Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Tone of specific sentences
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Text
Lesson
Verses 1-7 -
The coastlands (same word as isles in chapter 40) refer to the islands and coastal areas of the Mediterranean - used as a metaphor for the whole of the Gentile world.
The idea could be one of two things -
First - “let them bring their strongest arguments and get ready for my judgment and we will see who prevails” (Henry, Young)
OR - Let them come to me and join with my people.
Let’s reason together and allow me to strengthen you
I lean towards the second - an invitation to come to God for mercy and judgment.
“Draw near” is an invitation for mercy.
The events about to unfold are not random, but the work of the sovereign creator.
Who can withstand his will?
He is calling one from the east - nameless now, but revealed in just a few chapters.
Cyrus
He will crush the nations and will be the sword of God’s righteous wrath against Babylon and her cruelty.
Verse 4 - God’s sovereignty, immutability and eternity.
God is the one not only calling Cyrus, but he has called every generation and governed their affairs from the very beginning, and will do so until the very end.
Nothing can take God’s creation away from his hands.
The echo of Yahweh’s name - I he - the eternal present.
Past, present and future all combined into the eternal present.
There is no succession of moments with God.
John ascribes these same words to Jesus:
But the nations, although they saw God’s hand in history, did not turn to him.
Did not bow before him.
Instead, they built bigger and fancier idols (verses 5-7)
Verses 8-13 - the victorious servant
This foolishness is contrasted with the people of God, the Servant, the Chosen race
The key here is the “descendents of Abraham” my friend.
Abraham had many descendents, but in Isaac was his seed called.
That is, true Israel, the true servant of God, are those with the faith of Abraham.
Even in Isaiah’s day, those who were cut off and destroyed by Assyria, and later Babylon, rejected the promise.
Not believing, and so they were cut off.
So these promises are not given to those who simply have the DNA of Abraham, but those who have the faith of Abraham
Does this mean that the promise to Abraham and his seed are worthless?
Certainly not.
The heart of the Christian faith is that Christ is the True servant, the Israel of God, the firstborn, the righteous son sought by God.
HE is the true seed of Abraham.
And all those who believe on his name are grafted into him, married to him, one flesh with him.
And therefore heirs of Abraham.
Which is why Matthew starts with a genealogy…BTW
Ultimately, this is the fulfillment of these promises, and so they are very relevant to us today, the people of God with the faith of Abraham.
That being said, let’s look at it from the perspective of the time.
The nations worship stone and metal that they have to fasten together to get it to stand up.
But God’s people are held up by God, not the other way around.
Servant -
Chosen one
Descendants of Abraham, my lover
Isaiah is looking ahead through the decades and seeing God at work, gathering his people together from all over the world.
He gathers them for a purpose - they are his Servant.
And they will be fitted, strong enough, equipped perfectly to do what God has called them to do.
BUT - they are not originals.
The people of God don’t set their own destiny, don’t protect themselves, don’t prolong or gather themselves.
They are the servant of God - with a divine calling, a divine mandate and divine commission.
And as they do the work of the Great Sovereign King, they are under his protection and provision, and he will help them and give them the strength and the ability to do exactly what he is calling them to do.
The Servant’s enemies will be driven away.
He will be completely victorious.
His enemies will be counted as nothing.
Verses 14-16 - the transformed worm
The worm - Isaac Watts popularized the idea of “worm” in his hymn “Alas, and did my savior die”.
Watts uses the term to refer to his comparative worth, a creature of dust and a sinner at that.
But too often, the term is used in a way that almost denies the image of God in mankind.
Isaiah had just exalted Israel - the church of God, chosen, loved, strengthened, empowered by God, victorious.
The term “worm” here refers to strength.
The tiny worm is compared to the huge mountains.
Remember the obstacles in chapter 40 - every mountain and hill made low?
When you face those mountains and those hills it can get quite overwhelming.
It is too much for me.
I can’t do it.
Isaiah says this feeling is like an earthworm looking at the Sierra Nevadas and given the task of eating through it…an impossible task.
Our redemption is impossible.
We can never overcome our sins.
We cannot win this battle.
We don’t have the strength.
We are like the worm in front of a huge mountain range.
don’t be afraid!!
And don’t forget that you have a maker who loves you, who is your strength.
He has far more strength than you can even imagine.
He will transform you to conquer mountains.
He will give you teeth enough to thresh whatever obstacles are in your way.
But here is something crucial - the “you” is singular.
It refers to the whole people of God, seen as one, as the body of Christ.
Our victory is as the body of Christ.
We are all together in this.
This is what Paul is referring to in I Corinthians 12
Individually, we have gifts given to us by God himself.
We are called, gathered, united to Christ, filled with his spirit - strengthened and protected and held by his powerful hand.
And nothing can stop us from fulfilling our purpose as his servant.
Look at Paul, who took this designation on himself
A servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A servant is one with the authority and power of the one who sent him.
He does not have any of his own.
And Isaiah is not talking about clergy.
He is talking about the body of Christ, of which we are all members, gathered together.
And we face so many obstacles, we are overwhelmed, the future seems blocked and it often seems like we are in exile.
And the Cyrus comes along and we say, Great.
Now what?
Instead of building idols seeking to protect ourselves, we are to change our view of Cyrus.
He is a speck in the hands of God.
But YOU are God’s servant.
Strengthened, redeemed, protected, and powerful.
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