"Listen to Me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called Me; from My mother's womb He has spoken My name. He made My mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of His hand He hid Me; He made Me into a polished arrow and concealed Me in His quiver." (Isaiah 49:1-2)
The reference to islands and distant lands is a reference to the way so many people in the Gentile nations will come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Regarding Jesus' name having been spoken before He was born, in the book of Matthew, after Joseph was told that Mary was pregnant, he decided to dissolve the betrothal contract with her privately. He did not at first believe that she had not been unfaithful to him but at the same time he did not want to shame her publicly by announcing his grounds for breaking off the engagement. But an angel of the Lord came to him and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20-21) The name "Jesus" is a form of "Joshua" which means, "The Lord saves."
Regarding His mouth being a sharpened sword, it is because He speaks the word of God. "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) The word of the Lord reveals to us our sinful state and our need for a Savior. It leads us to repentance if we will let it. But the same word will judge those who hear it and do not allow it to change their hearts. When the Lord Jesus appeared to the Apostle John and gave him the message of the book of Revelation, John described his appearance in symbolic terms, and he described a sharp double-edged sword coming out of His mouth. (Revelation 1:16) This represents the word of God, with which He will judge the enemies of God and of God's people. Later John was given a vision of the Lord striking these enemies down with the sword of His mouth. (Revelation 19:15)
In regard to Him being a polished arrow concealed in the quiver of God, this may be a reference to the years between the birth of Christ and the beginning of His public ministry. We know very little about those years, for the Scriptures only relay a few details about His infancy and one story about Him at the age of twelve. Or this could be a reference to the way that Old Testament people did not know when or how the Redeemer was going to come. The Apostle Paul referred to what became the gospel message as "the mystery that was kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to God's people." (Colossians 1:26)
The Lord never concealed the fact that the Redeemer was coming but people didn't know when He would come or how He would become the Redeemer or who He would be. In that sense some of the details of His advent were "hidden" and were "a mystery".
We are blessed to be living in an era after the advent of Christ. We are living in the church age and we have the New Testament that tells us about the things Jesus said and did. This is no longer a mystery but has now been revealed. Because Christ is "the exact representation" of God's being, we can look to Him and see the love that God the Father feels for us. We can see God's character. We know the simple method by which we can be saved: by placing our trust in the Son of God.
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