Isaías 50
Thomas Constable · Citado em PreceptAustin
Isaías 50
Constable - The Lord continued to speak through His prophet. He addressed again Zion’s charge that God had forsaken and forgotten His people (49:14). He had not issued Israel a certificate of divorce (cf. Deut. 24:1–4); He had not stopped desiring to have her for Himself (cf. 49:14–18; Judg. 2:14; 3:8; 4:2; 10:7). Neither had He sold the Israelites to one of His creditors, since He had none; no one had forced Him to send them into captivity (cf. 49:22–26). No, He had temporarily sold the Israelites into captivity because of their own sins (as had been the case with Samaria, cf. Jer. 3:8). . (Isaiah 50) Redpath comments that "The people of Israel in exile are likening themselves to a divorced wife, forgotten and forsaken of God. The Lord interrupts this kind of thinking, and breaks into it with a challenge to His people, saying: ‘Where is the bill of divorcement? Produce it. Produce the bill and show me where I divorced you.’ But Israel cannot do it. Of course she cannot find it, because He has never given it to her. God cannot divorce those whom He has taken into covenant relationship with Himself.” Oswalt comments - Some commentators (e.g., Whybray, Torrey) make the point that Israel must not have been formally divorced by God, for according to the law, God could not remarry her (Isa 54:5). This is to make the imagery bear too heavy a load. In any case, it is clear that Isaiah has little time for legal technicalities (see the incorporation of the foreigner and the eunuch in ch. 57). Note Jer 3:1, which addresses this same problem, and, depending on the interpretation, may have God making the same invitation. (See The Book of Isaiah) Motyer writes that "The thrust of the two hypothetical situations, divorce and sale, is to ask if something irretrievable has happened, terminating a relationship. Marriage is a covenant motif (e.g. Jer. 2:1-3; 3:1-2; Ezek. 16). Behind it here lies the dreaded possibility that the Lord’s covenant with His people may have suffered a final breach." (See context in The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction Commentary) The NET Note says "The Lord admits he did divorce Zion, but that too was the result of the nation’s sins. The force of the earlier rhetorical question comes into clearer focus now. The question does not imply that a certificate does not exist and that no divorce occurred. Rather, the question asks for the certificate to be produced so the accuser can see the reason for the divorce in black and white. The Lord did not put Zion away arbitrarily." David Thompson adds regarding the certificate of divorce - On this point there are a few commentators who take the position that God is saying to Israel that you cannot offer any proof that God has divorced her or sold her. However, if we compare this text with Jeremiah 3:8-9 this is not what this passage means. I agree with many interpreters who believe that God is telling Israel why she has been abandoned by Him. (Sermon) The concept of Jehovah as the Husband of Israel. You may not be familiar with the description of God as Husband and Israel as His wife, but this metaphorical picture is alluded to several times in Scripture... Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous Than the sons of the married woman,” says the LORD. 2 “Enlarge the place of your tent; Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not; Lengthen your cords And strengthen your pegs. 3 “For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left. And your descendants will possess nations And will resettle the desolate cities. 4 Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; But you will forget the shame of your youth, And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. 5 “For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. 6 “For the LORD has called you, Like a wife forsaken (cf same Hebrew word in Isa 49:14+) and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” Says your God. 7 “For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you. 8 “In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,” Says the LORD your Redeemer. (Isa 54:1-8) W E Vine - Israel is called upon to rejoice with singing and shouting, as her state of barrenness would yield place to fruitfulness. The experiences of their ancestress Sarah had been a foreshadowing of this. The desolate condition of the people and their land was not to last indefinitely. Jehovah had not divorced her. The time will come when she will no more be termed "Forsaken" neither will the land be termed "Desolate," for "as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride," so will God rejoice over her (Isaiah 62:4, 5) and her children will be more numerous than they were before she became desolate (Isaiah 54:1). She is therefore bidden to broaden out her tent and stretch out the curtains of her habitations, to lengthen her cords and strengthen her stakes, language metaphorically setting forth the extension of her territory so that there may be room for the increased population.(See parallel thought in Isa 49:19-20+)(The Collected Writings of W. E. Vine) Vine adds "The passage that follows from Isaiah 54:4 onward is full of the tenderest promises and comfort, telling out the lovingkindness of the Lord, His covenant mercies, and the glorious future in store for the nation. Israel is no longer to fear, for she will not be put to shame. She is exhorted not to be confounded (or rather, as it may be rendered, "to bid defiance to reproach"). Her future will be so delightful that she will "forget the shame of her youth," the time when she was in bondage in Egypt. There she was like a virgin, but Jehovah who redeemed her betrothed her to Himself with a covenant of love (see Jeremiah 51:5), for her Husband was none other than her Maker (Isaiah 54:5). (Ibid) Jennings comments - What a delightful term is that by which He next speaks of His people, "A wife of youth," when affections are freshest, and most tender; and though there has intervened a long period of apparent estrangement, Jehovah's first love has never cooled, and now He calls her to His heart again, compassionating her desolation, even though it be due to her own sin. Yes, He was compelled to forsake her, in the day of her forsaking Him; but now that penitent tears well from her eyes, His arms are wide-stretched, and as a father gathers to his bosom the child he has been compelled to chastise, with a joy that far exceeds that of the one thus restored, so does Jehovah as He cries: "It is meet that we make merry and be glad, for it was but in a temporary burst of anger in which I hid My Face, for a moment, but with never-ending lovingkindness will I cherish My beloved earthly people." This surely applies no less to His poor people in Christ, who have nothing on earth to rival Him. It is a loving-kindness, He assures us, which is as eternal as that covenant of which the bow in the cloud was, and is: the token that never again should waters destroy the earth, so never again shall waters of sorrow overwhelm Israel: more sure is this than the stability of the everlasting mountains. (Reference) The nation of Israel was joined in covenant and so in effect "married" to Jehovah the moment she entered into the Mosaic Covenant at Mount Sinai (Read Ex 24:3,7 where Israel in effect said "I DO!" or more literally "we will do!"). Soon thereafter Israel proved herself to be an unfaithful wife, repeatedly violating her covenant by playing the harlot with the gods of other nations and worshiping their idols. In spite of her abominations, Jehovah did not forsake her completely even though he sent her away just as He had sent her sister away (Jer 3:8). So however one interprets this question about a certificate of divorce, in some ways it is a moot point, because God will restore both Judah and Israel to Himself. He has the power to do it. Divorce (03748)(kerithuth from karath = to cut or cut off) describes a husband's dismissal of his wife. Kerithuth is used only 4x in the OT - Dt. 24:1; Dt. 24:3; Isa. 50:1; Jer. 3:8. While Jehovah did not give a certificate of divorce to Judah (according to most interpreters), He definitely did give a certificate of divorce to Israel (THE 10 NORTHERN TRIBES) as recorded in Jeremiah's prophecy... Jeremiah 3:8 “And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ (sepher - same word as certificate) of divorce (kerithuth), yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. Comment - This is an amazing statement - (1) Judah was fully aware of what God had done to the Northern 10 Tribes ("Israel"). (2) This knowledge had no impact on Judah's behavior. (3) While it does not state it here, Judah even exceeded Israel's sinful behavior! Clearly Judah no longer had a healthy "fear of the Lord" (cf Ro 3:18+). And beloved, that is what will happen to us if we lose that sense of reverential awe at God's holiness and His justifiable punishment on us when we sin (cf Heb 12:5-11+). Do you fear the Lord? Does it show by your behavior? Do you turn away from evil because you fear the Lord? (See this vital principle repeatedly stated - Job 1:1, Pr 8:13 Pr 14:16, 27 Pr 16:6, Ne 5:15 Job 28:28 Ps 34:11-14 Eccl 12:13 2 Co 7:1)
Isaías 50
Constable notes that "The proof of God's strength is His control over nature. The nature miracles of Jesus proved His deity (cf. Mt. 8:27; 14:33)....The images here recall the Creation and the Exodus (cf. Exod. 15:16; Deut. 26:8, 23-24; Ps. 77:15), but the point is that God has the power to change anything as He chooses." . (Isaiah 50) I clothe the heavens with blackness - Ponder this a moment - there are countless stars in the sky and yet here God says He has the power to obliterate their twinkling. God continues to describe His power which would have been able to deliver the Jews from exile. As we noted above, God was not the problem. The Jews were! Oswalt applies these descriptions of God's power asking "Shall the Hebrews, and all the rest of the world’s captives, doubt that God has the power to lighten their darkness and water their deserts?" (See context in The Book of Isaiah) Redpath exclaims “Oh, the sorrow in the heart of God—the pang, the pain, the agony, the suffering—when His children sin!… Sin in the lives of God’s people clothes heaven with blackness and sackcloth.” THOUGHT - Does this picture cause us to pause and ponder what our sins does to the heart of God. May God's Spirit emblazon this image on our hearts so that it serves to supernaturally energize and motivate us to pursue holiness and shun willful sins against God (cf Ge 39:9). In Jesus' Name. Amen And make sackcloth their covering - This extends the figure of the heavens and seems to depict the heavens as mourning over the fate of God's people. We see this pattern in Jer 4:28 ("the heavens above be dark") which is a response in the heavens to the tragic condition described in Jer 4:27 ("The whole land shall be a desolation") which in turn is the result of God's judgment on Judah for her inveterate rebellion against God and His covenant. Charles
Isaías 50
Constable - Disdain and abuse are the inevitable consequences of obeying God consistently by declaring His messages. All the true servants of the Lord experience this to some extent (2 Tim. 3:12). This is only the second reference to the Servant as a sufferer (cf. Isa 49:7). This theme receives major exposition in the fourth Servant Song. However, the Servant said He gave Himself over to this type of treatment. It is one thing to endure such treatment, but it is quite another to gladly submit to it without defending oneself. These descriptions picture persecution that Jesus Christ endured literally (cf. Matt. 26:67; 27:30; Mark 14:65; 15:16-20; Luke 22:63). He laid down His life on His own initiative (John 10:17-18). However, the Servant said He gave Himself over to this type of treatment. It is one thing to endure such treatment, but it is quite another to gladly submit to it without defending oneself. . (Isaiah 50) Edward Young comments ""It would be impossible for any sinful human being, no matter how fine a person he was, to undergo the sufferings herein described without a spirit of rebellion welling up within him. And if a spirit of revenge took hold of him, we might well understand. Even Jeremiah complained at the way he was being used (cf. Jer. 20:9, 14ff., and note Job 3). Only one who was entirely without sin could undergo such suffering without a rebellious spirit [cf. 1 Pet. 2:22-23]." I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting - To spit upon another person was an act of defilement and contempt (Lev 15:8; Nu 12:14; Dt 25:9; Job 17:6; Mt 27:30). We see the fulfillment of this Messianic prophecy in Matthew 27:30-31 as one of the final acts of denigration and humiliation of Jesus by the Roman soldiers They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. If a man refused to fulfill his role to a widow as her nearest relative or kinsman-redeemer she was to spit in his face Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he persists and says, ‘I do not desire to take her,’ then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face; and she shall declare, ‘Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ (Deut 25:8-9) Another instance of the utmost contempt and detestation. Throughout the East it is highly offensive to spit in any one's presence; and if this is such an indignity, how much more spitting in the face? Young makes an interesting comment in view of the fact that he frequently replaces Israel with the Church. For some reason he resists that urge and writes "At this point I find myself unable to agree with those who see here a reference to the body, the Church, as well as to the Head." (Ibid) Vine applies the suffering of our Savior to our lives noting that "His example is an incentive to us, when called to suffer the pressure of fierce antagonism, so that with fixity of purpose we may fulfill that which the Lord has committed to us. We can never suffer as He did, but our life and testimony can be marked by the same characteristics as those which marked His. “We must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom,” but to suffer for His sake makes it all a glory and joy." (Ibid) Lord, thank You for the physical suffering You endured for me, in my place, as my Substitute. Thank You for the shame and rejection You went through that I might not have to experience eternal shame and rejection away from Your holy presence. And Lord because You suffered in my place, enable me by Your Spirit to experience supernatural willingness and ability to suffer for Your holy Name. Amen. Isaiah 50:7 For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. KJV Isaiah 50:7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. Lord GOD helps Me Isaiah 50:9; 42:1; 49:8; Ps 89:21-27; 110:1; John 16:33; Heb 13:6 I have set My face like flint Jer 1:18; Ezek 3:8,9; Mt 23:13-36; Luke 9:51; 11:39-54; Ro 1:16; 1 Peter 4:1,16 For - Term of explanation. Messiah has just described the prophecy of His suffering at the hands of sinful men, and now explains how He was enabled to endure the humiliation and pain without faltering. The answer of course is that His Father would help Him and that He would not be ashamed. The Lord GOD helps Me - Once again that great Name Lord GOD. Messiah remained ever mindful that even in the suffering, the great God would be His great help. Helps (05826)('azar) means to protect, aid, help, succor, support, give material or non-material encouragement. Azar often refers to aid in the form of military assistance and in many instances refers to help from Jehovah as illustrated by the uses below. Azar is translated in Greek with the noun boethos which conveys the general idea of running to the aid of one who cries out for help Therefore - Term of conclusion. Based on the fact that the Sovereign LORD helps Messiah, He draws this confident conclusion that He would not be "confounded" (KJV) or "humiliated" (CSB). Messiah did not suffer because He was guilty, but suffering in spite of the fact that he was innocent! I am not disgraced - Men may humiliate Messiah, but God ensures He will not be disgraced. KJV has confounded but this is not a good translation, for the idea is that He would not be humiliated not that He would not be confused or perplexed, which is what confound means. Disgraced (03637)(kalam) describes a sense of disgrace accompanying public humiliation. It means to be humiliated, made ashamed, embarrassed, humiliated, disgraced, made to blush. It describes something that humiliates (2 Sa 10:5), causes shame (2 Sa 19:3, Jer 14:3), of social disgrace (Nu 12:14) Oswalt says "kālam seems to refer to 1) wounding of the body (1 Sa 25:7, 15), 2) wounding of the spirit through public humiliation (2 Sa 20:34), and 3) wounding of the spirit because of defeat and captivity....There were some kinds of activity by which a person ought to be humiliated even without being reproached for them. Prostitution was one of these and the prophets charged the Hebrew people with religious prostitution. (Even the Philistines were embarrassed by the Hebrews' actions according to Ezekiel 16:27.) However, the people had not even the grace to blush (Jeremiah 3:3; Jeremiah 6:15; Jeremiah 8:12). Therefore, the prophets promised that shame would come from another quarter: defeat and captivity. If they would not be embarrassed and ashamed because of their sins, they would be so because of their helplessness (Isaiah 30:3; Ezekiel 32:30). However, Israel will not finally be ashamed through God's punishment, but rather through his goodness. According to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 16:54, 61, 63; Ezekiel 43:10-11) it is when God, in undeserved grace, restores Israel and defends her (cf. Isaiah 54:4) that Israel will become truly ashamed of the way she has treated him. (link to online TWOT) Gilbrant - The independent occurrences of kālam convey a number of types of harm or disgrace. Boaz commanded his workers to "do no harm" to Ruth as she gleaned (Ruth 2:15). The verb may denote "shaming" her, as a gleaner was the lowest status one could hold in ancient Israel. However, the verb is used in the sense of "to harm" in the context of Nabal's shepherds, to whom David swore that his men had not harmed (1 Sam. 25:7). The implication of the verse is that his men actually protected them from other raiders without expecting compensation. Kālam appears twice in Proverbs attributed to Solomon (Prov. 25:8, 28:7). In the former, one is cautioned not to bring his neighbor up on minimal charges, for the neighbor could reciprocate, bringing one shame. In the latter verse, the concepts of wealth, perversity and gluttony are linked, as a son who hangs with gluttons "brings shame to his father." Building upon this meaning of moral shame, the noun appears twice in Job. In Job 11:3, Zophar castigates Job, asserting that he should suffer shame for spouting lies about his condition. In 19:3, Job charges his visitors with falsely accusing him, rhetorically asking "are you not ashamed to wrong me?" Four occurrences of kālam are in a political context. The psalmist, in the course of a corporate lament, charged Yahweh with abandoning the people and shaming them (Ps. 44:9). Jonathan became enraged at Saul for his desire to humiliate (and, intentionally harm) David (1 Sam. 20:34). The insulting response of Hanun, the son of Nahash, king of Ammon, was manifested upon David's messengers (2 Sam. 10:5). Such humiliation was intolerable, and war followed. (Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary) Kalam - 40x in 38v - ashamed(6), bear her shame(1), blush(2), brought us to dishonor(1), confounded(1), disgraced(1), dishonored(7), embarrassed(1), feel ashamed(1), feel humiliated(1), humiliated(10), humiliates(2), humiliating(1), insult(1), insulted(3), rebuke(1). Num. 12:14; Jdg. 18:7; Ruth 2:15; 1 Sam. 20:34; 1 Sam. 25:7; 1 Sam. 25:15; 2 Sam. 10:5; 2 Sam. 19:3; 1 Chr. 19:5; 2 Chr. 30:15; Ezr. 9:6; Job 11:3; Job 19:3; Ps. 35:4; Ps. 40:14; Ps. 44:9; Ps. 69:6; Ps. 70:2; Ps. 74:21; Prov. 25:8; Prov. 28:7; Isa. 41:11; Isa. 45:16; Isa. 45:17; Isa. 50:7; Isa. 54:4; Jer. 3:3; Jer. 6:15; Jer. 8:12; Jer. 14:3; Jer. 22:22; Jer. 31:19; Ezek. 16:27; Ezek. 16:54; Ezek. 16:61; Ezek. 36:32; Ezek. 43:10; Ezek. 43:11 Therefore - Another term of conclusion. Based on the encouraging truths above, Messiah steels His resolve. Rich Cathers: When God was preparing Ezekiel for his ministry, He warned Ezekiel that the people would be stubborn and would not pay attention to him. Yet God also promised Ezekiel that He would make Ezekiel just as stubborn as they were. God said He would make Ezekiel’s forehead (Ezek 3:9NIV) …like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Thomas Constable - Earlier in this book Isaiah called the Israelites to trust God rather than the nations when faced with attack by a hostile enemy (chs. 7-39). The Servant modeled that trust for God's servant Israel and for all God's servants. The belief that God would not allow Him to be disgraced in the end emboldened the Servant to remain committed to fulfilling the Lord's will (cf. Luke 9:51). God would eventually show that the Servant had not taken a foolish course of action. . (Isaiah 50) FACE SET LIKE FLINT Brian Bell - Note - God’s part “God will help me” & Jesus/our part “I have set my face”. The awareness of the Lord’s help still calls for a personal dedication! He is prepared to submit to anything because He knows He will be sustained by the Lord! (Same for you?) I have set My face like flint - Messiah is referring ultimately to His crucifixion. In spite of the agony and the separation from His Father that being made sin for us would bring about, our Savior maintains a steadfast determination to obey the Lord God. And so just as Flint is firm, so too would Messiah's face be firm in His commitment to accomplish the work of the Father (cf Jn 4:34, Jn 17:4). Nothing would deter the Servant from completing His mission on Calvary. Luke records When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem. (Lk 9:51+)
Isaías 50
Constable adds "God did not vindicate Messiah by judging His accusers immediately in some dramatic way that resulted in people connecting their judgment with their antagonism toward Messiah. Rather He allowed them to continue to live but to experience a decline in their fortunes (cf. Pilate, Herod, the Jewish leaders, the Gentiles)." . (Isaiah 50) Vine - As for God’s accusers and foes they shall all “wax old,” or rather, fall to pieces like a worn-out garment, a prey to the moth, an insect which, working slowly and imperceptibly, accomplishes thoroughly its deadly destruction (v. 9). The moth will eat them - I have several pairs of very expensive dress pants in the closet, but they have been attacked by moths. At first the holes were fairly small and I would still wear them without fear of the holes being seen, but in time the holes became so large, I could not wear them any longer and had to discard them into the trash! Nice, expensive pants, but made useless by the little moths. What a picture of the fate Jesus' accusers and of all arrogant men, whose lives are "full of holes" (sins and iniquities), whose lives slowly but gradually fall apart and whose final fate is God's "trash heap" for all eternity! (See eternal punishment). In a poem by Longfellow (one source says it was a translation of a 17th century poem, 'Retribution,' by Friedrich Von Logau) we find an apt description of the prophecy of all evil men in Isaiah 50:11... Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all. Wear out (01086)(balah) means to become old, be exhausted; waste away, wear out, to fail, to consume. The following things wear out - clothing (Dt. 8:4; 29:5); figuratively, heavens and earth (Ps. 102:26; Isa. 51:6); body of a guilty person (Ps 32:3 = " my body wasted away"); persons in general (Ge 18:12; Job 13:28). The basic meaning of balah describes the Israelites' garments which (miraculously) did not wear out (Dt 8:4; Dt 29:5; Neh 9:21) during their 40 years of wilderness wanderings. The deceptive Gibeonites fooled Joshua claiming "these our clothes and our sandals are worn out because of the very long journey.” (Josh 9:21). Balah is translated in Isa 50:9 with the verb palaioo which means to become old (Heb 8:13+, speaking of the Old Covenant). Jesus used palaioo to admonish His hearers (in a call to a lack of attachment to the earth and a generosity as a result) to "Sell (present imperative = calls for a lifestyle, only possible for one filled with the Spirit - Eph 5:18+) your possessions and give (aorist imperative - Don't procrastinate! Do this now! Again enabled by the Spirit) to charity; make (aorist imperative - Don't procrastinate! Do this now! Again enabled by the Spirit) yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure (thesauros) in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys." (Lk 12:33+). Gilbrant - This term can also refer to the deterioration of the kosmos or to the most severe distress of the worshipper. It can also mean "enjoyment." The only theological significance is in connection with the history of Israel during the wilderness experience, where their clothes and shoes never wore out. It can also refer to an anticipated time of salvation (cf. Isa. 65:22). (Ibid) Balah - 16x in 15v - become old(1), consume(1), decaying(1), spend(1), waste(1), waste away(1), wasted away(1), wear(6), worn(3). Gen. 18:12; Deut. 8:4; Deut. 29:5; Jos. 9:13; 1 Chr. 17:9; Neh. 9:21; Job 13:28; Job 21:13; Ps. 32:3; Ps. 49:14; Ps. 102:26; Isa. 50:9; Isa. 51:6; Isa. 65:22; Lam. 3:4 Isaiah 50:10 Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. KJV Isaiah 50:10 Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. NET Isaiah 50:10 Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys his servant? Whoever walks in deep darkness, without light, should trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. (Isa 50:10 NET) Who is among you that fears the LORD Ps 25:12,14; 111:10; 112:1; 128:1; Eccl 12:13; Malachi 3:16 That obeys the voice of His servant Isaiah 42:1; 49:3; 53:11; Heb 5:9 That walks in darkness and has no light Isaiah 9:2; 59:9; Job 29:3; Ps 23:4; Lam 3:2; John 8:12; 12:46 Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Isaiah 26:3,4; 1 Samuel 30:6; 1 Chr 5:20; 2 Chr 20:12,20; Job 13:15; 23:8-10; Ps 27:13,14; 28:7; 40:1-4; 42:11; 62:8; 145:21; Lam 3:25,26; Micah 7:7-9; 2 Cor 1:8-10; 1 Peter 5:7 FIRST GOD GIVES A WOOING WORD Note that Isaiah 50:9 marks the end of the Servant's testimony . Now we move to an exhortation, which some (Vine) think is God speaking but others think it is the prophet Isaiah speaking for God. Either way it is God's Word and expresses His wooing and His warning! What we see in Isaiah 50:10-11 is essentially the same fate of every human being as described in Psalm 1 and Matthew 7. There are only 2 ways or 2 paths on which every man and woman can choose to walk in this short life - one leads to eternal life and the other to eternal death. For the LORD knows (IS INTIMATE WITH) the way of the righteous, BUT the way of the wicked will perish. (Ps 1:6+) “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Mt 7:13-14+) In English to woo means to solicit or entreat especially with importunity and to seek to gain or bring about. In the present context God is wooing Israel and anyone who would listen to consider Him and trust in Him. John Martin (BKC) divides Isaiah 50 The Lord's "Divorce" of Zion (Isaiah 50:1-3) The Servant's Growth by Experience (Isaiah 50:4-9) The Prophet's Exhortation (Isaiah 50:10-11) These last two verses (Isaiah 50:10-11) are an exhortation to Israel for application - to either obey (v10) or to rebell (v11), to walk in the light or walk in the darkness, to make your own light or to trust in the Light of God. Moody Bible Commentary - Having given the example of the Servant’s faithfulness during a time of deep trouble, the song next turns to exhort Israel, calling the nation to follow the example of the Servant in its time of trial. The exhortation has a positive (trust God in the darkness) and negative (do not trust oneself in the darkness) aspect. (See context The Moody Bible Commentary) J Vernon McGee on Isaiah 50:10 - This is the wooing word. The Holy Spirit speaks a soothing and imploring word to trust and rest in God’s Servant. He turns from this and gives a warning word (Isaiah 50:11)." (See context Thru the Bible: Genesis through Revelation)
Isaías 50
Constable - The following section is a call to listen to the Servant, to follow His example, and so experience God's salvation. Failure to do so would result in sharing the fate of His opponents (cf. Isa 50:9; 51:8). . (Isaiah 50) Beall: Obedience to the Servant is paralleled with obedience to the Lord. In vv. 4- 9 it was the Servant who was obedient; now, the people are enjoined to obey the Lord and the voice of His Servant (see John 5:23: “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him"; John 14:9: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father”). As Young aptly states, “The Servant's word is God's word, for God has set the Servant's mouth as a sharp sword (cf. 49:2)” (Isaiah, 3:304). Isaiah encourages those who walk in darkness, with no light, to trust in the name of the Lord (compare the Messianic passage Isa 9:2: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light"; and John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life”). Who is among you that fears the LORD - Remember that Isaiah is a Jewish prophet and in the context of this verse, he is addressing the nation of Israel. Isaiah is challenging the entire nation to follow the lead of the Servant who testified of his close relationship with the Lord. That being said, clearly the truths in this verse regarding salvation apply to all mankind who would be wooed by this divine word and enter covenant with God by grace through faith in the Messiah. Related Resource: Lengthy Discussion on What Constitutes the Fear of the Lord See above for Related Discussion on Disciple That obeys the voice of His Servant - Notice the clear association of fear of the LORD and obedience. The corollary is true that one cannot truly obey God unless he has a healthy fear of God. Why would one even want to obey One for Whom he had no healthy, reverential fear? Notice that this is the only passage in this "Third Servant Song" which actually uses the word "servant." Jesus is calling the Jews (and all people) to (1) fear God and (2) obey the Messiah. Fear God may not sound like the "Gospel," but at the beginning of the horrible Great Tribulation, the eternal Gospel is offered to unsaved men in the world. Notice how John describes "the eternal Gospel"... "And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; 7 and he said with a loud voice, “Fear (aorist imperative - Do this now! It is urgent! Do not delay!) God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” (Rev 14:6-7+) Tony