Isaiah 51:1-3

Isaiah 51:1–3 NIV84

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many. The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

Whose words are these?

So many times we want a word from the Lord yet when we get it, we do not do the righteousness He calls us to do. Instead we do have the attitude, okay what is in it for me?

What are the qualifications of of those who are called to listen?

Pursue and Seek. Both express determination and commitment.

Pursuing:

Hosea 6:3 NIV84

Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”

Proverbs 21:21 NIV84

He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.

Seeking:

Deuteronomy 4:29 NIV84

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Pursue righteousness and seek the Lord.

Isaiah then continues with the words of the the Lord. We need to look at the rock from which we are cut and the quarry from which we are hewn.

The first thing I see here that a reminder of the fact that we are made in the image of God. There are a couple of things that are associated with this. A rock is solid. It does not change. Yet a rock that is carved out and shaped reminds me of the fact that we are hardened in sin but grace reshapes us and gives us purpose.

The Lord wants His hearers to be reminded of Abraham and Sara, not to focus on the miracle of overcoming the barrenness they experienced, but what the Lord can do. There was one, now there are many.

Isaiah 51:3 NIV84

The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

What a promise!

The place where no life exits becomes flowing with life.

A right is given in a garden restored.

Revelation 2:7 NIV84

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

This Isaiah passage foreshadows Revelation 21:1-5

Revelation 21:1–5 NIV84

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Look what happens here......deserts like Eden, wastelands like the garden of the Lord.

When the Lord makes things new, joy and gladness will be found as well as thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

WORSHIP happens!

Are you worshiping?