Isaiah 51

Isaiah 51:1

Isaiah: God controls the nations God’s special servant An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Isaiah chapters 49 to 57 www.easyenglish.info Norman Hillyer This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 51 Abraham was your early relative v1 ‘Listen to me,’ says the *Lord. ‘You desire to live in the right way. You come to me, your *Lord, for help. Think about the rock from which you came. In other words, think about the origin of the family to which you belong. v2 That family began with your early relative Abraham and his wife Sarah. Abraham was only one man when I called him. But then I so *blessed him that he had a very large family.’

Verse 1

‘Rock’ is a picture word, to mean ‘strong foundation’. (‘Foundation’ means a strong base that provides security.) ‘Rock’ is one of God’s names (see Deuteronomy 32:4; 32:15; 32:18).

 The next words in this verse explain the meaning as a reference to Abraham. He was a man of strong faith (trust) in God (see Genesis 15:1-6; Hebrews 11:8-12). God was Abraham’s strong foundation (his security and the base for his life). All God’s people should aim to live in a similar manner.

Verse 2

God gave Abram a new name, ‘Abraham’ (the name means ‘father of a crowd’). Abraham was already very old and he had no children. But God promised Abraham that he would still have a very large family (see Genesis 17:5). *Jerusalem will again be beautiful v3 Now the *Lord will surely comfort *Jerusalem. He will pity the places that enemies have ruined. He will make Jerusalem’s deserts like Eden, the Garden of the *Lord. Joy and great happiness will be there. And thanks and the sound of songs will be there.

Verse 3

The intention of the *Lord’s ‘comfort’ is to convince the *exiles that their future will be happy and peaceful.

 The state of the people’s relationship with God affects the state of the rest of the world that God created (see Isaiah 44:21-23; see also Colossians 1:20). God will govern the world v4 The *Lord says, ‘You are my special people. You are the nation that I chose. So listen carefully to what I say. My law will cause justice (fair judgements) to shine like a light for every nation in the world. v5 At the right moment, I will arrive suddenly to save them. That moment is near. I myself will rule the nations. Distant countries are waiting for me. They are expecting me to save them. v6 Look up to the sky. The sky could disappear like smoke. Look down to the earth. The earth could become like a piece of cloth that insects are eating. The inhabitants of the world could die like flies. But I will always be able to free the prisoner. My power to save will never end.

v7 Listen to me, you people who know about right judgements. Continue to keep my law safely in your hearts. Then you will not be afraid of the fierce words of those who hate you. Then you will not allow their evil plots to frighten you. v8 Because insects will eat them, as if they were mere bits of wool. But my triumph (total success) will last for always. And my power to save will continue until the end of the ages.’

Verse 4

In Hebrew, the language of the *Old Testament, the word ‘law’ is torah. The basic meaning of this Hebrew word is ‘to point’, as with a finger.

We are not to think of God’s law as merely a list of rules. God’s torah is his personal direction to each believer on how to live life.

 ‘Light’ is a picture word, to mean ‘a clear knowledge of God’s purposes’.

Verse 6

The heavens and the earth are not as permanent as they may seem.

 Here ‘smoke’ is a picture word, to mean something that has no substance. So it quickly blows away.

 Nothing in this life or in this world is permanent. But God makes an absolute promise to rescue people. A person’s continuous state of liberty and health of spirit are the results of God’s action.

 The phrase ‘free the prisoner’ does not merely mean someone who is in an actual prison. For example, ‘prison’ can be a word picture to mean the situation of a person with an evil habit. He or she is totally unable to escape from the practice.

Verse 7

For ‘law’, see my note on verse 4. Call to God to act v9 Awake, *Lord, awake! Dress yourself to act in strength! Awake, as you did in ancient times, when you destroyed Rahab. v10 You made a dry road through the deep waters of the sea to rescue your people from Egypt. v11 The *Lord will again save his people, as he did then. They will return to *Jerusalem with loud shouts of triumph (success). Their joy will be like a crown upon their heads. Happiness and delight will fill their hearts. No more sad days! No more cries of pain!

Verses 9-10

Isaiah uses the name ‘Rahab’ to refer to Egypt. That country was the enemy of the people of God in ancient times (see Exodus 14:30-31).

 Verse 9 seems to describe the *Lord as he awakes from sleep. Of course, this is picture language. The *Lord never sleeps (Psalms 121:4). In other words, he is never unaware of what is happening to his people. But he chooses the moment when he will act to save them. And then, to them, he seems to act as one who has just awoken (Psalms 78:65-66). The *Lord will save you v12 ‘I myself will comfort you,’ says the *Lord. ‘You need never be afraid of any man. He is only human. And, like the grass, he will die. v13 You must never forget the greatness of your *Lord. He created you for himself. He established the heavens and the earth. So do not live in terror of an angry enemy. Yes, he plotted to kill you. But now he has completely disappeared. v14 The prisoner who trembles in prison will soon have his freedom. He will not die and go to *Sheol. He will no longer suffer from hunger.’

Verse 13

Here ‘forget’ is more than a temporary failure of memory. It means that the people from Israel could neglect to give honour to their *Lord. But they have a special place in God’s love. So he will take great care of them. The God who created the world and everything in it has complete power (see Isaiah 43:1-2).

 The *Lord frequently reminds the *Israelites that they belong to him. Therefore there is no reason for them to be afraid of anything or anybody. (See, among many examples, Isaiah 41:10, 44:2, 51:7, 54:4). God has all power v15 ‘I am the *Lord your God. I so stir the sea that the waves roar. My name is “Commander of Heaven’s Armies”. v16 I have put my words in your mouth. I will keep you in safety under the cover of my hand. I am he who fixed the heavens in their place. I established the earth. And I again say to the citizens of *Jerusalem that you are my special people.’

Verse 15

The Book of Isaiah emphasises this special name for the *Lord over 60 times (see my note on Isaiah 44:6).

Verse 16

The *Lord encourages his Servant. The *Lord will tell him exactly what to say. Jeremiah had a similar experience (see Jeremiah 1:9). The end of *Jerusalem’s pain The rest of chapter 51 contains pictures in words that describe *Jerusalem and its people. Isaiah’s words are describing a period about two centuries after his own life. It Isaiah 65 years since Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city. The present inhabitants have only known rule by foreigners. *Jerusalem was like a guest who had lost all senses v17 Awake, awake, inhabitants of *Jerusalem! Get up! You have completely drunk the *Lord’s full cup of anger. It made you an unconscious drunk.

Verse 17

The ‘cup of anger’ is a picture in words. It refers to the *Lord’s punishment of his people, because they refused to obey him.

 The punishment was severe. So the people felt like men who had swallowed too much alcohol. *Jerusalem was like a mother who had lost her children v18 There was nobody to guide you among all the sons that you had *borne. There was nobody in your family to lead you by the hand. v19 Two terrible troubles happened to you. War ruined your land. Your people starved. But there was nobody to offer you sympathy. v20 At the corner of every street your people fell, because they were so weak. They were like animals that a hunter’s net had caught. Your people suffered the absolute force of the *Lord’s anger.

Verse 18

The city of *Jerusalem was like a mother with many sons. That is, the city had very many inhabitants. But they had no leader to take responsibility. So when these troubles happened, the people suffered greatly. And nobody helped them. *Jerusalem was like a prisoner who had lost all hope v21 Listen to these words, you inhabitants of *Jerusalem who have suffered so greatly. You were all acting like drunks. As if you had swallowed too much wine. v22 Listen, the *Lord your God is your defender. He says, ‘I gave you that cup to drink because I was so very angry. But now I have taken it away. You will no longer have to drink the wine that made you unable to walk properly. v23 I will give that cup to enemies who forced you to lie down in the streets. They walked heavily on you as if you were dirt.’

Verses 21-22

The *Lord had severely punished his people because they refused to obey him. But now he had completed their punishment.

Verse 23

The *Lord had used certain enemies as his agents to punish his people. But those agents took advantage of *Jerusalem’s weakness. In other words, they wanted to gain personal benefit when God’s people were weak. So they were very cruel to God’s people. And God’s people suffered much more than God intended. (See the Book of Obadiah). The *Lord will punish wicked behaviour wherever he finds it (see Isaiah 10:5-15).

© 2007 Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

July 2007

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