Isaiah Post 24 - No Other God Can Do This (Chapter 44)

Chapter 43, filled with promises to Israel, nevertheless ended with a rebuke.  But chapter 44 will blow your mind.  In his usual fashion, Isaiah  begins the chapter with a change of tone following the rebuke, giving us this beautiful promise (with a few of my commentaries thrown in for good measure):

“Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, (in spite of that rebuke)
And Israel whom I have chosen.
Thus says the LORD who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you:
(We see here a progressive transformation of Jacob/Israel)

‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;
(I've lost count.  How many fear nots does this make in the last 2-3 chapters?  About 100?)

And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
(Jeshurun is a symbolic name for Israel, meaning upright one, describing Israel's ideal character)

 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
And My blessing on your offspring;

They will spring up among the grass
Like willows by the watercourses.’
(This ancient promise is happening now in Israel. Psalm 63 speaks of water in a dry and thirsty land.  Ezekiel 37 speaks of dry bones coming to life. God is in the restoration business).

One will say, ‘I am the LORD's’;
Another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
Another will write with his hand, ‘The LORD's,’
And name himself by the name of Israel.

(Historically, there has been shame within the Jewish community for just being Jewish. Many changed their names when immigrating. For example, my brother-in-law's ancestors changed their name from Moscovitz to Moss. But with Israel becoming a nation in 1948, there has been a tremendous reversal to this ancient trend.)

Isaiah continues preaching the Word from the LORD in verses 7-8 with this idol-destroying bombshell:

And who can proclaim as I do?
Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,
Since I appointed the ancient people.
And the things that are coming and shall come,
Let them show these to them.

Do not fear, nor be afraid; 
Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?
You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me?
Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’”

With these verses, the LORD continues to set up His great announcement which is going to show up at the end of this chapter. He has alluded to it since chapter 40.

Also, a side-note here: I love the reference to the Rock. Who is our Rock? Yeshua the Messiah is our Rock. This scripture shows Yeshua to be God. The idea of Yeshua as our Rock was developed in a previous post, which you can read here if you are in the mood for a rabbit trail.

Rocks are a symbol of eternity. I love how Jewish people put rocks on graves instead of flowers. Flowers are beautiful but they wither and fade away. Rocks stick around!

Moving on, Isaiah reiterates the foolishness of idols in verses 9-20. Check out the craziness and futility of idolatry:

Those who make an image, all of them are useless,
And their precious things shall not profit;
They are their own witnesses;
They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.
Who would form a god or mold an image
That profits him nothing?

Surely all his companions would be ashamed;
And the workmen, they are mere men.
Let them all be gathered together,
Let them stand up;
Yet they shall fear,
They shall be ashamed together.

The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,
Fashions it with hammers,
And works it with the strength of his arms.
Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;
He drinks no water and is faint.

The craftsman stretches out his rule,
He marks one out with chalk;
He fashions it with a plane,
He marks it out with the compass,
And makes it like the figure of a man,
According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.

He cuts down cedars for himself,
And takes the cypress and the oak;
He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.
Then it shall be for a man to burn,
For he will take some of it and warm himself;
Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;
Indeed he makes a god and worships it;
He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.

He burns half of it in the fire;
With this half he eats meat;
He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.
He even warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm,
I have seen the fire.”
And the rest of it he makes into a god,
His carved image.
He falls down before it and worships it,
Prays to it and says,
“Deliver me, for you are my god!”

They do not know nor understand;
For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,
And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.
And no one considers in his heart,
Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,
“I have burned half of it in the fire,
Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals;
I have roasted meat and eaten it;
And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?
Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”
He feeds on ashes;
A deceived heart has turned him aside;
And he cannot deliver his soul,
Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Many of our own modern customs come right out of this idolatry. To see how this could be so, check out Jeremiah 10:3-4 (but put on your steel-toed boots in case you get your toes stepped on):

For the customs of the peoples are futile;
For one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
They decorate it with silver and gold;
They fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.

Most of America does this very thing every year, whether or not they believe in God.  Even my congregation does it.  Sigh.  Sorry, I digress...

The rest of  chapter 44 is a wonderful promise to Israel:  Israel Is Not Forgotten.

“Remember these, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!
I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,
And like a cloud, your sins.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it!

Shout, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into singing, you mountains, 
O forest, and every tree in it (hmm... maybe we should just leave those lovely trees in the forest instead of hacking them down and decorating them?)
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And glorified Himself in Israel.
(God is GLORIFIED through Israel! Do you see why it is so awesome to be grafted in to the commonwealth of Israel?  Ruth attached herself to Israel and was blessed beyond measure!)

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, 

And He who formed you from the womb:
“I am the LORD, who makes all things,
Who stretches out the heavens all alone,
Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;
Who frustrates the signs of the babblers,
And drives diviners mad;
Who turns wise men backward,
And makes their knowledge foolishness;
Who confirms the word of His servant,
And performs the counsel of His messengers;
Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’
To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’
And I will raise up her waste places;
Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry!
And I will dry up your rivers’;

Can I just pause and say, WOW!  What a mighty God we serve!  Only HE can make things happen.  Only HE can tell us what is to come.

Now moving on to verse 28. Wait for it...

Who says of Cyrus, (wait, what??) 

‘He is My shepherd,
And he shall perform all My pleasure,
Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,”
And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”’

So, more than 100 years before Cyrus was even born, God names him by name through His prophet Isaiah.  The Judeans had not even been kicked out of the land yet, and Solomon’s glorious temple still stood.  But here is this promise that the holy temple, which had not yet been destroyed, will be someday commissioned by a foreign guy not yet born.

Cyrus, King of Persia 

This happened with utmost precision.  All the previous passages on the futility of idols have led up to this declaration.  Only God!  What proof we have of Who He is!!

Can we trust Him?  Is He sovereign over all?  YES! A thousand times YES!

Chapter 45 is just as exciting!  Are you on the edge of your seat yet?  Click here as the story continues.

If you would like to start at the beginning of this series on Isaiah, click here.

Isaiah Post 23 - Because I Said So (Chapter 43)

Following the LORD's discipline of Israel in chapter 42, Isaiah 43 jumps in with this:

BUT NOW

Those two sweet little words tell us that there is more to come for Israel following the discipline.

But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“FEAR NOT, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.

The word used here for created is boray, which means to create from nothing. The word is only used of God, and is first found in Genesis 1:1 when the LORD created the heavens and the earth out of nothing, speaking it into existence.

Man cannot create out of nothing, and neither can the evil one. The devil, the father of lies, can only imitate, and he uses his imitative abilities to deceive the world.

The word for formed, yatsar, is used of both God and man. It means to fashion or transform something out of existing materials.

I am reminded of the joke, where God was challenged by an athiest scientist. The challenge was to create life. When the scientist bent down to pick up some dirt, God told him, "Use your own dirt."

I digress.

Anyway, in this verse we can see that God created Israel, and then He began the process of transforming Israel. The transformational process can be seen when you study the life of Jacob.  Post #19 in this series speaks a little of this process.

And the command, fear not, now appears again for the fourth time in three chapters. I believe the Almighty means business when He tells us not to fear. 

And in this section, God reiterates to Israel, "You are Mine." The everlasting and unconditional Abrahamic covenant makes this so. (Understanding the covenants is foundational to understanding the Bible. If you'd like a review of the seven covenants, click here.)

The passage continues on with more wonderful promises to Israel. Let these verses speak to your heart:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
(There has been hardship and chastisement over the centuries, but they are never permanently forsaken, as the church has unfortunately taught)
I gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life.
Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth—
Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

In context, this is spoken to Israel. As people of God who have been adopted into the commonwealth of Israel, we too can claim these beautiful promises in addition to (NOT instead of) Israel.

I need to just stop here and ponder the miracle of Israel for a moment. 

 
Over 300 years ago, King Louis XIV of France asked Blaise Pascal, the great Christian philosopher, to give him proof of the existence of God. Pascal answered, “Why the Jews, your Majesty, the Jews!”

So many people and nations have persecuted them over the centuries, trying to wipe them out (of course, the devil is behind it - he hates what God loves).

 The Jews had no country for over 1900 years. They spread to the four corners of the earth after Jerusalem was sacked and the temple destroyed in 70 AD.

By human standards, the nation of Israel should not exist. It’s impossible. Their modern wars were miracles. Israel’s existence today is a huge proof that God is who He says He is, and that He keeps His promises. It's that Abrahamic covenant again.

The regathering of Israel, from the east, west, north, and south… from the very ends of the earth, is going on now.   Prophecy regarding Israel is being fulfilled right under our noses.  Most of historical Christianity did not get to see what we are seeing today.

Jewish Holocaust survivors arriving in the Land of Israel

The Aliyah, or return, continues today from all over the earth

Moving on, verse 8 refers back to the blind and deaf referred to in the previous chapter, now healed. And in verse 10, the LORD calls Israel His witnesses, the servant whom He has chosen. Again, they were never un-chosen, only chastised.

In verses 10-13, the LORD is really reiterating WHO HE IS.  There is no Savior besides Him.  No other nation’s god is the true God.  Israel was privileged to bring knowledge of the One True God to the world.  God is One.  Yeshua is the physical manifestation of YHVH, the Holy One of Israel.

These verses are a stumbling block to orthodox Jews today. They believe Yeshua is a foreign god.  But if Yeshua is not YHVH in the flesh, our faith is futile and idolatrous.  Someday, YHVH will open the eyes of His chosen people and they will see Him.  However, I believe surprises abound for believers as well when we meet Him face to face.  I can hear it now... "Oh my word... He's Jewish???"

Verse 13 declares God to be eternal. Only God is eternal. 

Indeed before the day was, I am He;
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;
I work, and who will reverse it?”

Yeshua said in John 8:58, Before Abraham was, I AM. At this point, The Jewish leaders then picked up rocks to stone Him, knowing full well He was claiming to be God.

Also, in John 18:6, Yeshua said, “I am He,” to his arresters, and they drew back and fell to the ground. He was declaring Himself God and there was power in His words, enough to knock the soldiers to the ground! 

I am He, declares Yeshua

In the next several verses, we see reminders from the LORD - a reminder of who He is, and His promise to Israel for redemption. They had already been redeemed from Egypt, and they would soon be redeemed from Babylon.  I love that the reminder comes before they even depart for Babylon.  While in exile, they were able to cling to His promise.

And if those things are not enough, Isaiah continues with a command:  Do not remember former things! New things are coming!  What is coming is going to be so much greater.

It is interesting to note that every time the Jews entered or re-entered the land, there was something new that happened.

• Under Joshua, Israel conquered the land and eventually built a temple to the Lord. 
• When they returned from exile in Babylon, Israel built a second temple that was visited by Yeshua, Who then instituted the New Covenant with His blood.
• Now that the Jews are returning from the four corners of the earth, they will soon rebuild the temple, from which the Messiah will reign on earth.

The third temple WILL be rebuilt - because He said so

What follows in Isaiah is spoken in Millenium language. Animals will glorify Him, there will be rivers in the desert, and His chosen people shall declare His praise.

Isaiah wraps up this chapter with highlights of Israel's transgressions, and how they have wearied the Lord.  However, for His own sake, He will blot out their transgressions and forget their sins.  He has to do it because He said so...  the Abrahamic covenant again.

What comes next?  Wait no more... click here!


To start at the beginning of this series on Isaiah, click here.

Isaiah Post 22 - Behold My Servant! (Chapter 42)

Today we will look at the first of the four "Servant Songs" of Isaiah. 

The servant Israel is mentioned back in 41:8, in a very broad sense.  And indeed, Israel has been a servant to the world - bringing to us the covenants, the law, the promises, and the very Messiah Himself.  See Romans 9:4.

But now, chapter 42 begins to narrow things down.  Behold My servant who pleases Me!  This is different from Israel as a servant to the world.  This gets more specific.  The first two verses tell us that the LORD's Spirit would be upon Him, He would bring forth justice to the Gentiles, and that He will not cry out or raise His voice.

In Matthew 3:17-18, we see this Spirit descending upon Yeshua at His immersion in the Jordan River.
When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Isaiah continues in the next verse by saying something we don't really relate to in these modern days:
A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.

In ancient times reeds were used for basket-making.  The broken ones were called bruised - they were useless and were thrown away. 

A broken reed, useless for making paper

Also, in regard to smoking flax; well, in our modern culture, sadly, we can relate more to smoking weed.  But smoking flax referred to the wicks in the temple menorah - they were used up:  burned out and useless.

This section is quoted in Matthew 12:18-21. Matthew is letting us know that Yeshua is fulfilling what was foretold about Him.  He is the Servant.   Yeshua was and is for the downtrodden.

It is interesting to note that Matthew stopped at verse 3, even though Isaiah continued in verse 4 with this:
He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

Matthew did not include verse 4 because this is an example of near/far prophecy.  He will accomplish part 2 of this prophecy when He returns.  Justice will be established throughout the earth when the Messiah returns to rule here someday soon.

Isaiah continues with verse 5:  Thus says the LORD who created – the word is boray, which means to create something out of nothing - the heavens and the earth. This word is only used of God, never of man, and is first found in Genesis 1:1.

Verses 6 and 7 clearly tell us what the Servant is going to do.  He is righteous, guided by God; He is given as a covenant to the people, a light to the Gentiles, an opener of eyes, bringing freedom for the
prisoners. What a perfect picture of what the Messiah has done for the world!

The very next verse tells us,
I am the LORD, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.

I must pause here and say that "The LORD" is not His name.  The holy name of our Creator is known as the tetragrammaton (4 letters, YHVH in Hebrew).  The Jews of old, and also to this day, revere His name so much that they will not prounounce it.  They will say Adonai (Lord), or Hashem (the Name).  This doctrine has spilled over into our Christian bible translations as well.  Whenever you see the word LORD in all capital letters in scripture, it is a substitute for the Hebrew name YHVH.  Because the name has been hidden, there are varying thoughts on it's correct pronunciation... Yahweh, Jehovah, Yehovah, etc.

Biblically, a name isn’t just something one is called; there is meaning to the name.  It’s who they are... their character, their nature, their very being.

Hebrew is unique in that individual letters have meaning.  For example, the yod means a hand.  The vav means a tent peg or nail.  And the hey means look, or behold.  Therefore, one of the meanings of the name of the Almighty is behold the hand, behold the nail.

It is interesting that the statement, My glory I will not give to another, would be tied in with messianic prophecies.  This is another verse that shows the Messiah as divine, because Yeshua is glorified when He comes to earth. 

Note:  Either Yeshua is YHVH in the flesh, or a false idol to the extreme.  He accepted worship from His disciples.  Both humans and angels in scripture rebuke people who try to worship them.  Yeshua did not, because He is worthy of our worship.  YHVH will not give His glory to another, because Yeshua is YHVH in the flesh.

Verse 9 continues with a declaration of new things.  YHVH will declare them before they happen.  Prophecy comes from the LORD and it confirms Who He is.  Jeremiah 31:31 declares that a new covenant is coming soon.

The next section, verses 10-13 are a praise to God because of what He is going to do!  A new song!  Let all the earth give glory to God!  It's going to be big!

In the next section, Isaiah is speaking again about the servant Israel.  God has restrained Himself a long time, but judgment is coming.  This servant, we are told, is blind and deaf, but they will see again see.  Discipline is coming because of their idols and their refusal to walk in the law of YHVH

In verse 25, we see the LORD's fury is being poured out, and Israel is not taking it to heart.

Regarding discipline – the Lord disciplines those He loves. Proverbs 3:12 tells us,
For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

This idea is repeated in Hebrews 12:6 - For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.

The LORD obviously loves His people. 

Therefore, the Servant is to be brought forth from the servant in order to redeem the servant, whom the Servant loves.  Chew on that for awhile!

And when you are done chewing, click here for musings on chapter 43.


To start at the beginning of this series on Isaiah, click here.

Isaiah Post 21 - God Rules, Idols Drool - (Chapter 41B)

My previous post left off with Isaiah 41:13, with an admonition from the LORD to Israel to fear not.

Today we pick up with the same command, given for a third time in this chapter, in verse 14:

“Fear not, you worm Jacob,
You men of Israel!
I will help you,” says the LORD
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

I've said before that when something is repeated three times, it is the ultimate emphasis.  The LORD, the Holy One of Israel, is promising His help.

Why is Jacob called a worm?  The Hebrew word for worm used here, tola, deserves its own blog post (and guess what... there is one here if you are in the mood for a rabbit trail).

I'm not totally sure why Jacob is called a worm.  Looking at the context, it seems like Jacob is weak and in need of help.  And help is promised by the LORD.

Isaiah also uses the term Holy one of Israel – again!  The book of Isaiah uses this expression 25 times, 31 in the whole bible.  Here are some more interesting statistics to note:

• God of Israel – used 201 times in the Bible
• God of Jacob – used 25 times in the Bible
• God of the church – used 0 times in the Bible

If we look at Ephesians 2:11-12, we can see that we gentile believers are now part of the commonwealth of Israel.  The Holy One of Israel is our God, too.  Not instead of Israel, but in addition to Israel. We  believers need to humbly know where we stand - redeemed and grateful members of the household of God.  We are wild branches made holy, through the covenants of Israel!  See Romans 11 if you need clarification.

Isaiah continues in verses 15-16 with a followup on God's promise of help:

“Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth;
You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small,
And make the hills like chaff.
You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away,
And the whirlwind shall scatter them;
You shall rejoice in the LORD
And glory in the Holy One of Israel.

The threshing sledge with sharp teeth reminds me of the firepan in the woodpile, in Zechariah 12:6.  I think of the IDF today, as they have been raised up to protect their people. Numerically, it makes no sense that they are able to protect tiny Israel from its surrounding enemies. None of Israel's modern wars make any sense from a human standpoint.  Even West Point will not teach on Israel's modern military strategies because they cannot explain them.

Painting by my friend Udi at the Blue and White Gallery in Jerusalem

The next three verses outline the LORD's promise of changing the desolate places into living water… healing their spiritual thirst with a picture of a blooming land. And the land of Israel is definitely blooming today after being a wilderness for almost 2000 years.  Verse 20 tells us exactly Who has accomplished this - the hand of the LORD.

Isaiah then switches gears and returns to the case he is building against idols. The LORD challenges the idols once again and shows that they are nothing. IDOLS CANNOT PROPHESY OR PREDICT THE FUTURE THE WAY GOD CAN.  Those who choose them are an abomination.  None of the idols or pagan wizards could foretell the future as the LORD did.  Prophecy coming true is one of the ways He shows that He is who He says He is.

Verse 25 speaks of one being raised up from the north and from the rising of the sun (east).  Armies always came against Israel from the north (Mt. Scopus in Jerusalem), but Babylon, Media, Persia are from the east – rising of the sun. Even Abraham, who came from Chaldea in the east, had to go north first to avoid a great wilderness.

The chapter wraps up with these words:
The first time I said to Zion,
‘Look, there they are!’
And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings.
For I looked, and there was no man;
I looked among them, but there was no counselor,
Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
Indeed they are all worthless;
Their works are nothing;
Their molded images are wind and confusion.

We see here a hint of the Messiah to come, who WOULD be a man, who would bring good tidings, and who would send His spirit as counselor, as opposed to the idols who could do simply nothing.

The stage is now set for the first of four servant songs in Isaiah, which will debut in chapter 42.

Click here to continue to the next post.


To start at the beginning of this series on Isaiah, click here.

Isaiah Post 20 - Do Not Fear, My Servant Israel! (chapter 41A)

Today we continue with Isaiah chapter 41.

Israel is going to be assured of God’s help.  There are many great promises to Israel in this chapter.

Verse 1 begins with a command to the coastlands to keep silent and come near.  Philistia and Phonecia are being called as witnesses to Isaiah’s speech.

Isaiah then mentions one who will be raised up from the east.  Isaiah is laying the foundation for the mention of Cyrus, which comes a little later in Isaiah.  In this section, he is prophesying about Israel’s rescue and return from Babylon – over 100 years before they even were sent there!  Cyrus is a Persian king.  Isaiah is letting us know that Babylon will be taken over by the Medes and Persians at some future point.

Verse 4 asks, Who has done it?  Of course, the LORD is sovereign, and He has ordained it.  Only the LORD God can foretell the future in such a way.

The coastland peoples who were told to listen to this prophecy were afraid, and resorted to their idols in verses 5-7.  The Holy and true God would be too much for them.  What a strange response!  But even the Israelites had resorted to an idol after seeing the great and awesome power of God, when they made the golden calf in the wilderness.  What is it in human nature that makes us do this?  What exactly are we afraid of?

What follows in verses 8-10 is a beautiful affirmation from the LORD regarding Israel (some of my favorite verses in all of scripture):

“But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My friend.
You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Jacob (Israel), the descendents of Abraham, God's friend, cannot be unchosen.  (The word used for friend is ahav, which is stronger than our meaning of friend. It means beloved). Israel was the recipient of the everlasting Abrahamic covenant.

Twice in this passage, Israel is called God’s servant, and they were – bringing the Holy One of Israel to the world.  They are still a light to the nations even today, not even knowing the Messiah yet.  Modern Israel has served the world through many inventions and technologies.  Here is just a partial list:

• The Pillcam
• Drip irrigation
• Computer processing chips
• USB Flash drives
• ReWalk - helping paraplegics walk
• Mobile phones
• Voice mail
• Ocean desalination technology (turning ocean water into drinking water)
• The Iron Dome
• Epilady - the first electric hair remover
• Babysense breathing monitor - preventing SIDS
• Cherry tomatoes (one of my personal favorites)
• Many, many more!

If you have gotten caught up in the boycott, divest, and sanction (BDS) movement against Israel, then first of all, may God have mercy on you (see Genesis 12:3), and second of all, good luck with that.  There is much you will have to give up in order to achieve your boycott.

Anyway, back to the passage.  Verse 9 speaks of Israel being called and taken from the ends of the earth and the farthest regions.  This is near/far prophecy, written just after the dispersion of the northern kingdom and before Judah was sent eastward to Babylon.  The second exile, which happened hundreds of years after Judah's regathering from Babylon, was a worldwide scattering, which is why the regathering will take place from the ends of the earth.

I love the statement, You are My servant, and I HAVE NOT CAST YOU AWAY.  So much for Replacement Theology.  Right in the middle of the worldwide regathering prophecy (which is happening in our current day), we are reminded of this fact.  God is not a liar.

The section continues with a command:  Fear not!  I will be with you, I will strengthen you, I will help you. I will uphold you with my RIGHTEOUS RIGHT HAND.

Yeshua the Messiah isn’t just AT the right hand of the Father, He IS the right hand of the Father.  He is the action part of the Godhead.

The section continues in verse 11 with a warning to those who contend badly with Israel.  They will perish… come to nothing.  Again, if you are one of those boycotters, you might want to rethink your position.  Also go read Zechariah 12:3-6 if you need further clarification on what happens to those who come against God's chosen people.

The pupil of the eye is called the apple in Hebrew.
Messing with Israel is like poking the LORD in the eye.

In verse 13, the LORD repeats the promise of help and the admonition to fear not.  Remember, repetition happens for emphasis.  The third "fear not" will come in the next post, in part two of chapter 41.

Click here for part two of chapter 41.

       

If you would like to start at the beginning of Isaiah, click here.

Isaiah Post 19 - The Inheritance of the Shepherd and the Majesty of the LORD (chapter 40B)

This post continues in Isaiah chapter 40, since my last post only got through verse 9.

Picking up with verse 10, we are in a last days context.
Behold, the LORD God shall come with a strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.

Who is this Ruling Arm?  It is the Messiah, Yeshua, who isn't merely seated at the right hand of God, He is the arm of God.  There is but one throne in heaven.

God is One, but He manifests in different contexts.  The Hebrew word for one is echad- which means a plurality within a unity.  For example, a basket of fruit is a singular basket of fruit but contains many fruits.

God is spirit. Yeshua the Messiah is the physical manifestation of God Himself.  One of my favorite preachers uses the expression, "God Loves and Yeshua Does."  He is the action part of God.

And the Holy Spirit is the very breath, power, and presence of God. The Hebrew word for spirit,  ruach, means breath or wind. As believers, we get to have that very breath and power of God's spirit dwelling in us!

Ruach HaKodesh - Holy Breath of God

Verse 10 also tells us that His reward is with Him. What or who is His reward? We, the people of the nations, are His reward, His inheritance. We often think of our own rewards that we earn while on earth and that will be coming to us in the kingdom, but do we stop to consider the LORD’S reward? 

• Hebrews 12:2 - Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross
• Psalm 2:7-8 - He will receive the nations for His inheritance
• Isaiah 19:25 - My people Assyria, Egypt, and Israel My inheritance
• Matt 4:8-9 - Yeshua is offered the kingdoms of the world by the devil
• Revelation 11:15 - All these kingdoms have become His

Verse 11 wraps up with a picture of a loving Shepherd who cares for His flock.

He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.

This can be compared to John 10 - the Messiah, our Good Shepherd.  This tender loving care is a reversal for Jerusalem, over whom Yeshua wept in Matthew 23:37.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See! Your house is left to you desolate;  for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Even though desolation did follow in 70 AD, there remained a promise that someday Israel would say, "Baruch haba b'shem Adonai... " blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!

Interestingly, this Hebrew phrase is still used to describe the arrival of a Jewish bridegroom...

Isaiah goes on in chapter 40 to describe aspects of God’s greatness… the glory, majesty, and sovereignty of YHVH.

Verses 12-14 are filled with rhetorical questions, and of course, the answer is NO ONE!

• Who has measured the waters?  (Think of the vastness of the oceans.)
• Who has weighed the mountains?  (Have you ever picked up a single boulder?)
• Who has taught the spirit of the LORD in the ways of knowledge, justice, and understanding?

Verses 15-17 go on to describe the smallness of the nations compared to God.  He is sovereign over them all.  Lebanon was famous for cedars.  Burning them all would not be a sufficient offering for our God.

And then verses 18-20 give us a comparison of idols to the Holy God.  Man has a tendency to create a likeness/idol, and then try to put God in a box or somehow capture His greatness.  

Also, a bold prophecy is about to unfold in an upcoming chapter of Isaiah, and idols cannot predict the future the way our God can.  He knows the beginning from the end.

Verses 21-26 provide a vivid description of God’s greatness and sovereignty.  This can be compared to Job 38, which itself is filled with rhetorical questions (and is actually a biblical science exam).

            Have you not known? Have you not heard?

Verse 22 mentions the sphere of the earth,  Isaiah knew the earth was round even back then.  (Maybe if people had read their bibles, America would have been discovered sooner?)

In verses 24-26, Isaiah also reiterates the idea that mankind is like grass, followed by the absolute majesty of God.  What a contrast.

I am reminded of this riddle:  What is greater than God, more evil than Satan, rich people want it, poor people have it, and if you eat it, you’ll die? 

The answer, of course, is NOTHING.

In the following verses beginning with 27, Israel questions God’s ways toward them.  Why was He not standing up for them?  What follows is an emphasis on God’s goodness and provision. 

Both names, Jacob and Israel used here, and refer to the same person.  His name was changed when Jacob made Elohim his God.  Jacob went through a time of wrestling with the LORD, and then when his name was changed to Israel, he was promised the covenant blessing.  Israel means both struggles with God and Prince of God.  Jacob wrestled with the LORD all night before he received the blessing, the name change, and the covenant blessing.

So in this section, we see the nation of Israel going through hardship.  Hardship strengthens and refines us.  Psalm 13 is a good example of this.  We need to keep the faith through hardship. 

Beginning in verse 28 through the end, Isaiah continues to describe the LORD's greatness and also His goodness.  Have you not known? is asked yet again. The repetition of this phrase is a Hebrew literary form of emphasis.

He does not faint or grow weary!

We humans faint and grow weary, even strong youths, BUT…  not HIM!

This amazing chapter wraps up with verse 31:

But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint

Those who wait... the Hebrew word kavah means to eagerly look for, hope, expect.  Literally, it means entwined together like a rope.   It is to be bound together with the LORD like a braided rope.  

 The Hebrew word for renew is chalaph; it means to change, to be changed, as in changing one’s clothing.  An example would be clothing ourselves with Messiah in Romans 13:14.

Because HE does not grow weary, if we are attached to Him, we are changed/renewed and will be strengthened and can soar like eagles.

May I just share some traits of Eagles?

• They easily soar above all the problems of the earth
• They will never surrender to the size and strength of their prey
• They fly higher than other birds, up to 10,000 feet
• They have long distance vision; they can see another eagle soaring 50 miles away
• Eagles love the storm and will fly into it, using the wind of the storm to rise higher
• Male and female eagles mate for life and are attentive to their children, the most among birds
• The mother teaches its offspring to fly, putting them on her back and then dropping and catching them
• They build their nest in high, safe places to protect their young
• They will sit in absolute stillness on their nests
• Around age 30, eagles retire, pluck off their feathers, knock off their own beaks, remove their talons, and undergo a 5 month metamorphosis, growing new body parts that give them another 30-40 years.  They “change their clothes,” so to speak and are renewed.

No wonder nations take the eagle as their emblem.

For the next post in this series on Isaiah, click here.

If you would like to start at the beginning of Isaiah, click here.

Isaiah Post 18 - New Beginnings (Chapter 40A)

Ahh, chapter 40.  Be still my heart.  It's SO GOOD!  Chapter 40 begins a fresh and exciting leg of the journey through Isaiah.

Verse 1 - “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” says your God.

May I just camp on this verse for a moment? 

Comfort:  In Hebrew, it is nachmu, nachmu.  This is a command.  It means to be sorry, to be moved to pity, to have compassion, to suffer grief.  It is repeated twice for emphasis.

  

"MY people says YOUR God."  Consider the pronouns.  Who is being spoken to and who is being spoken of?

Verse 2 tells us.  Speak comfort to Jerusalem and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received from the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.

This is a command to those of us who are believers, regarding God’s chosen people.  The church has persecuted Jews since very early on, ever since the early church fathers began to teach Replacement Theology in the second century.  We have much to be sorry for, much to repent for, much compassion to show them.  Bridges must be rebuilt, and they ARE being rebuilt!

If we look more in depth at verse 2, it could be stated like this:  Speak comfort, or tenderly (literally – to the heart of)  to Jerusalem and cry out (proclaim) to her, that her warfare (tsava – same word used of IDF; tsavaot means armies – as in LORD of Sabaoth) is ended (fulfilled), that her iniquity is pardoned (accepted, paid off), for she has received from the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.

Double for her sins… is this fair? Did Israel really have to suffer so much?

Luke 12:48 says – For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.  Israel was given the covenants, the Word of God, and the very Messiah Himself.  (See Romans 9:4)

Yes, they have suffered greatly.  But it was the LORD Himself that caused their blindness for the sake of the rest of the world (Romans 11:7-8, which is right from Isaiah 29:10).  Great was their suffering, but great will be the glory in their redemption.  See Romans 11:12, 15. 

We are told not to boast against the cut-off natural branches, but the church has done just the opposite through the centuries.  See Romans 11:18.  In fact, just click here to go and read all of Romans 11.  We'll wait for you.

Rise up, church!  The time to comfort Israel is at hand.  Unfortunately, most will not do it.  If you are not excited about what God is doing through Israel, you probably don’t understand it.

Moving on, in verses 3-4 we see the first of  THREE VOICES in this section.   

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:“Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth

The ancient custom for traveling kings was to go out before them and even out the terrain, preparing the way for the king. I must pause here and mention that the last time I was in Jerusalem, it was during Donald Trump's visit.  His helicopter landed literally in the parking lot across from where I was staying.  The municipality of Jerusalem actually removed bushes and curbs to level out the lot!  So I guess it isn't just an ancient custom to smooth out the terrain for a visiting dignitary.

So who went before King Messiah to do this?  Time for some systematic theology!  (aka biblical gymnastics):

Malachi 3:1...
“Behold, I send My messenger,

And he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,”
Says the LORD of hosts.

And then Malachi 4:5-6...
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

And Luke 1:16-17...
And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.  He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the LORD.”

Matthew 11:14 (speaking of John the Baptist)
And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.

I need to backup in Matthew 11 for a moment, to verse 12...
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

This is a poor Greek translation of Hebraic thought. And this unfortunate mistranslation has been used to justify violence by the church for centuries (the crusades, the inquisition, etc.)

The context comes back to Isaiah 40:3-4, of one preparing the way.  We can look at Micah 2:12-13 to get more clarity:
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people. One who breaks open the way (peretz) will go up before them; they will break through the gate (peretz) and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the LORD at their head.

The following was written by author Lois Tverberg:

In biblical times, the shepherd would lead the sheep around open land to graze all day. As the sun was going down, he would herd them into a pen made with boulders or into a cave closed with boulders. He himself would sleep in the gate or "be" the gate. In the morning, the sheep would be restless, hungry, bursting with energy and eager to get out to pasture.

Suddenly, one of the shepherd's helpers would "break open the way" by pushing aside a boulder in the fence. The sheep wouldn't just leave calmly - they would burst out in a stampede, breaking through the other boulders in their way. The shepherd would exit along with them and then they would follow the him out to pasture.

This is a great time for a Hebrew word study:  peretz.  In my Blue Letter Bible app, the definition of the word is this:  to break through or down or over, burst, breach.  

In Genesis 38:29, we see the same word used when Tamar named her baby Peretz (or Perez).  He broke through and was born before his brother Zerah, who had been poised to be born first and had a red thread tied to his hand by the midwife to prove it.

John the Baptist was the one who broke the way for the Messiah’s first coming. He was the voice in the wilderness!

However, in Isaiah 40 the prophecy continues. Verse 5 says this:
The glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

This is another example of near/far prophecy intertwined into the text, now referring to the Day of the LORD at His return.  The whole world will know it and see Him.

There are a few people who were blessed to see His glory one on one.

            Moses, from the cleft of the rock
            Isaiah, in his vision in chapter 6

            Daniel and Ezekiel in their visions

            Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration

            Saul in his vision on the way to Damascus

            John in his vision of Revelation.

His glorious return will be seen by the whole earth… as lightning flashes from one end of the heavens to the other. Matthew 24:27 confirms this:
For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Moving on in Isaiah, we now see the SECOND VOICE:

The voice said, “Cry out!”
And he said, “What shall I cry?”
“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”

This comparison of man to withering foliage is in direct contrast to the glory of the LORD in verse 5. We fade and wither, but the Word of our God stands forever.

This idea that we are like grass and fades away sounds discouraging. BUT FOR 1 Peter 1:22-25...

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because
“All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
But the word of the LORD endures forever.” (quoting Isaiah 40)

The context is the gospel and the blood of Messiah which makes the corruptible grass and flower seeds into incorruptible seed!  We have an inheritance in Messiah that can never perish, spoil, or fade.

Yes, the word of the LORD endures forever. It is He Who spoke the world into existence.  John 1:1 is a paraphrase of Genesis 1:1...
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word WAS God. 

Back to Isaiah, we now see the THIRD VOICE of this section in verse 9.
O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

Good tidings here is the Hebrew equivalent to gospel, which means good news.  What a lovely passage.  It was Zion and Jerusalem who brought the gospel to the world. Now the good news is coming back to them and will culminate in Jerusalem when the Messiah returns.  Soon.

For part 2 of chapter 40, click here.

If you would like to start at the beginning of Isaiah, click here.