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Those the Lord has rescued will return.
    They will enter Zion with singing;
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
⁷ They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:5-7.

It has been pointed out that verses 1-11 of the fifty first chapter are coloured by the goal reached in verse 11. It is about pilgrimage to Zion. This was something every Israelite knew about. Three times a year, for the three great feasts – Passover, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles – pilgrims came streaming to Zion (Jerusalem) from all over the land (Dt.16:16,17; 84,122). They walked together as families and friends; they laughed, they sang; no doubt they told stories. Together, in Jerusalem, ‘the city of the great King’ (Ps.48:2), they rejoiced, remembered God’s goodness to them, and re-committed themselves to Him and to each other as His people. These times would constitute some of the happiest memories of childhood and family life. Of course, for those who were no longer able to make the sacred journey, because of age or illness or some other impediment, the memories must have been bitter-sweet. But what was it like for a whole generation, exiled in Babylon, who were unable to make pilgrimage during a period of 70 years? The sense of deprivation was intense (Pss.42, 43). Many had never seen Zion, let alone been able to travel there. They had been born in exile. No doubt some gave up the belief that it could ever happen again. But there were those who retained an unquenchable confidence in God and His promises. These people in particular are addressed in verses 1-11. ‘They have grasped the heart of true religion: holiness of life flowing from a personal relationship with God. Jesus said the only future that really matters (the kingdom of God) belongs to such people.’ Barry Webb: ‘Isaiah’, p.201.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6;

 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33.

Who among you fears the Lord
    and obeys the word of his servant?
Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
    and rely on their God.
¹¹ But now, all you who light fires
    and provide yourselves with flaming torches,
go, walk in the light of your fires
    and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:
    you will lie down in torment.

Derek Kidner calls this ‘the pivot of life or death’. Here are the alternatives, you can have light from God or follow your own light; you can walk in His light or light your own fires. The latter route doesn’t lead anywhere good. Sorrow is always the ultimate end of unrepented/unforgiven sin. Kidner points out also, however, that these words may anticipate the New Testament teaching on punishment after death.

We are living in days when all too many theologians and preachers are lighting their own fires. They mean to warm themselves and their flocks by them, no doubt. But fire can devour as well as cheer. In 2 Peter 3:16, Peter writes about the apostle Paul, saying:  

”His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

”The Servant is not simply to be admired or wondered at; he is to be obeyed (10). In short, describing his own discipleship the Servant has shown them what God requires of all his people: not empty profession, but wholehearted, costly obedience…The Servant and the challenge that he brings force a separation between the true and the false, the righteous and the wicked, the saved and the lost – among those who profess to be God’s people!” Barry Webb: ‘Isaiah’, p.199.

Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
    and I know I will not be put to shame.
⁸ He who vindicates me is near.
    Who then will bring charges against me?
    Let us face each other!
Who is my accuser?
    Let him confront me!
⁹ It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.
    Who will condemn me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
    the moths will eat them up.

The Servant’s confidence is not in Himself; not in His own strength, but In God who will vindicate Him in the end (8; see 1 Peter 2:21-23).

Charges were brought against Jesus, but, as we know, they were false and couldn’t stick. Jesus ‘took His case to a higher court’ and ”the Sovereign Lord” vindicated Him. It has been pointed out that the language of verse 8 is that of the court room. The Servant expects to be the victim of false accusation (see Mark 14:56).

Gloriously, according to Romans 8:33,34, this vindication applies to those who are in Christ:

”Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

We most certainly are guilty, but in Christ we are declared ‘not guilty’!

‘Amazing love, how can it be? That thou, my God, should’st die for me.’ Charles Wesley.

The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;
    I have not been rebellious,
    I have not turned away.
⁶ I offered my back to those who beat me,
    my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
    from mocking and spitting.
⁷ Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
    and I know I will not be put to shame.

‘He is a skilled counsellor because he himself has been taught by the LORD. He is a disciple before he is anything else, and as such his outstanding characteristic is attentiveness to God: morning by morning God instructs him, and morning by morning he listens (4b). This, as we recall from chapter 48, is exactly what Israel had failed to do. In stark contrast to Israel, too, he is not…rebellious (5). His whole intent is to translate the instruction he receives into obedient action, no matter what the cost… No weary one could say that this Servant speaks from a vantage point of lofty and serene detachment. Far from it. No-one has felt the struggle more intensely, or paid a bigger price for obedience. He is the perfect disciple.’ Barry Webb: ‘Isaiah’, pp.198,199.

We are drawing close to the fourth and final ‘Servant Song’ where we will see the full extent of Jesus’ suffering, but here is preparation for it. As Kidner says, the reader feels it is but a step to the Cross. C.R.North made the comment that verses 6,7 contain ‘a startling anticipation of the mistreatment of Christ on the morning of the crucifixion’ (see Mt.26:67; 27:26; cf, Lk.9:51). Yet again we have to marvel at the remarkable fulfillment of prophecy.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you so much for your willingness to listen, obey and suffer. Thank you for the pattern of discipleship you have laid down. Help me, by your power, to follow in your steps.

The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
    to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
    wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
⁵ The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;
    I have not been rebellious,
    I have not turned away.

Many years ago, when I was a pastor at Bridge Street church in Leeds, I was asked to put together a leadership course with a view to training lay-leaders within the church. After I moved on, a good friend and colleague transposed it into a course entitled ‘Training to Serve.’ For a number of years I was given the privilege of going back annually and delivering one session, and my talk was based on the ‘Servant Songs’ in Isaiah. Although these were fulfilled in Jesus, I believe they have much to teach servant-leaders in today’s church. Jesus is much more than our example, but He is our example. He has laid down a pattern for ministry.

Here is something important about Jesus’ speaking ministry (whether to crowds or individuals), and His walk with God. Note the link between the two. Derek Kidner says that the ”morning by morning” suggests ‘a lifelong attentiveness to God’s unfolding will.’

”For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken” John 12:49.

We note Jesus’ walk with God in prayer/communion (4b), and in obedience (5).

What beautiful words:

”The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
    to know the word that sustains the weary.”

I am reminded of Jesus saying:

” “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

We are reminded of the ‘bruised reed’ and the ‘smouldering wick’ of 42:3. There were many such in Israel, and the words of the Servant in this third ‘Servant Song’ are for them first of all. But, as part of Scripture, they are also for us.

We are grateful.

 God says:

“Can you produce your mother’s divorce papers
    proving I got rid of her?
Can you produce a receipt
    proving I sold you?
Of course you can’t.
    It’s your sins that put you here,
    your wrongs that got you shipped out.
So why didn’t anyone come when I knocked?
    Why didn’t anyone answer when I called?
Do you think I’ve forgotten how to help?
    Am I so decrepit that I can’t deliver?
I’m as powerful as ever,
    and can reverse what I once did:
I can dry up the sea with a word,
    turn river water into desert sand,
And leave the fish stinking in the sun,
    stranded on dry land . . .
Turn all the lights out in the sky
    and pull down the curtain.” (The Message).

From a human point of view, people often ask, ‘Where was God when I called to Him?’ In one way or another we express the problem of unanswered prayer. But here it’s turned around. We see from God’s angle as He speaks about the problem of un-answering people.

God still has the power to make good on His promises. He is totally in control of nature. The only possible obstacle is the one that has always been there: i.e. their unresponsiveness to His Word and Work.

‘…the need for change is urgent, for there is the possibility of a new beginning if only God’s people will grasp it by faith and move forward into it.’ (Barry Webb: ‘Isaiah’, p.198).

²² This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I will beckon to the nations,
    I will lift up my banner to the peoples;
they will bring your sons in their arms
    and carry your daughters on their hips.
²³ Kings will be your foster fathers,
    and their queens your nursing mothers.
They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground;
    they will lick the dust at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
    those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”

²⁴ Can plunder be taken from warriors,
    or captives be rescued from the fierce?

²⁵ But this is what the Lord says:

“Yes, captives will be taken from warriors,
    and plunder retrieved from the fierce;
I will contend with those who contend with you,
    and your children I will save.
²⁶ I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;
    they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine.
Then all mankind will know
    that I, the Lord, am your Saviour,
    your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

There will be a day when the whole world will bow with reverence before the God of Israel, who is also the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Phil.2:5-11). They will also have an appropriate respect for God’s people. For ourselves, we need to know that the Lord is infinitely trustworthy (23b) and He will bring all of this about in His own way and time. As the hymn says, ‘He is not a disappointment.’ He does not disappoint those who look to Him in faith.

Looking back to the preceding verses (14-21), Barry Webb says, ”This, of course, means that the rest of the world has a decision to make. They can co-operate with God by blessing his people (22-23), or they can defy him by continuing to persecute them (24-26). They can share in the blessing God intends to bestow on his people, or they can entirely cut themselves off from it. But they cannot claim any relationship with God that bypasses identification with his people. Saul of Tarsus, centuries later, was to have this truth impressed on him directly by the risen Jesus. His response was to lay down his arms and become the servant of those he had laboured so determinedly to destroy – and be blessed along with them!’ (Isaiah, p.197).

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40).

“Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land
    will soon be crowded with your people.
Your enemies who enslaved you
    will be far away.
²⁰ The generations born in exile will return and say,
    ‘We need more room! It’s crowded here!’
²¹ Then you will think to yourself,
    ‘Who has given me all these descendants?
For most of my children were killed,
    and the rest were carried away into exile.
I was left here all alone.
    Where did all these people come from?
Who bore these children?
    Who raised them for me?’” (NLT).

The deepest truth about church growth is that God gives it!

After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. ⁶ I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. ⁷ It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. ⁹ For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building. (1 Cor.3:5-9 NLT).

This, obviously, speaks of the future repopulation of Jerusalem following the years in exile. The growth will be miraculous. There will be no natural explanation for it. This is a picture of what we see in the church in seasons of revival. May the Lord graciously bless us with such a supernatural work.

Barry Webb writes: ”Zion’s children will return to her, and more besides; she will overflow with them. She herself will not be able to comprehend the full extent of the blessing to break over her. The images are mixed and do not always cohere logically, but they all affirm God’s love for his people and his tireles commitment to their welfare.” (Isaiah, p.196).

Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us;
    the Lord has forgotten us.”

¹⁵ “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
    Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible,
    I would not forget you!
¹⁶ See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
    Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.
¹⁷ Soon your descendants will come back,
    and all who are trying to destroy you will go away.
¹⁸ Look around you and see,
    for all your children will come back to you.
As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
    “they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to display. (NLT).

We have just read a grand, sweeping vision of the future, when people will come streaming into the Kingdom of God (8-13). But, it’s been pointed out, such realities are hard to lay hold of when we are in acute pain. The word ”Yet” in verse 14 (or ”But”) brings us back to the immediate situation of the fall of Jerusalem, and its effects on all those who experienced it. They felt abandoned.

However, the Lord reaffirms His love for His people. It’s almost like He sings over them, ‘Unforgettable, that’s what you are.’ Although, thankfully, not the norm, there is a possibility of some mothers neglecting their children. But God will not stop loving His own. The discipline and chastening of the exile years in Babylon are not to be taken as the withdrawal of His love (see Hebs.12:4-13). Anyway, there will ”Soon” be a major turnaround in their fortunes. In reality the ”Soon” would take 70 years, but in the grand scheme of things that is just the blink of an eyelid (2 Pet.3:8,9).

In the book ‘Spiritual Direction’ Henri Nouwen writes about how in his later years he moved into a community and became a carer for a mentally handicapped young man called Adam, and how He felt more and more in touch with the heart of God because of knowing Him. Writing about what he learned from Adam he said,

”First, he taught me that being is more important than doing, that God wants me to be with him and not do all sorts of things to prove I’m valuable. My life had been doing, doing, doing. I’m a driven person, wanting to do thousands and thousands of things so that I can show – somehow, finally – that I’m worthwhile” (p.44).

He came to see that the deepest truth about His life: he was (is) a beloved son of God.

If God would not forget Israel, how sure we can be that He will not forget those of us who are in His Son Jesus.

‘Unforgettable-that’s what you are.’

Prayer: Lord, help me to really grasp the unalterable truth that I am infinitely and eternally loved by you.