3. Isaiah Chapters 1-5: The Kingdom of God
4. Isaiah Chapters 6-10: God with us
5. Isaiah Chapters 11-26: The Rod of Jesse
6. Isaiah Chapters 27-32 The Righteous King
7. Isaiah Chapters 33-39 The Righteous King
8. Isaiah Chapters 40-43 The Servant of the Lord
9. Isaiah Chapters 44-45 The Servant of the Lord
10. Isaiah Chapters 46-48 The Redeemer and Savior
11. Isaiah Chapters 49-52: The Suffering Servant
9. Isaiah Chapters 44 to 45, The Redeemer and Savior
The
dynamic relationship between the Lord and Israel, and the role Israel plays
in Redemption is clearly modeled in Isaiah. Failing to understand this
covenant relationship and its link humanities redemption has cause many
theologians to miss the amazing revelations about Jesus Christ in the book
of Isaiah. We often hear words in both the Old Testament and New Testament,
such as redeemer, salvation, Israel, covenant and everlasting. However, we
understand the meanings behind these words from a Hebrew Old Testament
perspective; in light of their fulfillment in Jesus will they really come to
life in an amazing way.
Chapter 44 delivers a message to Jacob the servant of the Lord; though Jacob was one man, he became a nation. The nation is treated as a whole under the name Jacob or Israel. Israel’s purpose is to be God’s witness in the earth (vs. 8). Israel has not always upheld their role as God’s messenger in a fallen world. In their redemption, they will become the God’s witness to the nations. Their conversion will testify to the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In
In verse 6, The Lord Identifies Himself in relation to Israel, calling himself their King and their Redeemer, then He describes Himself as the First and the Last. The King of Israel, identified by Isaiah is the Son of David, who will sit on the throne of David (Isaiah 9:6-7). Jesus in the book of Revelation, identifies Himself as the “First and the Last” (Revelation 1:11,17,2:8,19 22:13).
13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and
the Last."
Only when Israel, understands and calls on the name of their King and Redeemer will the nation attain their salvation. Jesus, through Isaiah is speaking to the nation before His incarnation, telling them He alone is God, and they are His witnesses. This revelation becomes clearer when we understand the meaning of the term Redeemer. The word in Hebrew lag Ga'al means “kinsman” and is translated as Redeemer. Jesus was not only a “kinsman” of Israel, but a “kinsman” of all humanity. Since he was the son of David, he was also the son of man.
Therefore when Isaiah notes the Redeemer is the Lord of Hosts, He is actually referring to the incarnation of the Lord of Hosts, as our “kinsman” Redeemer.
Israel the Lord’s Servant
1 "Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, And Israel whom I have chosen.
2 Thus says the Lord who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: 'Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;
4 They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses.'
5 One will say, 'I am the Lord's'; Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; Another will write with his hand, 'The Lord's,' And name himself by the name of Israel.
6 "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.
7 And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them.
8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.' "
Jacob My Servant: Jacob is the personal name of Israel. Jacob becomes Israel and then becomes a nation.
Israel whom I have chosen: Israel is chosen to be the vehicle of God’s plan of Redemption. Through Israel, the Messiah would become a man, born as a “son of David” and a “son of man”.
My Spirit: The Holy Spirit will be poured on the nation, when they accept Jesus Christ as their Redeemer, King and Messiah. The nation will be blessed in that day.
The King of Israel: Jesus is the King of Israel and Lord of Hosts. The Messiah will reign over the nation.
his Redeemer: The name Redeemer attests to the incarnation of the Lord of Hosts, God becomes our “kinsman”.
Lord of Hosts: God has identified Himself as the one over the army called in Hebrew abc Tsaba'
First...Last: God surrounds time, He is the creator and sustainer of the universe. Jesus clearly identifies himself in these terms in Revelation.
Beside Me...no God: God has no rivals, Idolatry is a deceptive rivalry that people set up. Modern day idols are no different, in our fallen nature we easily set up idols in our heart.
Isaiah
44:9-20 contrast this relationship with the redeemer, to someone who
establishes idols in their heart. Man creates his own gods, and he does not
take to heart the irony of his creation. He is helpless and cannot deliver
his soul because he has a “deceived heart” (vs. 20).
Image makers
9 Those who make an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They are their own witnesses; They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.
10 Who would form a god or mold an image That profits him nothing?
11 Surely all his companions would be ashamed; And the workmen, they are mere men. Let them all be gathered together, Let them stand up; Yet they shall fear, They shall be ashamed together.
12 The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals, Fashions it with hammers, And works it with the strength of his arms. Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails; He drinks no water and is faint.
13 The craftsman stretches out his rule, He marks one out with chalk; He fashions it with a plane, He marks it out with the compass, And makes it like the figure of a man, According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.
14 He cuts down cedars for himself, And takes the cypress and the oak; He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.
15 Then it shall be for a man to burn, For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.
16 He burns half of it in the fire; With this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, "Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire."
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god!"
18 They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.
19 And no one considers in his heart, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, "I have burned half of it in the fire, Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?"
20 He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?"
Israel’s Redeemer
From the fall in
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the
earth; 26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I
shall see God, 27 Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and
not another. How my heart yearns within me!
The Law of Redemption is the law the all of humanity is under. When Adam and Eve fell in the Garden, all of humanity, their offspring fell with them. We have inherited a “corrupted” nature; we have a proclivity to sin, its part of our nature. We have a debt, we are unable to pay, therefore since we are bankrupt, we need someone to take our debt for us.
In Leviticus, the Law of Redemption is illustrated for us to understand the principle for our own redemption. The only one who could “redeem” was a “kinsman” the person had to be related to the person in debt. The right of redemption entitled someone to redeem, the person or things sold from the possessor.
25 'If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his
possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may
redeem what his brother sold. 26 'Or if the man has no one to redeem it, but
he himself becomes able to redeem it, 27 'then let him count the years since
its sale, and restore the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he
may return to his possession.
The story of Ruth, the “Great grandmother of David” illustrates the process of Redemption, when Boaz he dead husbands, “kinsman” redeems her. So when God calls Himself our Redeemer, then God must be our “kinsman”. This is exactly what happened at the incarnation, Jesus became our “kinsman redeemer” when he was born into our fallen world.
21 "Remember these, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!
22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you."
23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, And glorified Himself in Israel.
24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: "I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;
25 Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness;
26 Who confirms the word of His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; Who says to Jerusalem, 'You shall be inhabited,' To the cities of Judah, 'You shall be built,' And I will raise up her waste places;
27 Who says to the deep, 'Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers';
28 Who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built," And to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid." 'Isaiah 44:21-28
You will not be forgotten by Me!: God will not revoke His relationship with Israel. He affirms that Israel is His servant through Isaiah.
Return to Me: Israel problem is they have fallen away from their creator. The nation needs to return to the one who redeemed them. Israel’s rejection of Jesus Christ the Messiah, can only be remedied by a national repentance and confession of Jesus Christ. This is exactly what takes place at the end of days, Israel comes to national salvation.
I Have redeemed you: Jesus Redeemed Israel on the cross, only when Israel comes to the saving knowledge of their Redeemer will they receive the redemption.
Before the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C, Isaiah in 700 B.C. spoke to the captivity about the day of restoration. Isaiah foretold the coming of an anointed ruler who frees the captivity. He mentions him by name Cyrus, the head of Persia who would one day defeat Babylon. This “anointed” ruler would allow the captivity to return. This was fulfilled in 539 B.C., when Cyrus defeated Babylon and allowed the Jews to return and build the 2nd Temple.
God rules over Cyrus, and all the rulers of the earth, he appointed Cyrus to restore the captivity. God alone is Israel’s hope. In chapter 45, God is addressed as the Holy One of Israel and the Savior, both names point to Jesus at His “First Coming”
1 "Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:
2 'I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.
4 For Jacob My servant's sake, And Israel My elect, I have
even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known
Me.
His anointed, to Cyrus:
Cyrus is called
xyXm
Mashiyach,
this translated to Messiah. Cyrus takes on the chosen by God to free the
captivity. Kings, priests are also called “Messiah” in scripture. However
the prophets point to the coming of the ruler who rule over all nations for
eternity, this is the ultimate “Messiah” of God. Cyrus was a foreshadow of
Messiah, who freed Israel from captivity.
Am the God of Israel: God links His identity to the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other;
7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.'
8 "Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord, have created it.
9 "Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' Or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'?
10 Woe to him who says to his father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to the woman, 'What have you brought forth?' "
11 Thus says the Lord, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: "Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.
12 I have made the earth, And created man on it. I-My hands- stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded.
13 I have raised him up in righteousness, And I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city And let My exiles go free, Not for price nor reward," Says the Lord of hosts.
14 Thus says the Lord: "The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush And of the Sabeans, men of stature, Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; They shall walk behind you, They shall come over in chains; And they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, 'Surely God is in you, And there is no other; There is no other God.' "
15 Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!
16 They shall be ashamed And also disgraced, all of them; They shall go in confusion together, Who are makers of idols.
17 But Israel shall be saved by the Lord With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever.
18 For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain'; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
20 "Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save.
21 Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me.
22 "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.
24 He shall say, 'Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him.
25 In the Lord all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and
shall glory.' "
The
Holy One of Israel:
This term is used
31-times in the Old Testament, God identifies Himself with Israel. Not only
is He the God of Israel, but he is “Of” Israel. He is the “kinsman” of
Israel.
who hide Yourself: The identity of God is revealed through his prophetic revelation. Through we can logically conclude the existence of God, based upon what we observe in the physical world such as the “Cause” for the effect of the universe. God hides his person from the obvious, he does not appear as the Sun for all to gaze upon. His person is revealed through Israel.
O God of Israel, the Savior!: God identifies Himself as the Savior. The Hebrew term is [Xy Yasha` and means “to save”. This term is linked to Redemption and Salvation. The Messiah of Israel is the Redeemer and Savior.
16 You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles, And milk the breast of kings;
You shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the
Mighty One of Jacob.
an everlasting salvation: Everlasting is linked with the reign of the King of Righteousness, who will have an everlasting kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7). Two words used for salvation are h[wXt T@shuw`ah , this the word used here. The other word is h[wXy Y@shuw`ah also translated as deliverance. The name Joshua or Jesus is derived from the word “Salvation”. The name Jesus means salvation.
A Savior: God is the Savior of Israel, therefore if Jesus is Israel’s Savior, Jesus is God. This is the message in the New Testament, and this is Israel’s error, they rejected Jesus as their Savior. The people of Sychar recognized Jesus as the Savior of the world. T
42 Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you
said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the
Christ, the Savior of the world."
11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is
Christ the Lord.
"Look to Me, and be saved: Through Isaiah, the Savior of Israel, Jesus Christ tells the world to look to him and be saved.
to Me every knee shall bow: Paul attests the deity of Jesus as Savior, Redeemer and God by ascribing the actions of worship here in Isaiah.
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.
descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.:
The Bible refers to two groups as the descendents of Israel. Those who are
physical and those who are spiritual. According to
