Theological Commentary: Click Here
Isaiah 49 gives
us perspective on the redeemer. I love
how this chapter ends. It speaks about
the prey being taken from the mighty and the captives being taken from the
tyrant. These are strong images. They are also counter-intuitive examples.
When we
think of the tyrant, we think of a person who has incredible power to dominate
and enforce their will. When we think of
a mighty person, we think of a person who is capable of taking what they want
and keeping it. Intuitively speaking,
both of these scenarios are about people who do what they want and get what
they want.
Yet, the
Lord comes along and says that He will be able to take from the mighty and free
from the tyrant. The Lord is able to
usurp the status quo. The Lord is capable
of doing that which seems impossible.
To put this
in literal context, remember that the Hebrew people of Israel had been taken by
Assyria and scattered to the Assyrian Empire.
The Hebrew people of Judah were taken by Babylon and scattered to the
Babylonian Empire. From the perspective of
the Hebrew people, these Empires were insurmountable. They executed their will and won.
Into this
context comes the Lord, who promises restoration. He can bring back the exiles. He can restore the Hebrew people who have
been scattered to the foreign empires. He
can do that which human intuition says is impossible. He redeems.
Now, look
more deeply at the process of redemption.
Earlier in the chapter, the Lord speaks about the redeemer as one who is
despised among the nations, who is deeply abhorred, and who seems but a servant. Naturally, Christians hear this description
and can’t help but think of Christ, who is the exemplar of this passage. However, I think that these verses are actually
a call to all those who are in relationship with God. God calls the outcast. He calls those who are despised. He calls those who seem abhorrent. He isn’t the God of the pretty, popular, and
accepted. He is the God who can work
with anyone and everyone.
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