Bible Commentaries
Isaiah 50

Verses 1-11

1. Intro:
   1. Pray for Israel regarding the Pull-Out in Gaza. (Zeph.2:4-7)
   2. Who: Great Chess player in Art Gallery
      Sees: Runs across a chess game in progress
      Describe: Painting (Satan vs. opponent) - {Satan pushing away from game w/grin - Opponent sweating, anxious, hopeless}
      Caption: "Checkmate"
      Studies: For 6 hours, asks for a chess set.
      Sets up: exactly (glancing up & down)
      Smiled: looked at the opponent
      Said: "I wish you could here my message...I have good news...it's a message of hope...there is one move to set you free! - I wish I could communicate it to him."
      1. God’s message for the seemingly: incurable, irreparable, untreatable, inoperable sinner.
   3. LEARN FROM ME! (50:1-11)
      1. DIVORCE! (1-3)
      2. Israel was married to Jehovah; she turned to idols committing spiritual adultery; so He “put her away”(divorce, or separation?); & sold her into slavery(Babylon).
         1. Q: Did He divorce her, or just separate for a time?
            1. Deut.24:1-4; Jer.3:1-3.
         2. Israel prove or produce the document?
            1. {Not: Deut 24, maybe never put it in her hand?}
            2. Search the earth, search the heavens, the bill of divorce cannot be found!
         3. Emphasis is:
            1. Was this something God did, or reacted to? (reacted to)
            2. Whose fault was this? (Israel’s, not God’s)
            3. Was it irreparable? (No, of course not)
         4. God will restore her once again.
            1. The Key? – His great love, mercy, & power to save!
               1. God “keeps on loving” even when his people turn their backs on Him! {Eveready Love… “Keeps on Lovin!”}
               2. As seen in the great drama of the book of Hosea.
            2. Just as He restores people today, who turn from sin & obey Him.
            3. Read James 4:4-10.
            4. ​​​​​​​“It is impossible for God to put away the soul that clings to him in penitence & faith.” F.B.Meyer
      3. Now a contrast with the disobedient nation & the obedient Servant!
      4. HEAR, SPEAK, OBEY! (4-6)
      5. More & more you’ll see right before your eyes this “Servant”(49:3) become more like Jesus.
         1. He had a ready tongue, but 1^st an open ear!
         2. Order: Open ear; ready tongue; a set face; a body surrendered to suffering.
         3. Let’s play follow our leader!
            1. [1] Open ear – How(4b,5) - Morning Devotions.
            2. [2] Ready tongue – (4a)
            3. [3] Set face – How(7)
            4. [4] Surrendered body – When(6)
            5. Q: Which do you have the hardest time with?
               1. Listening; speaking; vision; or surrender?
      6. (4) Here are early morning vigils before God…to receive instruction!
         1. Vigil? – 13^th cent “the eve of some festivals and holy days, spent in prayer.”
            1. From the word watchfulness, awake, alert.
            2. Here is where Spurgeon named his famous devotional “Morning by Morning!”
            3. Jesus spoke of this in the Lord’s Prayer regarding our daily diet!​​​​​​​
            4. Jesus also set the example for us in taking time Himself to pray & seek God.
               1. Mark 1:35 “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”
            5. When your ear is open, there are more opportunities to open the lips!
            6. Listen before we speak & listen more than we speak!
            7. Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening”.
            8. Q: Are you teachable like Jesus?
      7. (6) Fulfilled in Mark15:19 “when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”
         1. Mt.26:67 “Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?”
         2. So, what was His response to persecution?
            1. {acceptance rather than seeking vengeance}
         3. There are great lessons in “the school of suffering”!
            1. Read Heb.5:8 & note.
      8. ​​​​​​​FLINT FACED! (7-9)
      9. Sounds like Lk.9:51-53 “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.”
         1. He purposed to fulfill His mission!
         2. Stay yourself on God.
         3. Set your sail in His direction!
      10. Note: God’s part “God will help me” & Jesus/our part “I have set my face”.
          1. The awareness of the Lord’s help still calls for a personal dedication!
          2. He is prepared to submit to anything because He knows He will be sustained by the Lord! (Same for you?)
      11. HOW TO WALK IN DARKNESS! (10-11)
      12. Even believers who fear God & obey His voice can still end up in the darkness of perplexity! {But, there’s hope in darkness!}
          1. What do we do in the darkness of perplexities & confusions?
          2. Darkness not of the heart, but of the mind.
          3. The temptation is to “light our own fires”(11) & try to find our own way out.
          4. I picture being in the middle of a pitch-black warehouse.
             A voice says, “I know this place pretty well, take my arm & I will lead you out, but only do as I say”. You have a lighter in your pocket you offer to light the way. The voice emphatically says, “NO, it’s best w/o the lighters light!” You don’t understand the voices sharp rebuke. You find yourself stumbling in the dark, bruising your shins & tripping as you go. Getting more& more frustrated why you can’t use the lighter. When you get to the other side, you find the door. Going outside the building you read, “Caution, Odorless Gas Inside”. The lighter would not have been a good light, though it sure seemed it at the time.
          5. 1^st thing to do is nothing. This is difficult but sit tight.
             1. “When you’re rattled, don’t rush!”
             2. Remember what do you do when you’re driving & you hit a heavy fog bank? (Do you speed up or slow down?)
             3. When you hit spiritual fog do the same thing!
             4. Keep your life’s ship anchored, or tied to the dock.
      13. Trust in the Lord, wait on Him, & he will give you the light you need, when you need it!
          1. While you trust God, He can work.
          2. Worrying often prevents Him from doing anything!
          3. Only the peace of God will quiet our minds & put our hearts at rest.
          4. We are never w/o a pilot even when we do not which way to steer!
      14. (11) Don’t warm yourself from your own fire. (Peter)
          1. The temptation is to “light our own fires”(11) & try to find our own way out.
          2. Or, follow deceptive beacons leading us toward the danger of the rocks.
          3. He says, “follow me, come after me, surrender to me.”
          4. Premature deliverance may circumvent God’s work of grace in your life.
             1. Be willing to abide in the darkness, knowing He is present!
             2. It is better to walk in the dark w/God than to walk alone in the light.
             3. Moving the hands of a clock doesn’t change the time!
             4. You can force a rosebud to open, but you spoil the flower!