Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20040328.htm

ISAIAH: GOD'S DIRECTIVES TO THOSE TROUBLED AT GOVERNMENTAL APOSTASY
Part XXXVI: God's Unfailing Grace Regardless Of His People's Deep Needs
(Isaiah 49:1-26)
  1. Introduction
    1. Under deep trials, we may sometimes wonder if God even remembers us or CARES about us!
    2. Aware of Israel's future concern that He may have forgotten her in her severe trial of the Babylonian Captivity, God led Isaiah into a remarkable prediction of His unfailing grace toward Israel (as follows):
  2. God's Unfailing Grace Regardless Of His People's Deep Needs, Isaiah 49:1-26.
    1. Through Isaiah, God predicted He would respond in great grace to Israel's distant future rejection of His own Son, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Isaiah 49:1-11:
      1. Isaiah predicted Messiah would recognize that God the Father had sent Him into the world, Isaiah 49:1.
      2. He predicted Messiah would recognize that His mouth was equipped with the sharp sword of God's Words that would deal sharply with sin and righteousness in Israel, Isaiah 49:2a.
      3. In fact, Isaiah predicted Messiah's words would be so sharp that God the Father would hide him until the opportune time, the time we know when He began His earthly ministry, Isaiah 49:2b-3! [This is why the majority of the years of Christ's earthly life, over 85% of them, are "hidden" to us!]
      4. However, at the time of His ministry, Messiah's words would do so much convicting of sin that many in Israel would resist Him, making it humanly appear that Messiah had ministered in vain, Isa. 49:4a.
      5. The Father would respond to Israel's rejecting Messiah, promising to glorify Himself in the Messiah:
        1. When Israel rejected the Messiah, the Father promised He would make Messiah a Savior to the Gentiles, a program begun at Pentecost and continuing today in the Church era! (Isaiah 49:4b, 5-9)
        2. This program would be followed by the Father's causing Messiah to save repentant Israel [in the Great Tribulation] in preparation for the Messianic Kingdom to follow, Isa. 49:10-11; Rev. 20:1-6.
    2. In view of this prophecy, God fields Israel's future concern that He will had forgotten her in Babylon, 49:14; Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, ftn.; God said a mother would forget her infant before He forgot Israel, 49:15.
    3. God continues to make His point, claiming He has engraved Israel's name on His hands so whenever He uses them, He recalls His covenant with Israel and even the state of her walls, Isaiah 49:16.
    4. Accordingly, God predicts Israel's blessings at His hand following her Babylonian Captivity, 49:17-26:
      1. The Lord predicted Israel's Babylonian captors would leave her and go far away, Isaiah 49:17b.
      2. He foretold Israel's people would return from captivity, that He would adorn the nation as a bride is adorned by her wedding ceremony jewels, Isaiah 49:17a, 18!
      3. Indeed, God predicted through Isaiah that so many people would flock into Israel and they would be so productive that the land would overflow with them, Isaiah 49:19-20, 21.
      4. Even Gentile leaders would then be kind to Israel: they would gently bear Israel's little children in their arms as slaves would do in caring for children to bring them back to the land, Isaiah 49:22-23.
      5. God predicted that though it is unusual for captives to be delivered from their captors, God would rescue Israel from captivity and ruin those who oppressed her, Isaiah 49:24-25.
      6. Finally, God's judgment to those who unjustly oppressed Israel would be so certain and great that these Gentiles would know that God, the Mighty One of Jacob, was Israel's Redeemer and Savior, 49:26!
Lesson: God foretold that since He planned to do great things for Israel even when Israel was YET to REJECT God's own Beloved Son, Messiah Jesus, then it was IMPOSSIBLE for God to FORGET Israel in her coming Babylonian Captivity! This fact reminds us of passages like Romans 8:32 and 5:10 where we are taught that if God reconciled us to Himself through His Son's death while we hated God, how much more will God now help us as Christians now that we are His own children in Christ?

Application: The GRACE of God TOWARD His people is INFINITE -- it is BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION; thus, we NEVER need FEAR that God has FORGOTTEN us nor that He NO LONGER CARES about us when we face life's trials! If God could predict He would STILL DEARLY LOVE Israel EVEN when He FOREKNEW she would REJECT His Beloved Son, Jesus, He CAN NEVER abandon us or change His mind about His commitment to us ESPECIALLY in our trials!