Isaiah 49:8-16a - by Administrator Account
(25 May) Let's try a larger font and see it that's more friendly.
Prophecy is weird and confusing. I don't mean to be negative. It's just that there is a cultural disconnect here that frequently messes us up. We "moderns" (and even in this so-called post-modern age we are still pretty much modern in our outlook) always see things in a linear fashion. We like our history in timelines. We like our books to have numbered pages and chapters. We expect movies to move from exposition to conclusion...
But OT prophecies don't quite do that. Even when they seem to be clearly talking about one time and place they are often simultaneously talking about another time - another person - another fulfillment.
Isaiah is clearly writing about the Redeemer, the Messiah, the Savior who was to come - Jesus. But is he talking about the immediate result of Jesus' ministry, or is he talking about what will happen at the end of the world when Jesus comes again? "I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up." That sure didn't happen when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And yet, a few verses earlier we find those famous words, "I will also make you a light for the Gentiles..." (vs.6)
We could spend a lot of time debating and dissecting these verses in the attempt to identify exactly who and when they are talking about. But it would not only be unproductive, it might be beside the point. What the Lord promises here is all bound up with everything that Jesus did in his earthly ministry, everything that he does now through his church, and everything that will happen in the Judgment. From where God sits it is all the same.
It is "now" and "not yet." It is fulfilled, and still fulfilling. As moderns we can stress about that and wish that God would get it all laid out in bullet points for us so that we can know which step we're on now... or we can rejoice that we live in the most exciting times in history, in which God is carrying out his marvelous plan.