Isaiah 51:1-8

3. RULE, CHAPTER 51
a. TURN TO JUSTICE

TEXT: Isaiah 51:1-8

1

Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek Jehovah: look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged.

2

Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you; for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him, and made him many.

3

For Jehovah hath comforted Zion; he hath comforted all her waste places, and hath made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

4

Attend unto me, O my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall go forth from me, and I will establish my justice for a light of the peoples.

5

My righteousness is near, my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the peoples; the isles shall wait for me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

6

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a-' garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

7

Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye dismayed at their revilings.

8

For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool; but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation unto all generations.

QUERIES

a.

Why look unto Abraham and Sarah?

b.

Is the garden of Eden to be reestablished on earth?

c.

How could anyone have the law of God in their heart before Christ?

PARAPHRASE

Listen to Me, you small and fearful remnant: If you are truly seeking to know Jehovah and wanting His way of life, look unto the character of your ancestors Abraham and Sarahthat is where you will find an example of what you seek. I called this one man, Abraham, and he responded in faith and obedience. I delivered him from all that opposed him and made of him a great nation. Now Jehovah has promised to deliver and strengthen true Zion, a small remnant though she may be. He has promised to change Zion's despair and destitution into a salvation that will restore the fellowship between Him and man which was present in Eden. True joy and thanksgiving will abound when this has come to pass. Listen to Me, O My people: 1 am going to send into the world the final and full expression of My will and it will be a revelation to the Gentiles as well, to bring them to salvation. This is nearit is as good as done. When it comes to fulfillment (and it is beginning now), it will be both salvation and judgment; salvation for all (even Gentiles) who trust in Me, and judgment upon those who reject My will. Study the universe: both the heavens and the earth are doomed to disintegration and dissolution. All humanity likewise is dying. But what I will and what I work shall endure forever. Listen to Me, you who have allowed My will to rule your mind and heart so that you are doing right: Do not fear the threats of human beings, no matter how powerful they may appear to be. They will all be consumed and disappear like a garment eaten by moths, but My righteousness and salvation will endure forever.

COMMENTS

Isaiah 51:1-5 ESTABLISHED: This chapter predicts the coming of Jehovah's rule of justice through His law. It is, of course, an integral part of the whole section discussing Salvation Through God's Servant (ch. 40-53). Thus we are to understand Jehovah's predicted rule of justice will be through the coming Servant. This chapter is a special message to that small remnant of true believers contemporary with Isaiah. They are designated ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek Jehovah. The majority of people in Isaiah's day did not follow after righteousness. And even the remnant which did was sorely tempted to give up all hope. In view of the depraved morality and hypocritical religiosity of most of Israel and in view of the dreadful predictions of the true prophets of God that Babylonian captivity was near, the remnant must be encouraged. This remnant was sincere in its search for righteousness. The Hebrew word rodephey is translated follow after in the ASV, but is stronger and more properly translated pursue as in the RSV. There was not much righteousness to be found among this nation. They were a people laden with iniquity (Isaiah 1:4, etc.). Only a few disciples of Isaiah (Isaiah 8:16) desired real justice and the rule of Jehovah. The Lord encourages them to believe that He will establish His rule of justice by directing them to look backward to what He did through Abraham and to look forward to what He promises to do in the future. To the tiny remnant of Isaiah's disciples it may appear impossible that Jehovah's rule of justice will ever be established. However, Jehovah is able to do the impossible! Let the remnant look back to the rock from which the nation was hewnAbrahamand the hole of the pit from which it was diggedSarah. That Jehovah could produce a nation of many people from one man and woman who were past the age of childbearing was thought impossible. Nevertheless, from one lone sojourner who had a wife whose womb was barren and who was beyond the age of bearing children and who bore only one child, God produced a nation. Of course, Jehovah could not have done it without the faith of Abraham and Sarah (cf. Romans 4:1-25; Galatians 3:6-9; Galatians 4:21-27; Hebrews 11:8-12; Hebrews 11:17-22; James 2:18-26). This is the point. God is able to save this remnant and through them establish His rule of justice, but they must be people of stedfast faith like their forefather Abraham. Through one man, Abraham, and through the one son of Abraham, Isaac, God formed a people for Himself. But this people rejected His rule. Through the one Seed (Christ) of Abraham, Jehovah will produce a new Israel who will submit to His rule (cf. Galatians 3:15-29; Galatians 6:13-16). Isaiah's remnant must believe even though they may not receive what is promised; they must see it and greet it from afar (cf. Hebrews 11:13-16). A remnant must be preserved through which the Messiah-Servant may come and establish the rule of Jehovah's justice (cf. Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 11:1-9, etc.).

Jehovah's comforting of Zion will reach its culmination in the coming Servant (cf. comments Isaiah 40:1-11; Isaiah 49:13). Verse three is in the predictive present. What Jehovah will do through the Servant is so certain it may be spoken of by Him as having already been accomplished! When the Servant finishes comforting Zion, all Zion's spiritual desolation and moral destitution will be turned into a righteousness that will be like Eden restored. The prophet is not here intending that the land of Palestine shall be physically restored to the flora and fauna of pre-fallen Eden. This world is destined (including Palestine) for destruction (cf. 2 Peter 3:1-13). The prophet is speaking of a restoration of spiritual paradise; a restored Zion over which Jehovah rules in righteousness and justice, in which there shall be joy and gladness (see comments Isaiah 35:8-10).

Jehovah will comfort Zion through a rule of torah (law). This is not the law of Moses in commandments and ordinances which stood against us (Colossians 2:13-15). No man could be justified by that law (cf. Galatians 3:10-14; Galatians 5:1-6). This is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (cf. Romans 8:1-17). Young calls it, in particular. the law of faith, given -by the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith-' (Romans 16:26). It is that final and full revelation of the will of God for man's salvation which also sets before man what God requires of him. It is the same going forth of His law as predicted in Isaiah 2:1-4. This rule of Jehovah through the law of the Servant will provide light for all people (cf. comments on Isaiah 9:1 ff).

The Lord's righteousness is near. Near is relative to God's perspective! All time is as one day with Jehovah. When He declares a thing, it is as good as done. He will begin His great work toward this coming of the Servant with the Babylonian captivity and release from it through Cyrus. Israel may know Jehovah's salvation is on its way when they see Him judge the peoples by His arm. When these great empires fall and Israel continues to survive she may know that His salvation is so certain it may be said to be near (Hebrews 11:13-16). For a discussion of the meaning of isles see comments on Isaiah 41:1 ff.

Isaiah 51:6-8 ENDURING: What seems as if it will go on and on, unalterably fixed and sure (the heavens and the earth) will one day vanish. Even the perpetuity of the human race seems assured. But it too will expire. Only that which is saved by Jehovah will endure forever. What is declared right (His righteousness) by Jehovah is eternal because that is truth. Anything declared not right by Jehovah will perish. And how does man know what God declares right?by hearkening unto God's law! And what is this law which is in the heart?it is the law of Christ, the law of faith which was in the heart of Abraham and by which he was justified (cf. Romans 4:1-25). It is the will of God concerning redemption through the Servant (cf. Isaiah 42:1-4)the Servants law. That this law (or will) of God concerning future salvation through an atoning Servant was written on the hearts of some before Christ was born is evidenced by Abraham rejoicing to see Christ's day (John 8:56), Isaiah seeing the glory of the Christ (John 12:41), the prophets inquiring about Him (1 Peter 1:10-12) and from all the faithful in Hebrews, chapter 11. The prophecy in Jeremiah 31:31-34 does not exclude every Jew of the Old Testament dispensation from the capacity to have God's law written on their heart through faith. If that should be the case, it would contradict Romans 4, et al. The Jeremiah 31 passage, taken in harmony with this passage in Isaiah, seems to say that out of a small remnant of O.T. saints who believe God's promises about an atoning Servant (the law of Jehovah about the Servant written on their hearts), Jehovah is going to form a new covenant people who will be covenant people only because they have His law written on their hearts and not because they were physically born to a particular nationality. In other words, there was a nucleus of people in the O.T. with Jehovah's will (law) written on their hearts and they were justified, in prospect, by their faith. When the Servant came and fulfilled the predicted atonement, these O.T. believers were justified in fact (cf. Hebrews 9:15-16). The message of God expressed in all the sacrifices and offerings and in all the prophecies of the suffering Servant was that man could not atone for his sins by any worksGod alone could provide atonement. Now when the O.T. believer took that to heart, with the moral and doctrinal implications it had for his life, then he had the law of God written on his heart! The goal of all this is, of course, the New Testament dispensation. Without that goal the faith of the O.T. believer could not have justified him. If the Servant had not come and accomplished the atonement which was typified and prophesied there could have been no law of God written on any heart either before the fact or after. The N.T. covenant is enacted upon better promises because it is after the fact of the Servant's work.

Those who have the law of faith written on their hearts do not need to fear the threats of those who stand in opposition to the rule of Jehovah's Servant. Those who stand for the rule of the Servant will always be in the minority. Those who stand against the rule of the Servant will always be in the majority and will control all the resources of human power. But Jehovah has revealed historically that He is more powerful than all human power put together. His righteousness (what He declares right) will endure every opposition. There may be those of ethnic Israel who do not want to know that what God says is right (cf. Isaiah 30:9-11), but those who are true Israel do not need to fear for what God says is right and will last forever.

QUIZ

1.

What is following after righteousness?

2.

What relationship does Abraham have to the needs of Isaiah's audience?

3.

How will Jehovah comfort Zion?

4.

What is the law that goes forth from Jehovah?

5.

How is the Lord's salvation near?

6.

How may we say some of the people of Isaiah's day had the law of God written on their hearts?

7.

How are they to know the righteousness of God can withstand all opposition and endure forever?