Isaiah 50:10

The Bible says in Isaiah 50:10-11, “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.” Two types of people are mentioned in this passage of scripture: those who trust in the Lord and those who do not. Everyone in the world fits into one of these two categories. Concerning those who trust in the Lord, Isaiah 50:10 has several things to say. The first thing that is said in that verse is that those who trust in the Lord, also know to “feareth the Lord.” Someone who fears the Lord understands that the Lord punishes sins. The reason that there are consequences in life is because there is a holy God who orders all things and who watches over the affairs of men. It says in Hebrews 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” And the Bible says in First Peter 2:17, “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”

Secondly, Isaiah 50:10 says that those who trust in the Lord “obeyeth the voice of his servant.” It is a terrible thing to claim to believe in the Lord and then to disobey Him. The Bible says in First Samuel 15:23, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” Notice carefully who exactly it is that Isaiah 50:10 tells us to obey. It refers to obeying “the voice of his servant.” The Messiah Jesus Christ is the “servant.” The Messiah is called God’s servant in Isaiah 42:1 that says, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.” Of course, Jesus was the greatest of servants. When Jesus left heaven and put aside His divine prerogatives, He showed everyone how life ought to be lived as a servant of God. Jesus said in Luke 22:42, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” The key to being God’s servant is not to let your own will interfere with God’s will. If you are God’s servant, then you will be serving Jesus Christ. Jesus gives the commandments, and you obey Him. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” He also said in John 15:10, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.”

Concerning Jesus giving commandments to His believers, it is interesting to notice that it says in Isaiah 50:10 that the believers should obey “the voice of his servant.” Jesus Himself used the word “voice” when He said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Of course, the term “voice” of Jesus Christ has a symbolic meaning to us. Jesus has a way of speaking to us by the Spirit so that we understand His Word and so that His Word is applied to our heart and conscience in a personal way. There is a well-written Christian hymn that refers to this truth. Cecil Alexander wrote the hymn “Jesus Calls Us” that says:

“Jesus calls us; o’er the tumult Of our life’s wild, restless sea,

Day by day His sweet voice soundeth, Saying, “Christian, follow Me.”

Hopefully, you “listen” for the voice of Jesus, and you obey Him when He speaks to you, because He will speak to you if you let Him.

Notice that Isaiah 50:10 says that believers should “trust in the name of the LORD.” God’s name is important. His name reveals who He is. If you use the wrong name, then you will be worshiping no God at all. The Bible says in Acts 4:12 concerning Jesus, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Concerning those who do not trust in the Lord, Isaiah 50:11 says that they “kindle a fire.” In other words, their lives have destructive consequences. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” The destructiveness of an ungodly person’s life ends up having its worst effect on his or her own life. That is why it says in Isaiah 50:11 that those who do not trust God end up walking in their own fire and in their own sparks. They will also multiply “sorrow” for themselves. Concerning just one sinful activity, the Bible says in Proverbs 23:29-30, “Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.” The Bible also says in Psalms 116:3-4 that the way to get rid of sorrow is to turn to the Lord. It says, “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.”

The Bible says in Isaiah 51:1-2, “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.” Isaiah 51:1 is interesting the way that it starts out because the Lord says, “Hearken to me,” to those who already “seek the Lord” and to those who already “follow after righteousness.” This is very appropriate for more than one reason. For one thing those who think they are seeking the Lord might in fact be following their own will and not really listening to and obeying the Lord. For another thing anyone who is truly seeking the Lord is always in danger of falling away. The Bible says in Second Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no may deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” The Apostle Paul wrote in First Corinthians 9:27, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

The Lord tells believers in Isaiah 51:1 to “look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.” If you have been saved through faith in Christ, then you are much better off than what you would have been had you not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Do not be proud and do not be arrogant about your gifts and abilities and opportunities. All that you have and all that you are was given to you by grace. You may be a diamond or just a diamond-in-the rough, but without Christ you were only a useless lump of coal or a shapeless rock. And without Christ you were in a pit of sin that would have only gotten deeper as time went by and that would have led all the way to hell. Remember that Jesus lifted you out of the pit. You did not lift yourself out.

In Isaiah 51:2 God is telling us to remember others whom God has blessed. Specifically, Abraham and Sarah are mentioned. The first thing that is mentioned about Abraham is that Abraham was “called.” Because Abraham answered the call from God, then other things followed logically: God said that He “blessed” Abraham and “increased” Abraham. In other words, if you go God’s way, God will take care of you and help you in your endeavors. The same types of things that God did for Abraham to take care of Him, God will also do for you, if you “hearken” to God’s voice and God’s calling.

The Bible says in Isaiah 51:3-5, “For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. 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. My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.” First God speaks in Isaiah 51:1-2 about the blessings that He gave to Abraham and Sarah. Now in Isaiah chapter 51 and verse three, the Lord starts telling us about the great things that He will do for all of the children of Israel, “Zion,” and for all of the earth, “the isles.” In order to bless the children of Israel, the bad consequences of their sins must be taken away. That which is crooked must be made straight. That which is broken must be healed. Because of God’s grace through Jesus Christ any problem can be solved, and for those who inherit the promises made to Abraham, every problem will be solved.

Notice the things that God will do for the children of Israel. He says in Isaiah 51:3 that “he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD.” The land of Israel had been destroyed by Babylon, and God allowed this to happen because of Israel’s sins. But now God is saying that He is going to fix all of that. He is going to take away the consequences of their sins. That is called mercy. There is abundant mercy and forgiveness to be found through faith in Jesus Christ. There is grace that is greater than all our sins. God will also bless His children in their hearts. He will take away the sorrow mentioned in Isaiah chapter 50, and Jesus will replace sorrow with “joy and gladness,” and “thanksgiving,” “and the voice of melody.” Of course, this is another Messianic passage that refers to Jesus. That is why the Lord says in Isaiah 51:4, “a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.” Jesus is the Light of the world. And why it says in Isaiah 51:5, “My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people.” Jesus is our righteousness, our salvation, and He is the Judge. If you bow down to Christ today, He will become your righteousness and your salvation; and when you stand before Him in judgment, He will receive you into everlasting habitations.

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