Week 4 Summary

 

Week 4 Summary

 

 

 

“Listen, O coastlands, to Me,
And take heed, you peoples from afar!
The LORD has called Me from the womb;
From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.” Isaiah 49:1

 

Listen, O coastlands, to Me: These words come prophetically from the Messiah, the Servant of the LORD revealed in previous chapters. Here, He commands the coastlands – the distant lands of the Gentiles – to listen to Him.

Then I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; yet surely my just reward is with the LORD” (Isaiah 49:4). The translators of the New King James do not believe these words belong in the mouth of the Messiah, because the do not capitalize the pronoun my, as they would if they believed it spoke of the Messiah. Yet these words can be set prophetically in the mouth of the Messiah, because surely Jesus was tempted by the discouraging thought that all His work was in vain and for nothing. Yet He triumphed over such temptation by declaring, my just reward is with the LORD.

 

When we consider what – and who – the Lord Jesus had to work with on this earth, we certainly must believe that one of the great temptations He faced was discouragement. This passage shows that even though He ministered in difficult and discouraging circumstances, He never gave into discouragement, but always put His trust in the LORD. 

 

Do not be discouraged, put your trust in the Lord. 

 

“Say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.”

Isaiah 49:9, 13 NIV

 

Jesus’ ministry set people free from bondage and imprisonment.

 

Jesus set the demon possessed free from the bondage of chains and demonic torture (Mark 5:1-15).

 

Jesus set the sick and diseased free from the bondage of their infirmities (Luke 13:16).

 

Jesus set the righteous dead captive in Hades free from their place (Ephesians 4:8).

 

Jesus sets those in bondage to sin and the law free (John 8:33-36, Galatians 3:22-23).

 

The LORD calls for creation itself to add their voices in praise for all the Messiah has done. Shout to the Lord, sing songs of praise and joy. With everything within me I will Praise the Lord. 

Awake, awake, Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor…for this is what the Lord says: “You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.” Isaiah 52:1, 3 NIV

 

Jerusalem could put on clothes of beauty and glory, because the time of judgment was over. This shows that this passage has ultimate fulfillment in the very last days.

 

Tragically, Jerusalem went after other gods like someone selling themselves for nothing. Yet, they would be blessed by being redeemed without money. God’s mercy answered to their tragic sin!

 

But it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t cost anything. The end of Isaiah 52 begins to describe the great cost of redemption, but it is a cost paid by another.

 

Somebody Paid For Your Sin

 

“Your God Reigns! Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem! For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.” Isaiah 52:7b, 9-10

 

“Your God reigns!” The good news – news of peace, glad tidings, and salvation – can all be summed up in the glorious proclamation, “Your God reigns!” Where God reigns, peace reigns. Where God reigns, glad tidings reign. Where God reigns, salvation reigns. What a marvelous declaration – Our God reigns!

 

 The thought beginning at Isaiah 51:9 (Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD!) is completed. The LORD has shown His strength, the strength of His holy arm. No wonder it is a time for joy and singing!

 

God does not make His saving strength known just for those who are immediately rescued. He also does it as a witness and a testimony to others, so they can see the salvation of our God.

 

“Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.” Isaiah 52:13 NKJV

 

This passage, through the end of Isaiah 53, has in focus the Servant of the LORD. This is the Servant previously spoken of in Isaiah 42:1, and Isaiah 49:3 and 6.

 

The Ethiopian in Acts 8:24 asked a question about Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12: Of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man? This question is still asked today, and the answer is extremely important.

 

Through the book of Isaiah, many have been called servants of the LORD in one way or another. This includes Isaiah himself (Isaiah 20:3), Eliakim (Isaiah 22:20), David (Isaiah 37:35), Israel (Isaiah 41:8-9). But there is no doubt that the phrase is also used as a specific title for the Messiah, and this is what is in view here.

 

 The context of Servant is a clear reference to Jesus. Additionally, Matthew quotes Isaiah 42:1-5 and plainly says it is a prophecy fulfilled in Jesus (Matthew 12:16-21). Additionally, in Matthew 8:16-17 the Bible takes this passage of Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12 and says it specifically applies to Jesus.

 

Many people are amazed that people – especially Jewish people – can read a chapter like this and miss Jesus. But really it isn’t surprising. When we make up our minds about who Jesus is, it’s easy to become blind and deaf to the plain, simple message of the Word of God. Put away your pre-conceived notions and your cultural Jesus. Let the Word of God tell you who He is.

 

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

 

Week 1 & Introduction

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

 

 

“The Bible Recap,” Tara-Leigh Cobble

Enduring Word App 

“Life Principles Bible,” Dr. Charles Stanley e-book