The Unrelenting Favor of God

I. Introduction

Isa 49:8-26

Setting

Part of the last portion of Isaiah, focusing on the returning remnant after the Babylonian captivity.

Part of the second 9-chapter third of that last portion, focusing on the Messiah nearly exclusively.

Structure

This is the final loop through a pattern of statements about Messiah’s origin, calling and purpose, and response.

Segment 1: Isa 48:16-22

Segment 2: Isa 49:1-4

Segment 3: Isa 49:5-7

Segment 4: Isa 49:7-14

Origin: Vs 7, lies in God’s sovereignty. He has chosen Messiah.

Calling: Vs 8-12: Messiah will restore His people to their land.

Response: vs 13-14: Heaven and Earth rejoices in the declaration of God to restore and comfort his people, but Israel itself is still in disbelief.

VS 15-26 are God’s response to the response of his people.

II. Body

Vs 8-12:

God has declared (and can be relied upon to fulfill) a complete restoration of His people.

This will take place in his timing, in “The day of God’s favor.”

Looks back to the day of jubilee

Echoed in Ps 69:13 “But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.”

John the Baptist used this language of His day. Matt 3:2 ““Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””

Paul quotes this and references it to the age of the church

2 Cor 6:1-2 “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Ga 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

The exact timing of this prophecy is complicated.

Most proximal fulfillment in the return from captivity in 583 B.C., but this fails to meet many of the features of the text.

The ease of the return, unless take purely as hyperbole, was not realized by those under Ezra and Nehemiah.

Vs 12, Sinim: China. Not the DSS “Syene” in Egypt.

Greater, although not ultimate, fulfillment in 1946, with the creation of Israel.

More detail in following portion

Jews developed quite a settlement in China, especially in Shanghai, with three major waves of migration in the 8th, 13th, and 20th centuries. Population swelled during WWII, escaping from both Russia and Europe. Then, after the creation of the nation of Israel, nearly all of them moved to Israel. The first and only major exodus of Jews out of China.

Gentile nations paid for a facilitated the movement of Jews back to Palestine. Mountains and food resources for the journey were not an obstacle.

Ultimate fulfillment in the Millennium under King Jesus is yet in our future.

This imagery is specifically used of the end times Rev 7:9-17

Vs 13-14: Response:

The heavens and Earth rejoice at the declaration of the restoration of God’s people! His promises are “yes and amen,” and we can rejoice that what He has declared will come to pass.

God opened this section in Isa 40:1 calling the prophet to comfort his people. Here, creation declares that they have been comforted

Simeon likewise was able to rejoice in the comfort of His people represented in the arrival of Jesus as a baby, although it hadn’t yet been accomplished. Luke 2:25 “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”

However, it is the experience of those of us who live in time that His promises, while certain, might not come to pass in our lifetime.

Those receiving this promise would live to see the first restoration under Ezra, but they haven’t seen it yet, and they despair.

How easy it is to get lost in ourselves and forget the goodness and faithfulness of God.

Vs 15-26: God’s Response to Israel’s accusation.

God paints a picture of his love for his people as being stronger than that of a mother with her nursing child.

The child literally derives its life from its mother.

No mother with a soul could imagine discarding a nursing child. Horror of what our culture has done with motherhood through abortion and abuse.

Have you ever had an image so seared into your mind that you see it when you close your eyes? You dream about it frequently? Or you just can’t shake its appearance in your imagination? That’s how passionately God loves his people.

The walls of Jerusalem were in ruins when the people to whom this was written were waiting in captivity. The image “haunted” God. He longed for their restoration just as much, if not more intensely, as the people did.

Vs 17, “Your builders” is probably “your children.” Same consonants in Hebrew, just different vowel points. It fits the context better.

Those who cause the destruction (Babylonians original context) flee from the Jews (vs 17)? Not really. Ezra and Nehemiah did not return because of military conflict and victory. They returned because of permission from their overlords, who remained in power over them.

Vs 18, “Lift up your eyes,” and the reference to vast numbers of children echoes back to Gen 13:14-18.

Vs 18-23 talk about vast number of children coming back to a small piece of land and overcrowding the space. This isn’t what happened. About 50,000 people came back under Ezra and Nehemiah. They rolled around in the land, a drop in the bucket compared to the room they had.

Vs 22 declares the control God has over gentile nations, Echoed in other instances in Isa 5:26, and Isa 11:10-12.

Vs 23 and 26 both declare that, in response to this return, both Jews and Gentiles will worship God. Cyrus made a brief accolade of praise to Yahweh when he allowed the Jews to return, but he was in no way a convert or God-fearer.

Vs 7 and 22-23 Talk about gentile political powers actively bringing Jews home. That didn’t happen under Ezra or Nehemiah. They were permitted and funded, but they were not escorted.

Certainly, they did not receive the homage of Cyrus, as “licking hte dust of your feet” implies.

Again, Vs 24-26 speak of military conquest and of horrible conditions of gore and bloodshed leading up to the restoration of the Jews. This does not reflect Cyrus’s decree in any way.

This set of descriptors much better fits the return of the Jews after WWII.

Horrible bloody war preceded the liberation of the Jews.

The gentile nations actively took part in the resettlement of the land.

Nations that had once been indifferent to the plight of the Jews or had even been anti-semitic went out of their way to honor the people of God.

When they arrived in the land, it was too small for them. Their self-defense during the 6-day war tripled Israel in size.

The Jewish birth rate is currently twice that of American’s and Three times that of Europeans. All these children…

The degree of bloody deliverance and the radical expansion of the Jewish state will be even more intense in the final fulfillment of this prophecy. Rev 19:17-21.

Where We See Jesus

Firstly, Isa 49:1, 6, 7, and 26 all declare that the Gentiles will worship the God of the Jews because of the actions of the servant. Which other Jewish person has directed Gentiles all the world over to worship Yahweh? None but Jesus.

Also, it was largely Christian-dominant nations which created the Jewish state in 1946, so it was the servants of Jesus who brought this restoration about.

Most specifically, vs 15-16:

The wounds of Christ on his hands are an lasting memorial of His love for his people.

They persisted after his resurrection: John 20:27. Luke 24:39-40

They remain in heaven: Rev 5:6; Rev 12:11; Rev 13:8.

III. Conclusion/Application

The promises of God are reliable, but the timing is his own. Which promises are you still waiting on? How’s your perspective while you wait?

God did all of this for a nation that was not honoring him, and they still haven’t honored him rightly by worshipping His son. What does that tell us about God’s character?

God is able to control pagan gentile nations to do His will without fail. How does that influence how we see human government?