Isaiah 51

Isaiah 51 provides comfort and reassurance to the people of Israel, reminding them of God’s past faithfulness and His promises for the future. The chapter encourages the Israelites to look back to Abraham and Sarah, reaffirming God's ability to deliver them from present afflictions. It also speaks of God's salvation, which is everlasting, and calls the people to listen, trust, and wait for the righteousness and deliverance that God will bring.

Isaiah 51:1-3 (NKJV)
1 “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness,
You who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father,
And to Sarah who bore you;
For I called him alone,
And blessed him and increased him.”
3 For the Lord will comfort Zion,
He will comfort all her waste places;
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
And her desert like the garden of the Lord;
Joy and gladness will be found in it,
Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

God calls those seeking righteousness to remember their spiritual origins. They are encouraged to reflect on Abraham and Sarah, reminding them that God called Abraham when he was alone and blessed him to become a great nation. Just as God transformed Abraham’s situation, He will also restore Zion, turning its desolation into a place of joy and abundance, like the garden of Eden.

Isaiah 51:4-6 (NKJV)
4 “Listen to Me, My people;
And give ear to Me, O My nation:
For law will proceed from Me,
And I will make My justice rest
As a light of the peoples.
5 My righteousness is near,
My salvation has gone forth,
And My arms will judge the peoples;
The coastlands will wait upon Me,
And on My arm they will trust.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
And look on the earth beneath.
For the heavens will vanish away like smoke,
The earth will grow old like a garment,
And those who dwell in it will die in like manner;
But My salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not be abolished.

God invites His people to listen, as He reveals His intention to bring justice and righteousness to the nations. His law and salvation will bring light to the world, and though the heavens and earth may fade, God’s righteousness and salvation are eternal. He reassures the people of His unchanging nature and enduring deliverance.

Isaiah 51:7-8 (NKJV)
7 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
You people in whose heart is My law:
Do not fear the reproach of men,
Nor be afraid of their insults.
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
And the worm will eat them like wool;
But My righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation from generation to generation.”

God speaks to those who already live by His law and assures them not to fear human opposition. Though enemies may criticize and insult them, they will perish like moth-eaten garments. God’s righteousness and salvation, however, will continue through all generations, giving hope to those who trust in Him.

Isaiah 51:9-10 (NKJV)
9 Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the Lord!
Awake as in the ancient days,
In the generations of old.
Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart,
And wounded the serpent?
10 Are You not the One who dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
That made the depths of the sea a road
For the redeemed to cross over?

The people call on God to show His power again as He did in the past, specifically recalling the defeat of Rahab (a symbol of Egypt) and the parting of the Red Sea during the Exodus. They ask God to demonstrate the same strength and deliverance they experienced before, urging Him to intervene on their behalf.

Isaiah 51:11 (NKJV)
11 So the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness;
Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

The promise is given that the redeemed of the Lord will return to Zion in triumph. They will be filled with everlasting joy, free from sorrow and pain. This verse provides hope and assurance of a future restoration where joy will replace suffering.

Isaiah 51:12-13 (NKJV)
12 “I, even I, am He who comforts you.
Who are you that you should be afraid
Of a man who will die,
And of the son of a man who will be made like grass?
13 And you forget the Lord your Maker,
Who stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth;
You have feared continually every day
Because of the fury of the oppressor,
When he has prepared to destroy.
And where is the fury of the oppressor?

God reassures His people that He is their comforter. He questions why they fear mortal men, who are temporary like grass, when they should remember the Creator who formed the heavens and earth. Despite the threats of oppressors, God's presence should calm their fears, as their enemies' power will ultimately fade away.

Isaiah 51:14-16 (NKJV)
14 The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed,
That he should not die in the pit,
And that his bread should not fail.
15 But I am the Lord your God,
Who divided the sea whose waves roared—
The Lord of hosts is His name.
16 And I have put My words in your mouth;
I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
That I may plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth,
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”

The captives, eager for freedom, are promised that they will not die in exile or starve. God reminds them of His power, the same power that parted the sea. He assures them that He has protected and empowered them with His words, reaffirming His covenant with Zion, declaring them as His chosen people.

Isaiah 51:17-20 (NKJV)
17 Awake, awake!
Stand up, O Jerusalem,
You who have drunk at the hand of the Lord
The cup of His fury;
You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling,
And drained it out.
18 There is no one to guide her
Among all the sons she has brought forth;
Nor is there any who takes her by the hand
Among all the sons she has brought up.
19 These two things have come to you;
Who will be sorry for you?—
Desolation and destruction, famine and sword—
By whom will I comfort you?
20 Your sons have fainted,
They lie at the head of all the streets,
Like an antelope in a net;
They are full of the fury of the Lord,
The rebuke of your God.

Jerusalem is called to awaken from the suffering it has endured due to God’s wrath. The people had experienced God's judgment in full measure, with no one left to guide or support them. The imagery of desolation and the helplessness of the people reflects the severity of their condition, as they were overwhelmed by God's righteous rebuke.

Isaiah 51:21-23 (NKJV)
21 Therefore please hear this, you afflicted,
And drunk but not with wine.
22 Thus says your Lord,
The Lord and your God,
Who pleads the cause of His people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
The cup of trembling,
The dregs of the cup of My fury;
You shall no longer drink it.
23 But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you,
Who have said to you,
‘Lie down, that we may walk over you.’
And you have laid your body like the ground,
And as the street, for those who walk over.”

God announces that He will remove the cup of His wrath from Jerusalem and transfer it to their oppressors. Those who humiliated and mistreated His people, forcing them to lie down like a road for them to walk on, will now face His judgment. The afflicted will be relieved, and their oppressors will receive the punishment they deserve.