The Lord speaks of a people who feel their need of righteousness and follow Christ seeking what He alone can supply. These are God’s elect people and Isaiah calls them to listen to the word of God. It is a fitting instruction. In this world the Lord’s people suffer at the hands of enemies who make them drink ‘the cup of trembling’. God’s purpose is to show us salvation in Christ, bring to an end the hurt of His church and gladden the hearts of those He calls ‘my people’ and ‘my nation’. An urgent cry The chapter divides into three sections. In verses 1-8 God promises salvation and deliverance to those He loves in Christ. In verses 9-16, God’s people cry to Him to…

In the opening of our chapter the Lord lays blame for man’s separation from God squarely on the shoulders of the sinner. The reference to divorce and children sold into servitude reveal this. Had the Lord put away the Jews a bill of divorcement would have existed. Had the Lord sold His children a creditor’s statement of debt could be produced. That neither can be brought forward shows where the blame lies. The Jews abandoned God by their disobedience and sin.  Christ rejected The Lord speaks of coming and calling but no man answering. If this is a reference to the coming of the Messiah, as it appears to be, it reflects the widespread rejection of the Lord Jesus by the Jews during His earthly…

If the Holy Spirit enables us to read this chapter as a conversation between the Father and His Son, and Christ and His people, we shall discover a deep well of spiritual truth and wisdom. We have seen previously how references to islands, or isles, in the prophecy of Isaiah are suggestive of gospel expansion and the enlargement of Christ’s kingdom amongst the nations. Here the whole world is called to listen as the Lord Jesus reveals His own personal undertaking of covenant duty as the Substitute and Surety of His people. The Lord declares the terms of His Messianic role and His offices of Prophet, Priest, King, Redeemer and Saviour.

Key themes in this chapter are sovereign grace for undeserving sinners and the blessings of divine peace and provision that flow to God’s people in Jesus Christ. The Lord addresses the nation of Israel calling them, ‘house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel’. These were men and women with a blessed pedigree, yet they were obstinate, rebellious and proud. God calls them treacherous sinners and ‘transgressors from the womb’. Hypocrites in Zion The nations of Israel and Judah were outwardly blessed by God with inheritances and promises granted to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yet, despite enjoying these blessings, asserting a right to them; even adopting the language of Zion and claiming a place in the holy city, the heart…

Babylon is called the ‘virgin daughter’ because to the remnant Jews the city and its empire appeared impregnable and invincible. Yet, Isaiah foretells Babylon’s destruction. For all her vaunted glory the Lord will bring her to her knees and humiliate her in the dust. Darius and Cyrus will be instruments in God’s hand but Babylon’s destruction is retribution directly from the Lord for the hurt inflicted on His people. ‘I will take vengeance’, says the Lord, ‘I will not meet thee as a man’. I will meet you as the sovereign, holy God to judge evil and punish sin without leniency or mercy. A lesson from the past The fall of Babylon did indeed occur as Isaiah had prophesied but beyond the mere history it…

Bel and Nebo, idol-gods of Babylon, are depicted by Isaiah as bowing down to Cyrus and the Persian army before being broken in pieces and carted off in ox-drawn wagons. Their destruction is symbolic of the overthrow of the Babylonian empire by Cyrus. Inserting these named gods for the Babylonian king and his people serves to emphasis the futility of idolatry. Far from delivering the nation as the worshippers might hope, the gods ‘themselves are gone into captivity’. ‘Unto you first …’ We remind ourselves Isaiah’s words are directed primarily to the Lord’s believing people among the Jews. The prophet’s message is designed to inform, by foretelling what will surely come to pass, and comfort, by assuring the elect that the events are according to…