Chapter 51:9-16 - I AM HE whom you seek,

Last lesson The Jews were see as the ones who followed after righteousness, the problem is they never sought righteousness in truth -

Chapter 51:9-10= Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

  • Who is speaking - Judah, Israel, The Jews - This will be seen later [This actually the LORD stating what they would be saying.

  • Who are they speaking to: Arm of the LORD - John 12:37-41 From these verses the arm of the LORD is identified as Jesus Christ, the one who performed many miracles before the unbelieving Jews. He is the One Isaiah saw" high and lifted up" in Isaiah 6:1 who was going to send Isaiah to a people who would not understand or perceive the message He would deliver through Isaiah. [See Isaiah 53:1] See Note #1

  • What do they want Him to do: Put on thy strength, As in ancient days - Psalm 44:1 ¶ <<To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil.>> We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old - Show us who you really are as you did in the past to our fathers (Noah, those at the tower of Babble, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and those who came out of Egypt, Hezekiah and the 185,000 You slew (Isaiah 37:36)  - Let us see the LORD our fathers saw. Could the Jews be saying "We expected to leaved Babylon as our ancestors left Egypt"?

  • They want Him to prove that He is the One Who- Cut up Rahab or Egypt {Ps 87:4; 89:10}and wounded pharaoh, the dragon {Eze 29:3) See Note #1; Dried up the the Red sea so The Children of Jacob could pass over and escape the army of Egypt who he destroyed in the sea. See Note #2

  • *These verses are The LORD prophesying through Isaiah what most of the Jews would be saying in their hearts when the sign of Cyrus (Isaiah 45:1) came true. Wake up LORD, you are not the lord you used to be. How dare you LORD, do you think we will believe in you by faith when you use a Gentile to declare who you are to us (Ezra 1:3) show your self to us as you did to our fathers - then we will believe - It is our way that things must be done, to our satisfaction

    Ps 44:23 Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever -

    The Lord knew their heart  [Luke 16:28-31; Romans 9:32]

    Ps 36:1 ¶ <<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD.>> The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes

    Mt 9:4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

Two Way to look at verse 51:11

Verse 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

Redeemed of the LORD - The nation of Israel

Ps 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
Isa 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

Isa 43:1 ¶ But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

Isa 62:12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

The knew they were the chosen people, they knew The LORD called the nation of Israel redeemed.

The problem here is the people thought they too were redeemed automatically at birth. [remember there is a difference in a redeemed nation and a nation of redeemed people] - Remember the woes of Chapter 45:9-10 - only a remnant believed and returned as Cyrus decreed. What about the rest of the Jews. Could this be them saying (in 51:9-11) "If we saw you destroy 185,000 in Babylon, if we saw your cloud and pillar of fire pointing the way back to Jerusalem (instead of a using Gentile called Cyrus to  decree that we return) then we would be able to believe that you are worthy to be followed the prophesy in Isaiah 37:10 would come true. They did not want a LORD they they had to believe by faith as Abraham and Sarah (51:2) did. We want a lord we can see and touch like the graven images we have made and bow down to.

Therefore when we see you as our fathers did - the flame and cloud in the wilderness, the avenging angle of the LORD who will himself slay our enemies - then we shall return to Jerusalem and stay in the joy of the LORD eternally - then Isaiah's prophesy in Isa 35:10 can be fulfilled - Then you will be The LORD that you claim to be.

They did not want to be released from bondage by a Gentile king (Cyrus) they wanted to see The LORD rain down plagues upon Babylon and be sent away with the wealth of Babylon as their ancestors

were when  they left Egypt.

Exodus 12:36 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

Eze 29:19 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.

Who ended up with the wealth of Egypt when the 70 captivity was over? Not the Jews, But Cyrus. The wealth of Egypt should have been ours as with our ancestors. How dare you give it to a Gentile king, we earned it. (Isaiah45:9-10). When you give it to us then we will gladly follow you.

 

Verse 51:11 - Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. Isa 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

When you reveal yourself and we see the LORD we want than the redeemed of the LORD shall return and be glad about it.

 

The second way of looking at this verse is this is the LORD saying since you want a LORD as you described above return return now "redeemed of the LORD", nation of Israel, as Cyrus decrees because to everlasting joy and comfort (40:1) as Cyrus has decreed. Then Isaiah 35:10 can be fulfilled right now

 

Verses 51:12-16 I AM He who has done everything that you want a god to do and more I have even called you my people.

When you put these two lessons together The LORD is declaring that His Righteousness will never be attained by going after it accept be faith believing, believe God and His Righteousness is accounted unto you (As Abraham & Sarah) - nor through seeing displays of power.

 

This is actually what was going on in the hearts of the Jews when Christ offered comfort through Himself

Isaiah 45:9-10

Mark 13:4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? [when will we see]

Next lesson

n 51:17-23  - Awake Israel and see what I have done for you (through Cyrus)

51:17 & 52:1 the LORD is answering the statement made in 51:9-11

 

*Note #1 - The Arm Of The LORD

Ex 6:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments   (This is used over 10 before Isaiah as a way revealing who the Jews should follow)    (Ex 14:21&26)

Ex 15:16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.

Isa 62:8 The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:

John 12:38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

 

Note #2 We saw in verse 51:9 that dragon was the pharaoh of Egypt who The LORD killed in the Red Sea when He formed them out of Egypt. Look at this verse with "That Day" in mind

Genesis 3:14-15 - Revelation 12:15-17 - Revelation 21:1