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.