Isa 51:9-16 | KingComments | STEP | The preceding call to listen with the promise of salvation must have awakened in the hearts of the faithful a longing for the promised salvation ( ). They know that the arm of the LORD can work it. That is why they call upon Him to awaken in order to come to their aid. Here they ask for the revelation of His arm ( ), His power ( ). Did not His arm knock down Pharaoh and his gang? Rahab is not only a poetic name for Egypt, but is also the monstrous power behind Egypt ( ). The dragon refers to Pharaoh as the instrument of satan. The LORD then delivered His people and dried up the sea as a way of escape ( ). This remembrance of the deliverance in the past and the certainty of the deliverance in the future bring to the triple exclamation to the arm of the LORD to awaken. Rahab is a picture of the beast in the future ( ) with the dragon (satan) in the background ( ). But the LORD will help Israel ( ). It is good for the believer to remember the former mercies of the Lord. It is also necessary not only to occupy oneself with the past, but to let the power of hope do its cleansing work. This dual approach – of past and future – provides the power to pray, not only for deliverance, but above all for what serves the glory of God. This will provide an answer from God’s side that will far exceed the expectation of salvation.

‏ Isaiah 51:9-16

Call for Intervention of the LORD

The preceding call to listen with the promise of salvation must have awakened in the hearts of the faithful a longing for the promised salvation (Isa 51:9). They know that the arm of the LORD can work it. That is why they call upon Him to awaken in order to come to their aid. Here they ask for the revelation of His arm (Isa 51:5), His power (Isa 53:1). Did not His arm knock down Pharaoh and his gang?

Rahab is not only a poetic name for Egypt, but is also the monstrous power behind Egypt (Psa 87:4 ; Psa 89:10). The dragon refers to Pharaoh as the instrument of satan. The LORD then delivered His people and dried up the sea as a way of escape (Isa 51:10). This remembrance of the deliverance in the past and the certainty of the deliverance in the future bring to the triple exclamation to the arm of the LORD to awaken. Rahab is a picture of the beast in the future (Rev 13:1-8) with the dragon (satan) in the background (Rev 12:3-5). But the LORD will help Israel (Rev 12:6).

It is good for the believer to remember the former mercies of the Lord. It is also necessary not only to occupy oneself with the past, but to let the power of hope do its cleansing work. This dual approach – of past and future – provides the power to pray, not only for deliverance, but above all for what serves the glory of God. This will provide an answer from God’s side that will far exceed the expectation of salvation.

The Secure Future for God’s People

What follows in this verse is scarcely surpassed in Scripture in the beauty of the language and in the benevolence of the assurance given to God’s people regarding their future. It all speaks gloriously of the millennial blessing that will be enjoyed by Israel. This prospect is magnified and strengthened by the review of the trials and sufferings in which they have been.

In the midst of the great tribulation, the remnant will sing in faith a song of praise, even before the enemy is broken. It is reminiscent of King Jehoshaphat singing a song of praise before the enemy is defeated by the LORD (2Chr 20:21-22) and of Paul and Silas singing a song of praise before the earthquake and salvation come (Acts 16:25-26). Thus it is with the even more glorious prospect that we may enjoy as members of the church. Our present experiences of deep trials and tribulation are relieved by hope, a hope that ‘softens every sorrow’.

The LORD Is for His People

These verses continue in another way the comfort given by the LORD. Many of His people are in fear of the oppressor (Babylon). No doubt, the oppression of the antichrist, the man of sin in the coming day (2Thes 2:3-4), in the time of “Jacob’s distress,” will have the same effect. At that time, this section seems to apply particularly. But if the man of sin is there, the LORD is also there with His comfort. That is why He speaks of Himself as “He who comforts you” (Isa 51:12). If so, why would they be afraid of a mortal man?

The tyranny of the antichrist will be short-lived. The LORD has always had His own manner and time for the deliverance of His earthly people. Fear is the cause of God being forgotten (Isa 51:13). Awareness of the presence and power of the LORD is the sufficient repellent of fear. Again and again the LORD reminds Israel that He is their Maker and that with His power He has extended the heavens and founded the earth. Why, then, should they always fear the threat of the oppressor, even when he is after their destruction?

The oppressor, Babylon, will soon be defeated by Cyrus, the Persian. Then the prisoners will be set free (Isa 51:14). This is the imminent deliverance from the Babylonian exile. This prophecy will also have its ultimate fulfillment when the Jews will be delivered in the future from the suffering of the nations because of the beast and the antichrist and they will return to their land in acknowledgment of their Savior Messiah. Here again we can see Cyrus as a picture of Christ Who will come as Victor.

The LORD shows that He has the power to do this by pointing out that He raises the sea that therefore is in His power (Isa 51:15). It is the picture of the sea of the nations that is raging against His people, which also refers to the beast coming up out of the sea (Rev 13:1). Like the literal sea, He can also silence the nations (Psa 65:7; Isa 17:12-13). In the end time, the Lord Jesus will judge all nations and silence them through His personal intervention at His appearance.

Isa 51:16 tells how the Jews will become messengers of the LORD. They will proclaim the gospel of the kingdom (Mt 24:14). He has put His words in their mouths – prophetically the perfect tense is used here (cf. Mt 10:19-20). The result of their preaching can be seen in the conversion of many Jews (Rev 7:1-8) and many of the nations (Rev 7:9-17).

He will cover them with the shadow of His hand, as He did with the Messiah (Isa 49:2). He does not only do this to protect them, but also to make them fit for the purpose He has in mind. That purpose is to bring heaven and earth into a state where His kingdom of righteousness and peace can be established and His people will truly be His people. Then the forces of nature, both of heaven and of earth, will no longer be used to carry out the Divine judgments, as has so often been the case and will still be before the Lord appears in glory.

The messenger of the gospel of grace proclaimed today may apply these words to himself in the certainty that the Lord will also put His words in his mouth. He is a messenger of the Lord with the Lord’s message. “To establish the heavens” means to effect a state of heavenly blessing. This happens when the gospel is accepted. “To found the earth” means laying a foundation of righteousness on which the life of faith can develop.

The testimony of the messenger is only reliable and effective if he clings to the truth of Scripture. Also, the bringer of the gospel may know himself under His protection, covered under the shadow of His hand.