GOD’S WORD SUSTAINS THE WEARY
ISAIAH 50:4-10 September 15, 2002
ISAIAH 50:4-10
4The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
5The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.
6I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.
7Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
8He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other!
Who is my accuser? Let him confront me!
9It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me. Who is he that will condemn me?
They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.
10Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.
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Dearest Fellow-Redeemed and Saints in the Lord:
Once again, you and I come to God’s house of worship at the invitation of our Lord, to en-joy the blessings of His Word. Today as Isaiah points out, it is God’s holy Word that sustains the weary. Maybe we have days like that from time to time, when at the end of the day we’re just all worn out. We are, in essence, bone-weary and tired. We sit back, thinking of all the things we have done that day, and realizing we have another day yet ahead filled with the labor that the Lord gives us to do. It is at those times that the Lord would have us reflect on His blessings, the blessings that He provides for us day after day, the ability that He says, ‘Go out and work.’ The ability to produce wealth comes from the Lord. As we reflect on those blessings, we’re reminded of the greatest of all blessings that Word which He gives to us to ‘revive our soul.’ That’s what Isaiah says in the beginning of our text when he says ‘to know the word that sustains the weary.’ Certainly he recalled what the psalm-writers were writing.
Psalm 19 tells us: "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple"(PSALM 19:7). We turn to God’s Word once again to revive our soul, that it would refresh us and renew us. We use as our theme what Isaiah says:
GOD’S WORD SUSTAINS THE WEARY
I. Good enough for God’s only Son
II. Good enough for God’s followers
I. Good enough for God’s only Son
In this fifteenth chapter of Isaiah, the first few verses, under inspiration, Isaiah writes his own thoughts, his own words that God has given him to write. In the verses of our text, he be-gins in verse four with letting the Savior speak. God is speaking through Isaiah the prophet, the words that the sovereign Lord (Jesus) would speak to His Father. 4The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. As we hear these words, we connect them with the life of the Savior. The Savior, who certainly had God-fearing parents, morning by morning (day by day), was taught in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. He says that Word would sustain Him. Jesus, as the son of man with human flesh and body, we know that that body became tired, at times that it became hungry and thirsty, times that he needed that Word of God which would sustain the weary. The Savior appreciated the opportunity to hear the Word of God even though He was the Word of God in the flesh.
5The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. We think of the scribes and the Pharisees who drew back from the word of God. We think of the children of Israel, who from time to time gave up God’s Word. They didn’t want to hear it. The Savior said for Himself, His ears were open. He was anxious to hear and ready to lis-ten, because again, God’s Word would sustain the weary.
We know that Jesus in His life, had a ministry faced with opposition until finally He faced death itself. He describes that in the verses of our text: 6I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. We think of the accusers that came. We think of Judas who betrayed Him, the army that came to the Garden of Gethsemane to take Him off as prisoner. All that night they made fun of Him, mocked Him, spit upon Him. Jesus says He knew the Word of the Lord that sustains the weary. He also knew the fact that He wasn’t alone. Listen to this in verse seven: 7Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Even though Pontius Pilate, even though the crowd, even though the soldiers thought they were disgracing the Savior, the Savior realized the Sovereign Lord helped Him. He would not be disgraced. The Sovereign Lord would be with Him; He would not be alone.
He goes on: Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. Again, they tried to shame Him, but the Lord Jesus knew He was not being put to shame. He was resolute in doing His duty wasn’t He? He says, ‘I set my face like flint.’ We remember the time when He told His disciples He was going to Jerusalem, that He would suffer before the Council, that He would be put to death. The disciples then told Jesus, ‘Don’t go to Jerusalem. Stay away.’ But we’re told (as Scripture says), ‘Then He set out resolutely, for Jerusalem.’ Jesus was not going to turn back because the Sovereign Lord was with Him, because the Word of the Lord sustained Him. It kept Him going.
Jesus then says: 8He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! And so it was that Pilate con-fronted Him, so it was Judas confronted Him, so it was that the crowd confronted Him—face to face. Yet Jesus says, ‘He who vindicates me is near.’ The One who would help Him was at hand. The Sovereign Lord would help Him; God’s Word would sustain Him. Yes, that Word of God was good enough for God’s only Son to endure His ministry and to endure those false accusations, the kangaroo court and the mockery of a trial, until He hung upon the cross.
Jesus began His ministry after His baptism by John the Baptist. It wasn’t long after that that Jesus went into the wilderness and was tempted by Satan, himself. You may recall those temptations of Satan. Satan came and tried to tempt Jesus by appealing to His hunger, appealing to His need for authority, and he quoted scripture. Actually when we look real close and listen real close, Satan always misquoted scripture. He twisted it just enough to make it appeal to ones hu-man nature. Jesus, who knew God’s Word, defended Himself with God’s Word. Jesus could have easily said, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan’. Jesus could have easily said, ‘No more of this!’ Instead, He proclaimed to Satan with what God’s Word said. In that first temptation He reminded Satan that the Word of God was enough to sustain the weary. Jesus said to him, "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (MATTHEW 4:4). That was enough for Jesus. It becomes enough for us too then, doesn’t it? On every word from the mouth of God, you and I are sustained. You and I are given strength to face this life head-on. Jesus always used that Word, even though He had infinite power as God’s Son.
When Jesus went to preach in the synagogues, He proclaimed the law and the gospel. One time He went to the synagogue and had to clear it of those who were selling ‘things’ in the temple of God. They had made it into a marketplace rather than a house of worship. Another time, Jesus went to talk to the scribes and Pharisees who had forgotten about God’s Word, who had made their word God’s Word, who had made their laws and regulations, God’s laws and regulations. It became so bad that the people forgot that worship was worship. They thought worship was just obedience, obedience to men rather than to God.
We hear Jesus words again to remind them and to warn them, as He reminds us today. "He replied, ’Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: " These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."(MARK 7:6). Satan uses that in our lives more often than not. He distracts our hearts far away from God’s Word and His instruction. When we read for ourselves, we’re distracted by those things around us. Maybe today as we sit here, we’re distracted by those things that we have yet to do today, what’s for dinner, what we’re going to do tomorrow, or the rest of the afternoon. Our hearts are sometimes far from God. It takes an effort to concentrate, to focus on what God wants us to focus on—namely, His Word.
One more example from the life of Jesus that teaches us very clearly today: the example that Jesus used God’s Word that sums up God’s love for mankind: in forgiveness. In our readings today, we heard forgiveness by Joseph, forgiveness that the Lord teaches is unconditional. It doesn’t keep track of how many times a person is forgiven. Forgiveness is forgiveness!! Jesus, who knew the Word of God, realized forgiveness is needed even by those who acted in ignorance. As He was nailed to the cross, what are his first words from the cross? "Jesus said, ’Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.’"(LUKE 23:34). Even though they were putting Him to death, and even though they were going to take His last shred of clothing.
Jesus said, ‘Forgive them’ because that Word sustained Him, that Word would sustain them. We are here today because we know God’s Word that sustains the weary—good enough for God’s Son, and certainly
II. Good enough for God’s followers
As we looked at those examples of Jesus, we realized how He was strengthened and en-couraged. We realized how He understood that the Sovereign Lord was always with Him. The Sovereign Lord was right there through His holy word. Whether He would face accusations that were false, whether He would face accusers that didn’t have a leg to stand on, whether the world thought He was in shame and disgrace, God’s Word sustained Him. He goes on and tells us why. He says, ‘9It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me.’ Jesus says that by Himself, He could not carry out His heavenly Father’s will. Remember in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed three times. He asked the Lord to remove the cup of suffering if it would be His will. It wasn’t and Je-sus realized that. He realized that His heavenly Father would help Him and sustain Him through His Word. He says, 9It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me. Who is he that will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up. All of the accusers of Jesus are gone and long forgotten. You and I remember the names of Pilate and Judas, not in good terms, but bad terms. He says all the accusers would ‘wear out like a garment.’ They would be eaten up by moths, and a moth is not a very powerful creature. They would eat up the accusers of Jesus, they would eat up those accusers of His followers.
Now we come back to the words of Isaiah. As he writes these words and he gives the peo-ple the words of Jesus Himself, who is not even born yet, he asks them the obvious question: 10Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Who is going to listen to all of this? Who is going to pay attention to Jesus? He says whoever did would receive blessings. He says, ‘Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.’ Isaiah knew, as he proclaimed judgement on God’s people, that there would be some that would become weary, that there would be some that would become worn out in body and soul. So the Lord, through Isaiah, then asked them, ‘Who fears the Lord? Who hears His Word? Then let him trust and rely on the Lord.’ He says, ‘Don’t walk any longer in the darkness of the world, but in the light of salvation. Put your trust and confidence in the Word of God which sustains the weary.’
Written long before Jesus was born, written long before any of us was born, yet it is still true today! By God’s grace, you and I know the Word that sustains the weary. The Word of the Lord that teaches us of God’s forgiveness, the Word of the Lord that teaches us of God’s eternity, and the Word of the Lord that teaches us of God’s love, is alive in us. In the letter of John we read: "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him"(1 JOHN 4:16). When God speaks of love here, He’s talking about Christian love, not the superficial love of the world. People use the term ‘love’ indiscriminately and without understanding God’s great love for mankind. God’s love is the sacrificial love of sending His Son to die for our sins. The Lord says now because we know that, we live in God’s love. We put our trust and confidence in God’s love, in His Word. We rely on God and trust in the Lord Al-mighty as Isaiah says (or at least we ought to).
Sometimes it’s hard in this world to do that. We live in a society that doesn’t put much trust and confidence in God or in His Word. After all, how can God help us if we can’t see Him? How can God’s Word help us? It’s so old and ancient. It’s irrelevant. You and I know different, yet sometimes we’re caught up in the way of the world. We put lots of trust and confidence in ourselves. We just grew up that way. It’s the way the world is. We can accomplish great things on our own. The idea that we can do it becomes second nature to us. We depend on ourselves, or we depend on those around us, or we depend on those who claim to be in authority—just part of our society. The Lord warns us. He says to be careful. "This is what the LORD says: ’Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.’"(JEREMIAH 17:5). Isn’t that what happens when we misplace our trust? Our heart turns away from God. When we trust in our own wealth, our heart turns away from God. When we trust in our own decisions, our heart turns away from God. We have to honestly ask ourselves, ‘When was the last time that we really, really came before God’s throne of grace and asked Him for direction in our life?’ Or do we just take for granted that every day of our life we’re going to go off in our own direction and follow our own plans year after year and decade after decade. The Lord says we’re to trust in Him, to look to Him for direction and guidance. It’s His Word that sustains us.
It’s His Word that defeats our enemies. We heard about that last week—how Jesus, in His Word, defeats Satan, defeats death itself. He defeats those who stand against Christianity. He says the gates of hell shall not prevail against His kingdom and against His church. Paul writes in Romans: "Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us"(ROMANS 8:32,33). Satan accuses us, sin tries to drag us down, but God has His Son who intercedes for us. God has chosen us to know that Word, God’s Word, which sustains the weary.
For those times when we’re worn out and bone tired, the Lord says, ‘Remember my bless-ings.’ Recall the fact that the Word of God is there to refresh us, renew us and sustain us; to carry us through, not just from day to day, year to year and decade to decade, but to help us and sustain us right into eternity itself. It’s that Word which is given to us by His grace so that it’s in our hearts by faith. The Word sustained Jesus in His earthly ministry right through death itself. The Word sustains us through life into heaven itself. The Lord gives us that Word, He equips us with that weapon of faith. In Ephesians we read: “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of sal-vation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”(EPHESIANS 6:16, 17) All of us would feel brave and strong with a sword in our hand, wouldn’t we? That’s what the Lord says we would have. The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God sustains us. It revives our soul. It sus-tained the Lord Jesus, and certainly it is more than good enough to sustain us also. Amen.
Pastor Timm O. Meyer
