B19-devotions

Isaiah 51:17-23

Devotions for Thursday 30th October

For the second time in the run up to the revelation of the Servant, Isaiah’s prophecies call out, ‘Wake up!, Wake up!’ (see 51:9 and 52:1). Yesterday we learned of the Lord’s readiness for action and His call on all people to recognise that He, the Creator of all things, was at work in power and authority to bring salvation and redemption. Today, the summons is to Jerusalem, to God’s Old Testament people. It is in fact a ‘last chance’ call of God to His people to recognise that with the coming of the Servant (52:13f.). God has fulfilled His promises to His people and there is nothing left for them in their relationship with Him except to face their true state; drunk with suffering (51:17), helpless and without assistance from amongst her own peoples (51:18), ravaged by famine and the sword (51:19), and exposed to the fury of their God (512:20). The herald who summons them then calls Jerusalem to accept that God has removed all their suffering and pain and placed it in the ‘hand of their tormentors’ (51:21-23). Surely they can recognise that their God is marching in power once again to do His work on earth!

The whole prophecy is addressed to Jerusalem, representing all God’s people left after the Exile from Babylon, and it speaks after this event as if it was God’s last great punishment of His people before the coming of the Messiah. The history of God’s people after the Exile is generally a sad story; Ezra, Nehemiah Haggai and Zerubabbel struggled to generate enthusiasm amongst the Jewish people of their day to return to Jerusalem to rebuild Israel; and for centuries, the Jewish people lived under the rule of Persian, Greek and finally Roman occupiers. It only gained a slight advantage after the Maccabean revolt against Greek influence (163 BC) by creating a hybrid Greek/Jewish ruling dynasty with a small degree of autonomy for the state as found at the time of Jesus. Some historians say that the Maccabean revolt was the ‘last chance’ for God’s Old Testament people, but the scriptures themselves show no sign of being aware of it. As far as the ‘salvation history of the world’ is concerned, the Exile was Israel’s ‘last chance’ to recognise their God’s saving and redeeming work freely available to them for no other reason than they were His chosen and loved people. Surely they could recognise the signs? Maybe some individuals did, but as a whole, the nation did not.

So this whole prophecy has a sad tone; it comes from the heart of God begging His people to recognise that once they have experienced the punishment of Exile, the Lord has taken the ‘cup of staggering’ from their hand. He has another plan for dealing with sin and suffering and has no more plans to afflict His people again; but the appeal of this prophecy of Isaiah ultimately falls on deaf ears, just as Isaiah was told by the Lord when He first began to prophesy (6:9-13). The whole prophecy is centred around two main themes, firstly the ‘cup of God’s wrath’ (51:17,22) which is the same as the ‘cup of staggering’ (51:17,22), and secondly the children of Jerusalem who are mentioned in verses 18 and 20. As we have seen, the prophecy points out to Jerusalem that her suffering has been taken away and God’s intention is no more to bring suffering on her people, but the two mentions of Jerusalem’s children tell a tragic tale which does not bode well for the future.

Unfortunately, the young who might have had a chance of spotting the new work of their God are not helping and guiding those who have experienced the cup of God’s wrath; instead of helping their parents who endured it, they have succumbed themselves to the sins of the world and are ‘full of the Lord’s wrath’. In other words, they have not learned from their parents; they ‘lie exposed on every street’ (51:20), unable to give the historic people of Israel and Jerusalem any hope. Using the metaphor of this prophecy, they are ‘drunk’.

Going Deeper

There is no doubt that this is a sad prophecy, but although it is a call to awake which is not heeded, it is a call which must be made. Although it is a call which Jerusalem rejects, it still shows to the whole world the justice and love of God for His own people. They are never separated from God’s plans for the future of the world, and although Isaiah prophesied all this centuries before the time of the Exile and many more before the time of Christ, He was given an unparalleled understanding of the even-handedness of God towards all people. Ultimately, His redemption and salvation is offered to all on equal terms.

17 Rouse yourself, rouse yourself!

Stand up, Jerusalem,

you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord

His cup of wrath,

You have drunk the cup of staggering

You have drunk the goblet to the dregs.

18 There is no one guiding her,

of all the children she has borne;

there is no one taking her by the hand

of all the children she has brought up.

19 These are the two things you have encountered

who will grieve with you?

Ruin and destruction by famine and the sword;

who will comfort you?

20 Your sons have fainted,

they lie exposed in every street

like an antelope (caught) in a net;

they are full of the Lord’s wrath,

the rebuke of your God.

21 So then, hear this, you who are afflicted,

made drunk, but not with wine:

22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,

your God who pleads the case of his people:

Look! I have taken from your hand

the cup of staggering;

you will never again drink from the goblet

from the cup of my wrath.

23 And I will place it into the hand of your tormentors,

who have said to you,

’Bow down, that we may walk over you’

so you made your back like land,

like the street for them to walk over.

All praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, for You give us hope of new life in the midst of our suffering; You have travelled our paths, and You have endured the worst the world can offer. So from the immeasurable wealth of Your experience and love, Lord Jesus, speak words of compassion and reassurance to us that will lift our hearts and give us a new and certain hope for the future both in this life and the next. AMEN

Can you see beyond what happens now?

Can you see what God will do with all of your life?

They say a measure of intelligence is found

In how much one can see beyond the present,

To understand the cost of what we do right now;

And give up short term gain for a greater benefit ahead.

If so, God’s people demonstrate this giftedness;

For in Christ, they glimpse beyond the present troubles

To view the good that lies ahead of us, tantalising,

And beckoning us to taste the future Glory of our Lord.

Some doubt this can be so; but it is a spiritual intelligence

God places graciously within, both for now and for eternity.

Weekly Theme: Land

Land is amazingly complex, and the geography of all our countries is fascinating. Pray to give the Lord thanks for what He has given us, that we might use it well and for His glory.

On-going prayers

Pray for all those caught up in the scandals which feed the press
Give thanks for personal prayers which have been answered
Pray for those affected by extremes of weather in different ways

For the full Bible study, click link above,

or for a brief review, scroll page down.

click on highlighted words to access the Dictionary

Read on / TRANSLATION NOTES / FURTHER STUDY / APPLICATION