The God Who Comforts and Disciplines • 03.30.25
The God Who Comforts and Disciplines
Isaiah 51:1-23
Pay attention to the ways God operates
- God delights to bless those who seek him
- God’s power provides eternal righteousness and salvation
- God’s power provides sure judgment
- God is the Great I AM who comforts and protects his people
- God mercifully provides many opportunities for us to turn to him
Manuscript:
Good morning church family! (Introduce self + welcome guests)
What a sweet morning of worship and testimony. It is always good to hear of what the Lord is doing in our midst. Praise God for his work in Savanna’s life.
Dismiss 4th + 5th graders
Ushers + Bibles (Isaiah 51; page 727)
We’re diving right back into our series in Isaiah: The Lord Saves this morning. Last week we had the privilege of beholding God’s answer for humanity’s faithlessness in his Idealized Servant. This Idealized Servant is the One we’ve been waiting for since sin entered our world and broke everything all the way back in Genesis 3 with Adam & Eve. We heard from the Servant’s own mouth that he was ready and willing to obey God and carry out God’s grand redemption plan, even as he endured great personal suffering. He knew that God would help and protect him, and, ultimately, declare him righteous in the end.
Do you recall how chapter 50 ended? What was our final takeaway last week?
We must determine whom we will trust. This stemmed from the last question that was given to Isaiah’s audience. Let me remind you of it…
Isaiah 50:10 (ESV)
10 Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys the voice of his servant?
Let him who walks in darkness
and has no light
trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on his God.
Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? That is the question we must all do business with…
God’s Idealized Servant is the answer for our faithlessness. And our necessary response is to fear the Lord (awe/reverence/trembling) and obey the voice of his servant. This is the response that leads to life, whereas to continue to trust in self (self-reliance) leads to death.
I bring this up again today because these chapters, including today and the coming weeks, are tied together. What came before informs what we’re going to be reading this week. As we enter chapter 51, the Lord begins by speaking directly to those who fear Him and obey the voice of his servant. So, let’s hear what he has to say to those who choose to trust and obey.
Isaiah 51:1–8 (ESV)
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
that I might bless him and multiply him.
3 For the Lord comforts Zion;
he comforts all her waste places
and makes her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.
4 “Give attention to me, my people,
and give ear to me, my nation;
for a law will go out from me,
and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.
5 My righteousness draws near,
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will judge the peoples;
the coastlands hope for me,
and for my arm they wait.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;
but my salvation will be forever,
and my righteousness will never be dismayed.
7 “Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is my law;
fear not the reproach of man,
nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool,
but my righteousness will be forever,
and my salvation to all generations.”
These first 8 verses are God’s instruction to those who fear Him and obey His servant. Notice the repeated commands throughout this section, “Listen… Look… Look… Give attention… Give ear… Lift up your eyes… Look… Listen to me… Fear not, nor be dismayed…”
God is calling them to pay attention to the way He operates and to respond accordingly! He is not acting in secret. His works are not concealed from them. They can look to the past; they can look to the present; and they can look to the future and know that God is doing a wonderful work in their midst. This can give them tremendous hope, even in the face of trials and tribulations in Babylon (or anywhere else).
As we continue to study this text today, I want you to…
Pay attention to the ways God operates
Starting with what we see in verses 1-3…
- God delights to bless those who seek him
The Lord is speaking to those who pursue righteousness and seek the Lord. These are ongoing actions that describe their lives. There were some in Judah who did desire to know their God and live according to his righteous ways. And to this faithful remnant, he commands them to consider his interactions with their ancestors. God has a proven track record of blessing those who seek him.
This is one of the amazing things about our God – his works are recorded and verified in history for future generations to behold and learn from. Those genealogies that you likely struggle with reading throughout the Old Testament are there for a reason – to remind Israel of God’s faithfulness to their people. God took a pagan nomad named Abraham and made a great nation out of him and his wife, Sarah. God delights to provide comfort for his people. He is willing and able to transform their barren lands into fertile gardens. He desires for joy and gladness to rule the day and for thanksgiving and song to radiate out of their nation.
Imagine how comforting it would be to hear this after having watched your capital be sacked and burnt before being taken into exile. Their nation had been turned into a waste place by the Assyrian and Babylonian armies. But now God tells them that he will serve as their comforter. He will meet her in her brokenness and restore her. Their nation will not be desolate forever and neither shall they remain in exile.
This call to listen to the Lord and look to his faithfulness/blessing is a valuable lesson for us today. The unchanging God still delights to bless those who seek him. I want to exhort you to be a man/woman who pursues righteousness and seeks the Lord. This is speaking to an ongoing effort to know God and do what pleases Him.
- Do you set aside time each day to know God?
- Do you ask yourself – how can I please God today?
These are simple, yet powerful ways to put yourself in the path of God’s blessing. He has told us what he desires, will you listen and obey? *pause*
In verses 4-6, God issues a second call to pay attention. This time his emphasis is on being attentive to him because he is sending out his law (torah) and establishing his justice as a light to the peoples. This has been a common refrain throughout the book of Isaiah. Ever since Isaiah 2, we have been anticipating the day when God would establish his house in Zion to teach the nations his ways, so that they may walk in them.
God, through Isaiah, is continuing to remind his people that He ultimately is the source of righteousness and salvation. He is the only hope for everyone, everywhere. Whether they fully realize it or not, the nations are waiting for God’s mighty arm to fulfill his plan of redemption.
So, pay attention to this second way God operates…
- God’s power provides eternal righteousness and salvation
As the Servant has been increasingly revealed, God is making sure his people and the nations know that this is his plan for salvation. The Servant will reveal the righteousness of God through his teaching and life. Remember, it is through the Servant that God will establish his justice on the earth.
This consistent teaching from Yahweh tells us what he is like and his desire for us. That we would be a people who seek his eternal righteousness and salvation. He is calling his people to give attention and listen to him. He knows far too well that they are easily distracted, and their souls are prone to wander… Throughout their generations, they have repeatedly turned from him to pursue their own selfish desires/idols. But those could never satisfy or save! The Lord alone saves, and it is not dependent on our works but his Servant’s finished work! This is one of the primary messages of Isaiah. Are you paying attention to it? God’s power provides eternal righteousness and salvation.
This is a message we need to give our attention to… Remember, this is for those who seek it… God is calling you personally to invest your time, energy, and effort in pursuing him. Becoming one who fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant is not a hands-off faith journey. This is an ACTIVE walk/pursuit of the knowledge of God and obedience to his will and ways! Is that what you want? Does your life reflect that you are passionate about knowing and obeying God?
What might the life of someone who is passionate about knowing and obeying God be characterized by? If you were to follow them around for a week, what would you expect to see?
- Commitment to studying the Word
- Diligence to pray (and often)
- Talking about the things of the Lord
- Seeking to serve others rather than self
Does this sound like anyone you know? Jesus! Does it sound like you too? Here are a few that Jesus didn’t struggle with but are applicable to us.
- Conviction of sin and a quickness to address it
- Conflict being resolved biblically
- Humbly owning our part rather than blame-shifting
- A willingness to invite accountability for temptation/sin
The beauty of knowing the LORD and walking with him is that he is powerful to save and sanctify you. He does not leave his people stuck in their sin.
I am reading the third book in the Paul Washer Recovering the Gospel trilogy with a group of men and we recently discussed 1 John 2-3 which shows that those who know Jesus Christ as their Savior will practice righteousness.
1 John 2:28–29 (ESV)
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
There is sure evidence of a man or woman who has been forever changed by God’s power – they practice righteousness. They have a deep-rooted desire to live in the same manner that Jesus did – to be holy as he is holy. Genuine saving faith evidences itself in a gradual, practical, and observable growth in holiness in the life of a believer. We desire to be a church where as many people as possible experience God’s power in this way in their lives.
We desire this because we have paid attention to the ways God operates, and we also know that…
- God’s power provides sure judgment
Look again at verses 6-8:
Isaiah 51:6–8 (ESV)
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;
but my salvation will be forever,
and my righteousness will never be dismayed.
7 “Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is my law;
fear not the reproach of man,
nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool,
but my righteousness will be forever,
and my salvation to all generations.”
God clearly reveals that while his salvation and righteousness are enduring, those who reject and oppose him are not. God’s power is mighty to save, but also sure to judge. He has not been secretive about this reality, and it is not a truth that we need to shy away from. This is how God operates, and it is essential for the world to know it!
It would be most unloving for us to hide the reality that God is a righteous judge. First, it would provide a false assurance to those who will die without the hope of God’s eternal salvation. I can think of nothing more unloving than to conceal from our family, friends, co-workers, neighbors that they are in eternal peril if they do not turn from their sin and believe in the One, True God through Jesus Christ! So, for that reason alone, we must pay attention to the reality of God’s power for sure judgment and speak up about it.
But there is another reason that comes to mind as well. It is the one God gave in verse 7, that those who hope in God would not fear those who taunt and abuse them (reproach + revile). Remember, this was their reality as people in exile. They had been conquered by their enemies, which was a humiliating experience. Their temple had been burnt to the ground and the Babylonians mocked them, claiming their god was greater than Yahweh. And even after they return from exile, there would still be opposition to the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the temple. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah capture this experience for us. The people of God would need to learn to put their hope in him and not fear those who stood against them, because the reality is that God will surely judge their oppressors. His opponents will perish while his righteousness and salvation endure forever.
These realities are still at work in our day. All around our world those who live for God are facing opposition. If you have never read any of the materials published by Voice of the Martyrs I would highly recommend it. You can receive a free monthly magazine that will help you stay connected with Christians around the world and understand more fully the opposition they face for proclaiming Jesus. This will allow you to pray for them and those who oppose God. Because it should be our desire that the opponents of God across the world would come to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord! *pause*
That includes those who are among us today. I am thankful for those of you who are coming as you wrestle with what you believe. I am thankful for those who came at the request of someone else, even if you would rather be anywhere else. I hope you are paying attention to what we are hearing from the Word of God.
If you do not know God’s salvation through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ, I want to encourage you to address that with God today! I do not want you to face his sure judgment at the end of your life. The New Testament confirms that we all will face God one day:
2 Corinthians 5:9–10 (ESV)
9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Revelation 20:11–15 (ESV)
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The Scriptures do not conceal that God’s judgment is sure. We must do business with these truths this morning. I want to encourage one of us to take careful consideration of where we stand with God. *pause*
Let’s turn our attention back to Isaiah 51 and hear the people’s cry to God. We find this in verses 9-11 and we’re going to see that they were not “paying attention” as they ought…
Isaiah 51:9–16 (ESV)
9 Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the Lord;
awake, as in days of old,
the generations of long ago.
Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,
who pierced the dragon?
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
who made the depths of the sea a way
for the redeemed to pass over?
11 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
They think that God is asleep on the job! They want him to wake up and act as he did in the days of old when he rescued their nation from Egypt. Rahab/dragon are terms used to refer to the Egyptians and this is another reference to the parting of the Red Sea.
Thankfully, God responds graciously to them in 12-16.
12 “I, I am he who comforts you;
who are you that you are afraid of man who dies,
of the son of man who is made like grass,
13 and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth,
and you fear continually all the day
because of the wrath of the oppressor,
when he sets himself to destroy?
And where is the wrath of the oppressor?
14 He who is bowed down shall speedily be released;
he shall not die and go down to the pit,
neither shall his bread be lacking.
15 I am the Lord your God,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of hosts is his name.
16 And I have put my words in your mouth
and covered you in the shadow of my hand,
establishing the heavens
and laying the foundations of the earth,
and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’ ”
What an epic response from God! Pay attention and recognize…
- God is the Great I AM who comforts and protects his people
“I, I am he…” God is once again declaring that he is the One, True God – the God who really is and is really with them. They must not forget who he is – and in this case, he emphasizes that he is the God who comforts them. God emphasizes his comfort multiple times throughout this chapter. He is the Comforter and Protector of his people – and who are they? They are the ones who have grown fearful of mere men who are temporary and fade away like grass… They are the ones who have forgotten the LORD, their Maker, and now struggle with fear all the day because of the Babylonians!
Remember who is speaking here… The God who made them and knows their hearts intimately. He understands they are ruled by fear of man. They are overwhelmed with fear that the Babylonians are going to destroy them. This has clouded their judgment. They think God has forgotten them. They believe he is asleep at the wheel. But he is not. He sees it all. He knows it all. None of this has surprised God because he is sovereignly ruling over all of it for their good and his glory.
And so, God reminds them that their fear of man is unnecessarily complicating their lives. They do not need to fear the Babylonians, because as God said, “Where is the wrath of the oppressor?” God knows what they don’t… that the Babylonians are nothing in comparison to Yahweh! His plan is to free the captives. He will not let them die or starve. He is the Lord their God, the Lord of hosts (angel armies!), the commander of the sea, the One who establishes the heavens and the earth. The One who has called them, “My people.”
An observation that we can make from this passage is that forgetting God or failing to pay attention to who he is and what he is doing leads to unnecessary turmoil. I’m going to share how this played out for the Judeans but consider how this applies to us today. The Judeans made their lives so much harder by their neglect of God. If only they had listened to the prophets. If only they had obeyed the Law given by Moses. If only they had humbled themselves and continued to walk in faithful obedience to the Lord… Then they would have experienced the blessings of the Lord rather than his discipline. They would have represented God’s glory to the nations in a beautiful manner and been a light to the world!
But they did not do that. As we’ve seen and heard throughout Isaiah (and the rest of the Old Testament) they often forgot God or failed to pay attention to who he is and what he is doing. Which led them to pursue selfishness and idolatry… Forgetting their calling as God’s people… Which led to them demeaning the name of God and inviting opposition rather than blessing… Which is how they got into this position of fearing man, because they were underneath the authority of the Babylonians after having been conquered by them.
And into that situation, God speaks gracious words of comfort and protection. Even though they had forgotten him, he had not forgotten them! He is their Maker, as he said back in Isaiah 49:
Isaiah 49:15–16 (ESV)
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
These are the words of a God who cares about his people! He is not far off and aloof, but near and engaged. God has a plan to rescue and redeem them and move the cup of his wrath to their oppressors.
It is good for us to pay attention and recognize God is the Great I AM who comforts and protects his people. This is still true to this day! I want to show you this from the wonderful words of Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper:
John 17:14–26 (ESV)
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
This is what Jesus prayed for his disciples and all who would believe in him after them! He wants us to be unified with God. He desires for Christians to dwell with him in eternal life so that we can see his glory. He wants us to know the Father’s love! God is still the Great I AM who comforts and protects his people. What Jesus prays for will be accomplished. The Father is always pleased by the Son. (You could also read 2 Corinthians 1 to hear Paul’s testimony of God as our comforter/protector too!)
That is incredible news for you today, if your faith is in Christ! You have this hope of God’s comfort and protection. You do not need to fear the wrath of man but can have every reason to hope in God. You can have confidence that you will be with him in glory because that is what he desires for you. God not only said to Zion, “You are my people” but he says the same to all who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ! Can you understand why we’re so passionate about people believing in Jesus? We want this hope of eternal life with God for as many people as possible!
Now listen to the way this chapter closes out in verses 17-23. Consider God’s words of rebuke and instruction to the wayward nation:
Isaiah 51:17–23 (ESV)
17 Wake yourself, wake yourself,
stand up, O Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
the cup of his wrath,
who have drunk to the dregs
the bowl, the cup of staggering.
18 There is none to guide her
among all the sons she has borne;
there is none to take her by the hand
among all the sons she has brought up.
19 These two things have happened to you—
who will console you?—
devastation and destruction, famine and sword;
who will comfort you?
20 Your sons have fainted;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a net;
they are full of the wrath of the Lord,
the rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted,
who are drunk, but not with wine:
22 Thus says your Lord, the Lord,
your God who pleads the cause of his people:
“Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering;
the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;
23 and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors,
who have said to you,
‘Bow down, that we may pass over’;
and you have made your back like the ground
and like the street for them to pass over.”
Earlier we heard the people of Judah crying out to God to “awake, awake!” but now God tells them that they are the ones who need to wake up. They have been staggering around in drunkenness, not from wine but God’s wrath! God unabashedly, unashamedly has been disciplining his people for their failure to know and follow him. This should not be surprising information to us at this point in our study of Isaiah. Because God loves his people, he opposes them when their way leads to destruction. Perhaps what is more shocking is that God identifies himself as their Lord who pleads the cause of his people! Even in their rebellion, God still cares greatly for them.
So, pay attention and recognize…
- God mercifully provides many opportunities for us to turn to him
This is a beautiful truth about the ways God operates. As the Most Holy God he is faithful to show mercy time and again so that his people can turn from their sin to him. This is a repeated theme throughout the Bible. God sets the standard of holiness, people fail to meet that standard, God mercifully disciplines them so that they would see the folly of their ways, and then he provides redemption according to his plan.
In Isaiah’s day, God had provided discipline through the exile to Babylon, but now he was providing physical redemption through Cyrus of Persia to bring them back to the Promised Land. As this was happening, God was also sending them the prophets, to call them to turn from their sin and worship God. As we’ve recently heard, he was also revealing his Idealized Servant through whom he would provide spiritual redemption.
God, in his mercy, provides sinners opportunities to learn from his discipline. When God opposes us in our ways, we have the chance to recognize the folly of it. It is our opportunity to see that it produces nothing but judgment or death/destruction. The Judeans certainly could testify to that as their experience. I imagine you and I could do the same.
Every single one of us here today has had the opportunity to live life according to our own selfish desires, likely for months or years at a time. And every single time it produced all kinds of bad fruit… broken relationships, inner turmoil and discontentment, addiction to worldly pleasures/treasures… all forms of death and destruction. If we continue down that path it will end in God’s judgment, like it has for those who have gone before us.
God points out to the people of Isaiah’s day that the outcome of pursuing this path of self-reliance and idolatry has left them with no one to comfort or console them. They have turned their backs on the One, True God who comforts. And now they languish, unable to help themselves.
But God… He is still reigning and thankfully is a merciful God! He takes note of the people’s afflictions and pleads their cause. He takes the cup of his wrath from them and pours it out on their oppressors. This is not something God had to do, but something he chose to do. It was an act of mercy – showing compassion toward those he would have been just to judge.
This is still the disposition of God today. I shared Ephesians 2 during our pastoral prayer time last week and I want to bring it up again today for it so beautifully highlights the mercies of God towards us.
Ephesians 2:1–10 (ESV)
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
If God is showing you mercy by convicting you of your need for a Savior, do not ignore him! Cooperate with his work in your life and confess your sin and ask Jesus Christ to forgive and save you. He delights to do so! I pray that today will be the day of salvation for some in our midst.
For others, perhaps God is showing you mercy by convicting you of a particular area of sin in your life. If that is the case for you, I want to encourage you to cooperate with his work by confessing, asking forgiveness, and seeking accountability for ongoing growth!
For some, perhaps you’re remembering God’s past mercies to you, and you are driven to sing his praises. If you have been forgiven and redeemed, then you have every reason to rejoice! Let’s sing this final worship song this morning with conviction and passion that reaches to the throne room of God.
It has been a joy and a delight to study God’s Word with you this morning.
Let’s pray.
Pray