isaiah 49 commentary john macarthur

In light of this great truth that God does not forget us, may the Spirit of the Living God enable each of us to "Bless the LORD O my soul and FORGET none of His benefits" in Christ Jesus. Have you ever seen somebody write something on their hand so that they would not forget something. PERMANENT CONSIDERATION. (Be Comforted). 23:14. 41:5; Isa. This has not been fulfilled, but it will be fulfilled when Messiah returns, and delivers a remnant of believing Jews. Moody Bible Commentary -even these may forget, for the love of a woman for her child is not as sure or consistent as the love that the Lord exhibits toward His people. This surely did not occur when the exiles returned from Babylon, so has to refer to a future time. Moody Bible Comment on Jeremiah 31:18-20 -Jeremiah ended this section by recording the grief, shame, and contrition Ephraim (Israel) will express when she is restored to the Lord. Here, indeed, we have a theme for marvelling. 2. Is there a soul here who says, O that I had a part and lot in this matter! Thou mayest have His pardoning love shed abroad in thy heart even now. 45:22; Isa. All things work together for my good., III. Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him, I certainly still remember him; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the LORD. The whole honor and glory paid him in heaven by the angels, cannot divert his thoughts one moment from us; but every trifle that meets us in the way, is enough to divert our thoughts from him. "My purpose shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.". I will make you a light to the nations, so you can bring my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth." The gravers tool was the nail, backed by the hammer. God is compassionate and comforts us as a mother comforts her children (66:13). 51:22). ", It is as if God is saying to us "I cannot work, I cannot even open the palm of my hand without seeing the memorials of my chosen people: I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. 49:1; Isa. Isa 49:16-17. 14:13; Exod. 64:5, Isaiah 49:26 "I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And all flesh will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. If this text is not yours, how your mouths ought to water after it! But remember reality. We see this same pattern of God's acts giving clear evidence of God's presence and power in Ezekiel. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! Judges Then you can profitably and prayerfully spend some time reading the text (including use of different translations which may help on difficult passages). 2:5; Jer. It means to move from distress (enemies, natural catastrophies, plague or famine, sickness) to safety which requires deliverance. The LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You - Jehovahwill fulfill every promise to His Servant and ultimately will fulfill every promisein Christ, for as Paul wrote "For as many as are the promises of God, in Him (MESSIAH)they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us." Almighty to atone: When we face troubles that seem to have no end, we can start to feel like God has forgotten all about us. )(Acts 17:11+)! In marks of indelible grace, Yes, I to the end shall endure Too discouraged to fight? In vain then Satan doth oppose, Islands in Isaiah -Isa. H W Smith - God of all comfort - It is with too many, alas, just as it was with Israel of old. The Servant has a twofold mission from the Lord who formed (yotseriy, meaning to fashion or ordain) Him from the womb to be his servant. Revelation 16:6+ for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. 25:9; Isa. JEWS WILL CROWD THE LAND. And to make sure they did not miss this great assurance, He begins with a call to Behold! The Septuagint translates bound (asar) with desmos which literally is a bond or fetter. He must be fastened to the cross, that his people might be truly graven on the palms of his hands. His blood atoned for all our race, Paul Apple outlines this chapter (and includes as part of this pericope the section from Isaiah 50:3) Isaiah 49:1-57:21 Servant of the Lord-Suffering Precedes Glory 1. One in Himself I cannot die. Charitie Lees Smith (1863) 2:1; Eccl. But it is unfortunately true that mothers can forget their children. "O Israel, you shall not be forgotten of me," is His own loving declaration. Forsaken(left) (05800)('azab) basically means to depart from something -- to leave, to forsake (48x), to leave (26x); "left" (22x), to loose, to depart, to abandon. The other meaning of kruptoispreventing someone from being harmed by anything and thus kept safe andprotected. tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel; the tribes. "I have graven thee. He ever lives above, for me to intercede; As I was reading my Bible this week I came across a verse that reminded me of how important we are to God. Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have. 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. While the Jews are back in the land of Palestine at the present time, this is not the fulfillment to which God refers in this prophecy. ", J Vernon McGee -Though the Lord was rejected, and it may look as if He labored in vain, His confidence is in God. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame. (Col 1:13-14+). His care, 60:7; Ps. The people returning home are represented as a flock. Not on the mountains, colossal as they are, for they shall depart; on no page of nature's vast volume, for the last fires shall scorch them; not on blazing sun, for he shall grow dim with age; not on glorious heavens, for they shall be folded together as a scroll. 1) Can a mother forget nursing child? We must zealously, continually seek to Be Bereans, no matter whose commentary we are reading, including that by yours truly! The previous passages in Isaiah 49 described some of the elements of Yahweh's comfort. Rejoice then, O Christian that Gods love does not fail in the furnace, but is as hot as the furnace, and hotter still.". Think of words like these I remember thee, the love of thine espousals. Wilt thou ever say again that thy God hath forsaken thee when he has graven thee upon his own palms?, A dear friend told me that, when traveling in the East, he frequently saw persons who had the portraits of their friends printed on the palms of their hands. 2 Timothy You are glad to hear that; and Jesus has your names graven on the palms of his hands, and he is pleading for you before the mercy-seat, you are not forgotten up there. Embracing Eternity: Living Each Day with a Heart Toward Heaven. Is he a delightful child? Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; Where they must be seen, and where he can do nothing without touching his people while doing it. Wiersbe -The Bible emphasizes the fatherhood of God, but there is also a motherhood side to Gods nature that we must not forget. John records the reaction of the officers"Never did a man speak the way this man speaks." 3 And many peoples (GENTILES) will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob (ISRAEL); That He may teach us (GENTILES) concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths.(cf Zech 14:9,17+) For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Death cannot quench a mother's love; it is stronger than death. 51:6; Isa. Too tired to continue? It means that the time would come, fixed by the purpose of God, which would be a period in which he would be disposed, that is, well pleased, to extend salvation to the world through the Messiah: and that in that time he would afford all the requisite aid and help by his grace, for the extension of the true religion among the nations. How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! Amen! Was there not such a graving at Calvary? Oswalt proposes "It is as though he says, Think of those vast, empty wastelands, peopled by nothing except thorns and briersnow there will not be room enough for everybody. (Ibid). 62:1; Jon. And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial. John 10:3. Constable sums up this chapter -Are these descriptions just impressionistic pictures of Gentiles coming to Christ for salvation, or should we look for a more realistic fulfillment of these promises? THE DIVINE REMEMBRANCE WORKS ALL THINGS, TO REALISE A GREAT IDEAL END, AS YET UNREACHED. Bultema notes that Calvin and most expositors believe that the text teaches that one day the greatest in the nation will love and care for the children of the Church. 17:1; 26:37 ), being an eyewitness to and participant in Jesus' earthly ministry ( 1 John 1:1-4 ). 6:8). Not one falls to the ground without Him (Mt. Yeshua may be used in everyday life free of theological overtones at a well Moses saved daughters of Reuel (Ex 2:17) but generally has strong religious meaning. Ask yourself: What types of situations tempt me to feel like God has forgotten me? He will bring a greater deliverance than the deliverance from Egypt and from Babylon. Oswalt -Clearly, much more than merely the return of the Babylonian exiles is in view here. We cannot do the job very effectively when only five percent of the average local church budget is devoted to evangelism! Mouth stands for discourse or speaking. When God Who needs no help with His memory engraves us on the palm of His hands, we are on His palms as eternal "reminders." [Fr. The hands, of course, are constantly in union with the body. By these marks he sees what he has already suffered, and he pledges himself to do nothing apart from those sufferings, for his hands, with which he works, are pierced. It reflects the viewpoint of the writer who does not accept a literal fulfillment of God's promises to Israel to be fully realized in the coming age, the Messianic Age, also known as the "millennium" or the one thousand year reign (Revelation 20 ). We know that what a man has won with great pain he will keep with great tenacity. Here Jehovah reminds them, "Though you may feel neglected and forgotten, I cannot cast you off. And evry wound proclaimd aloud Note the context, which describes a time when "all flesh will know that I, the LORD am your (Israel's) Savior." the antiquity of this inscription! As a result, Paul turned to the Gentiles, who immediately "began rejoicing and glorifying the work of the Lord." Who is the tyrant? Catch that still small voice, and listen carefully, quietly. In the verse, Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands (Isaiah 49:16), there is an allusion to the ancient custom of puncturing ornamental figures and mementoes upon the hand, arm, and forehead, and coloring the punctures with indigo, cypress, etc. '- This repeats the picture of Isa 49:19 of the land of promise with God's people so plentiful now that it is cramped! I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away, but who has brought up these? Isaiah imagines it (ED: THE CHURCH) like a childless woman delightedly astonished at the multitude of happy children gathering around her as their mother, replacing her (ED: THE CHURCH'S) devastation with fullness (49:1721). Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written upon the palms of His hands. Classical Study Bible, The. She was away from the land that flowed with milk and honey, and she was suffering in exile. (NET Note). This is quite an additional idea. How darest thou doubt my constant remembrance, when the memorial is set upon my very flesh? O unbelief, how strange a marvel thou art! Those who trust in me will never be put to shame. Those saved will only be a remnant. 1. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands (Isaiah 49:15-16). What! 46:7), our God carries His people (Isa. This she will finally do very effectively in the tribulation after the conversion of the 144,000 witnesses (Rev. As I live, declares the LORD, even though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet [ ring] on My right hand, yet I would pull you off; 1. Far from neglecting us, God swears by his very life to surprise us with the expansion and growth of his church. 24:15; Jer. [Unusual.] I do love to see you keep the grip of your faith even when it seems to be illogical. Wiersbe - God is compassionate and comforts us as a mother comforts her children (66:13). As Barnes says "In a time of favor; in a time that shall be adjudged to be the best fitted to the purposes of salvation, Yahweh will be pleased to exalt the Messiah to glory, and to make him the means of salvation to all mankind." Your feelings will betray you-overwhelm you cripple you-if you do not decide, by the gut-level determination of faith, that "feel it or not" you will trust your Covenant God. The Bible is a Jewish book, the first believers and missionaries were Jews, and the Gentiles would not have heard the Gospel had it not been brought to them by Jews. 45:21; Isa. He treasures the remembrance of you! Your oppressors clearly refers to the Gentiles who have persistently been anti-Semitic. Dread not the things that are ahead, What can be more astounding than the unfounded doubts and fears of God's favoured people? 8:32). 3. 55:2; Isa. ", NET Isaiah 49:26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine. 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