Truth Worth Hearing - Isaiah 51

Copyright July 24, 2022 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

There is a great deal of noise in the world today and a seemingly endless amount of information thrown at us. There are documentaries, news shows, YouTube videos, newspapers, podcasts, books to read, and even books to listen to. It is impossible to be “up” on all the information there is.

This leaves us with a choice: what information do we pay attention to, and what information do we push to the side? Today we venture into a very rich chapter in Isaiah, chapter 51. In this chapter, we are exhorted to listen 5 times and told to “wake up” two times (or 4 times if you count the repeats for emphasis)! It appears, Israel had a hearing problem. I suspect we are all struggling with a hearing problem.

One commentator writes,

Why do we have ears on the outside of our heads? Why not on the inside? Because we’re not supposed to listen to ourselves. I wonder how much of our misery stems from our almost religious devotion to our own thoughts and feelings. . .We spend every moment of our entire lives within a mental universe. The quality of that environment matters. Are our ears open to the in-flowing blessing of God? Do we understand what it means to listen to God?[1]

In this passage, God also uses the word “my” 14 times. In each of these statements, we see a contrast between the Lord and the world around us. Together, the calls to listen, combined with the “my” statements, tell us some things we need to hear and absorb that have to do with our relationship with Him. Let’s look at the first two verses,

1 “Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance—

all who seek the Lord!

Consider the rock from which you were cut,

the quarry from which you were mined.

2 Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor,

and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation.

Abraham was only one man when I called him.

But when I blessed him, he became a great nation.”

Remember How You Got Here (1-2)

To Israel, God says, “Remember your history. Remember that I am the God who formed you from Abraham, rescued you from Egypt and have been defending and developing you ever since those times. I believe God says the same thing to us: Remember how you got here. Remember how you came to be part of God’s family.

We are not children of God because we have worked hard for this privilege. We belong to Him because of the sacrifice of our Lord and the transforming power of His Spirit. Anytime we start to drift into the “I have to earn this” mode, we set ourselves up for failure, frustration, and at times pride and arrogance. This is a constant danger. We must continually preach the gospel to ourselves lest we forget that we are saved by God’s grace and not our performance.

Our default position is to think we must somehow earn or “be worthy of” salvation. Satan will always try to get us to think in terms of performance. To do so is to open us up to doubt, leading us to be tentative about our lives. Everything necessary for salvation was accomplished on the cross. The blood and suffering of our Lord was payment for our sin!

God calls us to believe His word and turn to Him for forgiveness and new life. He calls us to depend COMPLETELY on Him. This is the message of the gospel. When we feel uncertain we must remind ourselves that we are not saved because we are good but because God is gracious.

A Day of Judgment is Coming (4-6)

4 “Listen to me, my people.

Hear me, Israel,

for my law will be proclaimed,

and my justice will become a light to the nations.

5 My mercy and justice are coming soon.

My salvation is on the way.

My strong arm will bring justice to the nations.

All distant lands will look to me

and wait in hope for my powerful arm.

6 Look up to the skies above,

and gaze down on the earth below.

For the skies will disappear like smoke,

and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing.

The people of the earth will die like flies,

but my salvation lasts forever.

My righteous rule will never end!

Notice that the Lord says, “Listen to me” and then says, “Hear me.” Whenever the Old Testament repeats something like this it is putting it into bold print and underlining it! It is as if it is saying, “Pay extra attention to what is about to be said.”

We are told God’s justice will be a light to the nations. In other words, God will ALWAYS do what is right and just. We are also told to remember that the Lord WILL bring justice to those who spurn Him. In other words, God will make sure people feel the consequences of their choices. His justice, salvation, and mercy are all “on the way.” The Day of Judgment is coming on the world. We must never make the mistake of thinking, “Because God’s Judgment has not come yet . . . it is not coming.” The delay in his judgment is out of mercy, not indifference. By waiting to bring judgment, God has made it possible for you and me to be saved.

Here is why this is important: when we sense people are ‘getting away with things’ we are tempted to follow them in their sin and shortcuts. That is a foolish choice. We must never presume upon His mercy. We do that when we act like there will be no consequence to sinful behavior. In 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 Paul wrote,

So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

Paul talks about “giving an account.” We should never give up our pursuit of holy living (living in a way that honors God) because we feel it is “not doing any good.” God alone is the One who casts the final vote, He will separate the true followers from the pretenders. You can count on it.

Keep Doing What is Right (7-8)

7 “Listen to me, you who know right from wrong,

you who cherish my law in your hearts.

Do not be afraid of people’s scorn,

nor fear their insults.

8 For the moth will devour them as it devours clothing.

The worm will eat at them as it eats wool.

But my righteousness will last forever.

My salvation will continue from generation to generation.”

The Lord speaks to those who are trying to be faithful in their discipleship . . . those who are taking the commandments of God not as suggestions but as divine direction. It seems the Lord takes as a given, the fact that when we live for Him, we will be going against the current of the world around us.

His counsel to us is to stay the course; keep doing what is right. Our opponents can and will insult and ridicule us. The WOKE culture of today despises the Bible-preaching churches. Why? Because we are not in lockstep with them! We refer to men and women, we hold traditional views of marriage, we believe in Heaven and Hell, we believe we are sinful people in need to grace, we believe in absolute truth, and we proclaim Jesus as the only way to eternal life. All of these things fly in the face of the culture around us. The Lord says, “Don’t give up. Keep striving for the life God has given to us!”

Imagine what would happen if someone learning a sport gave up on practicing because it didn’t seem to be doing any good. Or what if someone was learning to play an instrument or to draw or start to exercise, and they said it “wasn’t doing any good”? In all of these things we must persevere. If we give up, there is no way to reach our goals. The same is true for our life in Him.

We face a formidable foe. The Devil wants nothing more than to get us to profess faith and then live as if we had no faith. That way, others will turn away from the message of Christ because they will conclude it doesn’t really make any difference in a person’s life. You can talk all you want to your friends and families about the joy of walking with Jesus but if they don’t see you actually walking with Him . . . they can quickly dismiss your words.

We don’t serve God because it is a chore! We serve Him because it is a delight, a privilege to honor Him. We keep doing what is right not to earn salvation but BECAUSE we are saved! We have the joy to honor Him with our lives. We keep doing what is right because we know it is the best way to live even if everyone else is choosing a different course.

Know Where to Turn in Times of Trouble (12-13)

12 “I, yes I, am the one who comforts you.

So why are you afraid of mere humans,

who wither like the grass and disappear?

13 Yet you have forgotten the Lord, your Creator,

the one who stretched out the sky like a canopy

and laid the foundations of the earth.

Will you remain in constant dread of human oppressors?

Will you continue to fear the anger of your enemies?

Notice that we have another repetition here. In Hebrew, there are two “I’s” right next to each other. It is that emphasis that the New Living Translation does a good job of drawing our attention to it. The point is: our comfort does not come from the circumstances of life. It is not in solid relationships. It is not from money, or the “people you know.” Our comfort is to be found in the Lord! He is the One who holds us and defends us. In John 6:39-40 Jesus said,

39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.

If we remember that we are His because He chose us, we will be better able to handle the trials that could otherwise overwhelm us,

· Criticism from people for doing what is right.

· Health struggles that make you feel frustrated.

· Work pressures that seem rto consume your life.

· Loneliness that threatens to squeeze the life out of you.

· Family issues (caring for an elderly parent or a wayward child).

· Depression that makes you want to give up.

God asks, “Why are you afraid of mere humans?” He is the Lord over all creation. Hide yourself in Him! In the times of struggle, He will give us strength . . . if we trust Him.

When I first started to exercise in the mornings, Debbie gave me a framed poster to put on the wall. It says, “It doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger.” I look at it every day. It is not just true about exercise; it is also true about our walk with Christ. He doesn’t promise us an easy road, He promises that He will be with us for the entire journey.

Learn from Your Mistakes and Make Better Choices (9-10; 17-20)

I think we can understand verses 17-20 until we go back to verses 9-10.

9 Wake up, wake up, O Lord! Clothe yourself with strength!

Flex your mighty right arm!

Rouse yourself as in the days of old

when you slew Egypt, the dragon of the Nile.

10 Are you not the same today,

the one who dried up the sea,

making a path of escape through the depths

so that your people could cross over?

In verse 9, the people cried for Godto “Wake up, Wake up!” they felt He was falling asleep on the job. In verse 17 God responded. “I have been awake the entire time. It is not me that needs to wake up, it is you.” He continued showing that their condition is not a result of God’s indifference, but the result of their sin. It isn’t because God is doing nothing, it is because He is allowing Israel to be judged, to live with the consequences of their choices.

17 Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem!

You have drunk the cup of the Lord’s fury.

You have drunk the cup of terror,

tipping out its last drops.

18 Not one of your children is left alive

to take your hand and guide you.

19 These two calamities have fallen on you:

desolation and destruction, famine and war.

And who is left to sympathize with you?

Who is left to comfort you?

20 For your children have fainted and lie in the streets,

helpless as antelopes caught in a net.

The Lord has poured out his fury;

God has rebuked them.

In verses 17 to the end of the chapter, the Lord is telling the people to make better choices! He is saying, “Look at the mess you are in. Learn from your mistakes!” It is great counsel! We need to stop blaming God! In fact, we need to stop blaming everyone else and stand up and take responsibility for our own lives. It is time to stop blaming the government, our parents, the school system, our spouse, or the media. It is time to stop feeling like victims and begin living like children of the King.

God calls us to confess our failures rather than blame those failures on others. Instead of whining to other people, He challenges us to come honestly to Him. If we are willing to see what we need to change, He will show us.

We make decisions every day. Each decision has consequences. God calls us to follow Him one decision at a time. EVERY significant decision we make either declares our trust in Him or it denies Him.

Conclusions

I began the message by stating there are many voices clamoring for our attention. We must choose what voice we are going to listen to. Will we listen to the voice of the desires within us? The voice of the culture around us? The voices of modern authors and performers? The best choice is to listen to the message God has given us in Isaiah 51. Today He told us to listen to some simple wisdom.

1. Don’t forget how you got here. Remember the grace of God that has made you into a child of God. You belong to the King of Kings. Don’t forget it. Trust Him to be true to His Word

2. Remember that a Day of Judgment is coming. What we do now matters for eternity. Resist the temptation to take shortcuts.

3. Keep doing what is right. Don’t become weary in doing good. Don’t give up simply because things are hard. Don’t let the bullies control your life. Don’t give in to Satan’s attempts to water down your faith and rob you of joy.

4. Remember where to turn in times of trouble. Anywhere else we look for comfort is going to disappoint us. Only the Lord can lead us to where we want to be.

5. Learn from your Mistakes and Make Wise Choices. Your enjoyment of life is largely the result of the choices that you make. If you have failed, confess those failures, and ask God to lead you down a better road. He wants to help us, however, before He can do so, we have to take responsibility for our own lives.

These are truths God wants us to hear and listen to. If we will do so, we will see that God really does know what is best for our lives.

[1] Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. and R. Kent Hughes, Isaiah: God Saves Sinners, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 333.