“Wake up, wake up! Put on the strength of the Lord’s power. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of long ago. Wasn’t it You who hacked Rahab to pieces, who pierced the sea monster? Wasn’t it You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the sea-bed into a road for the redeemed to pass over? And the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with singing, crowned with unending joy. Joy and gladness will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee. I — I am the One who comforts you. Who are you that you should fear man who dies, or a son of man who is given up like grass? But you have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You are in constant dread all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, who has set himself to destroy. But where is the fury of the oppressor? The prisoner is soon to be set free; he will not die and go to the Pit, and his food will not be lacking. For I am Yahweh your God who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar — His name is Yahweh of Hosts.” (Isaiah 51:9-15 HCSB)
I did not include the full text of this week’s focal passage above due to length, but I would encourage you to go read it in its entirety – Isaiah 51:9 – 52:12.
Some mornings when that alarm sounds I just don’t want to get out of bed. I would rather turn it off, roll over and go back to sleep. Especially, this Sunday morning when we switch again from Central Standard Time to Central Daylight Saving Time. Yawn… the loss of another hour of sleep and the struggle to adjust to that hour difference between CST and CDT. Oh, I enjoy having a bit more sunlight in the evenings but it’s still a challenge to adjust to the change. I’m certain you probably have morning like that, too.
In this week’s passage, God’s people seem to think that He’s the one who has overslept and is need of a new alarm clock. “Wake up, wake up! Put on the strength of the LORD’s power. Wake up as in days past, as in generations long ago.” Then there are reminders of God’s past work on behalf of His people through the Exodus. The references to “Rahab” the sea monster and making the sea-bed into a road are referencing Egypt and the Red Sea crossing of the Exodus. But don’t miss the clear indication that it is the LORD who enabled His people to “pass over” these hindrances as He led them to redemptive freedom through His power.
Now we turn to the present, “the redeemed of the LORD will return and come to Zion with singing, crowned with unending joy.” But this is where we often stumble and it is where many of the Jews stumbled over God’s promise. They thought that the fulfillment of God’s promise would be found in their efforts of rebuilding and restoring the city and the Temple. All that’s really needed for their personal happiness is the restoration of their homeland, their city, their fortunes and their worship rituals.
But peace, real and lasting peace, is the abiding presence of the LORD and not the absence of external conflict or realization of personal goals and dreams. God quickly reminds them of that reality…
“I, only I am the One who comforts you. Who are you that you should fear man who dies, or a son of man who is given up like grass? But you have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth.” This is NOT just a reminder of who the LORD is, but also a reminder of who we are as His people. The only One who can comfort and bring what we need and desire, truly desire deep down in our hearts, is the LORD God. Everything else is just a cheap substitute that leaves us longing for the real thing – Him. Ultimately, we know this to be true. We see it acted out in our lives every day. We never find satisfaction in the “things” we get and gather around us, we only find it in the real, loving relationships we develop and cling to.
But the other side of this is just as important to note. We must never be defined by our circumstances, failures, struggles and judgments we face. We are defined by the God who loves us and works to restore us to Himself. Notice how He says this, “who are you that you should fear man who dies, or a son of man who is given up like grass?” The Apostle Paul puts it this way: “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is [can stand] against us?” (Romans 8:31 HCSB) If you are His, then you are who God has made you to be, His beloved. Don’t be afraid, you belong to Him.
But how will God accomplish this? If God is the only One who can comfort us and bring about our redemption, then how can it possibly be achieved through human worship? It CAN’T, and that’s really the point. God explains, “For I am Yahweh your God who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar — His name is Yahweh of Hosts. I have put My words in your mouth, and covered you in the shadow of My hand, in order to plant the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, “You are My people.” God takes full responsibility and direct personal accountability for our redemption.
God can’t leave it up to us to achieve our own redemption because we continually fail in our attempts at obedience. Even our attempts at worship fall short of God’s glory (see Rom. 3:23). So, if we are unable to even worship without sin then how could we possibly achieve or even contribute to our own redemption? Who will accomplish this for us, who can rescue us? God told us, it is His Servant – the one who speaks His Word, is in the shadow of His hand, who plants the heavens and founds the earth and says to Zion, “You are My people.” God’s not asleep, He’s been hard at work bringing the redemption His people so desperately need.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men… He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-4, 10-14 HCSB)
Now the tables are turned and God calls for His people to wake up! They’re the ones who have been sleeping through His redemptive work. God’s people have been made to drink the cup of God’s wrath – all the way down to the dregs. The people stagger, not from drunkenness but from the full brunt of God’s righteous judgment. But God is removing the cup of His fury from their hand and placing it in the hand of their oppressors, their tormentors. You’ll recall from our previous studies, God’s righteous judgment is never intended to destroy us. It calls us to confession and leads us into contrition. It compels us to repent while falling at His feet, clinging desperately to His grace.
God will absolutely judge our sin but He never leaves us without the hope of His redemption.
Next, God’s people are again called to “wake up!” When doing so, they are to put on their strength and beautiful garments – strength found in their covenant relationship with God and righteous obedience to His word. Are you confused by my reference to their covenant relationship and obedience to God’s word? Notice the contrasting phrase, “for the uncircumcised and the unclean will no longer enter you.” The only people who are a part of God’s covenant promise are those in covenant relationship with Him and walking in obedience to His will and word. Or, as we stated last week, those who pursue righteousness and seek His face.
Now God’s people are not only to wake up, they are to stand up, shake off the dust and remove the bonds or shackles from their neck. In other words, they’re no longer slaves so they are to stop looking like, acting like and living like slaves. That might seem odd, at first. But we Christians often live like we are still slaves to sin. God wants us to see ourselves for who we really are, redeemed children of the Holy God, and to live as such. “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16 HCSB)
God continues, “you were sold for nothing [no money], and you will be redeemed without silver [no money].” This reference may be hard to understand, until you consider the subsequent verses. When the family of Joseph sought refuge in Egypt, they were invited and welcomed by the Pharaoh. But then a pharaoh who didn’t know Joseph came to power and the Israelites were enslaved “for nothing”. God redeemed them from slavery, but not without cost. Each family had to sacrifice a spotless lamb to “pass over” from slavery and death to freedom and life. “You were sold for nothing, and you will be redeemed without silver.”
How will God redeem us from our slavery to sin and death. We were sold for nothing, will we be redeemed without silver? Absolutely! Listen: “Therefore My people will know My name; therefore they will know on that day that I am He who says: Here I am.” (Isaiah 52:6 HCSB) Here I AM! This is huge! God declares, on that day they will know that I am He who says: Here I am! Did you catch that? God is not only fully present and participative in our redemption, He IS our redemption. We are not bought by silver, we are bought by His blood!
“For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.” (1 Peter 1:18-19 HCSB)
Isn’t that amazing grace! We were not sold into slavery with silver and gold, so we cannot be redeemed by it. We can only be redeemed by something much, much more precious, His priceless blood shed for us. God didn’t just participate in our redemption, He IS our redemption. He gave His one and only Son to buy us out of slavery to our sin. “I am He who says: HERE I AM.” God Himself becoming the sacrifice needed to redeem us from our own rebellion towards Him. We rejected Him and sold ourselves into slavery, but He doesn’t abandon us. He buys us back through a costly sacrifice, His own blood.
Finally, “how beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” God not only does everything necessary to redeem us, He also sends the one who tells us about it. I am so thankful for my parents, my grandmother, my childhood pastor and church Bible teachers who taught me about God and His love for me. I’m so grateful to my dad who took me with him on many ministry adventures and showed me a life transformed by God’s Good News.
Maybe you had someone like that in your life. If so, follow their example and tell someone else. Be a herald who proclaims peace, who brings good news, shouts salvation and declares, “Your God reigns!” Be a watchman with eyes focused on the sky, prepared to shout for joy when you see Him return. And be joyful, rejoicing together even in the midst of your struggles because you know that the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem – the people of God.
Never be a man set free living like he’s still a slave. Put on your strength, put on your beautiful garments, stand up, shake off the dust and tell someone else what God has done for you!
Be holy, because I AM HOLY says the LORD.
Hilltop Baptist Church - Shawnee, OK 