Isaiah 50:1

Thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have you sold yourselves, and for your transgressions has your mother put away? Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? When I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all that I cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the seas. I make the rivers a wilderness, and the fish stink because there is no water, and it dries for thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.

The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. He wakens me morning by morning; He wakens my ear to hear as the learned.

Father, as we look into your word and consider the passage before us, we thank you ultimately, Lord, for your great grace that you've given to us. We who were not a people have been made your people. We who had not received mercy have been given such great mercy, Lord. We are not receiving that which we deserved.

As we study through the book of Isaiah and consider the judgments that came upon the nations of old, including your own people, we see that you are a just and holy God. You cannot look upon sin, and sin must be judged. But God, we're so thankful that even as we're getting into the passage in Isaiah that deals with you, Lord, our suffering servant who bore in Himself our sins, you were bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon you, and by your stripes we are healed, Lord.

Even though we are the ones that have gone astray, we have sinned and fallen short of your glory. We deserve all the wrath, punishment, and judgment that is described in the scriptures. And yet, Lord, you've given us mercy and grace in abundance. So tonight, we stand before you as those who are adopted into your family.

We received peace from You, and now we walk in that peace, Lord. Help us to be peacemakers. Wherever we go and whatever we do, may the people we come in contact with be able to share Your word of peace as ministers of reconciliation. We ask that You continue to instruct us in this as we look at the scripture before us. Lord, help us to be bright, shining lights of Your mercy and grace. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

In Isaiah chapter 49, we were there a few weeks ago. I wasn't able to teach last week because my throat was really bothering me, and Pastor Eric had taught the week before. Prior to that, we finished up Isaiah chapter 49, where the children of Israel, specifically in the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah, accused God of forgetting them and forsaking them. They looked at all the circumstances of their lives and the things that had come upon them, whether it was famines, as described in Isaiah chapter 3, or invasions by the hands of the Syrians and the northern ten tribes first in Isaiah chapter 7, and then ultimately the judgment by the Assyrians in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37.

One after another, we see these waves of judgment come upon the people in Judah and Jerusalem. They didn't receive the message. God was seeking to chastise them. He was punishing them because they were His people, His children. He was punishing them because they had departed from Him. These punishments were coming in waves, and each wave would come with more intensity.

We see all these things happening in the book of Isaiah, and yet the people missed the message. They did not receive from the Lord what He was trying to call them to. He was punishing them to restore their relationship. Every single parent here tonight understands that idea. When your own children disobey or do something rebellious or stubborn, there is punishment, but it is for the purpose of bringing about a restoration of relationship. Here, God is seeking to restore a relationship that was not severed by Him; it was severed by the people's own sin. Yet, as they were experiencing the difficulty and trial of these circumstances of God's punishment, they looked at it as if God had forsaken them, as if God had cut off a relationship with them.

We saw that a couple of weeks ago in Isaiah chapter 49, where it says, "Lord, you have forgotten. You have separated yourself from us." In verse 14 of chapter 49, Zion states, "The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me." We saw God's answer to that, which is really a beautiful response. He asks them a rhetorical question in verse 15: "Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?" Yes, they may forget, yet I will not forget you. Imagine that. It's hard for us to even consider that a woman would forget her newborn child, her suckling child. And yet, even that could happen. But God says, "I will not forget you."

Why? "Behold, I have graven you upon the palms of my hands, and your walls are continually before me," says the Lord. Your walls are continually before me. You see, God is saying, "You are always before me." He emphasizes that you are always in the front of His mind. He will not forsake you; He will not forget you. Their accusation against God was, "You have forgotten us."

We see that accusation come up again in verse 1 of chapter 50. Thus says the Lord, "Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? Of which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you?" The people claimed that the Lord had divorced them. Their accusation was that God had unjustly banished them, that He had kicked them out for no reason. They failed to recognize their sin.

Why? Because they had an appearance of saintly living. They had the temple, the priesthood, and they observed the feast days. They fasted at the appointed times and did all the religious activities that would make someone appear to be spiritual. In doing all of that, they turned to the Lord and said, "Why are all these devastating things coming upon us? We're following you. We're serving you."

As we advance through to Isaiah 57 and 58, they will even ask the Lord, "What is it with you? You don't recognize our fasting." The Lord responds by asking them, "Is this the fast that I have chosen for you?" Although they were doing spiritual things and activities that looked right before the Lord, their hearts were far from God. Now, they accuse God of unjustly banishing them and punishing them in a way that was wrong.

And God says to them, "Well, where is the bill of your mother's divorcement then? Produce the documents." So to speak, God says, "Show me where I have forsaken you." Instead, He says, "Behold, your iniquities. For your iniquities, you have sold yourselves, and for your transgressions, your mother is put away." The trials that they faced and the tribulations that they were enduring were the result of their own transgression.

It's a very clear principle throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament: the idea of sowing and reaping. In Romans chapter 6, verse 23, we read that the wages of sin is death. Our minds immediately go to a physical death when we think of that. The wages of sin most definitely are a physical death. We see that beginning all the way back in the book of Genesis with the fall of mankind. Through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and death spread to all men, for all sinned, as Paul said in Romans.

So, while our minds go to a physical death, there is a spiritual separation as well that takes place when we sin. Even as Christians, when we sin, there is a separation that occurs. There is a breaking of fellowship between us and our God. Consider the lengths that God has gone to establish fellowship with man. He first created man for fellowship, but then fellowship was broken through the sin of Adam.

However, God reached out to man to restore fellowship through a sacrifice in Genesis chapter 3. Over and over again, we see the breaking, the severing of relationship on man's part, and God reaching out to man. Whether it was God reaching out to man through the ark and Noah, or through Abraham, or through Moses, bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt, God established a covenant with that people. He had them build a tabernacle in the midst of their nation where He could fellowship with them, where He could meet with them.

Throughout the scriptures, we see this picture of God reaching out to man, always as the initiator, always as the one who steps into the realm of humanity to reach out to fallen man. But man seeks for himself, departing from God and doing those things that are not pleasing to God. Ultimately, there is a separation. The wages of sin is death. God allows us, in His sovereignty, to reap those things that we sow—the results of sin.

The principle of sowing and reaping is evident throughout the Old Testament, the New Testament, and in our own personal experiences. We've experienced this reality. In Job chapter 4, Job says that those who plow in iniquity and sow in wickedness will reap the same. Those who sow wickedness shall reap the same.

Proverbs, written by Solomon, who is considered the wisest man that ever lived, besides Jesus, states in chapter 22 that he who sows iniquity shall reap vanity, or emptiness. In another translation, it says, "Whosoever sows injustice will reap calamity." The prophet Hosea, in Hosea chapter 10, speaks to the people of his day in Judah, saying, "You have plowed wickedness, and you have reaped iniquity." This principle is consistent, as we see in Job and Proverbs.

Not only is this an Old Testament principle, but it is also found in the New Testament. The apostle Paul, in Galatians chapter 6, addresses the church at Galatia, saying, "Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that he will also reap." Notice in the very next verse that it speaks for both good and evil. If you sow to the flesh, you shall reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit shall reap everlasting life. Thus, the principle of sowing and reaping applies to both good and bad outcomes.

At the end of his life, Moses, in the book of Deuteronomy, said to the people of Israel, "I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose life that you might live." Essentially, Moses was saying to sow to the Spirit and you will reap everlasting life.

In Isaiah's day, the people were looking at all the calamity coming upon them and accusing God of being unjust in His treatment of them. They claimed, "It's not right, these things that are happening to us. We are your chosen people. We serve you. We follow you. We observe the feast days. We fast at the appointed times. We offer the sacrifices, and you take no notice." God responded, "This has nothing to do with me not noticing what you're doing. Because you have sold yourselves."

We are in Isaiah chapter 50. Turn to Isaiah chapter 52.

Isaiah 52:3 states, "For thus saith the Lord, you have sold yourselves for nothing. You've sold yourselves for nothing, for emptiness, for futility, for vanity. You've given yourselves over to idolatry. It's brought you nothing but devastation." The people had given themselves over to vanity, and they were reaping the consequences. Yet, as they faced calamity, they cried out, saying, "Lord, you don't even notice. You don't even know what's going on."

We can fall into the same trap, thinking that we are doing things that glorify God simply because we engage in religious activities. We may deny ourselves things that our flesh desires, but we often feed ourselves with other fleshly things of this world. We give to God and to His church through tithes, sing songs on Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights, and perhaps even study the Bible with fellowship. However, throughout the rest of the week, we may be feeding our flesh and sowing to the flesh. As a result, we reap calamity and face various trials that come into our lives for the specific purpose of trying us and removing those things from us. Yet, we keep clinging to them and wonder, "Why are things not going so well? Where are you, God?"

God responds, "I'm here, but you have departed from me." In Isaiah 50:2, it says, "Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? When I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea; I make the rivers a wilderness. Their fish stink because there is no water, and it dies for thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering."

God was reaching out to His people. He is always the initiator. As we've been studying in the Perspectives class on Tuesday nights, God is the missionary God. This is a concept we've heard at Calvary Chapel Escondido for a long time, influenced by Shepherd Staff and Pastor Jeff Jackson. God is the missionary God, and throughout the scriptures, we see Him stepping down into humanity, seeking after man because no one seeks after God. This is a hard concept for us to grapple with sometimes, but the scriptures affirm that none seek after God. The Apostle Paul writes to the church at Rome in Romans 3:10, "As it is written..."

There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understands. There is none that seeks after God. You can say it no more plainly than that. In Isaiah chapter 9, we have previously seen in verse 13, "For the people turn not unto him that smites them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts."

Now, that's an interesting verse in Isaiah 9:13 because God was striking them. He was punishing them for their sin, and the purpose of their punishment was to turn them back to God, leading to a restoration of relationship. Look at it again in Isaiah 9:13. As I read it, just think about it: "For the people turn not to him that smites them." He was striking them to restore the relationship, but it did not cause them to turn back to Him. They kept thinking that this was not right, that it was unjust, and that something was wrong. They believed they were following God, but they weren't. They did not seek the Lord.

In Isaiah chapter 31, we saw in verse 1 that they looked not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither did they seek the Lord. But God still sought them out. He asks them that great question: "Is my hand shortened that it cannot save?" There had been no deliverance for the people in Judah and Jerusalem. Therefore, they assumed that God was unable to save them. Because there had been no deliverance, they figured that this meant God couldn't deliver them.

The lack of salvation had nothing to do with the lack of God's power or ability. It wasn't that God was not able to reach out to them; He was completely strong enough to save them. But they had departed from Him. So God answers their question, "Where is the deliverance of the Lord? Where is it?" God reminds them of His power to deliver.

Look at the end of verses 2 and 3: "Behold, I rebuke and dry up the sea. I make the rivers a wilderness, and their fish stink because there is no water." When did God dry up the sea? What does that remind us of? The book of Exodus, right? There, the children of Israel were being delivered from Egypt. Is God's power to deliver not clearly evident in the book of Exodus? One after another, God brought ten plagues upon the Egyptians who held the children of Israel captive. God released the hand of Pharaoh from the neck of the children of Israel, and there they were led out of Egypt.

With a high hand, God brings them to a place where there is no possible way for them to get out of it on their own. They are in between two mountain ranges. The book of Exodus declares in Exodus chapter 14 that the mountain ranges are Piahiroth and Migdal. In front of them is the Red Sea, and behind them is the great Egyptian army coming down. What does God do? He parts the Red Sea.

Here, the people are accusing God of being unable to deliver them, that He has no strength to do it. God says, "Let me remind you of something. I am the same God who opened the Red Sea. I am the same God who opened the Jordan River when you came into the Promised Land. I am the same God, as stated in verse 3, who clothes the heavens with blackness and makes sackcloth their covering. I am the same God that brought darkness upon the Egyptians. Remember, one of the plagues was darkness for three days. God says, 'Do you not see how I am able to deliver?'"

Why was there no deliverance? We find the answer to that question in a corresponding chapter. Turn to Isaiah 59. Isaiah 59, verse 1 states, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save. Neither is His ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you that He will not hear you."

Would you circle the word "will" there? It does not say that He cannot hear you, but that He will not hear you. Why will He not hear you? Because your sins have separated you from your God. Your iniquities have caused this separation to come.

For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue has muttered perverseness. None calls for justice, nor does anyone plead for truth. They trust in vanity, speak lies, conceive mischief, and bring iniquity.

Why was there no deliverance in Judah and Jerusalem? Because their sins had separated them from the Lord. Their hands were defiled with blood—the blood of sacrifices to false gods and even the blood of sacrifices to God at the temple. However, because their hearts were far from the Lord, as we saw in Isaiah chapter 1, even their worship had become wicked to God.

And back there in Isaiah chapter 1, God said the same thing: "Your hands are filled with blood." In verse 4, continuing on in Isaiah chapter 50, we read, "The Lord has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. He wakens morning by morning. He wakens my ear to hear as the learned."

Now, there's a pronounced shift that takes place in verse 4, as once again, the Messiah is the focus of verses 4 and onward. Jesus is now speaking. This is speaking prophetically of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord God, the Father, has given to Jesus, the Messiah, the tongue of the learned, that He should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. In another translation, this reads, "The sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom so that I know how to comfort the weary."

Here we learn that the Messiah, Jesus, has been given by God the Father the ability to speak knowledge, to speak a word in season to him that is weary. Jesus is most certainly the perfect fulfillment of this passage, as we will see as we go through it.

In Matthew chapter 7, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, what was the reaction of the people who heard Jesus speak? Chapter 7, verse 28 says that when Jesus had ended those sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine, at his teaching. The things that he spoke blew their minds. He didn't speak like one of the scribes or the Pharisees because he spoke as one that had authority.

Then in Matthew chapter 13, when Jesus begins his ministry speaking in parables, it says that when he came into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue in such a way that they were astonished. They said, "Whence hath this man learned wisdom? Where did he get this wisdom? Where did he get this knowledge?"

I love the passage that we find in Luke's Gospel, in Luke chapter 2, because Jesus is just about 12 years old. It was the custom of his family to go up to Jerusalem every year for the Passover. You may remember the story: his family, returning to the region of Galilee, realized three days later that Jesus wasn't with them. So they went back to Jerusalem and found him there in the temple.

It came to pass, as stated in Luke chapter 2, verse 46, that after three days they found him in the temple.

Sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions, were the doctors of the law. There they found 12-year-old Jesus sitting among all the doctors of the law in the temple. He was hearing what they had to say and asking them questions. Verse 47 of Luke chapter 2 says, "And they all heard him and were astonished at his understanding and his answers." Jesus has the tongue of the learned; He speaks things that blow people's minds.

God has granted to you and me in Christ this tongue of the learned as well. He has given us wisdom that the world does not know. This prophecy, speaking of Jesus in verse 4, is applicable to those who minister the Word of God. We are not just talking about the pastors or the elders in the church, but anyone who serves or ministers the Word of God to others. God has given us the tongue of the learned. He has given us the word of wisdom to speak to this world.

Notice it says that He is able to speak a word in season to him that is weary. It truly is wisdom from God when we speak the right word at the right place, at the right time, to the right person. How wonderful it is when we are enabled by the power of the Spirit to speak the right word.

Solomon, in Proverbs chapter 15, talks about right words at the right time. He said in Proverbs 15:23, "A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!" The right word spoken at the right time is truly good. In Proverbs chapter 25, verse 11, Solomon says, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." It is like golden apples in a basket of silver. How wonderful it would be to receive that gift! That's what it's like when you get a word fitly spoken at the right time.

Every single one of us here tonight knows what it's like to say the wrong word at the wrong time, especially the married couples. You know exactly what it's like when that word comes out of your mouth. You say something, and it's almost as if you want to grab it as it's going out and bring it back. It's very similar to picking an unripe plum off a tree and biting into it, experiencing that bitter, sour taste. When you say the wrong word at the wrong time, it feels like, "Oh goodness!"

I shouldn't have said that. However, from time to time, we find ourselves on the receiving end of the right word spoken at the right time, and what a blessing it is. It's like wonderful fruit in its season. When we are walking in the Lord's wisdom, we are able to speak the right word at the right time in the right way. But we have to endeavor to speak in this manner as well; we have to choose to say the right things.

What do I mean by that? In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 29, the Apostle Paul said, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." We have to make a decision to speak the right things, to speak the things that impart grace to people. In Colossians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul instructed the church of Colossae in verse 6, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt."

I don't know about you, but I find that many times our speech can be far more salty than gracious. We can assault a lot of people with our words. Yet, in Christ, just as Jesus spoke the right things at the right time in the right way, we can do the same. However, we have to endeavor to do so. We must choose to walk in the Spirit and say the things that impart grace to those who will hear.

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. The English Standard Version translates verse 4 in Isaiah chapter 50 as, "That I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary." We definitely know how to tear people down with our words, but do we know how to build someone up? Do we know how to be the instrument that God uses to encourage people?

We really have to seek the Lord to be able to do that because it's not our normal tendency; it's not in our flesh. If we speak just on a whim out of our flesh, we'll hurt people and ultimately hurt ourselves. But if we take time and care to speak those things...

That impart grace—what a blessing it will be. We read also here in Isaiah chapter 50, verse 4, that He awakens me morning by morning. Contextually, this is speaking of the Messiah, and if we extrapolate this literally, then we would not be off by saying that Jesus was literally stirred every single morning by the touch of His Father. His Father roused Him every single morning and instructed Him on how He ought to perfectly do the will of God.

We really have to pray, "Lord, would You stir us every single morning that we would have the same awareness of Your will and the desire to do it?" As I've said many times before, and maybe it's just me, but I know for me, the flesh wakes up first. We have to really ask the Lord, even before we go to sleep each night, "Lord, would You be the one who stirs me in the morning, and would You be the one who gives me understanding of Your will and a desire to do it?"

I have found that when I go to sleep at night with that kind of mindset and asking the Lord, things are different when I wake up in the morning. Have you ever experienced that? I'd encourage you to consider that as you lay down tonight and get ready to go to sleep. "Father, would You stir me in the morning and give me an awareness of Your will and a desire to do it?"

Moving on, speaking about the Messiah, verse 5 says, "The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; neither did I turn away my back. I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting." Jesus, the Messiah, was given the tongue of the learned by God the Father, and so also given an understanding of God's will.

We see here in verse 5 that He has an open ear, an open and ready ear, and an obedient and willing heart. I even have to pray for this: "Lord, give me an open and ready ear to hear what You have to say and an obedient and willing heart to do what it is You tell me." Of course, Jesus is the perfect example of this; He always had an open ear to the Spirit, to His Father in Heaven, and a willing and obedient heart to do what it was that God was calling Him to do.

In the Gospel of John, in John chapter 5, I believe it is, He says, "I always do those things that please the Father," because He was...

Had his ear tuned in and his heart ready to do what it was that the Father would speak, especially in the Garden of Gethsemane. Remember, in the Garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus is praying there just before his betrayal at the hands of Judas Iscariot, the humanity of Jesus—that is, the flesh of Jesus—was opposed to the will of the Father. It did not want to go to the cross; it did not want to suffer. That's very clear in the three prayers that Jesus brings to the Father: "If there be any other way, let this cup pass from me."

However, we see complete submission and obedience to the Father's will when He says, "Yet not my will, but yours be done." He is the perfect example for us. We read in this passage in Isaiah chapter 50 that He gave His back to the smiters. Perfect submission is seen in the suffering servant, prophesied here. Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 50 and Isaiah chapter 53 as well. We will read in a couple of weeks about the suffering servant, but here He says, "I willingly gave my back to the smiters." He committed Himself willingly to the hands of His persecutors.

He had all authority; He had all power. In Matthew chapter 26, we see that Jesus could have called twelve legions of angels to His side when He was confronted by His arresting horde in the Garden of Gethsemane. Yet, He completely submitted Himself to what was going on. In John chapter 10, verse 18, we find that no man took His life from Him, but He laid His life down. He gave His back to the smiters, to those who whipped Him in Matthew chapter 27, Mark chapter 15, and John chapter 19. It says that Pontius Pilate delivered Him over to these Roman guards, who took His cloak off of Him, bound Him, and whipped Him with a flagellum. They scourged Him almost to the point of death, and He put up no fight, nor did a word come out of His mouth to stop what was taking place, because He willingly gave His back to the smiters.

He gave His cheeks to those who plucked off the hair. Now, it is from this verse only that we come up with the idea that Jesus's beard was torn out. Nothing in the New Testament says that. In fact, the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, does not say here that His beard was torn.

It actually says that He gave His cheeks to the blows. We see this in Mark chapter 14, verse 65, where they covered His face and began to punch Him, saying, "Prophesy, who hit you?" My goodness! Jesus gave His cheeks to those who plucked off His hair and smashed His face. He said, "I hid not My face from the shame."

In our flesh, we are quick to hide from any shame that we are confronted with. We go to great lengths to avoid suffering embarrassment, don’t we? We will try in any way to keep from being embarrassed. But consider Jesus; He bore our shame there on the cross.

In Hebrews chapter 12, we get one of the most beautiful pictures of this. It says, "Wherefore seeing we also are encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily ensnare us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

This is the part that really blows my mind: verse 3 states, "For consider Him who endured such hostility of sinners against Himself, lest you be weary and faint in your minds." We have not yet resisted unto bloodshed, striving against sin.

Consider Him who endured hostility from sinners. They crucified Him naked on that cross after they had beaten Him. What shame! What embarrassment! And yet He endured it.

So when we are going through things that try us or are difficult for us, and we feel ashamed because of who we are in Christ or what He has called us to in Christ, consider Him. We have not yet resisted unto bloodshed, striving against sin.

Continuing on in verse 7 of chapter 50 of Isaiah: "For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." God the Father gave to the Son the ability to stand with strength when His humanity was tested.

Jesus was weak when His flesh wanted to throw in the towel and give up. However, He was completely reliant upon the Father for strength to stand firm. Again, He is our example; we need to make sure that we also lean completely upon Him. As a result of this reliance, we see the bold confession of the Messiah. Therefore, I shall not be confounded. As a result of the Father's empowering of Jesus, He was unshaken. He stood steadfast with determination to fulfill the work that was set before Him.

Consider the words of Jesus to Pontius Pilate in John chapter 19. Jesus had already been beaten, gone through the scourging with the whip, and had His face punched in. He had already been humbled before the multitudes of people standing there. Pilate came to Him and said, "Do you not know that I have the power to crucify you and the power to release you?" In John chapter 19, verse 10, Jesus, with boldness, replied in verse 11, "You could have no power at all against me except it was given you from above." He emphasized that Pilate had no power; this was from the hand of God the Father.

We, too, can experience this kind of strength as we put our trust and confidence in the Lord. We know for certain that we will never endure the kind of suffering that Jesus endured 2,000 years ago for us. However, whatever suffering or trial we go through, we can be sure that if we trust in the Lord, we will find strength. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall make your path straight.

In Isaiah chapter 50, we read that Jesus had set His face like flint. He was determined; nothing would deter Him from what He was to do. In Luke chapter 9, verse 51, it says that it came to pass when the time was come that He should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. Jesus knew what He was facing; He knew what awaited Him in Jerusalem. We know this because in Matthew chapters 16, 17, and 20, before He ever reached Jerusalem, He said to His disciples, "We're going to Jerusalem. I will be betrayed into the hands of the chief priests. They will try me before the Romans, and I will be crucified." He knew.

Exactly what would he think in our case? If you knew what trials you were going to face next month, next year, whatever it may be, do you not think that you might try to find a way out of it? Let's be honest; I think I would probably try to find some way to ordain it so that I wouldn't be in that situation at that time. We do everything we possibly can to keep from it.

Yet, Jesus, knowing that the time had come for him to be received up, set himself with determination to go to Jerusalem. He had this assurance from Isaiah chapter 50, verse 8: "He is near that justifies me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me. Who is he that shall condemn me? Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up."

As seen in Isaiah chapter 49, though in his flesh Jesus was tempted to despair as the suffering servant, he knew that his Father was ultimately the justifier and that his just reward was with the Lord. Isaiah chapter 49, verse 4 states, "Then I said," and this is the word of the Messiah, the word of Jesus prophetically, "I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain. Yet surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God. My just reward is with the Lord."

In the New King James Version, we see that in his humanity, because Jesus was fully God and fully man, he was tempted like we are to be discouraged. He was tempted to despair. Imagine the temptation that would come upon him when his closest friends, his twelve disciples, one of them betrays him, and the other eleven split. They hightail it out of there. The entire nation of his own people, who just five days before were saying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," are now saying, "Crucify him! Crucify him! Crucify him!"

Would you not be tempted to despair? Jesus, in his humanity, was also tempted to be despairing at that moment. Yet he knew, "My just reward is with the Lord," as stated in Isaiah 49, verse 4. We can have the same kind of confidence when we are faced with our own trials.

We are often tempted to be despairing when we feel like falling out of the race. However, we can have the same confidence as Paul the Apostle expressed in Romans chapter 8. He says in verse 31, "What shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" He that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. What a blessing it is to know that Jesus, at this moment, is in heaven interceding on behalf of those who are suffering and those who are going through great trials of faith. Jesus intercedes; Jesus prays for us.

Whereas Jesus' disciples fell asleep when they were to be interceding for Him in the garden of Gethsemane, we can know for certain that Jesus never falls asleep when He is interceding on our behalf.

In verse 10 of Isaiah chapter 50, we read, "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 stay upon his God." If you fear the Lord and obey the voice of His servant, even though you are surrounded by darkness, trust in the name of the Lord, as the prophet says. Put your confidence in Him.

Jesus had every opportunity in His flesh to give up, to fail when everything was dim and dark. But Jesus set His face like flint to accomplish the work that was set before Him. We too are called upon by the Lord to put our confidence and trust in Him, knowing that we will have His light to guide us. Trust in the name of the Lord; stay upon His God.

Behold, in verse 11, "All you that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that you have kindled. This shall you have from My hand; you shall lie down in sorrow." Those who trust in their own power and ingenuity will find themselves in despair.

Those that seek to provide for themselves a way out provide for themselves light to get out of whatever trial they're in. God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, says that ultimately they will come to sorrow. "All you who light fires to provide yourselves with flaming torches," the NIV version states, "you walk in the light of your fires and of torches that you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: you will lie down in torment." The person who trusts in their own strength and does not put their confidence in the Lord will be consumed.

Isaiah chapter 51 starts with a familiar word we talked about a few weeks ago: "Hearken." Listen. The word "Shema" in the original Hebrew literally means to hear intelligently, to listen attentively, and to act obediently. God speaks directly to His people, saying, "Hearken, listen. Hear what I'm saying, listen to it, and obey." He specifically addresses those who follow after righteousness, saying, "I want you to listen up, you who seek the Lord."

In the opening verses of chapter 51, we will see three divisions, and they all start with that word "Shema." Here, God calls to His people who followed after righteousness, those who were seeking the Lord. He tells them to consider their past, consider where they came from, and consider what He is going to do as a result of that.

"Listen to me, you that follow after righteousness and seek the Lord. Look unto the rock where you were hewn, the rock that you were cut out from, and to the hole of the pit where you were digged. Look unto Abraham your father and unto Sarah that bore you, for I called him alone and blessed him and increased him."

For the Lord shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. He will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found there, in thanksgiving and the voice of melody. God calls His people in Judah and Jerusalem, who are seeking after righteousness, to remember.

Where it was that they came from originally, they came from just one man and his wife. They were called by God when they were pagans; they were called by God when they were sinners. By faith, they followed the Lord and came to Canaan. There, God gave a promise to them, saying, "I'm going to bless those who bless you, and I'm going to curse him who curses you. In you, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness.

God took one man and created an entire nation, blessing him abundantly. He says to His people who follow after righteousness and seek the Lord, "Remember what I did with Abraham, because this is what I'm going to do for you. I'm going to comfort Zion; I'm going to comfort all the places that have become desolate. I'm going to turn all the wildernesses of your land into a garden, like the Garden of Eden. As a result, there will be joy, gladness, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody."

God is able to take ashes and make them beautiful. How many of you have that as a part of your testimony? Your life may have become destroyed, yet God took the ashes you had and made them into something glorious and beautiful, something to be rejoiced in. The Lord says to His people who seek after righteousness, "Remember where you came from. Think back to who you were and what you were before God redeemed you. Consider how He has blessed and sanctified you, and know for certain that He has an everlasting plan."

In Jeremiah 29:11, a verse that is plastered all over various Christian cards and bookmarks, God says, "I know the thoughts I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a glorious end, a future and a hope." When we are despairing and going through difficult times, we need to remember where we came from, what the Lord brought us out of, what He has done, and what He has promised to do.

The people in Judah and Jerusalem had gone through great trouble, and so the Lord speaks to the remnant of the people—those who were still seeking after righteousness. He says, "I am able to do great things." Then again, in verse 4, we read, "Listen up! Hearken unto me, my people." Now, in verse 1, He said, "Hearken unto me, you that seek after righteousness." Now He says, "Listen to me, my people; give ear unto me, my nation, this people that I've called to."

Myself, for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. My righteousness is near, my salvation has gone forth, and my arms shall judge the people. The isles shall wait upon me, and on my arm shall they trust.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look upon the earth beneath, for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment. They that dwell therein shall die in like manner, but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

God calls attention to the nation that He had set apart for Himself, and He says, "I am going to, in the future, establish my law in the land. I am going to establish my righteousness in the land. My salvation and righteousness are near; they are on the way," the Lord says. When I establish my law as a banner in the land once again, then I will draw all peoples to myself.

Notice He mentions the isles; the nations and the peoples will gather together to His righteousness and to His salvation. Although the heavens and the earth will pass away, God's salvation will remain forever. He is the only one who is sure, steadfast, and eternal.

So He says, "Consider creation; it will pass away, but the Lord who created it will never vanish. His salvation will remain strong, and all of those who come to His salvation, all of those who gather to His righteousness, will find in Him salvation."

Verse 7: "Listen up, hearken unto me, you that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law. Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be afraid of their revilings, for the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. But my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation."

Now God speaks to those who have His law written upon their hearts, and He says, "Do not fear men."

Quickly perishing, He says, "But I am eternal; my righteousness will stand forever." Those who have God's word written upon their hearts—that's you and I. In Ezekiel chapter 36, verse 26, God promised that in the new birth, He would give us a new heart upon which His word is written. So tonight, we are that very group of people who have His law written upon our hearts. He says, "Do not fear men, but trust in the Lord who is eternal."

In verse 9, we read, "Awake, awake! Put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Are You not it that has cut Rahab and wounded the dragon? Are You not the One who has dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, and made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?" Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion. Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

In verse 9, the nation of Israel calls out to the Lord. They say, "Lord, wake up! Awake, awake! Rise up, God! Rise up like You did in the ancient days. Stand up like You did in the day that You cut Rahab apart." When we think of the name Rahab, our minds generally go to Judges and the Rahab who was the harlot that lived in the city of Jericho. However, that is not the same word in the original language. If you were to look at the name Rahab in Judges and the word Rahab here in the original Hebrew, you would find they are two different words. The Rahab used here is found only three times in the Bible: once here in Isaiah chapter 51, and then twice in the Psalms—in Psalm 87, verse 4, and Psalm 89, verse 10. It is a poetic name for the nation of Egypt, meaning arrogance or pride.

So, the people of Jerusalem cry out to the Lord, saying, "God, wake up! Wake up!" This is likely the call of the exiles who will go into Babylon. They are saying, "Lord, wake up! Wake up like the time when You cut Rahab apart, when You destroyed Egypt and wounded the dragon." The dragon there is also a reference to Egypt. Remember in Exodus when Moses and Aaron appeared before Pharaoh?

They showed their first sign that God was with them when Aaron cast down the rod, and it turned into a serpent. However, the word "serpent" is a bad translation. If you look in the original language, the word that is translated as "serpent" in the King James Bible and our English versions generally means "river dragon" or "river serpent." It is very likely speaking of a river crocodile, like those that were in the Nile. The word for "serpent" in Hebrew is different, so the picture is as if he cast down the rod and it turned into a giant crocodile.

Then, the other magicians of Pharaoh threw down their rods, and they turned into crocodiles as well. However, Moses and Aaron's crocodile ate the crocodiles of the magicians of Egypt. The very same word is used here to identify Egypt. The people of Israel were saying, "God, wake up! Like the time that you wounded the dragon when you wounded Egypt, wake up!"

In verse 10, it recalls when God dried up the sea and the waters of the great deep were made open, allowing the ransomed people to pass over. Remember, these were a people in despair, going through great trials, crying out to the Lord. They were saying, "Lord, would you rise up once again like you did in past times so that the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with everlasting joy? With rejoicing and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee away."

They asked, "Are you not the God who broke Egypt apart and destroyed the dragon that was Pharaoh? God, would you rise up? Would you stand up once again?" Have you ever found yourself crying out to the Lord in the same way?

Like Gideon in the book of Judges, when God appears to Gideon and says, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor," Gideon responds, "What do you mean the Lord is with me? Where is the God of my fathers? If the Lord is with me, why are we in this bondage? Why are we in this despair to the Midianites?"

There are times when we go through devastating trials, and we think of the miracles that God did in the New Testament. We remember the powerful things He did in the Old Testament and the testimonies we hear from friends who follow the Lord. We ask, "Lord, where are you?" The Lord is there, desiring to move. Unfortunately, for the children of Israel at this point in time, the reason that God was not rising up on their behalf was because their sins had separated them.

From their God, continuing on, we read in verse 12 God's response: "I, even I, am he that comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of man, man that shall die, that is temporal, and the son of man which shall be made as grass? And you forget the Lord your Maker, that has stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy. Where is the fury of the oppressor?"

God says to His people, "I am the one that reaches out to you. I am the one that comforts you, and yet you are fearful of all these things around you, all these oppressors. Do you realize that the fury of the oppressor is nothing to God?"

In verse 14, we read, "The captive exile hastens that he may be loosed, that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail. But I am the Lord thy God that divided the sea, whose waves roared. The Lord of hosts is His name. I have put my words in your mouth, and I have covered you with the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth and say to Zion, 'You are my people.'"

To the future exiles captive there in Babylon, God says, "I am the one that divided the sea and brought the people out of Egypt. I am also the one that has covered you. I am the one that has tended to you, and I will bring you out and plant you once again."

He then says to the people in verse 17, "Awake, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of His fury. You have drunk to the dregs the cup of trembling and wrung them out. There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she has brought forth, neither is there any to take her by the hand of all the sons that she has brought up."

These two things have come unto you: "Who shall be sorry for you? Desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword. By whom shall I comfort you? My sons have fainted; they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net. They are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God. Therefore, hear now this, you afflicted and drunken, but not with wine," thus saith the Lord.

And my God, that pleads the cause of His people, says, "Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of My fury. You shall no more drink it again, but I will put it in the hand of them that afflict you, which have said to your soul, 'Bow down, that we may go over.' And now you have laid your body as the ground and as the street to them that went over."

God speaks to His people and says, "Listen, I’m going to remove from your hand the cup of My fury, and I’m going to give it into the hand of your oppressors." This is a yet future prophecy from the time that Isaiah was speaking. The children of Israel, there in Judah and Jerusalem, would go into captivity in Babylon. It would be there in Babylon that they would cry out, "Awake, awake, Lord! Remember what you did to Egypt. Remember how you crushed the dragon. Remember how you brought us over on dry ground. God, bring us out of here once again."

God says, "When you come to that point, when you call out to Me once again, I will hear, as I heard from heaven during the day of Moses. I’ll hear from heaven once again. Yes, I have brought judgment upon you, and yes, you have drunk to the dregs—that is, to the very bottom of the glass of the cup of My fury. You’ve drunk it completely because My wrath is upon you as a punishment. But when you are finally chastened, when you cry out to Me, I’ll hear from heaven, and I’ll remove from your hand the cup of fury. I’ll give it into the hand of your oppressors, and I’ll lay them to the ground as they laid you to the ground."

The cup of trembling—perhaps we know people tonight. Perhaps, maybe in this room tonight, there are some who are in that place where you feel like you’ve been drinking to the dregs the cup of God’s fury. Everything is so against you, and you think God is a million miles away. He doesn’t hear my prayers; He doesn’t help me. Everything’s failing; everything’s falling apart.

God would speak to you as He spoke to the people there in Judah and Jerusalem 2,800 years ago. He would say, "I am not so far that I cannot hear. My arm is not shortened that I cannot save. But your sin has separated you from Me. I desire to come to you, but you must be chastened. You must receive that punishment and turn to Him and call out to Him. When you do, you can be absolutely assured that He will come."

He waits to be wanted by His people. He desires that we call out to Him. If we have friends and family, if we have loved ones who are in that pit of despair tonight, it is only when they finally turn to the Lord and call out to Him that they will find the true salvation that He gives.

Psalm 107 says in verse 10, "To such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and in iron." God is speaking to those who are bound as prisoners, like those who went to Babylon or those who had been in Egypt. To those who are sitting in darkness, in the shadow of death, and are bound in affliction and in iron, we ask: Why are they there? Verse 11 says, "Because they rebelled against the word of God and they contemned the counsel of the Most High." They disregarded God's counsel; they did not heed what He had to say. Therefore, He brought their heart down with labor, and they fell down, and there was none to help.

God is the one who brought this burden upon them, bringing them down into this heavy burden or this prison. Why? Verse 13 tells us, "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble." What did He do? Did He scoff at them and say, "Wow, you got yourself into this; now you find a way out"? No. They cried out to Him in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and He broke their bonds asunder.

Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men! The constant call of God to the one who has gone astray is to turn to Him and repent. Oh, that we would hearken, that we would hear, listen, and obey.

Let's stand and pray. Father, Your word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. Lord, perhaps here tonight, or perhaps someone who will hear this message on the internet or somewhere else, will come to the recognition that they are bound in affliction and in iron. That their soul has been brought down with heavy labor under the severe taskmaster of Egypt or Babylon. Lord, they feel like You are against them; they feel like You are a million miles away, and everything seems to...

Becoming against them is their own doing, Lord. You are the one that calls out and says, "Turn to Me." Lord, would You, by Your Spirit, stir that heart to turn? We thank You, Lord, that in You is found forgiveness. If we come to You and confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us.

We thank You for the restored relationship and fellowship that we have, first with You and then with the body of Christ, with our family. Thank You, Lord, that as we walk in the light, as You are in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and Your blood cleanses us from all sin.

As we come and reason together with You, though our sins be as scarlet, they are able to be made as white as snow. Lord, we thank You for the purity that You bring into our lives. Would You continue to sanctify us wholly, completely—spirit, soul, and body? We pray in Jesus' name. Amen, and thank You.