August 19, 2010 Isaiah 50-54

The Lord told the children of Israel that He divorced their mother and sold them because of their sins. He tried to talk to them, but they didn't answer. Oceans do what He tells them, but the Israelites did not. Isaiah told them that each morning God awakens him and he is eager to learn what God has to teach him. People beat and insulted Isaiah, but God never let him down. He knew the Lord would help prove his innocence. The Lord will punish the people who don't believe or obey Him.

If you want to do right, obey the Lord like Abraham. Isaiah told the Israelites that their descentants Abraham and Sarah were blessed by God. Even though things are in ruins, God will bring comfort and the place will be restored like the garden of Eden. God told them they belonged to Him and he would rescue them. God's saving power never ends. The victories of men will vanish, but the victories of God will last. Isaiah prayed for God's help. The Lord answered him: Don't be afraid of mere humans. I will help those who call to me. I will tell you what to say and keep you safe in the palm of my hand. Later, Isaiah told the people that God was angry about the way they had been lulled into a false sense of security and ignored Him. He told them to wake up and pay attention and God would help them.

Rise up Jerusalem and celebrate your victory! They had been oppressed in Egypt, Assyria and another nation for no reason at all, but they would be free. The Lord gives comfort and rescues His people. They would be able to bring back the sacred things of the Lord. The suffering servant would make nations worthy to worship God.

Isaiah 53 is all about the suffering servant and what he did for us. It reads like a biography of the life of Jesus Christ. The suffering servant is commonly identified as the messiah. Jesus said, "You search and investigate and pore over the Scriptures diligently, because you suppose and trust that you have eternal life through them. And these [very Scriptures] testify about Me!" John 5:39 Amplified. Jesus was a rabbi, He knew the scriptures. I wonder if this passage was one of the topics He discussed in the temple when He was 12?

Isaiah urged the Israelites to rejoice because they wouldn't be lonely for much longer. He told them to make their tents bigger and get ready for them to be filled. They were to forget the sins of their youth and stop feeling ashamed. God is powerful and will rescue everyone. They were like a young wife, sad for being abandoned by her husband, but God wanted them back! Just as God promised Noah He would never again destroy the earth with a flood, He promised never again to get angry and punish His children. God would rebuild their city, make their children successful and bring them peace and prosperity.

Tomorrow read Isaiah 55-60:9