Isaiah 54-57

Introduction

Chapter 62 and 3, which will be found on page 126 of your work book. Gonna use that quickly as a review. Page 126. For what had Jerusalem sold herself? How would they be redeemed? Doug, we’ll start with you. Sold for naught and will be redeemed without money. All right. Nothing paid for them. And they had sold themselves really by what? You remember? What had what had by their iniquity? Yeah, by their iniquity. Number two, what two things should be published or would be proclaimed, the New King James Version says. By those with beautiful feet. Don’t you remember something about preachers with beautiful feet shall drink what?

Bring glad tidings of good things. Quoted in Romans. Uh number well, the the answer there is peace and salvation, the two things. Number three, for before whom had God made bare his holy arm, and what shall be seen? This all the oceans. Alright. And uh and the eyes of all the nations shall see what? Salvation. The salvation of our God. John, how would people leave the land of captivity? Without haste and without light, with the Lord before them, and bringing up the rear God. He wouldn’t have to rush at it, would they? Because God is going to be before him behind a great passage in it. Number five, uh Ruth, how would Christ grow up? Like a tender shoot, like a root out of parched shrubs.

Yeah, as a tender plant, as a root of a dragon. It didn’t look very healthy at first, did he? Didn’t look like it was gonna be very successful at all, but it was. Number six, how would he be received? Well, with no former comeliness and no beauty, he’d be despised and rejected by men. Sorrows and claimed with grief. The Son of God certainly was not honored like the Son of God you would think should have been, right? Number seven, what did Christ bear for us? In other words, write the words following the word our. June, you have those? Transgressions and iniquities. There were five. He bear our griefs, our sorrows, our transgressions, our iniquities, our peace. I think that’s powerful. You go back and uh I think that’s a good point to make in your in your text in verses four and five, that each of those things.

What had we done to meet his sacrifice, Cathy? Uh like sheep we all turn to our own way, gone astray. To our own way, gone astray. Number nine, with whom did he make his grave? The wickedness. Yeah, with the wicked. And number ten, with whom was he numbered in death? Stuart Lottie, which one? Transgressors. Alright, with the transgressors. All right, our lesson tonight then picks up with uh chapter 54. And actually there are four chapters here. I’m hoping we’ll have time to sort of make justice out of all the four. It’s a beautiful section of Isaiah. In fact, uh the section you might say sort of picks up again with what was first introduced in chapter 49, when it was said there that the Messiah or the servant would come as uh uh in the service of the Lord and and as a shaft that would be uh strong and a shaft that would indeed bring forth salvation.

And that he said to listen, O coastlands, even to the Gentiles. Uh the sharp sword and the hollow of God’s hand, in the shadow of his hand, he’s hidden me and made me a polished shaft. Well, with that, of course, how would the Messiah bring forth salvation? Well, he says in these chap earlier chapters, there’s the buildup to it, uh, his sacrificial work. But but you know, you don’t really get it until you finally come into the latter part of chapter 52. And uh his visage was marred more than any man. That’s always struck me as at least an expression. And that’s chapter 53 we’ve all read from and talked about many a time. What a what a chapter describing the suffering Savior. So the understanding how salvation is going to be brought about.

1. Sing, O Barren: Enlarge the Place of Your Tent

Mankind probably would have never prepared it or planned anything like this. And certainly the devil didn’t know. Had he known that the death of Christ was the means of salvation, it would not have occurred by the hands of wicked men. But so when you get to chapter 54 in the verse 1, sing, O barren, you who have not born. Break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child. For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman, says the Lord. Maybe at first you don’t even understand that one. I don’t know whether you have noticed, but how many passages of Isaiah are quoted in the New Testament? Sometimes that’s what really kind of gives us some insight into what really is the fulfillment of the prophecy.

This passage is quoted. Anybody have marked where? It’s in Galatians chapter 4 and in verse 27. And it’s applied and a quoted at a time when the apostle Paul is trying to describe the two covenants. Of course, Galatians is written at a time where there was some controversy over whether Gentiles could be saved without circumcision or not. And Paul goes into some detail about the difference between the new covenant and the old. And he uses that allegory between Hagar and Sarah. But Sarah, who uh Hagar, who was simply the handmaid, although she bore Abraham, Ishmael was not the child, the promise. But Isaac, born of Sarah, was the child of promise. And so the application there, of course, is that even though she had not born child, how old was she when Isaac was born?

Ninety? Abraham was a hundred. Yet there’s break forth with singing, cry loud. And uh, and then in fact, uh more or her children. In describing that, he’s talking now. We know by that application, he’s having a reference even to the fulfillment in the Messiah. But in verses 2 and 3, Isaiah then says something to the to the children of Israel, enlarge the place of your tent. Let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings. Do not spare, lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes, for you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations and make the desolate cities inhabited. He’s talking like build a tent, make it strong, and enlarge it. What’s he talking about? You’re gonna have company.

Good point. The nations, the Gentiles. Alright. It’ll be more than even just fleshly Israel had, as such. And you’re gonna wonder, and we really had that already in time before, not last lesson, but last Wednesday night, where he’s saying they’re gonna come, and you’re gonna wonder. There’s not gonna be enough room for them. Where are they gonna come from? Well, because the Gentiles would be brought in. So in verse 4, do not fear, for you will not be ashamed, neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame. Or you will forget the shame of your youth and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. The reproach of your widowhood? What do you think that would be? When you didn’t have children? No.

Widowhood. No. Where are they the time this is being forecast? They’re in Babylon. They’re in captivity for their sins. John, you’ve got a question or comment. I’m questioning whether it is true widowhood, or if it is when the Lord divorced them temporarily here. Is it is it the same meaning in your own? Well, he argued in the last uh lesson that he didn’t really divorce them. He said, Bring forth your bill of divorcement. There was none. You’re the one who left me. But I’m calling you back. But in the sense uh uh of the widowhood, it’s as though they did not have a husband, because they had left him. They had left their maker. They had left their maker. But now, in thinking in terms of the spiritual remnant that is going to come back, will they how many of us really think about oh we are we were punished earlier?

You know, we have forgotten that in a sense the time has come that there is no shame of that to be brought upon God’s people who are spiritually restored. And the reason for it is in verse 5. For your maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name, your redeemer is the holy One of Israel. He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused, says your God. For a mere moment I have forsaken you. Of the great sacrifice, mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment. But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer.

Sort of catches me. For a moment. How long were they in captivity? Literally. Sixty. Seventy years. Seventy years. How many of us think a year is a moment? In the way we measure time. I mean, we don’t even think a week is a moment, do we? In the way we count it. But God, in his plan, his eternal plan, of course, was to bring about the means of salvation. I mean, you go back to Genesis 3.15, where the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of woman, the seed of woman bruise the head of the serpent. So God’s had a plan and purpose. And he provided the means for the coming of the Savior through Abraham. But Abraham’s descendants were not that faithful. And because they refused, and because they turned, they sold themselves by their iniquities.

They turned to idolatry. And we’ll get, you know, we how many times we had that already in Isaiah? And you know, this is one of the things is he’s kind of gone back and forth talking about a sinful nation, and then talking about a redeemed remnant. And it’s sometimes hard unless you just stop and say, okay, well, let’s kind of consider this particular context here. Which one is hard sometimes to determine which one he’s talking about? But will God keep his promise he made to Abraham? Or his promise he made to Eve, for that matter? Yes. How do you know? Verse 9. This is like the waters of Noah to me. What do you mean by that? For as I’ve sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.

For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from you. Or shall my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord who has mercy on you. Who do you think the you is speaking about here? I promised these things, and I’m not going to be angry with you again. Who do you think of you is in this? He’s talking about the faithful remnant. Alright. Certainly wouldn’t be true of Israel as a nation. No. They eventually just went away. And even further, the faithful remnant became the spiritual house of God, the holy mountain of God, which is today the church. Even as the application, you know, back as I said in verse 1 being quoted in Galatians 4. That’s what Paul was arguing even then.

So even though have there been those who’ve left the faith? Have there been apostasies? Yes. But has the church stood the test? I mean, you know how often, of course, you know, I talk about the book of Revelation quite a lot, because I say if there was ever time the church was going to be abolished, it wouldn’t have been in a time where a world government was opposed, backing by Satan. And indeed, Satan’s attempt was to destroy the church on earth, I believe. But he failed. The kingdom of God has stood the test and will continue to stand the test. And so God will, my kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall my covenant of peace be removed. That’s part of verse 10. But in verse 11, oh you afflicted one.

Now, now what are we talking about? Who’s with the afflicted? Here’s the people who really are in perhaps Babylonian captivity, tossed with tempests, not comforted. Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I make your pinnacles of rubies, these are gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones. In other words, what’s going to happen when indeed they come out out of that out of that affliction in Babylon and become the spiritual remnant? The church, so to speak. It’s a figurative way of saying, I bless. Look at all the outward things, the sapphires and rubies and gates of crystal and precious stones. It says a figure.

Yes.

Even in Ephesians 5, verses 26 and 7, he speaks of how that uh even as Christ gave himself for the church, and therefore we’re to be sanctified, and we present ourselves as a people holy and a people pure. But from within, that’s the outside appearance from within, verse 13. How’s that going to be? All your children shall be what? Taught. Taught by the Lord. And grace shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established. You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear, and from terror, or it shall not come from you. I think verse 13 particularly says, Your children shall be taught by the Lord. Great shall be the peace of your children. I want you to turn just quickly at a passage we’ll get later, chapter 57, and verse the last verse of chapter 57.

Look in contrast. Who has no peace? There is no peace for the wicked. And Isaiah certainly puts it in contrast. This is not the only time he said it. And the verses beside these, but I thought we need it within this lesson. Those who are taught for the Lord, there shall be peace. But those who are wicked, there shall be no peace. In fact, how do you know it’s going to be that way? Because verses 16 through 17, I’ll summarize. Just as God can make the blacksmith, and he makes the tools the blacksmith uses, so God’s in control. And he’ll make sure that the church itself or the spiritual redeemed ones of Israel will succeed and will have peace and will not be forsaken, just like he kept his promise to Noah and the rainbow and the sky promising, giving us shirts.

2. Ho, Everyone Who Thirsts, Come to the Waters

Chapter 55 is one of those great chapters, too. I think, you know, maybe like maybe 53 and 55, we ought to mark sometimes mark. Ho, everyone. That word ho.

Oh, listen. Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come. Buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread? And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good. Let your soul delight itself in it. Incline your ear and come to me here, and your soul shall live. And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the sure mercies of David. Quite a lot in that one paragraph might say.

Why would he say these things? What is there? Do we ever remember passage about water in the New Testament? We’re more familiar with that one, probably than the others. The woman by the well. He give you air. Living water, right? But also in Joel chapter 2. Let me find a passage that I’m not going to read it now for the sake of time, but Joel chapter 3 and verse 18, you might mark and look at it. Where those three are even spoken of there at a time during the Messianic period. As though, in fact, it’s symbolical of spiritual nourishment and of salvation. That here will be provided for you. So come to this place for spiritual value and strength. Don’t buy what is of no value.

You buy bread and you spend your wages for what does not satisfy. What do you think he’s speaking about? Is there any application of that today? You you’ll you buy the bread and you eat it and you’re hungry again. And there’s no true satisfaction. Okay. And I mean that that’s a uh a physical and a spiritual, but it’s also you might buy things that um uh you think will satisfy you in attainment. In the Sermon on the Mount, we often have children, at least, and I hope I adults too memorize Matthew 6 33. Anybody quote it? See first of God and his righteousness and all what things should be added. What are these things? Yeah, the necessity, not the material things. But if you seek first the material things, do they really satisfy?

Now then here’s the contrast. Come and buy of me, seek the Lord first, he’ll provide the other. But some people get it this in reverse order. They you know, put the Lord last and go after the material, and so he’s saying, even here, don’t spend money for what is not bread that really satisfies. Are your wages for what does not satisfy. In verse 3, in kind your ear, come to me. Hear and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you. The sure mercies of David. Well, what are the sure mercies of David, by the way? It’s quoted in Acts chapter 13 and verse 34, so we know it has a New Testament application as well. What blessings did God promise to David?

Well, he promised that he wouldn’t tear the kingdom away from us. Alright. Just basically, uh, you know, there are a lot of things you could say, but you’re right on in 2 Samuel chapter 7, verses 12 to 16, he speaks about how he would establish his throne for how long? Forever. And so, even in Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, in Acts 2 and verse 30, Jesus Christ thought was raised to sit on David’s throne. Now, if Christ is now reigning on David’s throne, there’s the mercy or the blessings promised to David through his lineage, that the sureness of it would happen. The blessings promised to David are sure, that is, they are certain. In Acts 13, it’s there where the apostle is speaking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And the very fact of his resurrection makes certain that the promises made even to David were sure. The blessing, the mercies were sure. And you and I look back, and then we can say, here’s the whole plan and purpose of God put together. That just as God promised to David that he would establish his throne forever, Jesus Christ is now on the right hand of God, but he’s also on the throne of David in the sense that he’s reigning over God’s covenant people. David reigned over God’s covenant people, who were only a physical nation, the Jews. Jesus Christ is reigning on God’s covenant people who are a spiritual nation. That is those who are Christians, the children of God. So, indeed, verse 4 of chapter 55, I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and a commander for the people.

Surely you shall call a nation. You do not know a nations who do not know you shall run to you. Because of the Lord your God and the holy one of Israel, for he has glorified you. Then verse 6. Seek the Lord while they may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Does that imply maybe there come a time the Lord cannot be found? Yes. I believe it does. So, and in fact, that’s a passage also in Acts chapter 17 and verses 27 and 28. Paul in Athens, the Areopagus was pleading to men, in whom we live and move in however it be. Seek the Lord. Come to him, call upon him. Know the one true God of heaven and earth. And don’t wait until he won’t be found.

That can happen individually, and that can happen in a nation for that matter. I mean, there are people who don’t seek the Lord and maybe too late when they really face death, then they won’t call upon the Lord, it’s too late. Seek the Lord while he may be found. In your lives, serve him, put him first. In verse 7, let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Here’s a plea. Come find the Lord, and God will pardon. Now, verses eight and nine and ten, probably are verses we’ve quoted many times, you may have marked in your Bible. I want you to do one thing with me right quickly.

There are four times this word is found in those verses, starting with about uh is it verse six? Now verse uh now verse eight. Verse eight through twelve. Four times. First eight through twelve. The first one, obviously, for my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither your ways my ways. What does that suggest to you? My thoughts are not your thoughts. You think man has that temptation to say, sometimes, you know, this seems best to me, and and and you know, surely God will like it if I like it. I think that happens in the religious world constantly. What man thinks is good? God would think it’s good, but God says, wait a minute. Does God reason like we do? Does he think like we do? But four, my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.

The second four is verse nine. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than the earth. And what’s that trying to signify to us?

The difference in the superiority of God’s ways over men’s ways, not just a little difference. I think there’s a quite a lot of difference. Significant difference is the heavens are higher than the earth, the height of the heavens above. Who are we to stand and say Lord? And be bold enough to say, Uh I think uh this is good in our eyes, so why not in your eyes? I mean, uh, just as a simple illustration. Instrumental music sounds good to man, doesn’t it? And our purpose really is to please God and praise him. Well, some of it today has gotten much more for entertainment and selfish uh musicians wanting to make themselves known, coming through the some of the churches that way. But anyway, whatever man’s motive might be, can we be sure that’s what God likes because man likes it?

I say that’s not the way to prove it being right. It has to be another way. I saw a hand, somebody’s cabinet. It is just reminds me of of God’s answer to Job when Job kept questioning why, you know, what had this I had done no wrong and that’s were you there? Were you there when I created this and I did this and I set the heavens? And I’m so far above you, there’s no reason I I don’t have to tell you why. Exactly right. Right, good point. Job is an illustration of that very point. The third four is verse 10, right? And what does that illustrate? As the rain comes down the sow from heaven and do not return there, but water the earth bring it forth in bud, that it may give seed to the sore and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth.

It shall not return to me voice, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. I’m sure in my younger days I thought that meant, you know, your teaching is part of the gospel, and he just says no today. Give it time, that seed will spring forward. He’ll obey the gospel later. Does that always happen? So, how does God’s word always accomplish what he means for it? If it didn’t mean people all obey it, at least in time. John? What does it mean? Judgment. Oh, okay. Go ahead and say more than that. Well, um, his word tells us that if we don’t obey it, then there’ll be any judgment. And who can say at the judgment, Lord, you were unfair to me.

You’re you know, how many times have you noticed in Isaiah throughout the book, he keeps talking about justice and righteousness? Those two go together. God is just and he wants his people to be just and righteous. You can’t be righteous unless you practice justice. And God is just and so come judgment day, if his word has been spoken and people have rejected it, they cannot say, God, you are unfair. He is just and he is righteous. Then finally, verses 12 and 13, for you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace. The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree, and it shall be to the Lord for a name for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

So, what does that signify? This fourth reason for the he Jehovah’s Call, the Lord’s uh call, change our ways, describes what happened to the people. Joy for being delivered. After you come to the Lord, this is what happened. This is what you get. And in studying this text, I I do know there are some who say, Well, that this particular may be talking even about the physical remnant being returned to Jerusalem. Uh and and either way, whether it’s talking on the spiritual application or a physical, it’s true, either way. They did return from the captivity, and they could sing with joy and rejoicing. As the exiles even came back from literal Babylon, as well as the spiritual regime. Really both share the same reason for rejoicing.

3. Keep Justice, Do Righteousness

So in chapter 56, again, a beautiful chapter. Almost verse after verse is worth the marking. Thus says the Lord, keep justice, do righteousness. For my salvation is about to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this. And the Son of Man who lays hold on him, who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and keeps his hand from doing any evil. Now, up to the point where he said keeping the Sabbath or from defiling the Sabbath, we kind of all understood. Is this saying that the Sabbath day then is to be kept by Christians? No. You say no? Whoa. What does it mean? Could we call that a Sabbath day? Sunday. Well, the Sunday is not a Sabbath day. The word Sabbath means to rest, and it was appointed to be on the Sabbath.

So Sunday’s the first day.

He is the person who obeys God. Now, under the law of Moses, he was to keep the Sabbath day holy. And you know, there were several different things. He was not to work on that day, not to travel a certain distance, over a certain distance. And so to keep the Sabbath don’t defile it means God’s word matters. I don’t keep his word. But we find again, verse 6. Also the sons of the foreigner who join them says, The Lord to serve him and to love the name of the Lord to be a servant to everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and holds fast my covenant. Again, holds fast to my covenant. Now, I’ll take the Seventh day Adventists like to come to Isaiah and they’ll read a couple of these passages, just as well as in Isaiah 66, as you’ll get to where the word Sabbath is mentioned.

But what they kind of want to leave out is verse 7. For even them I will bring my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar for my house.

Of course, you recognize that one, no doubt. But burnt offerings and sacrifices, animal sacrifices are linked to the keeping, not defiling the Sabbath, aren’t they? I mean, if one’s binding, the other would be binding. So is he teaching a principle here rather than saying, okay, in the covenant of the new covenant of the Christ, we’re to keep Sabbath and we’re to offer our animal sacrifices. Even the Seventh-day Adventists acknowledged, well, the keeping of sacrifices was uh was not part of God’s moral law. They call it ceremonial law, and they said the ceremonial law was done away. And anytime you read Colossians 2, they say, Oh, that’s just a ceremonial law. It didn’t deal with the Ten Commandments. Where would you turn? Anybody quickly at hand? No.

Where would you turn to show that even the Ten Commandments were unknown or taken away? In Romans. Oh. The Romans is a part of the argument. To me, the simplest of all is 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 7 through about 14. And here’s why. It uses the phrase that which was the handwriting.

On stones. On stones is mentioned there. You cannot deny. You can quibble about a lot of other passages. If the ministration death written and engraved on stones was glorious, verse 7, 2 7. So that you have to say, yeah, that is the Ten Commandments that was written engraved on stones. And of course, obviously you you just mentioned some of the passages that I’d use along with it. But that one in particular, I think, is one of the most solid that there’s very little quibbling that can be done when he’s really comparing the difference between the glory of the law of Moses given the Ten Commandments, but compared with the glory of the new covenant under Jesus Christ. Yeah. The law of Moses was so glorious that Moses had to cover his face when he came down from the mountain.

But compared to what Christ did, it is more glorious. So back to really the point of Isaiah.

What he’s really saying is that here are people who be accepted by me. In verse 8, the Lord God who gathers the outcasts of Israel says, Yet I would gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him. Not only the outcasts of Israel who repent, but even the Gentiles are coming. And then the last few verses 9 through 12, he really, you might say, stoles there. Those who have who have been wicked. He calls them beasts of the field. Come to devour. All you beasts in the forest. Verse 10. His watchmen are blind, they’re ignorant, they’re all dumb dogs, they cannot bark. Sleeping down, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yeah, they’re greedy dogs. Which never happened to that. They’re shepherds who cannot understand.

They all look to their own way, everyone for his own gain from his own territory. Come, one says, I bring wine. We’ll fill ourselves with intoxicated, drink tomorrow, we’ll be as today, and much more abundant. That’s their talk. Who’s he talking about? Well, the very leaders and rulers of Israel that allowed God’s people to go into apostasy and finally idolatry and of course led to the captivity. They’re watchmen. What are watchmen to do? To warn against the enemy. Did they warn against the enemy? No. And so that is just kind of a stinging rebuke, just right off, in a short way, in those three three or four verses. And then in chapter 57, it’s sort of in a continuing. In the midst of these wicked rulers, there’s some good people who are going to die.

4. The Righteous Perishes; No Peace for the Wicked

How many of us look at chapter 57 when the righteous perish? The righteous perishes. And no man takes it to heart. No man considers it really what’s happening. Merciful men are taken away. Well, no one considers. Considers what? That the righteous is taken away from evil. Is he cursed for dying? Look at verse 2. He’s blessed. He shall enter into peace. They shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness. I mean, Isaiah often say it this way, death is not the worst thing that can happen. And Isaiah’s that’s saying that here. I mean, you know, his death he’s taken, he’s taken away from the from these uh watchmen that are wicked and these covetous leaders that Israel has had in its history. And in fact, they’ve entered into peace.

The righteous man has. So death can be a blessing. As Paul would say to depart to be with the Lord is far better. So in verse 3, but come here, you sons of the sorceress, you offspring of the adulterer and the harlot. Whom do you ridicule? Against whom do you make a wide mouth and stick out the tongue? Are you not children of transgression, offspring of falsehood, inflaming yourselves with gods under every green tree? Slaying the children in the valley, under the clefts of the rocks, among the smooth stones of the stream is your portion. Yea, they are your law. Even to them you’ve poured a drink offering, you’ve offered a grain offering. Should I receive comfort in these? What’s he describing there? When he calls them sons of the sorceress, you think he’s talking about the idolatrous worshippers here?

And are they finding peace? Are they finding really comfort? Who are you to be ridiculing the righteous back in verse 4? Who do you ridicule? You stick out your tongue. You know the wicked often, what do the wicked often do to the righteous? Persecute, right? And and and you’re foolish. They do that today, don’t they? Those of you who would take your Bible and come to a Wednesday night class. Majority of this world think you’re an idiot, really. But that didn’t make you one, just cause. But whom do they have comfort in? In verse 7, on a lofty and high mountains, you’ve set your bed. Even there you went up to offer sacrifice. Also behind the doors and their post, you’ve set up your remembrance, for you have uncovered yourself to those other than me.

And have gone up to them. You’ve enlarged your bed and made a covenant with them. You’ve loved their bed, where you saw their nudity. You went to the king with ointment, increased your perking. You sent your messengers far off, and even descended the Sheol to the grave. You’re wearied in the length of your stay, yet you did not say there’s no hope. You found the life of your hand, therefore you were not greedy. Kind of a marvelous thing in verse 10. Uh were they really happy in it? He said, You wearied in your way, but you didn’t want to admit it, David. I I wonder when we talked about back in chapter 54, the time of your widowhood, whether he’s referring to this time of he says he’s you’ve made a covenant with the gods, the idols.

And God had stricken the idols.

So they weren’t even married because of the idols? That’s talk. The one they had chosen to be married to the house. Yeah, the one that was worthless and dead. Yeah. That could be referred to as a widowhood. You can’t be a widow without the death of a spouse. God didn’t die. Yeah. That the idol was clearly a dead. And I think even here he’s mocking them, in particular in verse 10. I think he’s saying, you were wearied in what you were doing. But you didn’t want to admit it. Right. You know, you’re empty. I think there are people today who who take the philosophy, eat, drink, and be merry. Today we live, tomorrow we may die. I think they’re empty. Many are, but they don’t they won’t admit it because it is the night light.

This is the way to go. And yet there’s an emptiness still in them. And so whether it’s the idolatry of personal pleasures and material things only, or where they’re literally serving idols, as he was there referring to. Verse 11 of whom have you been afraid or feared that you have lied and not remembered me, or taken into your heart. Is it not because I have held my peace from of old that you do not fear me? I will declare your righteousness and your works, for they will not profit you. When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you.

Nothing there but his butt. He who puts his trust in me shall possess the land, shall inherit my holy mountain. Now in closing, I’ll try to get it read before the bell rings. In this last section, the beautiful part, for the humble or the contrite are those who shall be blessed. One shall say, Heap it up, heap it up, prepare the way, take the stumbling block out of the way of my people. For thus says the high and lofty one, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place with him who has a contrite and humble spirit. You think about the difference there? God is in a high and holy place, and yet he reaches down to the lowly, to those whose spirit is contrite and humble.

Verse 16, for I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry, for the spirit would fail before me, and the souls which I have made. For the iniquity of his covetousness, I was angry and struck him ahead. It was angry. And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. I’ve seen his ways and will heal him. I will also lead him, restore comforts to him and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips, peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near, says the Lord, and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, says my God for the wicked.

Conclusion

You see it back and forth in it. Blessing to the righteous and what to the wicked? Cursing, no peace. And throughout Isaiah, I hope that you know if you’ve not gone through Isaiah before, it’s so easy to read, thinking, oh, what’s this mean? But I hope if we’ve gone through this, that you’ll now go back through and read Isaiah. Kind of read it on a daily slow period of time and think about it. Obviously, it’s of great importance if sixty different quotations from Isaiah are in the New Testament. And some of those repeated, so that there’s really some 80 citations from Isaiah. You know the Christians of the first century really often look back and read from Isaiah and found confidence, right? And the main message again, what we say it is in Isaiah.

What’s the main message we said over again? Trust the Holy Lord. When God’s people in every generation time are tested, in whom do you really put your trust? We prove it by how we live our lives. We prove it by what really goes first in our life, and what we really regard as most important. I hope that’s what Isaiah would say to Isaiah’s meant to use and come together for you. Yes. Um it would be interesting to know, you know, Isaiah’s writing for inspiration and he understands the entire theme of the trusting in the Holy One of Israel. But it’d be interesting to know how much he truly understood in the detail.

Well, you know, obviously Peter speaks how that even the prophets look and saw what or what matter of time the spirit that was in them did signify. And no doubt he did not comprehend fully when or what manner. But there’s enough in Isaiah even at times where Isaiah is speaking and proof to the people that he certainly understood the difference between those who are idolatrous from those who were trying to serve the Lord of their whole part. And that I I would say yes, he understood. Maybe like even us today, when we try to tell our friends and neighbors or we preach the gospel, we try to present what we understand to be God’s way. Do we fully comprehend the mercy of God? I don’t know.

How could he find mercy in his heart for a people who have sinned so against him? And yet the high and holy one who is from eternity to eternity loves us and has proven it so many ways. How can we return back from serving him? But then he doesn’t. But let it not be of this number, right? Amen. Thank you.