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.
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.”
The theme of Isaiah 40 onwards is Israel’s redemption from captivity in Babylon, it also points to a spiritual salvation from captivity. It all leads to the climax in Isaiah chapter 53 which speaks about the Messiah.
We’ll be looking at Isaiah 51.9 to 52.13. The scripture begins with call to awake.
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?
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.
Awake, awake!
Put on your strength, O Zion;
Put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city!
For the uncircumcised and the unclean
Shall no longer come to you.
The first call to ‘Awake’
is in Isaiah 51.9. It is a call to the Lord to awake, put on strength, to the arm of the Lord – זְרוֹעַ zeroa [zǝrôaʿ] Yehovah יְהוָה [yhwh]. God wants to comfort His people and not to fear their enemies who will die, but trust in the eternal God, their Maker, the Creator who is greater than their oppressor.
The Lord’s arm acts in judgement and deliverance. This is the same ‘arm of the Lord’ in Isaiah 53.1, = Yeshua / Jesus the Messiah to whom it will be revealed.
Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord זְרוֹעַ zeroa [zǝrôaʿ] Yehovah יְהוָה [yhwh] been revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground. Isaiah 53.1-2
The Lord talks in Exodus of rescuing the Israelites from Egypt,
6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched נְטוּיָה [nǝṭûyâ]
arm בִּזְרוֹעַ [bizrôaʿ] and with great judgments. Exodus 6.6
The strong arm of the Lord is either saving and protecting us, or judging the enemy in righteousness. It is the arm that cut Rahab in pieces (Egypt) and wounded the serpent (Satan). The arm that dried up the sea and made the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed to pass over. The Lord who divided the sea whose waves roared.
15 But I am the Lord your God,
Who divided the sea whose waves roared—
The Lord of hosts is His name. Isaiah 51.15
God has redeemed Israel in the past. He is able to do it again. He is a miracle-working God. And the first call is one for God to be on our side and to redeem us. He is strong in saving, but also in bringing judgement. In impossible situations, God will make a way.
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10.13
Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord are able to return back from land of judgement, and do so in joy and gladness. That is what is about to happen for Israel in the scripture, but also what happens to believing Christian.
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. Isaiah 51.11
Greater is the power available in us than all the evil in the world. No matter how many Muslims pray in Downing Street, no matter are for the spirit of Antichrist, we have One who is greater in us.
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4.3-6
They may get a lot of attention from the world, but not from God.
The second ‘Awake’
can be found in Isaiah 51.17. It is a call for Jerusalem to stand up from being under judgement. When it drank God’s cup of fury, it brought trembling, desolation, destruction, famine and the sword. It also brought captivity.
12 Who is the man that fears the Lord?
Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
13 He himself shall dwell in prosperity,
And his descendants shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant.
15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.16 Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,
For I am desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart have enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses!
18 Look on my affliction and my pain,
And forgive all my sins. Psalm 25.12-18
Too people today live in spiritual captivity, they are desolate, oppressed. You can see it in people’s faces. Many look down and seem defeated.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4.4-9
God wants to take us out of this and lift us up to be seated with Messiah in heavenly places, to rejoice in the Lord, to take us from the dunghill to the palace.
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. Isaiah 51.4-6
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1.17-23
The third ‘Awake’
in Isaiah 52.1 is a call to Jerusalem to put on strength and beautiful garments, that is, the ultimate redemption taking place after the Great Tribulation at the Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah.
7 How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
8 Your watchmen shall lift up their voices,
With their voices they shall sing together;
For they shall see eye to eye
When the Lord brings back Zion.
9 Break forth into joy, sing together,
You waste places of Jerusalem!
For the Lord has comforted His people,
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord יְהוָה [yhwh] has made bare חָשַׂף [ḥāśap] His holy קָדְשׁוֹ [qodšô] arm זְרוֹעַ [zǝrôaʿ]
In the eyes of all the nations;
And all the ends of the earth shall see
The salvation of our God. Isaiah 52.7-10
Then, the unclean no longer come in, Jerusalem is released from oppression. It’s a picture of Jerusalem in the Messianic Kingdom, loose from the bonds on Israel’s neck, loose from slavery, from captivity.
3 For thus says the Lord:
“You have sold yourselves for nothing,
And you shall be redeemed without money.” Isaiah 52.3
You were sold for nothing; you sold yourselves for nothing because of sin. No slave price was paid for you, you were just taken. But you are now redeemed without money, not without cost though. The next chapter, Isaiah 53.4-6 is going to tell you what the cost was in Messiah.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53.4-6
Israel was oppressed by the Assyrians, it was taken away for nothing, without cause. It was made to wail. And all of this causes God’s name to be blasphemed because the nations see the people of God, Israel, in a bad state, and this makes them doubt God. So it is with Christians. We must praise God in all circumstances.
22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16.22-30
This is the Good News, the Gospel of our redemption.
7 How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52.7-10
Why does the prophet speak of ‘beautiful feet’? It implies movement, the Good News going into all the world. The Good News means peace with God.
And what about man? Through Yeshua / Salvation God reigns, is in power and is not phased by human failure and sin. He will have the last word.
13 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
14 Just as many were astonished at you,
So His visage was marred more than any man,
And His form more than the sons of men;
15 So shall He sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths at Him;
For what had not been told them they shall see,
And what they had not heard they shall consider. Isaiah 52.13-15
This will happen, ultimately, at the Second Coming, but Jesus now reigns in our lives with His victory over sin.
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. Revelation 11.15-19