Isaiah 50
Isaiah 50 introduces the theme of God's faithfulness contrasted with the disobedience of His people, and it portrays the suffering servant who obediently trusts in the Lord. The chapter reflects on Israel’s failure, but also provides hope through the servant who remains loyal to God's calling despite opposition.
Isaiah 50:1 (NKJV)
1 Thus says the Lord:
“Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce,
Whom I have put away?
Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you?
For your iniquities you have sold yourselves,
And for your transgressions your mother has been put away.”
God reminds Israel that He did not cast them away as a divorced wife or sell them due to His own need. Instead, their separation from Him was due to their own sin and disobedience. Their exile and suffering are the consequences of their unfaithfulness, not a result of God abandoning them.
Isaiah 50:2 (NKJV)
2 Why, when I came, was there no man?
Why, when I called, was there none to answer?
Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea,
I make the rivers a wilderness;
Their fish stink because there is no water,
And die of thirst.
God expresses His disappointment that when He sought Israel, no one responded. His power to redeem has not diminished, as He has the authority to command nature itself, drying seas and rivers. The issue lies in Israel’s failure to respond to His call, despite His demonstrated power.
Isaiah 50:3 (NKJV)
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness,
And I make sackcloth their covering.”
God emphasizes His sovereignty over creation. The imagery of darkening the heavens and covering them with sackcloth symbolizes mourning and judgment. It shows that God has the power to bring cosmic changes as part of His judgment on disobedience.
Isaiah 50:4 (NKJV)
4 “The Lord God has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is weary.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear
To hear as the learned.
Here, the speaker shifts to the servant of the Lord, who is given wisdom and understanding by God to speak words of encouragement to the weary. This servant is obedient and attentive to God's voice, being taught by Him daily.
Isaiah 50:5-6 (NKJV)
5 The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not rebellious,
Nor did I turn away.
6 I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
The servant describes his unwavering obedience to God, even in the face of intense suffering. He willingly endures physical abuse and humiliation, showing complete submission to God's will, foreshadowing the suffering of Christ.
Isaiah 50:7 (NKJV)
7 “For the Lord God will help Me;
Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore I have set My face like a flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
Despite suffering, the servant confidently trusts in God’s help. The determination to carry out God’s mission is portrayed with the imagery of setting his face like a flint, symbolizing resolve and strength. He knows that his faithfulness will ultimately lead to vindication.
Isaiah 50:8-9 (NKJV)
8 He is near who justifies Me;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand together.
Who is My adversary?
Let him come near Me.
9 Surely the Lord God will help Me;
Who is he who will condemn Me?
Indeed they will all grow old like a garment;
The moth will eat them up.
The servant, assured of God’s justification, challenges his adversaries to oppose him. He is confident that none can successfully condemn him because God stands by his side. His enemies, by contrast, will fade away and be destroyed like old garments.
Isaiah 50:10-11 (NKJV)
10 “Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys the voice of His Servant?
Who walks in darkness
And has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the Lord
And rely upon his God.
11 Look, all you who kindle a fire,
Who encircle yourselves with sparks:
Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled—
This you shall have from My hand:
You shall lie down in torment.
In verse 10, the call is to those who revere the Lord and walk in darkness, urging them to trust in God and rely on Him even when the way seems unclear. In verse 11, a warning is given to those who rely on their own efforts (represented by kindling their own fire) rather than trusting in God’s light. Their self-reliance will lead to torment and destruction.