Isaiah 51 Commentary
A Message to and for the righteous: Consider Abraham’s case. The mention of Sarah alongside her husband may remind the remnant of the God of miracles. He makes dead situations live again. Israel’s situation isn’t impossible at all.
The LORD intends to transform the dead ground into Eden – the Garden of God. Let life begin again. Or like the famous exodus, let Israel prepare for restoration. The LORD is doing something new, but not exactly new; the LORD is restoring Israel’s blessings.
Verse 6 may remind us of the words of the LORD Jesus Christ. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
Do not be afraid, Israel. Don’t fear mortals. The LORD is on your side. These are the words of the LORD to the remnant.
Chapter 51 is interesting because the LORD is talking to the remnant, them that are serious about living right and are committed to seeking the LORD God. And they are in exile and experiencing hardships. It is clear: the LORD’s wrath affected even the righteous.
When the LORD stretched out His hand against Israel, even the righteous felt it. Nothing has changed. God’s people experience fear. There is suffering. But the LORD encourages us not to fear. The LORD God has taken up His people’s case: He will judge in favor of His own. Oppression isn’t permanent. The LORD will make things right again.
Concerning the nation of Israel, many sin; consequently the entire nation sins. Or, some are righteous, consequently, the entire nation, Zion, experiences restoration. The Book of Isaiah seems to give us this general picture.
But we need to zoom in and see the details. Even this book makes a clear distinction between the righteous and the wicked. “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them,” or “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the Lord”.
Salvation could be a meal for two groups. The first one is for “the righteous,” or the “saved” who must be saved from the suffering inflicted on them by wickedness. Salvation from the power and presence of sin.
But we also have salvation from wickedness. From the penalty of sin.
The mention of Eden makes us think of purity. The presence of sin will have vanished – achieved by the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John 1:29.
We have chapters 52 and 53 to define and describe the process by which the Servant achieves this feat. But today we can bask in the knowledge that “Eden” awaits the renewal of all things by the Servant’s work.
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