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.
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