person who had listened to Him when He called out to them.  We better hope that as the church today that we never reach a point where we lose faith in God’s power and fail to listen when He speaks to us. 

Verse three continues, I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.  God said He was in control of the heavens as well as the earth, so the implication was why did the people of Israel not believe in His power.  If we believe that God is the Creator and Sustainer, we should never question His power to keep us safe spiritually, and we should never fail to hear Him when He calls us.


Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Isaiah 49:17

 Isaiah 49:17 says, Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.  This was a promise that the nation of Israel would once again be a nation of many people.  They were beaten down and small in numbers, especially of those who truly believed in God, but they were going to be great again in the days to come.  This is also a call to the church today.  As followers of Christ, we may at times feel beaten down and defeated, but if we remain true to God, we will one day flourish again.   

Verse eighteen adds, Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. 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.  This verse speaks not only of people from everywhere coming to Jerusalem after it was rebuilt, but more importantly refers to people from everywhere coming to the church after Jesus Christ died and rose again to redeem those who put their faith in Him, who are His church. God said these others coming to the church would be like an ornament for the people of Israel.  I will state once more, the people of Israel were always supposed to call others to God and not keep them from coming to Him, and the same is true of the church today. 

Verse nineteen continues, For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.  Isaiah said that God had declared that the land of Israel, which had for a time been desolate and nearly unpopulated would now be overflowing with inhabitants.  This should be our desire for the church today, since we are God’s people as followers of Christ.  No matter how bleak things may look, we need to be calling others to salvation so that God’s kingdom can grow. 

Verse twenty states, The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.  God said that the children that they had might have been lost, but they would be blessed with many others, who would call the land too small and ask for a place where they could dwell.  We need to overflow the church with people today who will look for a place to grow even larger in numbers.  Even though the commandments of God might have been strait, or strict, the people around Israel still wanted to be a part of God’s kingdom.  We cannot water down God’s word to increase the numbers in the church, but we must continue to hold up God’s standards for those who would be a part of His kingdom. 

Verse twenty-one adds, Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?  Isaiah said the people of Israel would ask where these great numbers of people had come from, since for too long they had been desolate and alone.  They had been left desolate because as a nation as a whole they had turned away from God and now they had returned, and He was fulfilling His promise to them.   At times, the church may almost be invisible, but God will always preserve the true church, and if we obey His command to preach the gospel to all the world, there will be times when the church seems to be overflowing.  In either condition, we need to give God the glory and praise Him for His goodness and mercy. 

Verse twenty-two continues, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.  Isaiah said God was going to reach out to the Gentiles and they would bring their sons and daughters to Him.  The people of Israel should have already been doing this with their children, not that either group could save their children by their own power, but so that the children would know Who God is and what He had done for them.  He had made a plan of redemption, not just for the Jews, but for the whole world if they would only accept His plan of salvation. 

Verse twenty-three says, And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.  God said that even some of the rulers of the world at that time would come humbly to Him to be saved, acknowledging that He alone is God.  He also said that those who waited on Him wouldn’t be ashamed to proclaim this.  We today are waiting on the return of Jesus Christ to claim His people, and we should not be ashamed to wait and proclaim this while we do, no matter how powerful we might be in the eyes of the world. 

Verse twenty-four adds, Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?  Isaiah asked if the prey, those captured by other nations, be taken from them by force.  The people of Israel were the prey, and it was not expected that they would be set free, since they weren’t powerful enough to free themselves at that time.  We are the prey or captives of sin until we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and we are not powerful enough to set ourselves free.  So, when Jesus died to set us free, it was not something that would have been expected and it certainly wasn’t done the way people would expect.

Verse twenty-five continues, But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.  Isaiah said that God proclaimed that He Himself would set the captives free and that He would contend with those who contended with the Jews, or God’s chosen people in other words.  God is still the only one Who can defeat our enemies, sin and death, and He did so when His only begotten Son Jesus Christ died on the cross and arose again in victory.

Verse twenty-six concludes, And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.  Isaiah said that God was going to totally destroy the enemies of His people and that when He did, they would know that He was their Savior and Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob.  We know that Jesus Christ destroyed the power of all our spiritual enemies if we are one of His followers.  The mighty One of Jacob refers to Jesus Christ being the fulfillment of a promise from God to Jacob based on the covenant relationship they made with each other, and it does not mean that Jacob himself was somehow responsible for people being set free.  The mighty One was one of his descendants, Jesus Christ.  We are not set free from the power of sin and death by our own ability or worth, but we are set free by our accepting the gift of salvation freely provided by the mighty One of Jacob, Jesus Christ.