Isaiah 51:9 “Awake, awake, put
on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the
generations of old. Art thou not it
that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the
dragon?”
Isaiah 51:17 “Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which
hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the
dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung
them out.”
Isaiah 52:1 “Awake, awake; put
on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy
city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and
the unclean.”
Author
of the book of Isaiah
The book of Isaiah is claims to
have come from Isaiah (1:1; 2:1; 7:3; 13:1; 20:2; 37:2, 6, 21; 38:1, 4, 21;
39:3, 5, 8). The name of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, is the only one connected
with the book in any of the Hebrew manuscripts or ancient versions. Isaiah
ministered during the reigns of four Judean kings (1:1): Uzziah (792-740 B.C.),
Jotham (750-732 B.C.), Ahaz (735-715 B.C.), and Hezekiah (715-686 B.C.). The prophet
began his ministry in the year that King Uzziah (or Azariah) died, namely, 740
or 739 B.C. (6:1).
Context
Isaiah exercised his prophetic
ministry at a time of unique significance, a time in which it was of utmost
importance to realize that salvation could not be obtained by reliance upon man
but only from God Himself. For Israel it was the central or pivotal point of
history between Moses and Christ. The old world was passing and an entirely new
order of things was beginning to make its appearance. Where would Israel stand
in that new world? Would she be the true theocracy, the light to lighten the
Gentiles, or would she fall into the shadow by turning for help to the nations
which were about her?"
Purpose
Isaiah ministered and wrote to the
people of Jerusalem and Judah. His task was to explain to these chosen people
that the old world order was passing away and that the new order, controlled by
Gentile world empires that sought to swallow Judah up, required a new
commitment to trust and obey Yahweh as His servant. The Assyrian threat called
for this new dedication. This was a theological even more than a historical and
political crisis for Judah. It raised many questions that Isaiah addressed.
"Is God truly the Sovereign
of history if the godless nations are stronger than God's nation? Does might
make right? What is the role of God's people in the world? Does divine judgment
mean divine rejection? What is the nature of trust? What is the future of the
Davidic monarchy?"
"The purpose of Isaiah is to
display God's glory and holiness through His judgment of sin and His
deliverance and blessing of a righteous remnant."
Concerning God’s atonement for
Israel there are three wake up calls which we can see from Chapter 51:9 –
52:1.
First call: A
call for deliverance
Isaiah 51:9 “Awake, awake, put
on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the
generations of old. Art thou not it
that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the
dragon?”
Israel's call for God to
awake assumes that He had not been active in helping His people recently.
Isaiah, speaking for the Israelites, described the Lord's delivering power in
action for His people as His arm (cf. v. 5; 53:1). His arm had defeated the
Egyptians and Pharaoh in the Exodus in the past, here described respectively as
Rahab literally known as proud one, (cf. Is. 30:7; Ps. 87:4) and the dragon the monster (cf. Ezek. 29:3). Rahab and the dragon were also part of the mythological lore
of the ancient Near East. By using these names, Isaiah was undoubtedly
stressing Yahweh's ability to overcome all the pagan gods and every other power
opposing their salvation.
Second call: A
call from drunkenness
Isaiah 51:17 “Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which
hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the
dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung
them out.”
God now turned the tables on His
people and called on them to awake. They needed to wake up to the fact that He
would comfort them and punish their oppressors (cf. 40:2; Lam. 1- 2). The fact
that the Babylonian captivity continues to lie unmentioned specifically in the
text strengthens the impression that God had more than that historic
deliverance in view in what He promised. A greater future redemption is also in
view, namely, the one that the Servant would affect. 51:17 Jerusalem had drunk
a powerful liquid at the hand of her God. He had given her punishment to drink
for her sins (cf. Mark 10:38). She now lay in a state of stupor but needed to
arise because the Lord had a future for her.
Third call: A call
to released Zion
Isaiah 52:1 “Awake, awake; put
on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy
city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and
the unclean.”
God called Israel to awake and to
be strong (in the strength that God provides). The Israelites did not need to
call on Him to awake and to be strong, as they had done (51:9). He was ready to
save them. But were they ready to trust Him for their salvation (cf. 40:27-31).
The Lord called the people of Zion to put on the beautiful garments of
salvation that God would provide for them. God saw His people as composing a
holy city, and they needed to view themselves that way too, as holy people (cf.
4:2- 6; 1 Cor. 1:2). The Lord would forbid any uncommitted and unclean people
from having a part in His future for them. "Notwithstanding the priestly
house of Aaron and the royal house of David, the ideal of a royal, priestly
people (Ex. 19:4-6) had never been realized, but while Zion slept a marvel
occurred so that on waking she finds new garments laid out, expressive of a new
status of holiness.
Application
The presence and repetition of
the call to awake (51:9, 17; 52:1) identifies this unit of prophetic material
as one. The Israelites were to wake up to the power of God that had not changed
(51:9-16) and to the purpose of God, namely, His plan for their life (51:17- 23).
They should also wake up to the peace of God since He would not abandon them (52:1-12).
The question of whether God can and will save His people from their enemies
(51:9-16) is answered that He will cause Israel's enemies to suffer (51:17-23)
and that He will deliver Israel from her enemies (52:1-12). Our sovereign God
who is unchanging and He is always ready to redeem and deliver His people from
the clutches of sin. What enslaves us today? There could be many possible
reasons why we need to wake up. No matter what the circumstance is, our sovereign
God is always faithful and He is always ready to come to our rescue. God called
His people to prepare to receive the salvation that He would provide for them.
They would have to lay hold of it by faith for it to benefit them. It is also
command not only to wake up but to dress up! It is not enough for us to put
off our stupor (51:17-23); we must also put on glorious garments." He is knocking at our door (Rev.3:20), why don’t we respond Him now.
We need to wake up.
