Bible Commentaries
Isaías 51

Versículos 1-23

Esta noche tenemos un estudio maravilloso al mirar Isaías, Capítulos 51-55, en el que el profeta ve tan claramente el sufrimiento y el rechazo de la provisión de Dios para el hombre al enviar a Su Hijo a morir por nuestros pecados. De hecho, estas profecías de Isaías describen tan claramente lo que le sucedió a Jesucristo en Su rechazo, en Su sufrimiento, en Su muerte, es como si hubieran sido escritas después de que sucedió en lugar de 600 años antes de que sucediera.
El Señor está llamando a la nación de Israel, a Su pueblo, y Dios los llama a que le escuchen.

Los que seguís la justicia, los que buscáis a Jehová ( Isaías 51:1 ):

Dos cosas importantes: seguir la justicia, buscar al Señor. “Bienaventurados los que tienen hambre y sed de justicia” ( Mateo 5:6 ).

Mirad la roca de donde fuisteis tallados ( Isaías 51:1 ),

En realidad, se les anima a mirar hacia atrás a sus raíces. Para mirar hacia atrás a Abraham. A la herencia que tenían. Al pacto que Dios había hecho con sus padres.

y al hoyo de la fosa de donde fuisteis sacados. Mira a Abraham tu padre, a Sara que te dio a luz: porque a él solo lo llamé, lo bendije y lo multipliqué. Porque el SEÑOR consolará a Sión; consolará todas sus soledades; y tornará su desierto en Edén, y su desierto en huerto de Jehová; en ella se hallará gozo y alegría, acción de gracias y voces de alabanza ( Isaías 51:1-3 ).

Entonces Dios habla de lo que todavía es un día futuro de restauración. Como Dios restaurará de nuevo a la nación de Israel en toda su gloria, en toda su belleza, en toda su bendición. Y sus desiertos serán como el Jardín del Edén, y el desierto como el jardín del Señor.
Es interesante como pareciera que ya podemos ver los inicios del cumplimiento de esta profecía. Al ver las áreas que alguna vez fueron tan áridas y desiertas alrededor de Beerseba y ver ahora los hermosos cultivos que se cultivan en esa área.

Sin embargo, aún se avecinan tiempos difíciles para la nación de Israel. Estas personas que han soportado tal tragedia a lo largo de su historia tienen otros siete años en los que serán probados hasta el límite. Jeremías llamó a estos siete años, "el tiempo de angustia de Jacob". Se verán obligados a huir de la tierra una vez más. Pero esta vez no por un milenio o dos, sino que estarán fuera de la tierra por unos tres años y medio, ya que una vez más un líder mundial vuelve su ira contra esta gente.

Pero al final de ese período es cuando Dios va a restaurar la gloria a la nación, porque el Mesías vendrá y Él establecerá el reino de Dios y el trono de Dios sobre la tierra. Y Él gobernará desde Sion, y en este momento esta profecía de Isaías se cumplirá cuando Dios simplemente traiga una nueva condición a la tierra al restaurarla a su gloria, a su belleza, antes de la caída del hombre en Génesis.

Hay algunas cosas muy interesantes que Isaías ha profetizado sobre el futuro y sobre la tierra desde un punto de vista puramente físico. Mientras habla de la tierra tambaleándose de un lado a otro y como un hombre borracho y siendo removida de su lugar.
Ahora, antes del tiempo del diluvio que vino como resultado del juicio de Dios sobre la tierra, antes del diluvio la tierra tenía un dosel a su alrededor, un dosel de agua que en realidad reflejaba mucha de la radiación cósmica que es realmente.

.. tiene un efecto perjudicial sobre la vida y sobre las formas de vida. Antes del diluvio, este pesado escudo de humedad en la atmósfera protegía a la tierra de gran parte de esta radiación cósmica. Como resultado, el hombre vivió un promedio de alrededor de novecientos años. Así, el hombre pudo desarrollar durante ese período de tiempo sus capacidades mentales en gran medida. Piensa en poder seguir aprendiendo durante novecientos años.

Dicen que el hombre solo usa alrededor del veinte por ciento de su cerebro y sus capacidades cerebrales. Bueno, eso es porque estamos aquí muy poco tiempo. ¿Qué puedes aprender en cien años? Pero si pudieras seguir aprendiendo, absorbiendo durante novecientos años, estarías usando mucho más de tu capacidad, tu capacidad cerebral, y serías capaz de hacer muchas más cosas interesantes. Ahora, mientras estudiamos algo de la arquitectura y algunos de los edificios que crearon estas personas, descubrimos que tenían todo tipo de ciencias que son asombrosas cuando miras al hombre antiguo.

Él no era un medio animal que gruñía con un garrote arrastrando a su esposa por el cabello hacia la cueva. Era un ser muy inteligente. Y tenía unas capacidades intelectuales maravillosas. De hecho, Adán pudo nombrar a todos los animales según sus características. Tomó un genio tremendo para eso.
Ahora, en ese tipo de tierra nunca tendrías una noche realmente oscura porque toda esta humedad te daría la luz difusa del sol durante toda la noche.

And thus, you would have much longer growing periods and everything would grow larger in that because of the fact that you wouldn't be bombarded by these cosmic rays which would begin the mutation of cells which would create the breaking down. And so they have discovered how large many of the animals were before the flood as they look at some of these animals that were caught in the flood and through the sediment were kept in place, they found cockroaches that were a foot long.

Man, you wouldn't go after them with your shoe. You'd go after them with a shotgun, you know. Asparagus ferns sixty feet tall. All kinds of tropical vegetation up in the North Pole area. And the whole earth was no doubt just a lush, beautiful, glorious place.
God's going to restore it to such a state, and He speaks about it here. As the waste places will be restored, the wilderness like Eden, and the deserts like the garden of the Lord, joy and gladness will be found therein, thanksgiving, the voice of melody.

Again, God, as He began in verse Isaías 51:1, cries to the people to hearken.

Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people ( Isaías 51:4).

The Lord is going to come. He will sit in judgment and the law will proceed from Him as Jesus Christ comes to reign in righteousness.

My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the coasts shall wait upon me, and upon mine arm shall they trust ( Isaías 51:5).

So the universal trusting in the Lord.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished ( Isaías 51:6).

So the heavens shall vanish away. Peter describes the vanishing away of the heavens in Second Peter chapter 2. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away" ( Mateo 24:35). It is interesting that the earth is growing old. "The earth shall wax old like a garment." The universe, according to the great scientist Sir Herschel Gene, like a giant clock that was wound up and is gradually slowing or winding down, the sun loses one million, two hundred thousand tons of mass every second.

Fortunately, it's large enough to continue to support life in the next ten billion years. So you don't have to stay awake at night worrying about the fact that the sun is gradually burning out. But that isn't so gradual. One million... or one billion two hundred. Or one million, two hundred thousand tons of mass per second. And so the earth growing old like a garment. The heavens will one day vanish away, but the Word of God shall endure forever.

And at that time God is going to create a "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" ( 2 Pedro 3:13). The old will not be remembered or brought into mind. The whole new order that God is going to create for us. An order that knows no chaos. An order that knows no decay. An order that knows no sin or rebellion. Just the glorious kingdom of God and everything in the universe subject unto that kingdom.

Hearken unto me ( Isaías 51:7),

The third cry of God for them to hearken.

ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation ( Isaías 51:7-8).

And so for the righteous enduring forever. For the evil that would reproach the righteous or revile them, they will be destroyed. "The moth will eat them up like a garment, the worm shall eat them like wool." Jesus in describing the conditions of Gehenna said, "Where their worm dieth not, neither is the fire quenched" (Marco 9:44). The wicked shall be cast into hell and all those that forsake God. But the righteous they shall endure, they shall be forever and ever.

Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD ( Isaías 51:9);

Now here is the response of the people to God. God thrice called them to hearken to Him. And so they said, "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord." There are times when it would appear to us that God is asleep. How can God be so patient with the blasphemies of man? How can God put up with evil as He does? Why does He allow evil people to go on for a period of prosperity? Why doesn't He smite them down immediately? This is a problem.

It troubles me. If I were God, I'd just wipe them out so fast their heads would be swimming. "Just take that, you little rat! You want to go that way? All right," you know. Smack! But God is so patient. He lets people get by with so much. They blaspheme Him. They mock Him. They ridicule Him. And it's like He doesn't even... it's like He's sleeping. He doesn't even know. And so the people cry, "Wake up, God, wake up. Put on strength, O arm of the Lord."

awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? ( Isaías 51:9)

Now Rahab is a poetic reference to Egypt. He uses it also in the thirtieth chapter in the seventh verse. It's just the poetic reference to Egypt. And so he is. "Wake up, God, wake up. You are the God that was showing Yourself so powerful in our history and especially in the deliverance out of Egypt."

Art thou not the one which hath dried the sea, and the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? ( Isaías 51:10)

And so the reference to the drying of the Red Sea to make a path for the people of God to pass through.
I have very little patience for those men that classify themselves "higher critics" who try to talk about a Sea of Reeds that is usually only a foot or so deep, that the children of Israel passed through. And that quite often when a strong wind blows for a period of time it sort of forces back the tide of that sea from this one area where they presume the children of Israel went across.

But in reality, they tell us that the sea is only about a foot deep at that area. And thus, it really wasn't much of a miracle that they did cross. Well, as far as the nation of Israel was concerned it was a marvelous miracle. They looked upon it as a marvelous miracle, and here the reference is to the depths of the sea. And even to the waters of the great deep. Now Isaiah was much closer to the time and he understood the language much better than these modern critics of the Bible who pass themselves off as biblical scholars.

And I will go along with Isaiah much quicker than I will these men today. For if indeed they've made the sea only a foot deep, they surely have not removed the miraculous from the story, because it's a miracle how God could drown the whole Egyptian army in one foot of water. You see, you might try to figure out one way, but you're only creating another problem.
"You dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; You've made the depths of the sea a path for the ransomed to pass over." The ransomed, of course, were those who through the Lamb that was slain in Egypt were ransomed.

Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return ( Isaías 51:11),

The future day when God is going to gather again the people when Christ returns in power and great glory. Then shall He gather together the elect from the four corners of the earth. As the Jews will be gathered back into the land, "the redeemed of the Lord shall return."

and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away ( Isaías 51:11).

What a glorious day that is going to be, the glorious day of the Lord when He comes to establish the kingdom of God upon the earth and He again takes Israel as His people, as His bride. And they recognize Him, and there is this glorious receiving and accepting, each of the other.

I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass ( Isaías 51:12);

Jesus said, "Don't be afraid of those that kill your body, and after that have no power. But rather fear Him, that after the body is killed has power to cast your soul into Gehenna; yea, I say unto you, 'Fear ye Him'" ( Lucas 12:4-5). The Bible says, "The fear of man brings a snare, but whoso will put his trust in the Lord shall be saved" ( Proverbios 29:25). And again, why should you fear man who is going to die himself? Son of man whose life is as the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is dried and cast into the oven?

And forget the LORD your Maker, that stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail. But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name ( Isaías 51:13-15).

Now you see, for a moment they cried unto God, "Wake up, wake up, put on strength, O arm of the Lord. Awake. And aren't You the God that brought our fathers through the sea and all?" And in verse Isaías 51:11, God begins to speak again of the glorious future as the redeemed of the Lord returns and God declares, "I am He that comforteth you. Why should you be afraid of man? I'm the One that is with you. I'm the One that brought your fathers through the sea, divided the sea whose waves roared. The Lord of hosts is His name."

And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people ( Isaías 51:16).

God declares, "Hey, thou art My people." Oh, what a tragic thing it is that people misread the Bible and say that God is through with the nation of Israel. He cut her off forever. God forbid!
Now as if to say, "Hey, I'm not the One that's sleeping. You're the ones that are sleeping," God says to them,

Awake, awake ( Isaías 51:17),

The same thing they said. So many times we say to God, "Awake, God, awake." And He says, "I'm not sleeping." And He calls; we're the ones that are sleeping. We're the ones that don't see what's really going on.

Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; you have drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up ( Isaías 51:17-18).

They are lacking in real leadership.

These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee? ( Isaías 51:19)

So he speaks of the terrible time of tribulation that they will go through as they experience desolation, destruction, famine, the sword. And really no one seems to be concerned. It is interesting today how that the whole world seems to be willing to just dump these people. And yet God declares that they are His people and He will receive them again.

Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God. Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine: Thus saith the Lord the LORD, thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again ( Isaías 51:20-22):

The day will be over. No more tribulation for these people. There will be this glorious reuniting of them with their God and God with them.

But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee: which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over ( Isaías 51:23).

And so God is going to put His hand against those that have afflicted them. When Jesus comes back, His first duty is going to be that of judging the earth. And the judgment will be of the nations will be relative to their treatment of the Jews, as He says, "Come, ye blessed of the Father, inherit the kingdom. I was hungry, and you fed Me: thirsty, and you gave me to drink." "Lord, when did we see You?" "Inasmuch as you did it unto the least of these My brethren [speaking of the Jews], you did it unto Me.

Those that are on the left, depart from Me, you workers of iniquity. I was hungry, you did not feed Me: thirsty, you did not give Me to drink," and so forth. "Lord, when did we see You this way?" "Inasmuch as you did it not to the least of these My brethren" ( Mateo 25:34-45). So the Lord here affirms much of what Jesus declared there as God will take up their cause once more.

But you say, "Why was God so severe with them? It seems that they have suffered more than any other race of people." Well, that is not completely true. There are other races of people that have been totally obliterated. They no longer exist. Many races of people that have been completely wiped out. However, the reason for the severity is this: the Lord said, "Unto whom much is given, much is required" ( Lucas 12:48).

And that should be a warning to us who have received so much from God; so much of the understanding of God's purposes and God's plans. We who have come to an understanding of His truth and of His Word. There comes with that understanding an incumbent responsibility to walk according to the understanding. To live in harmony with that which we know. This they failed to do. God had given them much. What advantage then doth hath the Jew? Paul said, "Much and in every way.

"A ellos les fueron encomendados los oráculos de Dios. Y los pactos y las promesas y los padres y la ley y los estatutos. Dios les dio tanto. Y cuanto más les da Dios, mayor es su responsabilidad ante Dios por aquellas cosas que que habéis recibido. Fallaron en su responsabilidad, y por eso Dios ha tratado tan severamente es porque se volvieron contra todo ese trasfondo y conocimiento y todo lo que Dios les había dado. "A quien mucho se le da, mucho se le exige. "

"