The theme of “comfort” for God’s people and the city of Jerusalem—first introduced in chapter 40—comes to the forefront in chapters 51 and 52. After the words of the Servant of the Lord about trusting the Lord in dark times (50:4-11), chapter 51 opens with the Lord Himself bringing words of comfort (3, 12) and joy (11).
The Lord knows that His people—even those who still seek Him—need comfort and encouragement. The suffering they’ve experienced at the hands of the Babylonians has left them afraid and dismayed (7). The “devastation and destruction” they’ve seen come upon Jerusalem has extinguished a hope for a brighter future. “These two things have happened to you—who will console you—devastation and destruction, famine and sword; who will comfort you?” (19). The faithful remnant need God’s consolation and comfort.
Because of their despondency, the Lord begins by capturing their attention: “Listen to me” (1); “Give attention to me” (4). He does not want those “who purse righteous” and “seek the Lord” to miss the words of comfort He brings (1). He calls the remnant to reflect on their beginnings as a people: “Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you” (2). From small beginnings, the Lord “multiplied” an entire nation (2). He will now do it again. He comforts Zion with a promise to make her “waste places” like “Eden” (3), to fill her streets with “joy and gladness. . . thanksgiving and the voice of song” (3).
After getting His people’s full attention (“Give attention to me, my people”—4), the Lord declares His purpose to display his “righteousness” and “salvation.” In verses 4-8, the terms “righteousness” and “salvation” appear together three times (5, 6, 8). The Lord pledges His righteousness will “draw near” (5) and be established “forever” (8). His right ways, expressed in His “law” (4), will “go out” and be “a light to the peoples” (4). At the same time, His saving power (“salvation”) will bring about lasting deliverance for “those who “know righteousness” and have His “law” in their “hearts” (7).
These bright words of hope are meant to strengthen the hearts of His disheartened people. In their despondency, they have lost sight of God’s saving promise and power. They have given way to fearing the enemies who oppress them. In light of His promise to bring near His righteousness and salvation, the Lord wants His people to “lift up” their downcast gaze and see Him towering above their temporary masters (6-7). He wants them to realize that His salvation and righteousness are sturdier and more permanent than the heavens and earth (6). As His people regain perspective and revive with hope, they will be strengthened to “fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings” (7). They will know, as the Servant of the Lord knew, that “the moth will eat them [their adversaries] up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool” (8, 50:9). They will find comfort as they believe the Lord’s words: “my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations” (8).
In verse 9, Isaiah voices the longing of the downtrodden remnant that seeks the Lord: “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the days of old, the generations of long ago. Recalling the Exodus from Egypt, Isaiah looks ahead to God’s deliverance of His oppressed people. He echoes the words of 35:10: “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (11).
The Lord responds by affirming He is the One who “comforts” His people. He questions why they have “forgotten” the One who made the heavens and earth. He asks why they are so “afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass” (12-13; 40:6-8). The Lord affirms that the remnant, though ‘bowed down”, will “speedily be released” (14). Rather than dying or starving in captivity, God’s people will experience God’s salvation. Like the Servant of the Lord (49:2), those who seek Him and His righteousness will speak His words (“Put my words in your mouth”) and be protected by His power (“covered you in the shadow of my hand”—16). The One who established the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth comforts them by affirming, “You are my people” (16).
Having called His people to “listen” and “give attention”, the Lord now tells them to wake up and stand tall: “Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem” (17). Zion is pictured as a person who has fallen down dead drunk. They have “drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath” down to the very dregs” (17). They have staggered and fallen with no children left to take them by the hand (18, 20). The twin blows of “devastation and destruction” has left them inconsolable and without comforters (19).
In light of their helpless condition, the Lord speaks to those who “are drunk, but not with wine” (21). The Lord intervenes to plead the cause of His people (22). He promises take from their hands “the bowl of my wrath” and put it into the “hand of your tormentors” (22-23). Those who trampled them will now experience the wrath of Israel’s covenant keeping LORD.
But the Lord is not finished with his comforting words. While the chapter comes to a close, the Lord’s words of promise continue to a climax in chapter 52:1-12. We will look at those in the next chapter summary.
Behold Your God
The Lord comforts those who seek Him when they have lost perspective and hope. The Lord has a message of comfort for the faithful among the remnant in exile. Having experienced the devastation and destruction of Jerusalem and the domination of their enemies (19), these faithful believers had “forgotten” the Lord’s power to save (13). To comfort them, the Lord reminds them of His past, powerful deeds (creation—3,6, 16; multiplication of Abraham’s line—2). He promises them salvation and restoration (4, 8, 22). He knows they need a restored vision of His unequaled power (“arm”—5, 52:10) and unstoppable promises (4-6, 14-16, 22-22). When we lose perspective and hope, we need the same reminders!
The Lord’s righteousness and salvation will be established on earth forever. While it seems devastation and oppression have won the day, the Lord promises that evil is “a small and passing thing.” (Andrew Peterson, The Dark before the Dawn). They will wear out and vanish. The justice of His law and rightness of His righteousness will rule the nations. His salvation will come to His people forever. The story of history ends with “everlasting joy” (11). Wait in hope for it.
The Lord saves those who cannot save themselves. The grand reversal spoken of in this chapter comes, not as a result of Israel’s efforts, but God’s power. Jerusalem is pictured as drunken man who has fallen down with no children to help him up again (17-23). God’s people have experienced God’s judgment (“the bowl of my wrath”) because of their sin. Even so, the Lord remains faithful to His people (“You are my people”—16) and promises to come to their rescue. Salvation and restoration come only because the Lord graciously and powerfully intervenes (4), rescuing His people and reversing their fortunes.
Here Am I
I must not be intimidated or afraid of powerful human oppressors. Even the faithful among the remnant in exile were fearful; they felt overmatched and overwhelmed by their powerful oppressors (12-13). The Lord rebukes their loss of perspective and faith, calling them to remember who He is—the One who “stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth” (13). He reminds them that their wrathful, destructive oppressors were only mortal men who are “made like grass” (12, 40:6-8). When I feel intimidated by the “reproach” and “revilings” of enemies of Christ (7), I must regain a proper perspective on who they are (grass) and who God is (the One who “dried up the sea” and ‘stretched out the heavens”—10. 13, 16).
I can rely on God’s righteousness as sturdy and His salvation as certain. Verses 4-8 contrast thetemporary nature of the heavens and earth (“for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment”) with the enduring, eternal righteousness and salvation of God (“my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed”—6). Aligning my life with God’s righteousness (what He says is right) gives a solid, sturdy basis for life. Anticipating His salvation gives me a certain, reliable hope for the future.
I will respond to God’s comfort and salvation with joyful songs of thanksgiving. Twice in Isaiah 51, those who experience the saving work of God break into song (3, 11). Music was given as a way to express our hearts to God. His salvation calls for our songs of praise and thanks. I want to keep singing to the One who has and will save me.
Rick and Linda Reed 