Comfort for God's People, Chapter Twelve

SEVENTY years-a normal human life span-that is how long the nation of Judah will be captive in Babylon.  (Psalm 90:10; Jeremiah 25:11; 29:10)  Most  Israelites taken captive will grow old and die in Babylon.  Think how humiliated they will be by the taunts and jeers of their enemies.  Think, too, of the reproach that will be heaped upon their God, Jehovah, when the city on which he placed his name lies desolate for so long.  (Nehemiah 1:9; Psalm 132:13; 137:1-3)  The beloved temple, which was filled with God's glory when it was dedicated  by Solomon, will be no more.  (2 Chronicles 7:1-3)  What bleak projects!  But Jehovah, through Isaiah, prophesies a restoration.  (Isaiah 43:14; 44:26-28) In chapter 51 of the book of Isaiah, we find further prophecies on this theme of comfort and reassurance.

To those in Judah who incline their hearts toward him, Jehovah says:  "Listen to me, you people who are pursuing after righteousness, you who are seeking to find Jehovah."  (Isaiah 51:1a) "Pursuing after righteousness" implies action.  Those 'pursuing after righteousness' will not merely claim to be God's people.  They will zealously  strive to be righteous and to live in harmony with God's will.  (Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 21:21)  They will look to Jehovah as the only Source of righteousness, and they will 'seek to find Jehovah.'  (Psalm 11:7; 145:17) It is not that they will already know who Jehovah is or how to approach him  in prayer.  Rather, they will endeavor to draw closer to him, worshiping him, praying to him, and seeking his direction in all they do.

However, those who truly pursue righteousness are comparatively few in Judah, and this may cause them to be faint-hearted and despondent.  So using the illustration of a quarry, Jehovah encourages them:   "Look to the rock from which you were hewn  out, and to the hollow of the pit from which you were dug out. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who gradually brought you forth with childbirth pains.  for he was one when I called him, and I proceeded to bless him and to make him many." (Isaiah 51:1b, 2)  "The rock" from which the Jews  were hewn is Abraham, a historical figure in whom the nation of Israel takes much pride.  (Matthew 3:9; John  8:33, 39)  He is the progenitor, the human source, of the nation.  "The hollow pit" is Sarah, from whose womb came Israel's ancestor Isaac.

Next time: Conclusion of Comfort for God's People, Chapter Twelve

From the Book Isaiah's Prophecy Light for all Mankind, Volume II, 2001