Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 48-51.

This passage begins with God calling on those who dishonestly invoke His name to listen.  God points out that He had told them what He was going to do before He did it so that they could not give credit to things which had been created.  Then He gets to telling them the things to which He called them to listen.  The first of those is the prediction He gave Isaiah that the Persians would overthrow Babylon.  He goes on to tell them that He has delayed His wrath for His own sake so that He might not destroy mankind completely.  God continues by telling us why we should listen to Him and do as He instructs, because He teaches us what is best for us and directs in the path which will bring us the best life.

At this point the prophet, Isaiah, switches to the voice of God’s servant.  As I read this it feels like it has so many layers.  First, overall it is a prophecy concerning the Messiah, God’s Chosen One.  I understand that to be Jesus of Nazareth.  Second, parts of it refer to others who have been chosen of God at certain times (just a few chapters earlier Isaiah referred to Cyrus of Persia as God’s chosen one).  Finally (well, finally for what I am going to write about), parts of it refer to us who have been chosen by God to follow Jesus.  Actually, I am going to spend some time writing about things which were written about Jesus, but which I think God intended for us as well.  The Servant felt like He had labored in vain, but recognizes that God determines if that is the case, not us, nor any other human being.  If we have striven to do God’s will, and allowed Him to correct us when we misunderstand, He will reward us, and we will not have labored in vain.  A little further on the prophet refers to the one who formed him in the womb (or, perhaps he is still speaking in the voice of God’s Servant) in order to gather His people to Him.  Each and every one of us, even those who never get the opportunity to do anything in this life, were formed in their mother’s womb in order to accomplish God’s purpose of drawing people to Him.  Finally, the prophet speaks once more with God’s voice to tell us that God offers us comfort, who are we to fear human beings such that we forget Him who made us?  Let us put our faith in Christ and depend on Him and fear nothing that this world can bring us.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.