Isaiah 51:1,4:6b,7a,8

Isaiah 51 is a big chapter, and I felt heavy as I read it. It’s just full of really heavy themes, that have meaning in many aspects of Christianity. They affect a lot. The overall theme is God comforting Zion, or Israel, and ends with a beautiful image of Israel drinking the cup of God’s fury, but God taking it away in His mercy.

However, the LORD addresses Israel in two (main) ways:

1. As those who are righteous (eg. Vs 1 – “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD…”)
2. In terms of the actual nation (eg. Vs 4 – “Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation…”)

And I think the intimation is that they are one and the same. I don’t think God switches between talking to two different groups. I think the inference is that those truly of God’s nation, Israel, are those who practice righteousness, or ‘follow after’ righteousness, as it says. This reminds me of the distinction in Romans 9 (which Alan preached on Sunday) which says

‘For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham…That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.’ (Romans 9:6b, 7a,8)

Thus, God is talking to the Israelites, but such that it is those that are ‘of the promise’ who are receiving this blessing. This comfort. It is a literal comfort of the literal Israel, made obvious by reference to ‘waste places’, and the reference to the ‘nation’. It is a promise to the nation that the wilderness will grow like Eden, that the desert would become like the garden of the LORD. But who of the nation receives these benefits? Certainly not those who are not children of the promise. Certainly not those who do not follow righteousness. This comfort is both external and internal. The external blessing of the nation is only felt and appreciated by those who are in a true sense ‘children of Israel’.

And so verse 7 and 8 have special significance for us, for although not a physical part of Israel, of whom the passage speaks, we are indeed children of Abraham (like the song!), and we ‘know righteousness’.

“Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
You people in whose heart is My law:
Do not fear the reproach of men,
Nor be afraid of their insults.
For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
And the worm will eat them like wool;
But My righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation from generation to generation.” (Isaiah 51:7-8)

Strong words! That apply to us as much as to any of the Israelites. Do you fear the reproach of men (or women – who can be much more scornful!)? Are you afraid of their insults? Has there ever been a time when you were too afraid to share the gospel at school or work or with anyone at any time because you were afraid of what they might say? Are you scared to put your hand up in evolution classes because you might be ridiculed? Do people make fun of you for being a ‘dumb Christian’?

I am sure that for every one of us there would be a ‘yes’ answer to at least one of those questions. And the next question we must ask is why? It doesn’t make any sense!

Have you ever embarrassed yourself in front of people by doing one thing or another and then realized its not so bad since you will never see them again? Or similarly, have you ever felt really really bad about something, or really scared of doing something, for instance bungy jumping, but known that once done it would be alright? Because it doesn’t last forever.

That is the point God makes here: people who insult you are going to fade away! Those who reproach you are going to die. They have no power. They don’t last forever.

But God does last forever. God’s righteousness lasts forever. And is that not what we are being reproached for? So then, what is more important? To be bold in the truth of something eternal, or to cower before temporary lies? You see, it just doesn’t make sense to fear criticism from the unsaved.

What’s more, God’s salvation is eternal as well. So it matters not whether in this life we are criticized and reproached, because our salvation is sure, and so the majority (indeed, mathematically the entirety) of our lives will be spent with God, away from all criticism and condemnation! Fear not then these mortal insults. Be bold!