51:3
We should read this in the light of all the sin that Zion has committed, and the number of times that she has rejected the Lord. It is this disobedient and rebellious nation that God will comfort. Likewise, it is disobedient and rebellious people whom Jesus saves. Our rebellion has got us into an absolute mess, but the Lord will look with compassion on our ruins. And He will transform our lives and the land of Israel. The desert places will become a fruitful garden. Mourning and sorrow will be replaced with joy and gladness.
51:4
But this promise of restoration and salvation does not mean we just sit back and do nothing, and it definitely does not mean we carry on in our old rebellious ways. Instead we are to listen to the Lord. All too often the church seems all too ready to listen to any voices except the voice of the Lord. See that God addressed His words to “my people” and “my nation”. Instruction comes from the Lord, and it goes out to all the world, becoming a light to all the nations. Israel may have felt small, as believers in an increasingly secular nation we may feel small. But we should remember that God’s word goes out to all that nations, and will be the only word that is left standing.
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