Isaiah 5.2

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Isaiah 41:1–7 ESV

1 Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment. 2 Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings underfoot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow. 3 He pursues them and passes on safely, by paths his feet have not trod. 4 Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he. 5 The coastlands have seen and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come. 6 Everyone helps his neighbor and says to his brother, “Be strong!” 7 The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good”; and they strengthen it with nails so that it cannot be moved.

The scene here in Isaiah 41 is of a cosmic courtroom, God is gathering the people—”let them approach, let us together draw near for judgment”—to bring a case and judgment against them. If the Lord is the Great one, the one who sits enthroned and is above all other powers and rulers (this is what we read in Chapter 40), Isaiah 41 is, in effect, giving a presentation of proof of God’s greatness.

It is not that God is great, in some nebulous sense, in some “Oh, he’s just the best!” kind of way. No, the presentation is that by some great cosmic standard, but some actual standard, He is the greatest, greater than all nations and any false God.

v. 2-4 give us, then, some of the evidence for why God can sit int his seat of cosmic judgment. What do we see in these verses? Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before him so that he tramples kings underfoot…who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first; I am he.

It is the great works of the Lord God then that are the evidence for His greatness above all else. He is the one who guides the nations, he brings nations to greatness and brings them to their fall. He raises up nations to overthrow other nations. We need not be anxious about the history of the world, for it is in the hand of God and is guided by Him.

Let’s look at v. 5-7—the coastlands (that sometimes gets translated “islands”) and it refers to the ends of the earth, the farthest reaches of civilization. To the ends of the earth, all are brought into this judgement and are afraid. And Isaiah has, in particular, in view here is false gods, man-made idols. There is a universal nervousness over this judgment, the people turn to one another—looking for someone to help—and then what emerges is the craftsman that make idols.

But the idols are weak, they cannot exceed their source: human skill, human approval (it is good), human stability (strengthened with nails and said that it cannot be moved). Any handmade idol, any false god then merely becomes a projection of our follies and weakness. Even though these false gods appear strong and mighty, they are weak like we are.

Think of the things we put our trust in and how fragile they are. Think of the ancient Egyptians in Exodus—they put theitr trust in their gods and their Pharaoh and their Empire. It seemed strong, it seemed mighty. But it was only as strong as Pharaoh’s faith in God—which is to say, quite weak.

That’s what’s in view—the weakness of manmade idols and the weakness of the nations of the world. And then we pivot to the next section in which see that Israel, Judah, God’s people, need not fear—

Isaiah 41:8–20 ESV

8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; 9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; 10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 11 Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. 12 You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. 13 For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” 14 Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. 15 Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge, new, sharp, and having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them, and you shall make the hills like chaff; 16 you shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest shall scatter them. And you shall rejoice in the Lord; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory. 17 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 18 I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. 19 I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together, 20 that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.

The focus shifts from the frightened people at the ends of the earth, terrified by the works of the Lord, to the people of God who are told that they need not fear anything because the Lord is with them.

And what sets these people apart? They are chosen by God. That’s v. 8-10. “Whom I have chosen,” not based on anything they did, not based on their work or their inherent goodness, but rather because God chose them. They were scattered to far places (this was Abraham before he was called; this was Israel when they were in Egypt; this will be Judah when they are in exile in Babylon) and yet God brought them back in as His chosen servant.

And we get this great declaration in Isaiah 41:10 “10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

The promise is that God is with them, that He is their God and that He is powerful to help them. This echoes the promises and lived-reality of those in the Exodus story. God promises His presence with His people—this alone should be enough to drive out all fear and dismay. It reminds me of what my three-year-old; sometimes from the other room, or even just across the same room: “Mom…mom! Mom!” What? We say, thinking she wants a snack or something, “I want you!” she says. I want you. Our presence—but usually her mother’s presence—is enough to eliminate any discomfort or worry she’s feeling in that moment.

So God promises His presence. He also promises that He is our God: He identifies with us. It’s not that he’s embarrassed by us, by His chosen people, No! He is proud to claim us as His own. It’s the opposite of a teenager being embarrassed by his parents and saying, “I don’t know them” to a friend at school.

No, God identifies with us. And if we have the God of the universe on our side, if God so identifies with us that we are His and He is our—who then can be against us? What could befall us?

And he promises to uphold us and strengthen us, a promise echoed from Isa. 40 last week.

The promises of God continue, in v. 11-12, God promises to deal with those who seek to the end of God’s people. Those who strive against God’s chosen, they will be dealt with by Him.

For us—consider: who is against you? What enemies does it feel like you face in the world today? Maybe individuals, but maybe you feel the concern of a world that seems so opposed to our faith and opposed to followers of Christ. Whether through people in power or influences in our culture, there seems to be a rising tide against the believer. And in other parts of the world it yet remains deadly to profess faith in Jesus Christ.

But the promise is this: no enemy in this world is ultimate, He is the one who helps us now and into the future.

Now let’s look at Isaiah 41:15 “15 Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge, new, sharp, and having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them, and you shall make the hills like chaff;” God’s presence and transforming work in even the lowly Judah, is making them into a Threshing Sledge—

God transforms weak, insignificant Israel into a powerful instrument—a threshing board that symbolically crushes great mountains1. This is profoundly good news because it represents a dramatic reversal of Israel’s circumstances during exile.

The significance operates on multiple levels. First, a threshing sledge was a wooden platform with sharp stones or metal embedded on the underside, used to separate grain from the stalk1. The “mountains” represent the scope of the problem facing Israel1—enemies that seemed insurmountable. By becoming a threshing sledge, Israel gains the capacity to overcome what appeared impossible.

However, the deeper significance lies in what this metaphor reveals about Israel’s role. A threshing sledge was an instrument in the farmer’s hands, and its effectiveness depended on the power and skill of the one who wielded it—making this much more a statement about what God will make them and what he will do with them than about what they themselves will achieve2. Israel isn’t becoming militarily powerful through their own strength; rather, God is using them as His instrument.

Furthermore, a threshing sledge was an instrument for separating corn from chaff, and “threshing” is a metaphor for judgment2. God still holds the nations accountable for how they treat his people, and the surviving remnant of Israel remains the touchstone by which the nations will be judged2. Israel fulfills this role simply by existing as God’s people in the world.

This is good news because it assures exiled Israel that despite their present weakness and captivity, they retain their significance and calling. These vivid metaphors communicate a powerful message of hope and victory over formidable problems, relating to the victory God would bring over both their physical enemies and the psychological enemy of powerlessness.

And then Isa. 41:17-20, are that beautiful picture of God seeing the needs of His people and promising to meet them.

Now let’s finish the chapter, Isaiah 41:21-29

Isaiah 41:21–29 ESV

21 Set forth your case, says the Lord; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. 22 Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come. 23 Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified. 24 Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you. 25 I stirred up one from the north, and he has come, from the rising of the sun, and he shall call upon my name; he shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay. 26 Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know, and beforehand, that we might say, “He is right”? There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your words. 27 I was the first to say to Zion, “Behold, here they are!” and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news. 28 But when I look, there is no one; among these there is no counselor who, when I ask, gives an answer. 29 Behold, they are all a delusion; their works are nothing; their metal images are empty wind.

The idol gods are summoned to the cosmic court and the Lord Himself will testify. Look at the structure here. The idols are summoned and are asked if they could tell the future: do they know what is going to come, the outcome. Tell us what is to come that we know you are gods.

They cannot.

But the Lord can, this v. 26-27.

The whole point of this section is summed up in v. 24, the futility of idols and then the plight of their followers: v. 28-29 “they are all a delusion…their works are nothing.”

Now I want us to see how this court case is framed in the writing. Notice the wor “behold!” Behold, the idols are ntohing (v. 24) and then v. 29: “Look! Behold” these pathetic idolaters, they are delusional.

I point that out because that becomes our link to the next chapter, Isaiah 42:1 “1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”

Look! My servant. Isa. 42:1 and the introduction of the Lord’s servant might seem unexpected, but it appropriate for it is his answer to the plight of this world, idol worshippers deluded in their thinking and lost in darkness.

Let’s look at the passage: Isa. 42:1-4

Isaiah 42:1–4 ESV

1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.

What is the ministry of this servant? His ministry of justice to the nations, the whole world. Justice that will be established permanently—even in the coastlands, those farflung places that represent the ends of the earth!

Now, at this moment in our reading of Isaiah, Judah as a people group have been referred to as “the servant of the Lord,” so we are probably to read it as such—that Judah, or the seed of Judah will establish this justice. Of course, this passage in particular has was applied to directly to Jesus—Matt. 12:18-20. So we want to track how Isaiah now develops the theological theme of the servant of the Lord over the next few chapters.