Isaiah 51, Part 4 - It is the Lord who comforts us
Isaiah 51v12-15
19th October 2013
This is the fourth of our studies of Isaiah 51:
Isaiah 51:12-15
"I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass,
that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that
you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For
where is the wrath of the oppressor?
The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread.
For I am the LORD your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar - the LORD Almighty is his name.
These words were written for the Jews held captive by the Babylonians in the 6th century BC, although they were written many years before. The Babylonian leaders were ruthless men who killed, deported and enslaved many nations. And as they saw the Medes and Persians coming to besiege Babylon and bring their empire to an end, their oppression of Jews and others may have become even worse.
How then could God say this? How could He say He comforts them? How could He tell them not to fear mortal men? The Babylonian leaders were very scary mortal men! I can find only two possible answers to this question (please let me know if you're aware of a third):
- Firstly: God may have been speaking about the security of the nation, not of the individuals within it. The Jews, especially in those days, were aware that life could be painful and short. Not only in captivity in Babylon but even before, when they lived in their own land, there were wars and sickness and poverty and corrupt, cruel government. The individual men and women didn't expect a particularly comfortable life. The comfort they were looking for may have been more to do with the assurance of the continuation of the nation than of their own personal well-being. God, then, was assuring them that the Jewish nation would survive, return to Judea, and thrive.
- Secondly: God may have been exhorting them to fear God more than they feared the Babylonians.
Both these interpretations accord with other passages in the Bible, and both have massive relevance for the church today:
- Firstly, we can be confident that, even if we are imprisoned or executed as individuals, the church of God will continue for ever (Daniel 2:44, Isaiah 9:7, Isaiah 11:9, Daniel 2:44, Habakkuk 2:14, Matthew 16:18). Even if our individual church fails, the world-wide church will continue. Even if the church in our country is persecuted to extinction, it will return and thrive one day.
- Secondly, Jesus taught us (Matthew 10:28) "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell". The worse they can do to us on earth is send us to heaven sooner. God will judge between the righteous and the unrighteous. The righteous will live with Him for all eternity. The unrighteous will burn in hell for all eternity.
In both cases, our assurance and comfort come from the knowledge that our oppressors are mortal, but God is immortal. Governments - even political systems - even religions - come and go. There are a handful of pagans and witches in the UK, but they're of negligible influence, when once they advised kings. Where is Soviet communism now? Fifty years ago, the Chinese government tried to eradicate the church, but now one million Chinese people a year are coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Our oppressors are but dust, but our God is the Lord Almighty!
Paul knew his share of earthly suffering, but was able to write, in Romans 8:8, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us". Some of us will suffer great hardship in the struggle to establish the kingdom of God on earth. Some will even die. But God will prevail over all our enemies. As Tertullian wrote to the Roman governors in 197 AD: