Because He is faithful, those who hope and trust in Him will not be ashamed of that hope or be disappointed. He has purchased her at a very dear price, the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ. 37:20; Isa. Recall that God is still addressing Zion whose eyes have surely been downcast and whose countenance dejected. Heaven and earth may well be astonished that God should grave upon His hands the names of sinners. Amid all your mental wanderings, your fickle, faint thoughts of Him, He still remembers you. Q: Will you ever say again that God has forsaken you, when He has engraved you on his hands? what better ground can you have for believing that Christ remembers you than this, that he loved you and gave himself for you? 33:27)" (R M M'Cheyne). Does the vine say, The vine dresser hath forsaken me because he prunes me so sharply? Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls are continually before Me.". Certainly when Messiah completes His mission at the end of this age, at His Second Coming, when He returns as Israel's Deliverer (Ro 11:26-27+), He will be honoredas in Revelation And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Thy walls are continually before Me. When this prophecy was uttered, the Israelites were in captivity, and the city was a wilderness; the holy and beautiful house where the fathers praised Thee was burned with fire, the walls were broken down; rubbish and solitude were there. All Chapters Next Chapter Other Commentaries Verses 1-17 In this chapter, we have not merely Isaiah speaking concerning the Christ of God; but it is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who here speaks concerning himself. The common name by which he is designated in the Jewish writings is Tolvithe crucified; and nothing excites more deep abhorrence and contempt than the doctrine that they, and all others, can be saved only by the merits of the crucified., The nation of course is Israel, referred to in Isa 1:4 as a "sinful nation," and Isa 10:6 as a "godless nation.". Behold, I was left alone; From where did these come? But he is the Redeemer because he is Israels Holy One. God is for you. 21:6); physical beauty (Prov. 54:8; Isa. 1. 5:2+;Ps. 51:7; Isa. He thinks on us, when we forget him. It was mid-July when the city fell and mid-August when the temple was burned. I know that while in Heaven He stands In vain then Satan doth oppose, Behold in our text is intended to attract particular attention. 1:4; Isa. And will have compassion on His afflicted- The Hebrew word for afflicted (ani) is translated in the Septuagint with the wordtapeinoswhich literally speaks of a low position and figuratively of people who have little power of significance. God owns you as His child For I am honored in the sight of the LORD- Exactly why the Servant states He is honored in this context is somewhat difficult to discern. God's grace will bring this surprising event to pass as described in the next verses). And keeping in mind that context is always "king" in interpretation, My Servant Israel is clearly in the context of Isaiah 49:1-2. (see commentary). Hebrews And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And made Me a polished shaft; For God is stronger than His foes. 1. Precious pictures of passion perfected for His treasured possessions to marvel at throughout eternity. E Stanely Jones - Isaiah 49:16 says: "Behold, I have graven you on the palms of my hands." 67:2; Ps. Wiersbe writes "So sing the people of God as they contemplate their future deliverance (Isa 49:13), but the people of the Captivity and those left in the desolate inheritances are not so happy. 1. All else may perish, all else may prove unfaithful. 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). They will come to know Him by grace through faith. 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. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Here, love He whispers in tenderest tone, I will make you a light to the nations, so you can bring my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth." God will remember her walls, and the Church of God in Israel shall yet rise from that sad low estate in which it has been these many centuries; and all Gods cast-down ones shall be comforted, and his churches, that seem to be left to die, shall be raised up again, for our God is no changeling. It is the plural in each case, "On the palms of my hands. How startling will be the revelation of the Lord of glory in a world that has lain in darkness, superstition and alienation from God! Oh, grant another glimpse of Your surpassing charms! The King of the Jews abhorred by His Jewish brethren! Warren Baker adds that hebel "refers to the vanity and ultimate emptiness and meaninglessness of all things in this life, whether they seem good or bad (Eccl. Clearly God has not yet restored the land to Israel. W A Criswell -It is clear that the Servant in this passage is Jesus of Nazareth, for He brings salvation to Israel as well as to the whole world. 19.The land of thy destruction; or, of thy overthrowi.e. DoesIsaiah 59:20 below sound like it refers to the Church? Such is the grace of God in Isaiah 49:16, one of the most beautiful expressions of God's everlasting love in all of Scripture. A TATTOO! But the hands are always before us. Gods remembrance of his people is constant . And who has reared these? Feelings that are very real, feelings that you must deal with. The answer is about to be given. The verb implies that the action has begun and is continuing. Inscribed forever. And Father, Abba, Father, cry. But I am among you as the One Who serves. Biblical Illustrator - Are you tempted to question the Lord's goodness toward you, perhaps thinking He has forgotten you? Thus says the Lord GOD(Isa 49:22NET) -The sovereign LORD says it. Romans 11:28; 29+ From the standpoint of the gospel they (ISRAEL) are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of Gods choice they (ISRAEL)are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (ametameletos). 1:20-23; Luke 1:31ff). 42:10; Isa. Here the Father is referred to as the Redeemer. Regardless of the antiquity of this distinction, the epithets form a separate group. Daily and hourly on till the last, He "morphs" so to speak from Jews to Gentiles which is absolutely amazing! A person had never to say, Run and fetch the portrait; run and bring me down the memorial?; he always had it present with him. Note the context, which describes a time when "all flesh will know that I, the LORD am your (Israel's) Savior." In characters of blood; (Isaiah 49:15-16), "Not usually," you answer, "though some have ", "Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. 8:14; Eccl. Jesus hath borne thy guilt away, Faithfulness will be rewarded. The Hebrew word translated "builders," bonayik, is almost identical to the word translated "sons," banayik, and may have been deliberately ambiguous to communicate both ideas. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth and lick the dust of your feet- This figure speaks of Gentiles submitting to Israel, something that clearly did not transpire in Israel's past. His heart does not come and go towards the sons of men. The palm is toward the face. Such was the suffering You bore for us, Led like a lamb, lamb to the slaughter Using the imagery of sheep being cared for by a shepherd (cf. This description of God contending with Israel's enemiesis in marked contrast to Isaiah's earlier description of God contending not FOR but WITH the leaders of Israel "The LORD arises to contend(riyb), And stands to judge the people." 3. And so the Lamb Who was slain has not forgotten our name, for He cannot forget what is immutably inscribed in the palm of His hands throughout eternity! As a result, Paul turned to the Gentiles, who immediately "began rejoicing and glorifying the work of the Lord." The Divine Artist, who has been pleased to engrave his people for a memorial, is none other than God himself. Indicates the Servants ultimate deliverance of Israel (Isa 49:813). Thy walls are continually before me The ruins and desolations of my church are always in my thoughts, nor shall I forget or neglect to repair them, and grant her deliverance from her enemies, and protection at the proper time. NET Note -Verse 26a depicts siege warfare and bloody defeat. The tie of a deity to the patriarch is a basic element in patriarchal religion, the assumed substructure of later Hebrew religion. If some human hand had cut the memorial, the hieroglyphs might be at fault; but since perfect wisdom has combined with perfect love to make a memorial of the saints, then no error by any possibility can have occurred; there can be no erasures, no crossing out of what God has written, no blotting out of what the Eternal hath decreed. From where did these come?. Our comforts may vary, our frames may decline; It is the memorial of the covenant. Thousands in the fold of Jesus, Isaiah 49:16. In a favorable time- Literally "'In a time of good pleasure," or "In a time of delight." 2:1; 1 Sam. We are inscribed on the palms of Gods outstretched hands, hands that guide us toward freedom and welcome us home. Isaiah 35:8-10 A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. (MESSIAH, cf Ge 49:24) (Eccl. Jesus the Messiah was the ultimate Servant, the ultimate Doulos, declaring in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He is to bear the sins of the world. Joel (MSB). . When Messiah returns to save the believing remnantof Israel, they will be set free from bondage to sin and spiritual darkness. "He is able also to save them to the uttermost seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.". Keil and Delitzschnotes that this "skeptical question prompted by weakness of faithThe question is logically one, and only divided rhetorically into two. Zion will experience an influx of people as the sons of Jerusalem return and those who destroyed the city will leave it. The Lord still answers--"I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God. The rain was restrained too. No, for all these may canker and corrupt, and thieves may break through and steal. Sometimes worshippers had the marks of the god thus set on their flesh; here God writes on His hands the name of the city of His worshippers. This is a continuation of the blessed conditions in Isa 49:10 which describe the days of theMillenniumwhich is in essence a fulfillment of the Messianic promises God had given to Israel. The glorified spirits in heaven., As Spurgeon says "If you will think of those hands of which the Lord says, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands, you may rest assured that nothing can come from those hands but what infinite Wisdom directs, and infinite Love has ordained. Isaiah 49:25. or, "the prey of the violent ones" {u}; which is an answer both as to might and right; as to might, though they are the captives of the mighty, yet they shall be taken away from them by him that is mightier than they, even the mighty God; and as to right, they are the prey of persons that have by force and violence usurped a power . But let us particularize some of God's thoughts of His saints. If you lie long upon a lonely pallet, where few shall observe your suffering, he will not forget you. Let me read you this passage straight on: Jehovah hath comforted His people, and will have mercy upon His afflicted. 66:19. Here, indeed, we have a theme for marvelling. yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Gilbrant -They will subject themselves to Zion, recognizing their spiritual indebtedness to Israel. 5. Isaiah 49:13 Shout for joy, O heavens! 1:14; Eccl. Nor was deceitfulness found in You and we trust we shall so handle it as to bring out the juice from the luscious sentences, throw it in the wine-press, and tread it again and again with active feet, and it shall always yield fresh sweetness, and give forth yet more and more luscious draughts to slake your thirst, if you know but how to use it. cf Jn 1:29, 1Co 5:7) (Rev 5:6, 5:9, 12-note; Rev 13:8-note). Savior is the One who rescues or delivers. Then, suddenly, he looked up into the palms of his hands and asked, Where are the nail prints? Whereupon the apparition vanished. Behold the risen Christ 1. 44:23; Isa. The palm of the hand is a well-protected place and that hand can fold into a fist if threatened! 98:3; Ps. We may esteem this act as one of the marvels of His ministry, we may count it among the miracles of His mercy and we may accept it as one of the great mysteries of His monarchy. Hinnehis a marker used to enliven a narrative, to express a change a scene, to emphasize an idea, to call attention to a detail or an important fact or action that follows (Isa 65:17,Ge 17:20,41:17). 25:9; Isa. Listen to the Lords voice take on tones of unusual persuasiveness. He remembers Noah and the animals in the ark. The reason for the universal praise service is that Yahweh had shown comfort and compassion to His people Israel (the believing remnant). J J Knap in "The Loins Girded" has this devotional. Listen God turns his speech to the Gentiles, and invites them to hearken to those counsels and doctrines which the Jews would reject. 49:25; Isa. 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