Isaiah 49
I. (1-39) Condemnation
A. Chapters 1-12—Prophecies against Israel and Judah
B. Chapters 13-23—Prophecies against the Nations
C. Chapters 24-27—Prophecies of the Day of the Lord
D. Chapters 28-35—Prophecies of Judgment and Blessing
E. Chapters 36-39—Historical accounts
II. (40-66) Consolation
A. Chapters 40-48—Israel’s God
B. Chapters 49-54—Israel’s Messiah - This section will also be
scattered with the themes of comfort and prophecy, but the topics
will center more on the coming Messiah.
1. \\#Is 49:1-26\\ Messiah’s Mission
I. \\#49:1-26\\ Messiah’s Mission
A. \\#1-6\\ A Faithful Servant - Isaiah seems to speak of himself in these
verses but it becomes more and more obvious that he is speaking of
Someone far greater.
1. \\#1\\ "Listen, O isles" - God wants the attention, not just of Israel,
but of the world. \\See 2006Notes on "Isaiah 41:1"\\
2. \\#1\\ "The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my
mother" - It appears that Isaiah is speaking of himself and, indeed he
is; but like a dual reference prophecy, this passage reaches beyond
Isaiah to describe the coming Messiah.
3. \\#2\\ "he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword… and made me a
polished shaft" - Again, this is true of both Isaiah, the type, and
Christ, the anti-type. It speaks of God empowering them to do His
work.
4. \\#2\\ "in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me" - Both were
supernaturally protected for their ministry by Jehovah.
5. \\#2\\ "in his quiver hath he hid me" - As a needed and deadly tool
hath God hid them both.
6. \\#3\\ "my servant" The way God has worded these verses leaves the
designation of who the servant is uncertain. It may have several
applications.
a. This phrase, although it has been used of several individuals in
Isaiah’s book, was used specifically of the coming Messiah in
\\#Is 42:1-4\\ and throughout that chapter. It will be
specifically applied to Messiah again in \\#Is 52:13\\. The
use of this title here could further confirm that although
Isaiah is speaking in the first person, he is speaking about
One greater than himself. It could, and I think is, speaking
of Messiah.
b. In the structure of the verse, the term is used as part of a
direct address to Israel. Although some want to allegorize
Israel to be Christ in this verse, it seems evident that God is
speaking to Israel and calling that nation His servant. The
message of both Isaiah and the coming Messiah would be the
same. It was to bring Israel back to the place of being God’s
servant.
c. The fact that Isaiah is speaking in the first person through
portions of these verses means that the term could also be
applied to Isaiah.
7. \\#4\\ "Then said I, I have laboured in vain" - From outward
appearances, it looked like both failed in their ministries.
8. \\#4\\ "yet surely my judgment is with the Lord" - But both will
leave the results of their work in God’s hands.
9. \\#5\\ "Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in
the eyes of the Lord" - Even though Israel did not repent at the
work of either, God encouraged both that He would glorify their
works.
10. \\#6\\ "Is it a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to
raise up the tribes of Jacob" - While Jesus knew well that His work
was not a "small" thing, Isaiah especially was probably discouraged.
11. \\#6\\ "I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou
mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth" - Here we see
for certain that this passage is dual in its nature. God is
encouraging Isaiah and will use his ministry to reach beyond the
rebelling Jews to all the Gentile nations, but how much more did
He make Jesus the Light to the Gentiles and the Salvation of the
whole earth! This same expression was used to describe God’s
Servant in \\#Is 42:6\\.
Isaiah 42:6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine
hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a
light of the Gentiles; Jesus fulfilled this prophetic passage:
Jesus fulfilled this prophetic passage.
Luke 2:32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the
world.
B. \\#7-12\\ A Coming Kingdom - These verses take the promise of a Faithful
Servant and expand upon it to discuss His Coming Kingdom; for while He
is a Servant to the Father, He is also Lord of lords and King of kings.
From this point, Isaiah is no longer speaking of himself but exclusively
the Messiah.
1. \\#7\\ Notice Who is speaking and to Whom He is speaking
a. \\#7\\ "Thus saith the Lord" - This is God the Father speaking.
b. \\#7\\ "to him whom man despiseth" - This is a continuation of
the previous section, but what is said from here onward does not
apply to Isaiah. It can apply only to Jesus.
(1) "to whom man despiseth" - Jesus is the One whom mankind
despised.
(2) "whom the nation abhorreth" - Jesus is the One whom the
nation (Israel) abhorred.
(3) "a servant of rulers" - Jesus is the Servant of rulers. The
miracles of Jesus helped the rulers in that they helped the
people.
(4) "princes also shall worship" - Jesus is the One whom kings
shall recognize and princes shall worship. At this point,
it is obvious that this is no ordinary man for God does not
posture any mortal man to be worshipped.
(5) "because of the Lord… he shall choose thee" - Jesus is the
One whom the Holy One of Israel has chosen.
2. \\#8-12\\ Notice what is being said. This is a tremendously powerful
section describing both of the earthly ministries of Jesus.
a. \\#8\\ At God’s "acceptable time" this Servant shall come.
b. \\#8\\ "have I heard thee…helped thee" - God is promising to
hear and to help the Servant.
c. \\#8\\ God also promises to "preserve" this Servant. It was only
by divine keeping that neither Satan nor his evil servants were
able to keep Jesus alive to the cross. And of course, after His
death, to give life to Him again.
d. \\#8\\ "in a day of salvation" - God will give salvation through
Him when He comes. Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise:
Luke 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in
the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.)
e. \\#8\\ "and give thee for a covenant of the people" - Even so,
God’s plan for the Servant has always been that He would give
His life for the New Covenant.
(1) "to establish the earth" - The New Covenant will reach
beyond Israel to all the world.
(2) "to cause to inherit the desolate heritages" - The New
Covenant not only reclaims the desolate planet but the
desolate people, i.e. us, which is probably what is being
described here.
f. \\#9\\ "That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth" - The
coming ministry will be one of deliverance. These verses speak
of both the spiritual imprisonment of the Jews but also of the
physical bondage they will be in when Messiah comes the second
time to establish His kingdom. All of these ministry
characteristics can have a literal end time fulfillment.
g. \\#9-10\\ "They shall feed in the ways…. They shall not hunger
or thirst" - It will be ministry of supplying their needs.
h. \\#10\\ "neither shall the heat nor sun smite them" - And of
protection.
i. \\#10\\ "for he that hath mercy on them" - And of mercy and
forgiveness.
j. \\#10\\ "shall lead them… and guide them" - And of guidance.
k. \\#11-12\\ "I will make all my mountains a way…from the
north… west" - And a ministry of regathering. This especially
is true of Jesus’ end time ministry.
l. \\#12\\ Sinim - Most believe this relates to an area in China
and would represent the eastward direction. For whatever reason,
south is the only direction not mentioned in the regathering.
C. \\#13-17\\ A Bright Tomorrow
1. \\#13\\ A future song - One day the heavens will rejoice and sing
for the display of mercy God has shown upon Israel.
2. \\#14-16\\ But right now, Zion feels the Lord has forsaken her.
a. \\#14\\ "The Lord hath forsaken me… forgotten me" - The
devastation of Assyria against all of Israel and the subsequent
defeats by Babylon, Persian, Greece, and Rome make Zion feel
that God has forsaken and forgotten Israel. (This is actually
the feeling of many modern-day Jews.)
b. \\#15-16\\ God not only has remembers them, He could never forget
them.
(1) \\#15\\ No more than a mother can forget her new-born baby.
(2) \\#16\\ "I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands" -
Indeed, God has engraved them on the palms of His hands.
3. \\#17-26\\
a. \\#17\\ One day, the "children shall make haste" to return to
Israel and the "destroyers… shall go forth (leave)." Those who
have controlled and oppressed that land will one day leave it.
b. \\#18\\ "all these gather themselves… and come to thee" - In
that day, those nations which one surrounded Israel, will serve
them.
c. \\#19\\ "…thy desolate places… shall even… be too narrow"
All of the land of Israel, now forsaken and desolate, will not
hold all the Jews which will inhabit it. This is a millennial
prophecy.
d. \\#19\\ "they that swallowed thee up shall be far away" - This
is interesting. The lands that controlled Israel for so long are
not described as either destroyed or serving Israel. They are
simply described as being "far away."
e. \\#20\\ "The children… thou shalt have, after thou hast lost
the other" - This prophecy both describes the great loss Israel
will have and the eventual repopulation they shall experience.
f. \\#21\\ "Who hath begotten me these…" - Israel will wonder at
the multitude of its people. It is possible that some of this
large number will be the adopted nations who turn to worship
Jehovah through Israel during the millennium \\#Is 54:1\\.
g. \\#22\\ God tells Israel that He will lift up His hand to the
Gentiles and they will help gather the Jews to their Promised
Land. Again, this is a millennial prophecy. After the
tribulation, the Gentile’s will also serve the Lord.
h. \\#23\\ The extent to which these nations will serve Israel is
described - "kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens
thy nursing mothers."
i. \\#24-25\\ "for I will contend with him… I will save thy
children" - The time of contention is the tribulation. When God
is finished dealing with Israel’s enemies, all the Jews will be
free - "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away."
j. \\#26\\ "all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior" -
God has given the Jews to the Gentiles but He will one day give
the Gentiles to the Jews.
<Outline
Index> <Close Window>
