"Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of His servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God." (Isaiah 50:10) The Lord Jesus will later say, "My sheep hear My voice." (John 10:27) Those who love the Lord and who want to honor Him will be sensitive to the word of the Lord's servant and will follow His leadership. But this next verse is a warning to those who kindle fires on pagan altars and hold abominable ceremonies at the feet of idols, refusing to make God the Lord of their lives: "But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what You shall receive from My hand: You will lie down in torment." (Isaiah 50:11)
There is no guidance to be had from false gods, false prophets, and false priests. There is no wisdom in mankind's schemes either, for, "There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12) When we allow ourselves to be led by our carnal natures, serving ourselves or the idols of our choice, we will make nothing but bad decisions that lead us farther and farther away from the Lord. But if we make God the Lord of our lives, we have the benefit of His wisdom and guidance. As the Lord Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)
Now we move on into Chapter 51 where the Lord urges the people to remember their heritage and the faith of their forefathers. If they want to be righteous in His eyes, they must live the way their ancestors who loved the Lord lived. The ones who seek after righteousness must do it the way people like Abraham did it---by faith. "Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; Look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many." (Isaiah 51:1-2)
In the years that led up to Judah's defeat by Babylon, a great number of the people turned away from the Lord. Those who did not forsake Him must have felt like a minority. They must have thought, "What good can I do for my nation? The godly are vastly outnumbered by the ungodly." But Abraham was just one man who obeyed the Lord's calling and the Lord created multitudes upon multitudes from his descendants. Abraham trusted the Lord and believed the promises the Lord made to him and he was blessed by the Lord as a result.
After Judah has been conquered by Babylon and most of the people carried off into captivity, the people must have thought in that foreign land, "We are surrounded by these godless Babylonians who hate us and have treated us cruelly. What good will our prayers do us here? We are vastly outnumbered by our enemies. How can we ever see our own land again?" But just as Abraham trusted the Lord and believed His promises, the people are to follow Abraham's example and believe what the Lord is promising them here: "The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing." (Isaiah 51:3)
In this world where it often feels like things are falling to pieces around us and we don't know who or what to believe, the Lord is our strong anchor. We can safely place all of our trust in Him. We can be led by His holy word. We can have a relationship with Him. We can count on every promise He has ever made.
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