Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Isaiah 51:17 (NIV)
“Awake, awake! Rise up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes people stagger.”
Isaiah 51:17 (MSG)
“So wake up! Rub the sleep from your eyes! Up on your feet, Jerusalem! You’ve drunk the cup God handed you, the strong drink of his anger. You drank it down to the last drop, staggered and collapsed, dead-drunk.”
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“Wake yourself up! Wake yourself up! Stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath, you who have drunk the cup of staggering and intoxication to the dregs [leaving only sediment].” -AMPLIFIED
“Jerusalem fell, but it is now about to rise again. The Babylonian attack on Jerusalem was a punishment sent by God to bring about the collapse of the city and the destruction of Judah. The judgment is likened to a strong drink given to a person to make him drunk, so that he staggers and falls. This strong drink is now to be taken from Judah and given to Babylon, so that it will stagger and fall. God is going to destroy Babylon as he destroyed Judah.” ~Bridgeway Bible Commentary
In yesterday’s text, Israel was reminded that God was/is their Hiding Place. He would hide them in the hollow of His hand, just as He did for Moses. Israel is reminded once again that Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, is their God, and they are His people. God tells them:
“For I am Yahweh, your faithful God, who split the sea with its roaring waves.
My name is Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies! I have placed my words in your mouth
and have hidden you in the hollow of my hand to establish the heavens and make the earth rock solid. You will say to Zion, ‘You are my people!’” -Isaiah 51:15-16 (The Passion Translation)
NOTE: Experiencing God’s judgment is likened to becoming intoxicated on strong wine. We will see that this is the fate of the wicked.
Today’s text is the beginning of the end of this chapter, chapter 51. Verses 17-23 address the cup of God’s wrath, which Israel had drunk from. We will find, over the coming days, God telling Israel that He will remove the cup from their hands, and pass it on to their abusers, the Babylonians. God urges Israel in this way:
“Get up. Get up, and get moving! Stand up, Jerusalem, you who have experienced firsthand the punishing anger of God. You have drunk that terrible cup to the last gritty drop, and it left you reeling, drunk on distress.” -(VOICE)
Multiple times we have seen Adonai advise Israel that they needed to wake up to what was happening, they needed to be alert. Once again, He advises them to “Wake up, and pay attention. Get a grip on yourself and grasp what I am doing and about to do for you.”
God tells them that they have indeed drunk from the cup of His wrath, down to the very bottom of the cup, to the very dregs. The effects of that drink, God’s judgement, were awful. The people were staggering under the influence of it, just as a drunk would after a night of strong drink. Over the coming days we will learn more of how Israel was affected, and how God would hand that cup to Babylon.
“Wake up, wake up, Jerusalem! You have drunk enough from the cup of the fury of the Lord. You have drunk to the dregs the cup of terror and squeezed out the last drops.” -(TLB)
“You who have drunk at the hand of the LORD, the cup of His fury: A common picture of judgment in the Old Testament is the cup of God’s wrath or fury. The idea is that God gives a cup “full” of His wrath to those who are under judgment, and they must drink it. Here, God calls Jerusalem to remember that they have drunk at the hand of the LORD, the cup of His fury when they experienced God’s judgment through the Babylonians.” ~David Guzik
In the book of Psalms David spoke about God being our portion and our cup.
“You, Eternal One, are my sustenance and my life-giving cup.
In that cup, You hold my future and my eternal riches.” -Psalm 16:5 (VOICE)
“A metaphor referring to what the host offers his guests to drink. To the godly the Lord offers a cup of blessing or salvation; He makes the wicked drink from the cup of wrath.” ~NIV footnote for Psalm 16:5
In the book of Jeremiah, we find Jeremiah recording this Message from God about His judgement on the nations because of their wickedness:
“The Lord, the God of Israel, said this to me: “My anger is like the wine in a cup. Take it from my hand. I am sending you to all the nations. Make them drink all of my anger from this cup. They will drink my anger like wine. Then they will not be able to walk straight. They will act like madmen. They will do this because of the war that I am going to send among them.” -Jeremiah 25:15-16 (ICB)
Turning to David again for insight, we are reminded that God’s anger is fleeting, but His grace lasts a lifetime. David wrote:
“Sing, all you who remain faithful! Pour out your hearts to the Eternal with praise and melodies;
let grateful music fill the air and bless His name. His wrath, you see, is fleeting, but His grace lasts a lifetime. The deepest pains may linger through the night, but joy greets the soul with the smile of morning.” -Psalm 30:4-5 (VOICE)
“Apostle Paul while writing to the Corinthian church in the context of idolatry asks this rhetorical question, “Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?” (I Corinthians 10: 22, ESV). Israel experimented and found the answer. But by that time, they have already ruined their lives. Don’t we dare to follow Israel’s footsteps! Either learn the lesson here or else, the LORD will teach you.” ~Royal Raj S
Finally, let us look to the book of Lamentations, where Jeremiah wrote these words:
“He has filled me with bitterness and given me a cup of deepest sorrows to drink. He has made me eat gravel and broken my teeth; he has rolled me in ashes and dirt. O Lord, all peace and all prosperity have long since gone, for you have taken them away. I have forgotten what enjoyment is. All hope is gone; my strength has turned to water, for the Lord has left me. Oh, remember the bitterness and suffering you have dealt to me! For I can never forget these awful years; always my soul will live in utter shame. Yet there is one ray of hope: his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his loving-kindness begins afresh each day. My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him. The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him, to those who seek for him. It is good both to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” -Lamentations 3:15-26 (TLB)
“God intermixeth mercy with affliction: he steeps his sword of justice in the oil of mercy; there was no night so dark, but Israel had a pillar of fire in it; there is no condition so dismal, but we may see a pillar of fire to give light. If the body be in pain, conscience is in peace, –there is mercy: affliction is for the prevention of sin, –there is mercy. In the ark there was a rod and a pot of manna, the emblem of a Christian’s condition, mercy interlined with judgment.” ~Thomas Watson
My friend, there may be times that we too experience the hand of God’s judgement, but just like Israel, we must remember that God’s mercies are new every morning. His hand of discipline is only for a time. Remember, our weeping may last for a night, but joy will come in the morning. We serve a God of love and mercy. Learn the lesson you are supposed to be learning. Seek God’s direction and wait patiently for His salvation.
“If you look at God with the eye of the lawyer, the least sin makes you ineligible for mercy; but if you look at him in Christ, or with an evangelical eye, the greatest sinner may receive mercy; yes, the sense of unworthiness makes a man the more receptive.” ~Ralph Erskine
My Prayer:
Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, I have experienced that terrible cup of your anger. I also have experienced your love and your mercy. Lord, help me to be quick to learn the lessons that you are teaching me. Help me to be paying attention, and listening to your still, small voice, so that I can be quick to obedience. And when I do have to walk through those times of discipline, remind me that you are only disciplining me because you love me, just as was the case with Israel. Lord, I am seeking your direction in my life, help me to patiently wait on your guidance. Thank you, Lord.
Growing with God 