Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Isaiah 51:20-22 (NIV)
“Your children have fainted; they lie at every street corner, like antelope caught in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the Lord, with the rebuke of your God. Therefore, hear this, you afflicted one, made drunk, but not with wine. This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends his people: “See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again.”
Isaiah 51:20-22 (MSG)
“Your sons and daughters have passed out, strewn in the streets like stunned rabbits, sleeping off the strong drink of God’s anger, the rage of your God. Therefore listen, please, you with your splitting headaches, you who are nursing the hangovers that didn’t come from drinking wine. Your Master, your God, has something to say, your God has taken up his people’s case: “Look, I’ve taken back the drink that sent you reeling. No more drinking from that jug of my anger!”
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“Your sons have fainted; they lie helpless at the head of every street, like an antelope in a net, full [from drinking] of the wrath of the Lord, the rebuke of your God. Therefore, now hear this, you who are afflicted, who are drunk, but not with wine [but overwhelmed by the wrath of God]. So says your Lord, the Lord, who is also your God who pleads the cause of His people, “Listen carefully, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering and intoxication, the cup of My wrath; you shall never drink it again.” -AMPLIFIED
“He who is Lord of all, the eternal Jehovah, who can do all things, and who is the covenant God of his people, and will do all things he has purposed and promised, and which are for their good and his glory; of which they may be assured from the consideration of these names and titles of his, for which reason they seem to be used and mentioned.” ~Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible
In yesterday’s passage, we found God referring Israel of the difficulties that they had been enduring and reminding them that He would be their Comforter.
“Twin calamities have come upon you, but who will feel sorry for you?
Disaster and devastation, famine and war, but who will comfort you?” -Isaiah 51:19 (The Passion Translation)
In today’s passage, we find God again calling for His people to “Pay Attention” and to, “Listen up!” God reminds Israel that He knows the state of their affairs at this moment in their time, but….He will take away the cup of His anger. This time of suffering will soon be over. God says:
“Her people are lying around on every corner, weary and faint, like an antelope trapped in a net. Each is overcome with the Eternal’s anger; each suffers His rebuke. But now, listen! Listen, you who are miserable, you who are intoxicated, but not on wine. The Lord, your God, the Eternal, who pleads for His people, has this to say: Eternal One: Look! I have taken away the cup that left you reeling—the cup of My anger—and sobered you up; I will never make you drink it again.” -(VOICE)
Things have been bad for the Israelites during the time of exile. They had experienced suffering and pain, that is what happens when you are being punished. Their people had become weak, to the point of fainting in the streets. They were like animals caught in a net that they could not escape from. They had felt the full brunt of Adonai’s fury, and the rebuke of their God.
God instructs them to pay attention to what He has to say to them, once again. This Message is one of hope to those who had drunk deeply from His cup of wrath. The time of punishment is over. God tells Israel, “I am taking that cup of anger away from you now.
God says to Israel: “Here, I have removed from your hand the cup of drunkenness, the goblet of my fury. You will never drink it again.” -(CJB)
“For your sons have fainted and lie in the streets, helpless as wild goats caught in a net. The Lord has poured out his fury and rebuke upon them. But listen now to this, afflicted ones—full of troubles and in a stupor (but not from being drunk)—this is what the Lord says, the Lord your God who cares for his people: “See, I take from your hands the terrible cup; you shall drink no more of my fury; it is gone at last.” -(TLB)
“The God offering Israel a comforting promise was her master, Yahweh, the God of the covenant, the God who had taken her to Himself, who consistently defends His people. He promised that the Israelites would never again experience the outpouring of His wrath as they had. Obviously, the Jews have experienced worse persecution in recent history than they did during the Babylonian exile: the German holocaust, the Russian pogroms, etc. And they will undergo the worst trials of their history in the Tribulation (cf. Jeremiah 30:4-7). I take it that God meant that He would not punish them as He had because He would provide the Servant to drink the cup of His wrath for His people. They would not have to suffer in the future as they had in the past because God would provide a Savior who would suffer in their place. That so many of the Jews have suffered terribly and will yet do so is because they have rejected the Savior that God provided.” ~Thomas Constable
Israel had suffered for her disobedience to God. Remember, suffering and pain are by-products of sin. For a time, God rejected her, just for a time. Further along in the book of Isaiah, we find God giving this promise to Israel:
“Eternal One: Yes, I was angry for a moment, and I rejected you, but My love endures, and I want you back. For that moment, when I was so mad, I made it impossible for you to see Me, to find Me, but with great tenderness, I will take you back in love. I think this is like the time when Noah lived. I promised that I would never again destroy the world by a flood. So now I am promising never again to be so angry and punishing as I was when I sent you away. Even if the mountains heave up from their anchors, and the hills quiver and shake, I will not desert you. You can rely on My enduring love; My covenant of peace will stand forever. So says the Eternal One, whose love won’t give up on you.” -Isaiah 54:7-10 (VOICE)
The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, reminded them to never give up, even in the midst of suffering. Because the troubles and troubles we are enduring are only for a time. We need to keep our focus on what lies beyond this life. Focus on the things that we cannot see yet. Paul writes:
“So we have no reason to despair. Despite the fact that our outer humanity is falling apart and decaying, our inner humanity is breathing in new life every day. You see, the short-lived pains of this life are creating for us an eternal glory that does not compare to anything we know here. So we do not set our sights on the things we can see with our eyes. All of that is fleeting; it will eventually fade away. Instead, we focus on the things we cannot see, which live on and on.” -2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (VOICE)
“Suffering is unbearable if you aren’t certain that God is for you and with you.” ~Tim Keller
My friend, remember what David told us, weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Our suffering is but for a time, it will not last forever. God uses that suffering to make and mold us into the person that He needs us to be. Stop fighting against it, and learn the lessons that God is trying to teach you. Also, keep your focus firmly fixed on the final goal. This is our hope!
“There is a certain kind of maturity that can be attained only through the discipline of suffering.” ~D. A. Carson
My Prayer:
Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, walking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death is so difficult. Sadly, there have been times, Lord, when I have wanted to give up. I am sorry. I needed to be reminded that this suffering and pain will not last forever. So, I thank you for allowing your Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to remind me of that truth. Thank you too for my eternal hope, of heaven and of you, and of what is waiting for me on the other side. This always gives me strength to keep pressing on, to keep working toward what truly matters. Lord, I can hardly wait to be with you in heaven; it’s what keeps me going when the going gets tough. Thank you for giving me this incentive. Today, Lord, I press on, with your help. Thank you.
Growing with God 