Comfort from the Arm of the Lord | Isaiah 51:1-16
The Arm of the Lord brings comfort to God's people by fulfilling four promises: (1) restoration, (2) righteousness, (3) redemption, and (4) refuge. This sermon is part 4 in "The Suffering Servant," Bryan Craddock's series of verse-by-verse sermons on Isaiah 49-55.
Where do you look for comfort when life is hard? As a child, you might have sought relief by cuddling with a teddy bear or a blanket. The embrace of a loving parent is even better. But sooner or later, you realize that teddy bears and even parents have serious limitations. So, you might seek comfort in another person, or in something else that makes you feel secure and in control. But some trials are so big that they strip all of that away. What will you do then?
The Prophet Isaiah reveals that the people of Judah, Israel’s Southern Kingdom, are going to experience that kind of trial. They will be conquered and led into exile by the Babylonians, away from the comforts of home and all that is familiar, safe, and secure. So, Isaiah seeks to prepare them. In fact, he uses the Hebrew word for comfort seventeen times, more than any other Old Testament book. Three of those references are found in Isaiah 51.
In this part of the book, Isaiah predicts the coming of the Suffering Servant. We have seen that his compelling character is described in chapter 50. Even as he suffers, he demonstrates a sustaining tongue, an obedient ear, a surrendered body, a confident face, and an authoritative voice. So, he is an example to follow. In verses 1-16 of chapter 51, he also seems to be presented as the Arm of the Lord who brings comfort to God’s people by fulfilling four promises.
Now you could argue that the Arm of the Lord is simply a poetic way of referring to God’s work. But verse 1 of chapter 53 applies that name to the Suffering Servant, and that same verse is then quoted in John 12:38 as being fulfilled by Jesus. So, it seems to me that he is the Arm of the Lord who carries out the Lord’s work, and Isaiah 51 shows us that he has been active throughout Old Testament history, even long before his incarnation.
This chapter has tremendous implications for what we believe about Jesus Christ. But as important as that is, it should not obscure the practical application of the chapter’s teaching to our lives. We should seek our comfort in the Arm of the Lord, understanding that the comfort he provides is not immediately tangible like a teddy bear. It is received by faith and requires us to wait patiently upon him. But it is worthwhile because it transcends every trial so that we can persevere no matter what suffering we face.
Restoration
At a glance, you never know what lies beneath the surface. In some places around the world, the ruins of ancient cities are buried beneath layers of sediment that have accumulated over the centuries. But most of us are consumed with the here and now, oblivious to how that history shapes our lives.
Isaiah 51:1-3 uncovers two events buried in the distant past that provide comfort for the present and the future through God’s promise of restoration. Verses 1-2 say,
Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.
The first event is the calling of Abraham that happened over 4,000 years ago. When Isaiah wrote, 1,300 years had already passed. Even though Abram and Sarai, as they are known at that point, have no children, Genesis 12:1-3 tells us that God promises to bless Abram and to multiply him into a great nation. The people of Judah are the heirs of that promise. Abraham is the rock from which they were hewn and the quarry from which they were dug. So, as they face the threat of conquest and exile, those who pursue righteousness and seek the Lord, should draw comfort from knowing that God will still fulfill that foundational promise to Abraham.
Now when we consider the context from chapter 50, it seems as if the Servant is still speaking here. But how could he say, “I called” Abraham? You might simply conclude that the speaker has shifted to the Lord. But even though he lived 2,000 years after Abraham, Jesus makes a statement that suggests that he interacted with him. John 8:56-58 begins with him saying,
"Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad." So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."
So, Jesus probably communicated the promise to Abraham originally, but he also fulfills that promise through his incarnation. In Galatians 3, Paul argues that Jesus Christ is the offspring of Abraham. Through faith in him all the families of the earth can participate in the promised blessing. In Galatians 3:27-29, Paul says,
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
So, what comfort can we draw from this? What is this blessed inheritance? It relates to a second event back at the very beginning of history, the creation of the garden of Eden. In Isaiah 51:3, the Servant says,
For the LORD comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.
The deepest comfort is found in the promise that creation itself will one day be restored to what it was like before Adam and Eve sinned. The curse that has plagued the earth since that time will be removed. There will be an ecological transformation, but that is not all. Sin and death will be defeated; suffering will be no more; and all who place their faith in Christ will experience true joy and gladness forever. So, we should look to this promised restoration as the ultimate source of comfort.
Righteousness
As beautiful as springtime is, it can also be very messy. It is muddy everywhere. You may not even realize when you step in it. But it sticks to your shoes and gets tracked into your house. It might even ruin your carpet.
Sin works a little bit like mud. Adam and Eve first put their feet in it in the garden of Eden, but they were fully aware of what they were doing. It stuck to them and got tracked everywhere. There was nothing that they could do to fix it. The perfect world that God created was ruined. The physical realities of sickness, suffering, and death all began with their spiritually and morally wrong decision.
So, the promised restoration of a perfect world can only happen when everything is made right, and the Servant promises that righteousness will be established. In Isaiah 51:4-5, he says,
Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples. My righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for me, and for my arm they wait.
Israel had known the Mosaic Law for around 700 years by this point, but they failed to keep it. Nevertheless, a law will be proclaimed beyond Israel to the peoples of the world. It will shine as a light, offering them the hope of true justice. Rather than fearing judgment they will wait eagerly for it because of a salvation that brings righteousness to them.
Here again, Jesus fulfills this prophecy. In his Sermon on the Mount, he reiterates many of the Law’s commandments, focusing on the heart rather than the legalistic rules of the Pharisees. He also says that he came to fulfill the Law, and his obedience has saving power. Paul explains this idea in Romans 5. He compares Adam and Christ and says in verse 19,
For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
The good news of the Gospel is that we receive the righteous standing of Christ as a gift when we place our faith in him. But the establishment of righteousness extends beyond the salvation of people. The world itself must be remade. So, in Isaiah 51:6, the Servant says,
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.
We find the same teaching in the New Testament. In 2 Peter 3:10-13, Peter speaks of the destruction of the present heavens and earth, so that a new heavens and earth will come in which righteousness dwells. The hope of having an inheritance there should comfort us and give us boldness in the face of opposition. In Isaiah 51:7-8, the Servant says,
Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.
So, when we suffer reproach, we have the comfort of this promise. The arm of the Lord ensures that righteousness wins.
Redemption
Many people use the word redemption to speak of something that you can do for yourself. They say that you redeem your reputation by trying hard to be a better person. But in the Bible, redemption often relates to slaves. They may not wear literal chains, but they have no freedom and no ability to change their situation. Their only hope is for a better master to purchase them.
The book of Exodus tells us how the people of Israel had been slaves in Egypt until God redeemed them. Rather than doing so through a financial transaction, he overcame their captors. Isaiah 51:9-10 refers back to that event. It is a response to the promises of restoration and righteousness, a prayer based upon the promise of redemption. The prophet says,
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? Was it not 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?
Rahab seems to be another name for Egypt. It is pictured like a powerful dragon slain by the mighty Arm of the Lord. Exodus tells us how he humbled the nation through a series of ten plagues that he brought upon them until the Pharaoh agreed to let the people of Israel go. Of course, the Pharaoh then changed his mind and pursued them with his army, but the Lord parted the Red Sea and allowed them to pass through on dry land.
So, if the Servant is the Arm of the Lord, as I have argued, then the Servant was the one performing the miraculous deeds of the Exodus. Isaiah prays for him to do it again, and that is what Jesus comes to do. But the battle plan is entirely different. He does not use overwhelming force to humble a physical enemy. Mark 10:45 tells us that he said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus came to bring about spiritual redemption. He claimed that we are slaves of sin (Jn 8:34). So, he died in our place as our Passover lamb. He parted the waters of judgment and condemnation, so that we can enter the ultimate Promised land. Isaiah foresees our arrival there. In Isaiah 51:11, he says,
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
The celebration described here is the same as that which is described back in verse 3. So, these three comforting promises are all inseparably linked. The restored heaven and earth free of sorrow and sighing is our destination. Righteousness describes both the character of it and the standard that we must meet to enter it. But since we are slaves of sin, we are shut out. It is only through the redeeming work of Christ that we can have the hope of everlasting joy.
In his grace, God offers righteousness and redemption to us as a gift that we receive by faith. In Romans 3:21-24, Paul explains,
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it--the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
You cannot be righteous enough to redeem yourself in God’s eyes. You cannot break the spiritual chains that bind you in sin. But Jesus offers to set us free and give us hope. Receive the gift of salvation and eternal life. What comfort is there while we wait for the culmination of redemption? The arm of the Lord makes a fourth promise.
Refuge
When you look out at the vastness of the universe or at desolate places here on earth, you might feel exposed and vulnerable. But if you know the Maker of all things, then you can and should find comfort in the enormity of his creation. It reminds us that his power transcends any threat that we might face.
This mighty God is the one who promises to be our refuge, so he is offended when we fear people more than him. In Isaiah 51:12-13, he says,
I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor?
Powerful earthly rulers may disrupt world affairs and cause great harm. But their lives are only a tiny blip in the overall scope of God’s work throughout history. They are like grass that sprouts up one day and withers the next. They cannot compare to the Maker of heaven and earth. We must keep our focus on him, rather than succumbing to the fear of men. He works through his power to meet practical needs. In verse 14, he says,
He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking.
As I have mentioned, Isaiah revealed that Jerusalem would fall to the Babylonians and be led away into exile. So, this verse probably has that experience in view. The Jewish people spent seventy years in exile. But during that time, the Lord did amazing things to protect his people. He miraculously preserved Daniel’s friends when they were cast into the fiery furnace. He kept Daniel safe in the lions’ den. He even sovereignly orchestrated the selection of Esther as queen of Persia, so that she could intervene before Jews were attacked throughout the empire. Ultimately, the Jews returned to the land and rebuilt Jerusalem.
In Isaiah 51:15-16, the Lord reiterates his power and describes what it means for his people. He says,
I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-- the LORD of hosts is his name. And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, 'You are my people.'"
The waves roar at his command. He is the Lord of hosts who commands angel armies. In his covenant promises, he commits himself to his chosen people. He gives them his words to guide them and covers them in the shadow of his hand. So, they can draw comfort in looking to him as their constant refuge.
Through faith in Christ, we enjoy that same connection with the Lord. In fact, this description of the Lord establishing the heavens and founding the earth applies to Jesus. Both Colossians 1:16 and Hebrew 1:2 say that he carried out the work of creation. So, we can and should look to him as our refuge and our sovereign protector.
Paul celebrates the power of comfort in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 by saying,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Don’t succumb to the fear of man. Look to the Lord for comfort. Trust him as your refuge. Believe that he holds your life in his hand.
__________
So, we find comfort in the Arm of the Lord fulfilling these great promises. He will one day restore the earth, so that there is no more sorrow or suffering. He will conquer sin and evil so that only righteousness remains. He redeems us from bondage to sin and provides constant refuge for us.
Do you have this kind of relationship with the Lord? If not, I urge you to make Christ your refuge. Trust in his redeeming work and believe in his promises. If you would like to learn more about how he comforts us, 2 Corinthians 1 would be a good place to read.
Perhaps you believe but have slipped into finding more immediate comfort elsewhere. While that may give you a temporary sense of relief, it will pass quickly. Plus, it sets you on a trajectory of ignoring God. He wants us to rely upon him. So, seek your comfort in Christ. Trust his promises and wait upon him. As you do, it prepares you to share Christ’s comfort with others.
May we find strength in his comfort!
Reflect
What sources do you look to for comfort? What are the weaknesses of those sources?
What practical steps could you take to seek your comfort in Christ?
In light of this passage, how should we seek to comfort others who are suffering?