Isaiah 49-55 The Suffering Messiah

Psalm 79:1-13 Disciplining Sad Sheep
Ps 79:1 “God, the nations have come into your inheritance. They have defiled your holy temple. They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. 2 They have given the dead bodies of your servants to be food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your saints to the animals of the earth. 3 Their blood they have shed like water around Jerusalem. There was no one to bury them. 4 We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and derision to those who are around us. 5 How long, Yahweh? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you; on the kingdoms that don’t call on your name; 7 For they have devoured Jacob, and destroyed his homeland. 8 Don’t hold the iniquities of our forefathers against us. Let your tender mercies speedily meet us, for we are in desperate need. 9 Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake. 10 Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Let it be known among the nations, before our eyes, that vengeance for your servants’ blood is being poured out. 11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before you. According to the greatness of your power, preserve those who are sentenced to death. 12 Pay back to our neighbors seven times into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached you, Lord. 13 So we, your people and sheep of your pasture, will give you thanks forever. We will praise you forever, to all generations.

Observations: 79:1-8 The psalmist observes the destruction of God's people and the desecration of His holy name, as a result of God's anger over the sin of the His people (79:8-9). Because of their sin, God had delivered them into the hand of the enemy. The psalmist asks that God pour out His wrath on the pagans who don't know nor call upon Him. (God will, when He finishes disciplining Israel and they repent.)
79:9 The psalmist seeks deliverance and forgiveness for their sins, not just because of the painful consequences, but for the sake of His name/glory.
79:10-13 The psalmist looks to the time when God will pay back the pagans, and bless the sheep of His pasture, for which they will thank and praise Him.
Application: God is willing to look bad in the eyes of the world to ensure the holiness of His people; we can be sheep for slaughter or the sheep of His pasture – the choice is ours.
Prayer: My Good Shepherd, may You be glorified in my life by pouring out Your goodness on me, because I am following You, rather than Your discipline, because of my sin. Amen.
Proverbs 20:5-9 Perfection Impossible; Righteousness Is Possible
Pr 20:5 “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out. 6 Many men claim to be men of unfailing love, but who can find a faithful man? 7 A righteous man walks in integrity. Blessed are his children after him. 8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his eyes. 9 Who can say, "I have made my heart pure. I am clean and without sin?""

Observations: For some strange reason, sinners skip verse 7 to stake a claim to verse 9. Sinless perfection is only claimed by those who don't own a mirror (for the rest of us there is Psalm 51 and 1 John 1:9). However, faithfulness (being loyal to God), righteousness (being rightly related to God and man), and integrity (being consistent in beliefs and actions - Psalm 101:2) can be owned by any who seek after God according to His word. In fact, He expects all three of us.
Application: Instead of dwelling on our sin, let's walk as God desires us to live.
Prayer: Holy God, thanks for expecting the best of me; may I not disappoint You. Amen.


Isaiah 49-55 The previous section (Isaiah 40-48) described God's plan to physically deliver/redeem Israel from their captivity in Babylon (which was the consequence of their sin), using the agency of His servant Cyrus, whom He raised up for that purpose. Now we see God's plan to use another Servant (introduced in Isaiah 42:1-9), the Messiah, to deliver/save Israel (and the nations) from the captivity to their sin (the cause of their negative consequences). This post contains Isaiah 53, considered the greatest prophecy of the OT explicitly detailing the redemptive work of the Messiah in paying for the sin of His people.

Isaiah 49 Mystery Servant
49:1 "Listen, islands, to me; and listen, you peoples, from far: Yahweh has called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother has He made mention of my name: 2 and He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand, He has hidden me: and He has made me a polished shaft; in His quiver has He kept me close: 3 and He said to me, "You are My servant; Israel, in whom I will be glorified." 4 But I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely the justice due to me is with Yahweh, and my reward with my God." 5 Now says Yahweh who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob again to Him, and that Israel be gathered to Him (for I am honorable in the eyes of Yahweh, and my God has become my strength); 6 yes, He says, "It is too light a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give you for a light to the nations, that you may be My salvation to the end of the earth."
7 Thus says Yahweh, the Redeemer of Israel, and His Holy one, to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers: "Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall worship; because of Yahweh who is faithful, even the Holy one of Israel, who has chosen you." 8 Thus says Yahweh, "In an acceptable time have I answered you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you; and I will preserve you, and give you for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritage: 9 saying to those who are bound, ‘Come out!’; to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves!’ "They shall feed in the ways, and on all bare heights shall be their pasture. 10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun strike them: for he who has mercy on them will lead them, even by springs of water he will guide them. 11 I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. 12 Behold, these shall come from far; and behold, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim."
13 Sing, heavens; and be joyful, earth; and break forth into singing, mountains: for Yahweh has comforted His people, and will have compassion on His afflicted. 14 But Zion said, "Yahweh has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me." 15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you! 16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me. 17 Your children make haste; your destroyers and those who made you waste shall go forth from you.
18 Lift up your eyes all around, and see: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live," says Yahweh, "you shall surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament, and dress yourself with them, like a bride. 19 "For, as for your waste and your desolate places, and your land that has been destroyed, surely now you shall be too small for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up shall be far away. 20 The children of your bereavement shall yet say in your ears, The place is too small for me; give place to me that I may dwell. 21 Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?’" 22 Thus says the Lord Yahweh, "Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, and set up My banner to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders. 23 Kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers: they shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of your feet; and you shall know that I am Yahweh; and those who wait for Me shall not be disappointed."
24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered? 25 But thus says Yahweh, "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children. 26 I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."

Observations: 49:1-6 The first mystery to solve is: “Who's speaking; Who's the servant?” First it looks like Isaiah, but then in verse 3, the servant is called Israel; but then in verses 5-6 we have a second mention of being formed in the womb, and two mentions of the servant restoring Israel. Israel can't restore itself. It can't be Isaiah nor Cyrus, because (among other reasons) verse 3 identifies the function of the servant to be a light to the nations like Israel was supposed to be. The Messiah, fulfilling the function of the nation in bringing righteousness and light to the nations, is the only possible candidate for the Servant in this and the following chapters (especially Isaiah 53). Note that Isaiah sees Him being rejected in verse 4, but then after redeeming the tribes of Jacob, and the remnant of Israel (yet future), He will be a light to all the nations and the Savior of those even at the ends of the earth.
49:7-24 Even though Israel thinks God has forsaken her, He hasn't. God not only has them engraved on the palms of His hands, but will show them mercy, guide them back and prosper them. He will cause them to know that He is their Redeemer when He saves them and their descendents. He will cause the nations to know that He is Israel's Savior when He causes them to carry Israel back into the land and bow down to them. Israel will always be the vehicle thorough which God reaches the world. There's no way He would ever abandon them (the tattoos on his hands would look pretty silly if he did.

Application: When things are looking down, look up, your Messiah is waiting to help.

Prayer: God, You are faithful to fulfill all Your promises, You never forget them, nor Your people; help me never forget to do what You want as I trust and serve You. Amen.

Isaiah 50 Listen and Learn
50:1 "Thus says Yahweh, "Where is the bill of your mother’s divorce, with which I have put her away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities were you sold, and for your transgressions was your mother put away. 2 Why, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it can’t 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 die for thirst. 3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering."
4 The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him who is weary: he wakens morning by morning, he wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. 5 The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward. 6 I gave my back to the strikers, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair; I didn’t hide my face from shame and spitting. 7 For the Lord Yahweh will help me; therefore I have not been confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be disappointed. 8 He is near who justifies me; who will bring charges against me? Let us stand up together: who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. 9 Behold, the Lord Yahweh will help me; who is he who shall condemn me? Behold, all they shall wax old as a garment, the moth shall eat them up.
10 Who is among you who fears Yahweh? Be obeying the voice of his servant. Who walks in darkness, and has no light? Let him trust in the name of Yahweh, and rely on his God. 11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who adorn yourselves with torches around yourselves; walk in the flame of your fire, and among the brands that you have kindled. You shall have this of my hand; you shall lie down in sorrow."

Observations: 50:1-3 God reminds Israel that it is because of their sin that they are in exile, not because of a lack of His power. He still wears the same size shirt sleeve.
50:4-9 The Servant speaks these lines. He is taught by Yahweh so he can speak sustaining words. He listens to God every morning to hear and do His will, even though it means yielding to unjust treatment. Expecting Yahweh's help, the Servant has set his face like a flint (unyielding) to do Yahweh's will, knowing he will not be disappointed with God's responsiveness to him.
50:10-11 A call to obedience and trust is issued with two questions and exhortations (similar to the HCSB), followed by the consequences to those who fail to heed the exhortation. Those who fear the lord should obey Him. Those who walk in darkness, should trust the revealed character of Yahweh and His Servant. Those who refuse God's light, and surround themselves with light of their own making will get burned. Ouch.

Application: Those who hear and obey God will encounter difficulties, but not as bad as those who rebel against Him.

Prayer: Lord, thanks that You give light and help to Your people, even when they walk through the valley of the shadow of death; help me hold your hand. Amen.

Isaiah 51 Everlasting Joy
51:1 "Listen to me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek Yahweh: look to the rock you were cut from, and to the hold of the pit you were dug from. 2 Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him, and made him many. 3 For Yahweh has comforted Zion; he has comforted all her waste places, and has made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Yahweh; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
4 "Attend to me, my people; and give ear to me, my nation: for a law shall go forth from me, and I will establish my justice for a light of the peoples. 5 My righteousness is near, my salvation is gone forth, and my arms shall judge the peoples; the islands shall wait for me, and on my arm shall they trust. 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and those who dwell therein shall die in the same way: but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. 7 "Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; don’t fear the reproach of men, neither be dismayed at their insults. 8 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 to all generations."
9 Awake, awake, put on strength, arm of Yahweh; awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Isn’t it you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the monster? 10 Isn’t it you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? 11 The ransomed of Yahweh shall return, and come with singing to Zion; and everlasting joy shall be on their heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy. Sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 12 "I, even I, am he who comforts you: who are you, that you are afraid of man who shall die, and of the son of man who shall be made as grass; 13 and have forgotten Yahweh your Maker, who stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and fear continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he makes ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor? 14 The captive exile shall speedily be freed; and he shall not die and go down into the pit, neither shall his bread fail. 15 For I am Yahweh your God, who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar: Yahweh of Hosts is his name. 16 I have put my words in your mouth, and have covered you in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and tell Zion, ‘You are my people.’"
17 Awake, awake, stand up, Jerusalem, that have drunk at the hand of Yahweh the cup of his wrath; you have drunken the bowl of the cup of staggering, and drained it. 18 There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she has brought forth; neither is there any who takes her by the hand among all the sons who she has brought up. 19 These two things have happened to you. Who will bemoan you? Desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword; how shall I comfort you? 20 Your sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of Yahweh, the rebuke of your God. 21 Therefore hear now this, you afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine: 22 Thus says your Lord Yahweh, and your God who pleads the cause of his people, "Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of staggering, even the bowl of the cup of my wrath; you shall no more drink it again: 23 and I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, who have said to your soul, ‘Bow down, that we may walk over you’; and you have laid your back as the ground, and as the street, to those who walk over."

Observations: 51:1-3 God calls those who seek Him to consider the state of Abraham before God blessed him, and note how God blessed him and Zion.
51:4-8 Just like the Servant had ears to hear God in the last chapter, now God's people must listen to Him. His law, justice, righteousness, and salvation, will be a light for all the peoples, and they will trust in Him. The world as they know it will end, but His salvation is forever. Those who know righteousness (have God's law in their heart) will not fear the insults of men.
51:9-23 Because of God's past dealings and future promises to His people, they need not fear, but trust in His redemption and comfort.

Application: Those who know righteousness experientially have God's law in their heart, governing their decisions.

Prayer: My Savior and Lord, thanks that I can have everlasting joy, comfort, and security in You. Amen.

Isaiah 52 Knowing God and His Salvation
52:1 "Awake, awake, put on your strength, Zion; put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2 Shake yourself from the dust! Arise, sit up, Jerusalem! Release yourself from the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion! 3 For thus says Yahweh, "You were sold for nothing; and you shall be redeemed without money." 4 For thus says the Lord Yahweh, "My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there: and the Assyrian has oppressed them without cause. 5 "Now therefore, what do I do here," says Yahweh, "seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock," says Yahweh, "and my name continually all the day is blasphemed. 6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore they shall know in that day that I am he who speaks; behold, it is I."
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" 8 The voice of your watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Yahweh returns to Zion. 9 Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for Yahweh has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 Yahweh has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 11 Depart, depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing! Go out of the midst of her! Cleanse yourselves, you who bear the vessels of Yahweh. 12 For you shall not go out in haste, neither shall you go by flight: for Yahweh will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
13 Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14 Like as many were astonished at you (his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men), 15 so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand."

Observations: 52:1-6 God issues a wake up call to Israel. They are in a self-induced stupor. They are the only thing standing in the way of their salvation.
52:7-12 The good news to Zion (and her people) is that God reigns, and has comforted His people. He has provided salvation, but in order to experience the joy of it, they need to wake up, get dressed, and join the party, which is back in Zion. Therefore, they need to depart captivity, be holy, and stroll on back with God before them and behind them.
52:13-15 These last verses introduce “my servant” again, who shall be exalted, very high for dealing wisely (choosing the right objectives and the right means of attaining them) fulfilling the purposes of God for him: 42:1-7; 49:1-6; 50:4-9). His suffering will result in the priestly work of sprinkling/sanctifying of nations and kings.

Application: We can't experience the joy of the Lord while laying in the clutches of sin.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I praise You for being the God of my salvation, who reigns in the earth, and my life. May others see You through me and Your holy people.

Isaiah 53 The Suffering Servant Suffers for Our Sins
53:1 "Who has believed our message? To whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no good looks or majesty. When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with grief. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t esteem him.
4 Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is mute, so he didn’t open his mouth. 8 He was taken away by oppression and judgment; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living and stricken for the disobedience of my people? 9 They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Yahweh shall prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light and be satisfied. My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself; and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

Observations: 53:1-4 Books have been written about this Mount Everest of prophecy, the most quoted chapter in the Bible, so any comments made here will be inadequate. The Servant of 52:13, the Righteous Servant of 53:11 is none other than the Suffering Messiah. He is a person, not the nation, for He heals the nation by dying for their sins. The nation can't die for their own sins, and be alive, much less for the sins of others (since they have their own to die for). A shoot from the root (11:1) would grow up and be a “man of suffering” despised and rejected by men.
53:4-9 But the reason for his suffering and grief was not any sin of his doing, but he was bearing ours. Verse six indicates that like wayward sheep we have all gone our own way, not God's way. The penalty for rebellion against a great king is death. The Suffering Servant died as the sin bearer of the world. He died so we didn't have to. Theologians call this the vicarious substitutionary atonement, which brings us peace by paying our penalty so we can be reconciled to God. The issue is forgiveness, (the instrument is faith).
53:10-12 God's plan was always that the Messiah would be an offering for sin (Revelation 13:5). It looked like the Servant was cut off, but these verses indicate that he has an inheritance, and after suffering sees the light and is satisfied. Like the nation is restored to life, so too the Suffering Servant is.

Application: Forgiveness for sins is found only in God's provision of a substitute, otherwise you pay the death penalty yourself. (See Sidebar on John 3:16 TBD).

Prayer: Gracious God, thanks for the provision for my sin, and pardon You offer in the Messiah, so I can have peace with You. I accept it as the sole source of my salvation. Amen.

Isaiah 54 Permanent Peace
54:1 "Sing, barren, you who didn’t bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife," says Yahweh. 2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations; don’t spare: lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. 3 For you shall spread out on the right hand and on the left; and your seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. 4 "Don’t be afraid; for you shall not be ashamed: neither be confounded; for you shall not be disappointed: for you shall forget the shame of your youth; and the reproach of your widowhood you shall remember no more. 5 For your Maker is your husband; Yahweh of Hosts is his name: and the Holy one of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called.
6 For Yahweh has called you as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off," says your God. 7 "For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you. 8 In overflowing wrath I hid my face from you for a moment; but with everlasting hesed/loyal covenantal love will I have mercy on you," says Yahweh your Redeemer. 9 "For this is like the waters of Noah to me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. 10 For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my hesed/loyal covenantal love shall not depart from you, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed," says Yahweh who has mercy on you.
11 "You afflicted, tossed with storms, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in beautiful colors, and lay your foundations with sapphires. 12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies, and your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. 13 All your children shall be taught of Yahweh; and great shall be the peace of your children. 14 In righteousness you shall be established: you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not be afraid; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. 15 Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whoever shall gather together against you shall fall because of you. 16 "Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals, and brings forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 17 No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of Yahweh, and their righteousness which is of me," says Yahweh."

Observations: 54:1-5 When God redeems Israel and is recognized as the God of the whole earth, Israel's shame shall be forgotten.
54:6-10 In wrath because of their sin, Yahweh forsook them temporarily, but because of His hesed He will have mercy on them. His hesed and covenant of peace shall never be removed (Romans 11).
54:11-17 Israel has a bright future to look forward to, in a bejeweled city (Revelation 21), basking in the presence of Yahweh. They will be righteous and victorious. This is the heritage of the servants (Note the plural.) of Yahweh, whose righteousness is from Him.

Application: God pardons us so we can live loyally and victoriously with Him, not in sin and shame.

Prayer: God, You are so wonderful and merciful to forgive, pardon, restore, and prosper Your people. May I continue to walk in the righteousness Your hesed has provided. Amen.

Isaiah 55 Everlasting Delight
55:1 "Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which doesn’t satisfy? listen diligently to me, and eat you that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Turn your ear, and come to me; hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples. 5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you don’t know; and a nation that didn’t know you shall run to you, because of Yahweh your God, and for the Holy one of Israel; for he has glorified you."
6 Seek Yahweh while he may be found; call on him while he is near: 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," says Yahweh. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky, and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing I sent it to do. 12 For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree; and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to Yahweh for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

Observations: 55:1-5 God graciously offers His satisfying goodness to anyone who desires it, without cost (as in free gift). He reasons with all, asking why they labor for what doesn't satisfy instead of listening to His word and living.
55:6-12 People have the responsibility to seek God and call upon Him, forsaking their ways and thoughts. The only way a finite humans can know infinite truth (God's ways and thoughts) is if an infinite Being reveals it to them. The Scriptures do just that, containing a record of God's revelation so we can seek, listen, learn, and call upon Him, receive His pardon, and blessing. His word accomplishes His purpose of summoning and saving people, so they can live in everlasting joy and peace.

Application: God freely offers His pardon and delights to those who respond to His invitation, on His terms.

Prayer: God, don't let me foolishly hold on to any of my ways or thoughts which will prevent me from experiencing the satisfaction, delight and joy You offer. Amen.


Digging Deeper:

God in a nutshell: God is so incredibly gracious to freely pardon sin, by providing a substitute for our death penalty, in the person of the Messiah. He offers that salvation freely to all who seek and accept it. He offers the accompanying delight of a relationship with Him to those who forsake the folly of their own ways and thoughts, and embrace His ways and thoughts. God's restoration of Israel is still future, and will be permanent, as is the peace He offers those who trust in Him. The Messiah will return in exaltation.

Us in a nutshell: We are like stupid sheep who refuse to follow the Shepherd, thinking we know better. That gets us into all kinds of trouble and pain, including death, for rebellion. We are given the opportunity for pardon and peace with God, but only on His terms, by accepting His provision.

Where to Go for More:
Truthbase.net

Isaiah 49-55 complete text
Isaiah 49
49:1 "Listen, islands, to me; and listen, you peoples, from far: Yahweh has called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother has he made mention of my name: 2 and he has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand, he has hidden me: and he has made me a polished shaft; in his quiver has he kept me close: 3 and he said to me, "You are my servant; Israel, in whom I will be glorified." 4 But I said, "I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely the justice due to me is with Yahweh, and my reward with my God." 5 Now says Yahweh who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, and that Israel be gathered to him (for I am honourable in the eyes of Yahweh, and my God has become my strength); 6 yes, he says, "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give you for a light to the nations, that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth."
7 Thus says Yahweh, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy one, to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers: "Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall worship; because of Yahweh who is faithful, even the Holy one of Israel, who has chosen you." 8 Thus says Yahweh, "In an acceptable time have I answered you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you; and I will preserve you, and give you for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritage: 9 saying to those who are bound, ‘Come out!’; to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves!’ "They shall feed in the ways, and on all bare heights shall be their pasture. 10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun strike them: for he who has mercy on them will lead them, even by springs of water he will guide them. 11 I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. 12 Behold, these shall come from far; and behold, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim."
13 Sing, heavens; and be joyful, earth; and break forth into singing, mountains: for Yahweh has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted. 14 But Zion said, "Yahweh has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me." 15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you! 16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. 17 Your children make haste; your destroyers and those who made you waste shall go forth from you.
18 Lift up your eyes all around, and see: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live," says Yahweh, "you shall surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament, and dress yourself with them, like a bride. 19 "For, as for your waste and your desolate places, and your land that has been destroyed, surely now you shall be too small for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up shall be far away. 20 The children of your bereavement shall yet say in your ears, The place is too small for me; give place to me that I may dwell. 21 Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?’" 22 Thus says the Lord Yahweh, "Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my banner to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders. 23 Kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers: they shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of your feet; and you shall know that I am Yahweh; and those who wait for me shall not be disappointed."
24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered? 25 But thus says Yahweh, "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children. 26 I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I, Yahweh, am your Saviour, and your Redeemer, the Mighty one of Jacob."

Isaiah 50
50:1 Thus says Yahweh, "Where is the bill of your mother’s divorce, with which I have put her away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities were you sold, and for your transgressions was your mother put away. 2 Why, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it can’t 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 die for thirst. 3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering."
4 The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him who is weary: he wakens morning by morning, he wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. 5 The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward. 6 I gave my back to the strikers, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair; I didn’t hide my face from shame and spitting. 7 For the Lord Yahweh will help me; therefore I have not been confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be disappointed. 8 He is near who justifies me; who will bring charges against me? Let us stand up together: who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. 9 Behold, the Lord Yahweh will help me; who is he who shall condemn me? Behold, all they shall wax old as a garment, the moth shall eat them up.
10 Who is among you who fears Yahweh, who obeys the voice of his servant? He who walks in darkness, and has no light, let him trust in the name of Yahweh, and rely on his God. 11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who adorn yourselves with torches around yourselves; walk in the flame of your fire, and among the brands that you have kindled. You shall have this of my hand; you shall lie down in sorrow.

Isaiah 51
51:1 "Listen to me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek Yahweh: look to the rock you were cut from, and to the hold of the pit you were dug from. 2 Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him, and made him many. 3 For Yahweh has comforted Zion; he has comforted all her waste places, and has made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Yahweh; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
4 "Attend to me, my people; and give ear to me, my nation: for a law shall go forth from me, and I will establish my justice for a light of the peoples. 5 My righteousness is near, my salvation is gone forth, and my arms shall judge the peoples; the islands shall wait for me, and on my arm shall they trust. 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and those who dwell therein shall die in the same way: but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. 7 "Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; don’t fear the reproach of men, neither be dismayed at their insults. 8 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 to all generations."
9 Awake, awake, put on strength, arm of Yahweh; awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Isn’t it you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the monster? 10 Isn’t it you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? 11 The ransomed of Yahweh shall return, and come with singing to Zion; and everlasting joy shall be on their heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy. Sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 12 "I, even I, am he who comforts you: who are you, that you are afraid of man who shall die, and of the son of man who shall be made as grass; 13 and have forgotten Yahweh your Maker, who stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and fear continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he makes ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor? 14 The captive exile shall speedily be freed; and he shall not die and go down into the pit, neither shall his bread fail. 15 For I am Yahweh your God, who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar: Yahweh of Hosts is his name. 16 I have put my words in your mouth, and have covered you in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and tell Zion, ‘You are my people.’"
17 Awake, awake, stand up, Jerusalem, that have drunk at the hand of Yahweh the cup of his wrath; you have drunken the bowl of the cup of staggering, and drained it. 18 There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she has brought forth; neither is there any who takes her by the hand among all the sons who she has brought up. 19 These two things have happened to you. Who will bemoan you? Desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword; how shall I comfort you? 20 Your sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of Yahweh, the rebuke of your God. 21 Therefore hear now this, you afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine: 22 Thus says your Lord Yahweh, and your God who pleads the cause of his people, "Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of staggering, even the bowl of the cup of my wrath; you shall no more drink it again: 23 and I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, who have said to your soul, ‘Bow down, that we may walk over you’; and you have laid your back as the ground, and as the street, to those who walk over."

Isaiah 52
52:1 Awake, awake, put on your strength, Zion; put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2 Shake yourself from the dust! Arise, sit up, Jerusalem! Release yourself from the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion! 3 For thus says Yahweh, "You were sold for nothing; and you shall be redeemed without money." 4 For thus says the Lord Yahweh, "My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there: and the Assyrian has oppressed them without cause. 5 "Now therefore, what do I do here," says Yahweh, "seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock," says Yahweh, "and my name continually all the day is blasphemed. 6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore they shall know in that day that I am he who speaks; behold, it is I."
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" 8 The voice of your watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Yahweh returns to Zion. 9 Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for Yahweh has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 Yahweh has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 11 Depart, depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing! Go out of the midst of her! Cleanse yourselves, you who bear the vessels of Yahweh. 12 For you shall not go out in haste, neither shall you go by flight: for Yahweh will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
13 Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14 Like as many were astonished at you (his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men), 15 so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand.

Isaiah 53
53:1 Who has believed our message? To whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no good looks or majesty. When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.
4 Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is mute, so he didn’t open his mouth. 8 He was taken away by oppression and judgment; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living and stricken for the disobedience of my people? 9 They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Yahweh shall prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light and be satisfied. My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself; and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 54
54:1 "Sing, barren, you who didn’t bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife," says Yahweh. 2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations; don’t spare: lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. 3 For you shall spread out on the right hand and on the left; and your seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. 4 "Don’t be afraid; for you shall not be ashamed: neither be confounded; for you shall not be disappointed: for you shall forget the shame of your youth; and the reproach of your widowhood you shall remember no more. 5 For your Maker is your husband; Yahweh of Hosts is his name: and the Holy one of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called.
6 For Yahweh has called you as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off," says your God. 7 "For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you. 8 In overflowing wrath I hid my face from you for a moment; but with everlasting loving kindness will I have mercy on you," says Yahweh your Redeemer. 9 "For this is like the waters of Noah to me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. 10 For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my loving kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed," says Yahweh who has mercy on you.
11 "You afflicted, tossed with storms, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in beautiful colours, and lay your foundations with sapphires. 12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies, and your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. 13 All your children shall be taught of Yahweh; and great shall be the peace of your children. 14 In righteousness you shall be established: you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not be afraid; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. 15 Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whoever shall gather together against you shall fall because of you. 16 "Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals, and brings forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 17 No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of Yahweh, and their righteousness which is of me," says Yahweh.

Isaiah 55
55:1 "Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which doesn’t satisfy? listen diligently to me, and eat you that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Turn your ear, and come to me; hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples. 5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you don’t know; and a nation that didn’t know you shall run to you, because of Yahweh your God, and for the Holy one of Israel; for he has glorified you."
6 Seek Yahweh while he may be found; call you on him while he is near: 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," says Yahweh. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky, and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing I sent it to do. 12 For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree; and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to Yahweh for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

Isaiah 45-48 God Knows

Isaiah 45-48 God Knows

­Psalm 78:40-72 Forgetful Sheep
Ps 78:40 “(38 But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and didn’t stir up all his wrath. 39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away, and doesn’t come again.)
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness, and grieved him in the desert! 41 They turned again and tempted God, and provoked the Holy one of Israel. 42 They didn’t remember his hand, nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary; 43 how he set his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the field of Zoan, 44 he turned their rivers into blood...51 and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham. 52 But he led forth his own people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. 53 He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. 54 He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, to this mountain, which his right hand had taken. 55 He also drove out the nations before them, allotted them for an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents. 56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, and didn’t keep his testimonies; 57 but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers. They were turned aside like a deceitful bow. 58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their engraved images. 59 When God heard this, he was angry, and greatly abhorred Israel; 60 So that he forsook the tent of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men; 61 and delivered his strength into captivity, his glory into the adversary’s hand. 62 He also gave his people over to the sword, and was angry with his inheritance. 63 Fire devoured their young men. Their virgins had no wedding song. 64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows couldn’t weep. 65 Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine. 66 He struck his adversaries backward. He put them to a perpetual reproach. 67 Moreover he rejected the tent of Joseph, and didn’t choose the tribe of Ephraim, 68 But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved. 69 He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has established forever. 70 He also chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; 71 from following the ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance. 72 So he was their shepherd according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands."

Observations: 78:1-39 See post on 1Samuel 16 for vv 1-39, in which God saved but wound up having to discipline His rebellious people (just like the second half of the psalm).
78:40-72 God delivered, saved, and redeemed His people from Egypt to bring them into the land of promised blessing. However, they, His people, His inheritance, turned from Him to their sin and provoked Him to anger. Then He kicked them out of their inheritance, the promised land, into captivity. They were still His people, but rather than enjoying His delights, they experience His discipline. 1Corinthians 10 says this can happen to NT saints. After the nation was disciplined by death and loss of dominion, they repented. Then God graciously subdued their enemies, and brought them back into blessing. Because they turned back from obeying Him, (verse 9-11) He rejected the mighty tribe of Ephraim (here put for the nation), who had received Jacob's chief inheritance blessing and chose Judah instead to rule. God made a covenant with David (2Sam 7) to lead and shepherd His people.
Application: Those who rebel against God's rule in their lives will regret the loss they reap. Those who submit to God's shepherding care of them will rejoice in His guidance and blessing. Which camp are you in?
Prayer: My Good Shepherd, thanks for saving and guiding me; may You be delilghted by the way I respond to Your care of me. Amen.
Proverbs 20:1-4 Four Follies to Forego
Pr 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, and beer is a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise. 2 The terror of a king is like the roaring of a lion. He who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life. 3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife; but every fool will be quarreling. 4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the winter; therefore he shall beg in harvest, and have nothing."

Observations: Four unwise behaviors to avoid:
20:1 Being under influences that move you off the wise path;
20:2 Angering your authorities;
20:3 Disputing and quarreling (sometimes it's honorable to allow fools their delusions); and
20:4 Avoiding the difficult and uncomfortable.

Application: Develop the habits that give you the results you want.

Prayer: All-Wise God, thanks for giving guidance on the wiser way to live. May I do so. Amen.

Isaiah 45-48 In these chapters, God stresses that He is the only One who knows the future, because He has purposed it. He tells Cyrus of His purpose in giving him the kingship. This prophecy would be a powerful motivation for Cyrus to send the Jews back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. God also impresses upon Judah that He is the one sending them back, according to His plan. It's not the work of some dumb idol they might pray to, therefore they must only trust “The God of Israel.”


Isaiah 45 Cyrus, Meet God
45:1 Thus says Yahweh to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him, and strip kings of their armor; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut: 2 "I will go before you, and make the rough places smooth. I will break the doors of brass in pieces, and cut apart the bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, Yahweh, who call you by your name, even the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called you by your name. I have surnamed you, though you have not known me.
5 I am Yahweh, and there is none else. Besides me, there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not known me; 6 that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides me. I am Yahweh, and there is no one else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create calamity. I am Yahweh, who does all these things. 8 Distil, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open, that it may bring forth salvation, and let it cause righteousness to spring up with it. I, Yahweh, have created it. 9 Woe to him who strives with his Maker—a clay pot among the clay pots of the earth! Shall the clay ask him who fashions it, ‘What are you making?’ or your work, ‘He has no hands?’ 10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What have you become the father of?’ or to a mother, ‘To what have you given birth?’"
11 Thus says Yahweh, the Holy one of Israel, and his Maker: "You ask me about the things that are to come, concerning my sons, and you command me concerning the work of my hands! 12 I have made the earth, and created man on it. I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens; and I have commanded all their hosts. 13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways. He shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward," says Yahweh of Hosts. 14 Thus says Yahweh: "The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours. They will go after you. They shall come over in chains; and they will bow down to you. They will make supplication to you: ‘Surely God is in you; and there is none else. There is no other god. 15 Most certainly you are a God who hidden yourself, God of Israel, the Savior.’" 16 They will be disappointed, yes, confounded, all of them. Those who are makers of idols will go into confusion together. 17 Israel will be saved by Yahweh with an everlasting salvation. You will not be disappointed nor confounded to ages everlasting. 18 For thus says Yahweh who created the heavens, the God who formed the earth and made it, who established it and didn’t create it a waste, who formed it to be inhabited: "I am Yahweh; and there is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness. I didn’t say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, Yahweh, speak righteousness. I declare things that are right.
20 "Assemble yourselves and come. Draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations. Those have no knowledge who carry the wood of their engraved image, and pray to a god that can’t save. 21 Declare and present it. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has shown this from ancient time? Who has declared it of old? Haven’t I, Yahweh? There is no other God besides me, a just God and a Savior; There is no one besides me. 22 "Look to me, and be saved, all the 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 will not return, that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. 24 They will say of me, ‘There is righteousness and strength only in Yahweh.’" Even to him shall men come; and all those who were incensed against him shall be disappointed. 25 In Yahweh shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

Observations: 45:1-4 God raised up Cyrus, king of the Persians and gave him victory over the nations, to accomplish His purpose of returning Israel to the the promised land. Cyrus is called Yahweh's “shepherd” in the last chapter, and here, His “anointed” (same word for Messiah). God can use pagan kings to accomplish His plans, who obey better than Israel.
2Chronicles 36:22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up! (cf Ezra 1).
45:5-11 Since God has known Cyrus' name (well over a hundred years before he was born), but Cyrus doesn't know Him, Yahweh gives a self-introduction, the Creator who brings righteousness and salvation to the earth, who is both knowable, but beyond the scrutiny of His creatures.
45:12-25 God spends a lot of verses saying there is no one like Him, so Israel won't be tempted to trust in false gods, like they did when in the promised land. He particularly emphasizes His knowledge of the future, to demonstrate His sovereign control, so people will look to Him and be saved. See comments on Isaiah 46:9-12. His salvation of them is everlasting.
Application: Since God knows the future, and makes it happen, it is wise to trust and obey what He's revealed.
Prayer: God, thanks for creating me with the capacity to seek and find You; to know You and serve You. You save and sanctify for a purpose; may I daily discern and do Your will. Amen.

Isaiah 46 God Knows and Purposes the Future
46:1 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols are on the animals, and on the livestock: the things that you carried about are made a load, a burden to the weary. 2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves have gone into captivity. 3 "Listen to me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, that have been borne from their birth, that have been carried from the womb; 4 and even to old age I am he, and even to gray hairs will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; yes, I will carry, and will deliver. 5 "To whom will you liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? 6 Some pour out gold from the bag, and weigh silver in the balance. They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god. They fall down—yes, they worship. 7 They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it, and set it in its place, and it stands, from its place it shall not move: yes, one may cry to it, yet it can not answer, nor save him out of his trouble. 8 "Remember this, and show yourselves men; bring it again to mind, you transgressors.
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me; 10 declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, my counsel/plan shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure; 11 calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country; yes, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it. 12 Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness: 13 I bring near my righteousness, it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not wait; and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

Observations: 46:1-8 Bel and Nebo are the powerless Babylonian gods who couldn't prevent the delivery of “their” people to Cyrus, God's servant. In contrast God still carries His people, Israel.
46:9-12 Repeatedly in this section of Isaiah, God asserts that He knows what will happen in the future, “declaring the end from the beginning”. God is outside of time, and knows all that happens at once. He reveals it linearly to His prophets and people. The prophets can see some things from God's perspective, as they happen in the future. God also has purposed some things to occur, and brings them to pass. In His sovereignty, He has set the rules of His universe (including giving man/woman free will), and has determined that certain things will occur according to His timetable (such as the interval from the decree of Cyrus to the entrance of the Messiah to Jerusalem Daniel 9:25). Other times, He waits to be gracious based upon His people turning to Him, or patiently forbears judgment based upon our repentance or exercises it based upon our unwillingness to obey. To miss the distinction between God's determined and permissive will or desire, is to misinterpret Scripture.
Application: Since God does all things for His pleasure, we should too.
Prayer: God, may I not be stubborn-hearted, but sensitive to You, Your pleasure, and Your timing in my life. Amen.

Isaiah 47 Trusting in Self or God
47:1 "Come down, and sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of the Chaldeans: for you shall no more be called tender and delicate. 2 Take the millstones, and grind meal; remove your veil, strip off the train, uncover the leg, pass through the rivers. 3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered, yes, your shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and will spare no man." 4 Our Redeemer, Yahweh of Hosts is his name, the Holy one of Israel. 5 "Sit in silence, and go into darkness, daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms. 6 I was angry with my people, I profaned my inheritance, and gave them into your hand: you showed them no mercy; on the aged you have very heavily laid your yoke.
7 You said, ‘I shall be a mistress forever’; so that you did not lay these things to your heart, nor did you remember the latter end of it. 8 "Now therefore hear this, you who are given to pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is none else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children’: 9 but these two things shall come to you in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood; in their full measure shall they come on you, in the multitude of your sorceries, and the great abundance of your enchantments. 10 For you have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, No one sees me; your wisdom and your knowledge, it has perverted you, and you have said in your heart, I am, and there is none else besides me. 11 Therefore evil will come on you; you won’t know when it dawns: and mischief will fall on you; you will not be able to put it away: and desolation shall come on you suddenly, which you don’t know. 
12 "Stand now with your enchantments, and with the multitude of your sorceries, in which you have labored from your youth; if so be you shall be able to profit, if so be you may prevail. 13 You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels: let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save you from the things that shall come on you. 14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: it shall not be a coal to warm at, nor a fire to sit before. 15 Thus shall the things be to you in which you have labored: those who have trafficked with you from your youth shall wander everyone to his quarter; there shall be none to save you.

Observations: 47:1-6 God will humble the Babylonians, into whose hand He delivered disobedient Israel/Judah, because of their ill-treatment of them. Since they showed Israel no mercy, the God of Israel will not show them any either. Justice.
47:7-15 Since Babylon showed “god-like” self-sufficiency and pride, God will bring them down in desolation and destruction. All that they trusted in, their wisdom and wickedness, and wizards, will be unable to save them.
Application: Those who trust in themselves will be put to shame.
Prayer: Lord, You are my Redeemer, my confidence, my hope, and my trust. I look only to You for providing all that I need, and all that is good in my life. Amen.

Isaiah 48 Who's Your Lord?
48:1 "Hear this, house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth out of the waters of Judah; who swear by the name of Yahweh, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth/faithfulness, nor in righteousness 2 (for they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves on the God of Israel; Yahweh of Hosts is his name): 3 I have declared the former things from of old; yes, they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them: suddenly I did them, and they happened. 4 Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow brass; 5 therefore I have declared it to you from of old; before it came to pass I showed it to you; lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, and my engraved image, and my molten image, has commanded them.’ 6 You have heard it; see all this; and you, will you not declare it? "I have shown you new things from this time, even hidden things, which you have not known.

Observations: 48:1-2 God calls Israel into account for calling themselves His people but not in truth nor righteousness (cf. Ex 20:7 Taking the name of the Lord in vain). Being His people and swearing by His name should have resulted in them obeying Him and manifesting righteousness.
48:3-6 God again reiterates that He's telling them that He is the one who will rescue them (and restore them), so that when it happens, they can't attribute it to their dumb idols.
Application: If you call yourself by God's name, or call upon His name, make sure your life reflects His will.
Prayer: Lord, I do not take your name lightly, but acknowledge You as the One in control of my life, whose will I pledge and desire to do. Amen.


Digging Deeper:

God in a nutshell: God reveals Himself as the Creator of everything, who has a plan for His people. He is incomparable, knowing and purposing the future, raising up and putting down kings and nations. He redeems and restores His people with an everlasting salvation, calling Himself not only the God of Israel, but their Savior.

Us in a nutshell: Our obstinate self-sufficiency makes us miss out on God's provision, and marks us out for discipline. We tend to lose sight of the fact that God blesses us for His glory's sake, not our self-indulgence. We also forget that God knows, and has revealed the future, and that pleasing Him is the best way to enjoy it.

Where to Go for More:
Truthbase.net
Isaiah complete text

Isaiah 45
45:1 Thus says Yahweh to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him, and strip kings of their armour; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut: 2 "I will go before you, and make the rough places smooth. I will break the doors of brass in pieces, and cut apart the bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, Yahweh, who call you by your name, even the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called you by your name. I have surnamed you, though you have not known me.
5 I am Yahweh, and there is none else. Besides me, there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not known me; 6 that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides me. I am Yahweh, and there is no one else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create calamity. I am Yahweh, who does all these things. 8 Distil, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open, that it may bring forth salvation, and let it cause righteousness to spring up with it. I, Yahweh, have created it. 9 Woe to him who strives with his Maker—a clay pot among the clay pots of the earth! Shall the clay ask him who fashions it, ‘What are you making?’ or your work, ‘He has no hands?’ 10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What have you become the father of?’ or to a mother, ‘To what have you given birth?’"
11 Thus says Yahweh, the Holy one of Israel, and his Maker: "You ask me about the things that are to come, concerning my sons, and you command me concerning the work of my hands! 12 I have made the earth, and created man on it. I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens; and I have commanded all their army. 13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways. He shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward," says Yahweh of Armies. 14 Thus says Yahweh: "The labour of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours. They will go after you. They shall come over in chains; and they will bow down to you. They will make supplication to you: ‘Surely God is in you; and there is none else. There is no other god. 15 Most certainly you are a God who hidden yourself, God of Israel, the Saviour.’" 16 They will be disappointed, yes, confounded, all of them. Those who are makers of idols will go into confusion together. 17 Israel will be saved by Yahweh with an everlasting salvation. You will not be disappointed nor confounded to ages everlasting. 18 For thus says Yahweh who created the heavens, the God who formed the earth and made it, who established it and didn’t create it a waste, who formed it to be inhabited: "I am Yahweh; and there is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness. I didn’t say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, Yahweh, speak righteousness. I declare things that are right.
20 "Assemble yourselves and come. Draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations. Those have no knowledge who carry the wood of their engraved image, and pray to a god that can’t save. 21 Declare and present it. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has shown this from ancient time? Who has declared it of old? Haven’t I, Yahweh? There is no other God besides me, a just God and a Saviour; There is no one besides me. 22 "Look to me, and be saved, all the 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 will not return, that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. 24 They will say of me, ‘There is righteousness and strength only in Yahweh.’" Even to him shall men come; and all those who were incensed against him shall be disappointed. 25 In Yahweh shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

Isaiah 46
46:1 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols are on the animals, and on the livestock: the things that you carried about are made a load, a burden to the weary. 2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves have gone into captivity. 3 "Listen to me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, that have been borne from their birth, that have been carried from the womb; 4 and even to old age I am he, and even to gray hairs will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; yes, I will carry, and will deliver.
5 "To whom will you liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? 6 Some pour out gold from the bag, and weigh silver in the balance. They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god. They fall down—yes, they worship. 7 They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it, and set it in its place, and it stands, from its place it shall not move: yes, one may cry to it, yet it can not answer, nor save him out of his trouble. 8 "Remember this, and show yourselves men; bring it again to mind, you transgressors. 9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me; 10 declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure; 11 calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country; yes, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it. 12 Listen to me, you stout-hearted, who are far from righteousness: 13 I bring near my righteousness, it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not wait; and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

Isaiah 47
47:1 "Come down, and sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of the Chaldeans: for you shall no more be called tender and delicate. 2 Take the millstones, and grind meal; remove your veil, strip off the train, uncover the leg, pass through the rivers. 3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered, yes, your shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and will spare no man." 4 Our Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies is his name, the Holy one of Israel. 5 "Sit in silence, and go into darkness, daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms. 6 I was angry with my people, I profaned my inheritance, and gave them into your hand: you showed them no mercy; on the aged you have very heavily laid your yoke.
7 You said, ‘I shall be a mistress forever’; so that you did not lay these things to your heart, nor did you remember the latter end of it. 8 "Now therefore hear this, you who are given to pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is none else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children’: 9 but these two things shall come to you in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood; in their full measure shall they come on you, in the multitude of your sorceries, and the great abundance of your enchantments. 10 For you have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, No one sees me; your wisdom and your knowledge, it has perverted you, and you have said in your heart, I am, and there is none else besides me. 11 Therefore evil will come on you; you won’t know when it dawns: and mischief will fall on you; you will not be able to put it away: and desolation shall come on you suddenly, which you don’t know. 12 "Stand now with your enchantments, and with the multitude of your sorceries, in which you have laboured from your youth; if so be you shall be able to profit, if so be you may prevail. 13 You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels: let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save you from the things that shall come on you. 14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: it shall not be a coal to warm at, nor a fire to sit before. 15 Thus shall the things be to you in which you have laboured: those who have trafficked with you from your youth shall wander everyone to his quarter; there shall be none to save you.

Isaiah 48
48:1 "Hear this, house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth out of the waters of Judah; who swear by the name of Yahweh, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness 2 (for they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves on the God of Israel; Yahweh of Hosts is his name): 3 I have declared the former things from of old; yes, they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them: suddenly I did them, and they happened. 4 Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow brass; 5 therefore I have declared it to you from of old; before it came to pass I showed it to you; lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, and my engraved image, and my molten image, has commanded them.’ 6 You have heard it; see all this; and you, will you not declare it? "I have shown you new things from this time, even hidden things, which you have not known.