Isaiah 54:6

Isaiah 54:6 says, For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.  Isaiah continues with the analogy of the people of Israel, and in the broader context the church, being the bride of God.  They had been His bride in their youth, so they still would be.  They had seemed to be forsaken because of their refusal to be obedient to Him, but He was calling them to be restored to their relationship as His bride.  As Christians, we are the bride of Christ, and if we stray away from His will in our life, this does not change.  Still, the benefits of being His bride may go away until we repent and return to Him in obedience. 

Verses seven adds, For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.  Isaiah said for a brief period of time God had forsaken them but that with great mercies He would gather them again.  He had forsaken them because of their rebellion and not just as an arbitrary action on His part, and even then, I believe, He continued to call out to them.  They just wouldn’t listen.  If we find ourselves feeling abandoned by God as followers of Christ, it will always be because we have allowed sin back into our lives and not because God has suddenly just abandoned us.  God will still pour His mercy out on us if we will only return to Him in obedience. 

Verse eight continues, In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.  God said in His wrath against the sins of the people who refused to listen to Him, He was hidden from them for a little while, but He also said that He would have everlasting mercy on them as their Redeemer.  As Christians, if we fall back into sin, God may be briefly hidden from us.  Sin separates us from Him temporarily, but He is still our everlasting Redeemer if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ.  When we become a born-again believer, nothing can ever separate us from God forever, since we are sealed to Him by His power. 

Isaiah 54:1

Isaiah 54:1 says, Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.  Isaiah said that when God delivered them from Babylonian captivity that they were to break forth in song and cry aloud.  The nation of Israel had been like a barren woman, with very few people being added to the nation.  There were also more children who didn’t believe in God than there were who did, which would be like the children of a wife.  Matthew Henry points out that only about 42,000 returned from Babylon, which was about a fifteenth of the number that had left Egypt.  We need to pray that the number of Christians in the world today doesn’t begin to decrease, but I am afraid it will.  Still, we must obey God’s command to carry the gospel to the whole world. 

Verse two adds, Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;  Isaiah said they were to prepare for the nation to grow once more. They had been defeated and reduced in numbers, but by faith in God, that was going to change.  As followers of Christ today, we need to always look for God to increase our numbers, but all we can do is witness to and pray for the lost.  The increase will always be up to the individuals and God. 

Verse three continues, For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.  Isaiah said they were going to break forth in all directions and that they were going to increase by reaching the Gentiles and calling them to become a part of God’s family.  God never intended for the people of Israel to think that they alone could be saved, but they were always to reach out to the Gentiles with God’s word.  We today are not to think that God is only going to save just certain people, but we are to reach out to the whole world with the gospel.  No group of people, of their own merit, is better than any other in God’s sight. 

Verse four states, Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.  Isaiah called on the people of Israel no longer be afraid and to forget their shame from before, when they had been enslaved and many women left as widows.   There would be no reason to dwell on these memories any longer, just as there is no reason for us to look back on our lives, which may have been lived in shame before God, once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Since God has forgiven and erased the sins from our slate, we don’t need to allow them to hold us back now. 

Verse five adds, For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.  Isaiah added that God was their husband, since the church is the bride of Christ.  The husband is supposed to be the head of the earthly family, protecting and providing for the family, and God is the head of His family, the church.  He is the Redeemer, the only one that there is.  He is also the Holy One of Israel.  When Jesus Christ came to live, die, and be resurrected for the forgiveness of our sins, He wasn’t some new God.  He was still the God that the people of Israel had worshipped for all those years, and even more than that He was the Creator of everything.  He was to be called the God, not just of Israel, but of the whole earth.  As Christians, it is our responsibility to do our best under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with the whole world. 

Isaiah 53:1

Isaiah 53:1 says, Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?  Though God had sent His word through the prophets, He asked who had believed His report.  He had also revealed His work to the people, but He asked to whom was this revealed.  God through His written word has revealed Himself to the world and through the work of the Holy Spirit.  He makes Himself know to people, but the question is do we believe what God says.  Matthew Henry says instead the prophesy of Isaiah this could becalled the gospel presented by Isaiah.  The first three verses deal with the suffering of Jesus while He was here on earth.

Verse two adds, For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.  God said that He was going to raise up a deliverer Who would be like a tender plant growing out of the dry ground, and that people would see nothing in His physical appearance that would draw them to Him.  We don’t really need to know what Jesus looked like physically but need only to acknowledge what He did for all mankind spiritually, even those who reject Him. 

Verse three continues, He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Isaiah clearly stated what was going to happen to Jesus Christ when He came as a man.  He was going to be known as a man of sorrows and would be well acquainted with grief.  I believe most of His sorrow was caused by what the rest of this verse states.  People turned away from Him and despised Him, ending with His crucifixion.  He came as the only true Savior, and people rejected Him calling Him a fake.  Too many people still do that today, even though He is the only way to salvation.  I am sure that this still causes Him sorrow today. 

Verse four states, Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  Matthew Henry says the rest of the chapter tells us about the rolling away of His reproach.  This verse continues to speak about the way that people treated Jesus Christ while He was here on earth, and it was written well before He actually came.  People of the world may have failed to esteem Him going so far as the crucify Him unjustly, but because He died on the cross for us, He is forever esteemed by the Heavenly Father. 

Verse five adds, But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  Isaiah continued to speak about how Jesus Christ was going to be wounded and bruised, not for His transgressions but for ours.  Even though it was horrible that this happened, it led to the only way to salvation for anyone and everyone.  The key is that we have to put our faith in that fact and accept Him as our Savior and Lord.  His reproach was rolled away when He arose again as the eternal Savior.  He always was, still is, and always will be the only way to salvation, which is by His restoration of our relationship with the Heavenly Father. 

Verse six continues, All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  Isaiah gave the reason why Jesus Christ would have to die in our place.  All we, or everyone, had gone astray, or sinned against God, when we followed our own will instead of God’s will.  Jesus Christ took the iniquity of every person on Himself. Because of His living a life free of sin, He was able to do so, and He is the only One able to do so.  Of course, for His sacrifice to do us any good, we have to put our faith in Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  If we don’t, even though He died for our sins, we will never benefit from His sacrifice.

Verse seven says, He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.  Isaiah, still speaking about things that had yet happened, said that even though Jesus Christ was oppressed and brought like a sheep to slaughter, He did not open His mouth in protest.  When we think of His power, He could have easily said He wasn’t going to do this and destroyed all His enemies with just His word.  We should be eternally grateful that He didn’t but chose to accept His unjust execution. 

Verse eight adds, He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.  Isaiah said that Jesus Christ was taken from prison and judgment and died for the sins of His people, the Jews, and as we know, for the sins of everyone else as well.  He asked also who would declare it to this generation, and as followers of Christ, we need to ask ourselves the same question, and the answer is that we are to carry the gospel to the people of our generation. 

Verse nine continues, And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.  Isaiah said that Jesus was to make His grave with both the wicked and the rich.  Though it wasn’t His grave, He died between two thieves and was buried in a borrowed tomb that likely belonged to a rich man.  What really matters is that Jesus Christ died for everyone, the rich and the poor, and if we accept His gift of salvation, we are all equals. 

Verse ten states, Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.  God allowed His only begotten Son, Jeus Christ, to die a physical death for the sins of everyone.  He is the only sacrifice that will ever be acceptable because He, though tempted as all people are, lived without giving in to the temptation of sin. The Heavenly Father allowed His only begotten Son to take on the punishment for our sins.  I can think of no greater act of love and grace than this. 

Verse eleven adds, He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.  Isaiah said that when the Heavenly Father saw the suffering of His Son for the sins of mankind, He would be satisfied that the death penalty for sin had been satisfied.  We can either accept the gift of salvation that He paid provides for us, or we can pay the penalty for ourselves by being separated from God and His mercy forever in the fires of hell. 

Verse twelve continues, Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.  Isaiah said that Jesus Christ would have a portion with the great because of His sacrifices for the sins of all humanity. He was seen as a sinner by the world, and they thought they had killed Him for it, but He was really the Savior of sinners Who willingly laid down His life for them.  It is because of this that He now sits in a position of honor in heaven.  If we accept His gift of salvation, we will one day be there with Him.  If we don’t, we will forever be separated from Him.

Isaiah 52:13

Isaiah 52:13 says, Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.  Isaiah moves from the temporary physical deliverance of the people at that time to the everlasting spiritual deliverance when the Messiah, Jesus Christ came.  Matthew Henry says the prophecy about Jesus Christ that begins here continues to the end of the next chapter.  We know that in His ministry, Jesus Christ did deal with the people prudently and that even though He was rejected and killed, He was resurrected the third day and now is highly exalted as the only Savior that there is.  We just have to accept that fact and put our faith in Him if we want to be restored to a right relationship with God. 

Verse fourteen adds, As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:  Isaiah said that when the Messiah came, He would be so beaten and abused that people would be astonished at how He looked.  I know we now tend to focus on how badly Jesus Christ was beaten before He was crucified, but the emphasis should still be on His resurrection after His abuse and death.  Though what happened to Him was horrible, even if He had been crucified without being beaten, then result would have been the same.  He died to pay the penalty for our sins and rose again to give us victory, and that should be our message to the world today if we are His followers. 

Verse fifteen continues, So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.  Isaiah said that the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, which is the only way to salvation, would go to many nations that had not seen or heard about Him.  Jesus Christ didn’t come just to redeem the nation of Israel but to redeem the whole world.  Today, the people of Israel still refuse to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah, even though He came to them first.  His word went to the rest of the world, which includes us, and many believed, even some rulers.  It is our task to continue to proclaim the gospel to the world, so that all people might hear it and come to Jesus Christ for salvation through faith.   

Isaiah 52:7

Isaiah 52:7 says, How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!  Isaiah said that the feet of those who proclaimed the gospel were beautiful and that it pronounced that the Messiah, Jesus Christ. alone could bring salvation.  He also said that the people of Zion would once again proclaim that their God reigned.  As followers of Christ, we need to always share the gospel to the world, and no matter what happens in this lifetime, we need to always proclaim that our God, the only God, reigns. 

Verse eight adds, Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.  Isaiah said that the watchmen, those who were supposed to be on alert for the enemies of Israel, would once more be doing what they were supposed to be doing and that they would be in agreement after God brought them to Zion once more.  As Christians, we are the watchmen today and we need to be crying out against the enemies of God. 

Verse nine continues, Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.  Isaiah called on the people to break forth in joy and to sing together about God’s redemption.  We as followers of Christ should be a joyous people, and we should break forth in songs about His deliverance of us from the power of sin and death.  This should not depend on our physical circumstances. 

Verse ten states, The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.  God had manifested His power to the people of the world, and He would receive the glory for salvation that He made available to everyone.  This may have referred to a specific event in time, but it also referred to God’s everlasting deliverance of those who put their faith in Him.  It is because of God’s power that we can have victory over sin and death if we will only put our faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  

Verse eleven adds, Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.  God called on His people to depart from the places of sin, to touch no unclean thing, and to be clean spiritually and to bear the vessels of the Lord.  As Christians, we are to remove ourselves from sinful situations, and as Christians, we are vessels of the Holy Spirit, so we need to do all that can to remain spiritually clean.  We cannot separate life into the physical and the spiritual but must realize that everything that we do as followers of Christ has a spiritual context to it. 

Verse twelve continues, For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your reward.  The people of Israel were told that they would not go out in haste, fleeing from their oppressors.  Instead, they would go out under the leadership of God and that He would be their reward. We are not to run from our enemies today in fear, but we are to follow God’s leadership, especially as we go through tough times.  Our reward is not a physical reward but is an everlasting relationship with God.

Isaiah 52:1

Isaiah 52:1 says, Awake, awake; put on thy strength,   Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.  Matthew Henry says that most of this chapter continues with the subject of the previous chapter, the deliverance of Israel from her captives, but the last three verses are on the subject of the next chapter, the coming of the Redeemer, both of His humiliation by the people of Israel and His exaltation by the Heavenly Father.  In this verse, the people of Israel are told to once more put on their beautiful garments.  They were no longer to be captives in Babylon but were to be allowed to return to Jerusalem and the rest of the country of Israel, where they would once more be a glorious people of God, not because of anything they did, but because of what God did for them.  They had been downcast and feeling hopeless, but God called on them to restore their faith in Him and rise up in faith.  We may at times feel beaten down as Christians, but we never will be defeated spiritually, so we just need to remember who we are and rise up in obedience to God.  This is true no matter what happens in the world around us.  Isaiah said as long as they were obedient to God that those who were ungodly would not defeat them again.  We have that same promise today.   

Verse two adds, Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.  Isaiah said God called on the people of Israel to shake themselves from the dust and throw of the bands from their neck.  Though God was going to deliver them, He expected them to live by faith in this fact.  We may claim that through Christ we have the everlasting victory, but the question is do we live as though we believe it.  If we as followers of Christ are feeling beaten down by the world, we need to shake ourselves and live by the faith that we proclaim. 

Verse three continues, For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.  Isaiah said they had sold themselves for nothing.  Their defeat because of their rebellion against Him had gotten them nothing but being enslaved, and God had certainly not profited by their enslavement.  This was a totally wasted time spiritually for the people of Israel, and anytime we sell out our relationship with God to the powers of the world looking for enrichment materially, we will gain nothing.  Isaiah then said God was going to redeem them without money.  They could not buy their way to freedom, but God was going to provide it for them free of charge.  This is what happens when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  There is nothing that we can give God to purchase our forgiveness, but He provides it for us free of charge. 

Verse four states, For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.  Isaiah said that God said that His people went down to Egypt to live there in peace in the past, but the Egyptians enslaved them.  We might ask what the people of Israel were doing in Egypt then instead of just continuing to put their faith in God.  Still, like Egypt in the past that did not give Assyria the right to oppress them.  We may tend to go to Egypt spiritually, looking to the world to keep us safe instead of looking to God, but that doesn’t mean that the world is given a license to enslave us.  God always stands ready to forgive us if we will only call on Him in faith.  

Verse five adds, Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.  God said that His people being taken away captive was a negative reflection on Him.  It may have been their rebellion that caused them to once more be in captivity, but it was also a reason for people to blaspheme God.  It was seen as His not being able to protect them instead of it being His allowing them to be taken captive because of their rebellion against Him.  If we as Christians fall back into captivity of sin, it will be because we have stopped obeying God, but it will be a reflection on His power as well and we then may cause people to blaspheme Him, saying that He is powerless to help us. 

Verse six continues, Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.  God said that after they were delivered from captivity that they would once more acknowledge that it was God Who had delivered them.  Since God has delivered us forever from the penalty of sin, if we fall under its power again, we just need to repent and come back to being obedient to God and we always need to give Him the glory no matter what. 

 

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.