Isaiah 49:8-16 ESV
[8] Thus says the LORD: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages,
[9] saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’ They shall feed along the ways; on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
[10] they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.
[11] And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up.
[12] Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene.”
[13] Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.
[14] But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.”
[15] “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
[16] Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
Although the prophet Isaiah lived and prophesied many years before the Jews were taken into captivity by the Babylonians, his prophecies were so accurate concerning this period of captivity it has led some to doubt the entire book to actually have been written by the prophet Isaiah himself, and choose to suggest it was actually penned by another during the captivity in Babylon. Doubtlessly the Jews held in captivity would have found much comfort in the prophecies of Isaiah, especially those which spoke of a release from captivity, and a restoration of Israel once again.
What we find now however is that Isaiah was not solely prophesying words of comfort to the Jews who would shortly follow him, but to a wider audience of those who would come to believe in the One who was pierced for our transgressions at Calvary many years later. As Christians today we can draw immense comfort, even in the face of our afflictions, tribulation and persecutions; knowing that Christ will return to release us fully and finally from this captivity of sinful flesh and into the heavenly Jerusalem that awaits us who believe.
You may wonder that, apart from the similarities to the way Jesus spoke in the New Testament Gospels, how can I know these prophecies speak to me today? How can they speak to me now, when they were written thousands of years ago to the nation of Israel when I am not even a Jew? Well to understand that, simply take a few steps back into the previous chapters.
In chapters 46 and 47, God speaks of the way in which He will bring the powers of Babylon low, and will save His people because He is God. Just as these passages spoke of the fulfillment in ancient Babylon, it also spoke into the future to the powers of darkness that would be conquered by Christ at Calvary. The following words; “In one day the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments.” [Isa 47:9], were both spoken to Babylon in that day, and also to the powers of darkness in this day; their powers being crushed to death in one day as Jesus gave His life for the remission of sins [Col 2:14-15].
In chapter 48, God speaks to Israel as a deaf and disobedient nation, who only pay lip service to God, but not in truth and sincerity believing in Him [Isa 48:1-3]. He then goes on to say that He is going to do a new thing, previously unknown to Israel, in order to defer His own anger for the sake of His own praise, and that Israel should not be cut off as they rightly deserved [Isa 48:9]. Then in verses 12 and 13 we suddenly have confirmation that it is God in Christ who is speaking, as He reveals Himself as the First and the Last, and Creator of all [Rev 1:8 , Rev 1:17 , Rev 2:8 , John 1:3 , Col 1:16 , Isa 48:16].
Continuing on, God points out that their sinfulness has nullified His promise according to the Law [Isa 48:18-19] , which is also confirmed in the New Testament where we are told that the promise of God was witheld by the Law until the One who it was truly made to is revealed [Gal 3:19]. However immediately in verse 20, God goes on to reveal that by His grace, and despite the unfaithfulness of Israel, He has reemed them. They should go out from captivity and proclaim the goodness of God to the ends of the earth [Mark 16:15].
As we come into chapter 49, we are introduced to the true Servant of God, the Messiah, who is revealing His salvation to all the nations. This Messiah we now know is Jesus Christ, and according to God, He is “My servant Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” [Isa 49:3]. This Servant is the One who God made as “a light for the nations, that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth” [Isa 49:6]. It is to this Servant of God, the True Israel to whom the promises of God were made, that we confess as Lord and Saviour, and as a result are found in Him [Col 3:3]. This is the very reason as Christians we find that all the promises of God are yes and Amen in Him [2 Cor 1:20].
Do not listen to those who tell you that the church is a “parenthesis”, a surprise of God’s grace being made to a people unforeseen in the Old Testament, and as a result of the Jews rejecting Christ the first time around. God is not bound by His promise to any nation, and that includes the Jewish nation. For it is the sin of both Jew and Gentile alike that brings nothing but the wrath of God upon their own head, and it is only by faith in the True Israel, the faithful Servant of God, Jesus Christ that will divert that wrath from falling. And it is in this same One that our lives must be found in order to enter into any promises of God made to Israel in the text of the Old Testament.
God is no respecter of persons, and He shows no favouritism to any man, whether Jew or Gentile, for we all fall short of His glory. But to those He has chosen, regenerated by His Spirit, and gifted with faith to believe upon His Son; to those every promise shall be fulfilled upon His return [Col 3:4] , whether Jew or Gentile in the flesh. It is they who are justified, it is they who are sanctified, and it is they who are the Israel of God and the true spiritual offspring of Abraham, and heirs according to the promise [Gal 3:29]. It is they who have been engraved upon the palms of our Saviour, and who will never be forsaken. Amen!
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