Isaiah 49
Isaiah 49 is known as the “Second Song of the Servant of the LORD.” The text mainly shows God’s plan to complete the mission of salvation through the servant chosen by God (also known as the servant of the LORD). In the opening section (verses 1–6), the servant recognizes his calling and explains that this calling will become a light not only for Israel, but for the entire world. Then (verses 7–13) God promises to exalt this servant and declares the restoration of Israel and the return of those who are held captive. In the final section (verses 14–26), God promises his steadfast love and ultimate salvation to Zion (Israel), which is doubting and discouraged.
1verseListen, islands, to me. Listen, you peoples, from afar: the LORD has called me from the womb; from the inside of my mother, he has mentioned my name.
2verseHe has made my mouth like a sharp sword. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. He has made me a polished shaft. He has kept me close in his quiver.
3verseHe said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
4verseBut I said, “I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength in vain for nothing; yet surely the justice due to me is with the LORD, and my reward with my God.”
5verseNow the LORD, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, says to bring Jacob again to him, and to gather Israel to him, for I am honorable in the LORD’s eyes, and my God has become my strength.
6verseIndeed, he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give you as a light to the nations, that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth.”
7verseThe LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, says to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and rise up, princes, and they shall worship, because of the LORD who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
8verseThe LORD says, “I have answered you in an acceptable time. I have helped you in a day of salvation. I will preserve you and give you for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritage,
9versesaying to those who are bound, ‘Come out!’; to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves!’ “They shall feed along the paths, and their pasture shall be on all treeless heights.
10verseThey shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun strike them, for he who has mercy on them will lead them. He will guide them by springs of water.
11verseI will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be exalted.
12verseBehold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim.”
13verseSing, heavens, and be joyful, earth! Break out into singing, mountains! For the LORD has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.
14verseBut Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.”
15verse“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you!
16verseBehold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are continually before me.
17verseYour children hurry. Your destroyers and those who devastated you will leave you.
18verseLift up your eyes all around, and see: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live,” says the LORD, “you shall surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament, and dress yourself with them, like a bride.
19verse“For, as for your waste and your desolate places, and your land that has been destroyed, surely now that land will be too small for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
20verseThe children of your bereavement will say in your ears, ‘This place is too small for me. Give me a place to live in.’
21verseThen you will say in your heart, ‘Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children and am alone, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought these up? Behold, I was left alone. Where were these?’”
22verseThe Lord GOD says, “Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and lift up my banner to the peoples. They shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
23verseKings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; and those who wait for me won’t be disappointed.”
24verseShall the plunder be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered?
25verseBut the LORD says, “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the plunder retrieved from the fierce, for I will contend with him who contends with you and I will save your children.
26verseI will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they will be drunk on their own blood, as with sweet wine. Then all flesh shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
The Main Message of the Text
- Call and Mission (verses 1–6): The servant is called by God even before birth, and his mouth plays a role like a sharp sword. The servant’s mission is to “restore Jacob” (restore Israel) and, further, to become “a light to the nations.”
- Comfort in Rejection (verses 7–13): The servant is despised and rejected by people, yet God promises to exalt him and make him honored before kings and tribal leaders. God will help those who are afflicted and those who are captive, opening a path of salvation for them.
- A Response to God’s Disappointment (verses 14–26): When Zion laments, “The LORD has forsaken me,” God declares that even if a mother were to forget her child, he will never forget Zion. Following that, the restoration of Israel, help from the Gentile nations, and God’s judgment on oppressors are set in motion.
Reflection Points
- God’s Calling: You can reflect on the fact that each of us has been called within God’s plan and purpose.
- A Message of Restoration and Hope: Sometimes, even amid disappointment and despair, God does not forget; you can focus on the hope that he will surely restore his people.
- A Mission as a Light to the World: Remember the servant’s calling to be “a light” not only for Israel but for all peoples, and consider whether your life can also share in that purpose.
Apply It to Me
- A Calling in Imperfection: Trusting that I, too, receive God’s calling despite my own inadequacy and weakness, I can think about what that role means for my life today.
- Comfort in Feelings of Alienation and Frustration: When I feel as though I’ve been far away from God’s love and care, I can hold on to the promises of Isaiah 49 and regain hope.
- A Mission to the Community and the World: I can remember that my life involves more than just personal satisfaction—that it has a mission to share light and hope with those around me and with the world—and look for ways to put that into practice.
