Hope for the Hopeless

The trash in our subdivision gets picked up on Tuesday. So on Monday night it’s common to see trucks drive slowly down the street to see what kinds of treasures people are throwing away. I admire the ability some people have to see value where others see worthless junk. I wish I had more of that skill of taking something broken and discarded, without hope of being useful again and restoring it to something useful or valuable.

We are in Isaiah chapter 49. Here we will see an amazing example of God restoring hope to a hopeless people who were held captive and felt like they had been discarded. God had the power to restore hope to an ancient nation and He has the power to do it with His people today.

Brief Recap of the Isaiah series: This section of Isaiah started in chapter 40 with the announcement and assurance of comfort for God’s people and that their judgment from God at the hands of their enemies had been completed. Isaiah gave a message from God to the Israelites to encourage them to lift their gaze to God from their punishment in captivity and to be reminded of His love for them because He would rescue and restore them.

In this section of Isaiah there are four “servant songs.” Chapter 49 contains the second of those songs and it starts by describing the Servant’s Mission.

The Servant’s mission

Isaiah 49:1-6

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all.Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”

And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—

he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

From the first verse, we see that this servant’s mission was not limited to the nation of Israel. Islands and distant lands were instructed to listen to Him and His message.

God made His servant powerful and effective and equipped him to be revealed at exactly the right time and place in history. This servant who came in the power of God to accomplish God’s plan of salvation was the Messiah!

The Messiah servant here is called Israel because He was the embodiment of true Israel. His mission was to accomplish what the nation of Israel did not accomplish—to be God’s faithful instrument to the whole world and through whom God would display His splendor, His glory and majesty.

In verse 6 we see the awesome mission of this servant highlighted when God says:

Isaiah 49:6 “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

This servant had been prepared by God to accomplish His mission of bringing light and salvation to the ends of the earth—not limited by geography or ethnicity. Through this servant, the light of the Gospel would go to Jews and Gentiles alike, near and far, displaying God’s splendor, glory, and majesty.

Isaiah 49:7-13

This is what the Lord says— the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances,

to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill.

They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.  See, they will come from afar— some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan.”

Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

In this section, we hear echoes of the Millennial kingdom to come when Christ returns as King of kings and Lord or lords. When Isaiah wrote this the Jewish nation would soon be headed into captivity because of God’s judgment on their idolatry and breaking their covenant with him. God would later bring them back from their punishment in captivity and restore them in their land. That happened in part at different times throughout Israel’s history and will be ultimately fulfilled in the Millennial kingdom at Christ’s second coming.

Here, God was reminding His people through Isaiah that although they would experience His judgment in captivity, that wasn’t the end of their story. He would send His servant on a mission to bring them back. He reminded them that He wasn’t finished with them and called on them to trust Him.

Not heat, hunger, or thirst, not mountains, or oceans—they will come back from wherever they had been scattered. God’s rescue mission does not end with the nation of Israel’s redemption from Babylon. All of creation bursts out in praise as the Lord redeems the whole world from the captivity of sin!

What does this mean for us? Nothing can stand in God’s way from rescuing His people—not mountains of sin nor oceans of dysfunction—not your past, not your sins, not your addictions! No sin is a match for God’s glorious grace and matchless power! The broken solutions we pursue and trust in crumble before the powerful, holy, and loving King of the universe. Do you believe that? Can you take hold of it by faith? With God’s help can you lift your eyes and focus your hope above your circumstances and look to Him and trust Him to take care of you?

We are in the full swing of our national election season. Between now and election day, we will be inundated with speeches, debates, advertisements, media spin, campaign promises and accusations about the other side. That’s where we are in our historical and cultural moment—my side or the other side. It’s adversarial. When your side wins, you’re elated, you feel vindicated and powerful, and all is right with the world. When the other side wins, you feel isolated and misunderstood, you’re crushed and defeated, the world seems dark and hopeless.

It’s easy to get caught up in that narrow and divisive view. It’s all around us. We experience this elation and dejection based on what’s happening in the political world.

I am not saying that being engaged in the political process is unimportant or somehow wrong. It’s not! We have the privilege in our country to express our political views, advocate for policies that we believe are helpful, advocate against those we think are bad ideas, and to vote for our political leaders. We are responsible to thoughtfully and prayerfully evaluate candidates and their policies and platforms in light of God’s Word, and then to make the best possible choice.

What I am saying is that we need to raise our eyes above our political system with all its noise, tumult, and hatred. Please do not put your ultimate hope and trust in the solutions this world offers.

When God inspired the Apostle Paul to write that “…our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20), he was directing our attention far above the current situation. Our hope is not tied to who wins or loses elections. Our hope is not in broken solutions and empty promises. Our ultimate hope does not depend on parties and platforms and political power. No, we are called to see far higher and beyond all of that.

Recently a group of Oak Pointe pastors were discussing this topic—how we can help you navigate this cultural and political minefield. One of the ideas that came up I want to share with you in the form of a challenge. Try a radical experiment during this highly divisive political season. Consider choosing one week to fast from all news. No newspapers (if anyone still reads newspapers!), no TV, no news sites, no blogs, no social media, no YouTube, no Tik Tok, nothing news related. Instead, use that time to read the Bible to focus your mind on things above. Will you do it? News fast, Bible feast! It’s much better for us to saturate our minds with the Word of God instead of with the latest political drama because our citizenship is in heaven. News fast, Bible feast!

The need for mercy

We read how the Servant Redeemer was on a mission of redemption, and it would be glorious. But Israel was still in captivity, and they couldn’t see beyond their current situation. They needed hope and to be reassured about God’s mercy toward them.

Isaiah 49:14-16

But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

Do you hear and feel the desperation and the hopelessness in Zion’s lament?

Zion (referring to Jerusalem) represents the whole nation who was in captivity. The Scriptures told them they were intended to be God’s special people—a nation in covenant with God and set apart for His glorious purposes. But here they were in captivity, helpless and hopeless, sure that God had forgotten them.

But God, in His gracious and covenant-keeping love had not abandoned them. He reminded them that Yahweh alone is God, and to rebuild their trust in Him. In Israel’s season of disorientation and despair because of captivity, God reminded them of His unshakable mercy and compassion with three amazing poetic descriptions:

• A mother and her baby—A mother cannot and would not really forget her baby. But even if she could, as unbelievable as that would be, God cannot and would not forget them. It would be impossible for God to forget them.
• Engraved on the palms of God’s hands—This powerful metaphor is based on an ancient Near East practice of the master’s name being carved into their slave’s hand as an identifying mark and a constant reminder of their allegiance. Notice the incredible reversal here—God (the Master) carving His nation on His hand as a constant, permanent reminder and memorial. The Lord was lifting their eyes to Him—to trust Him and put their hope in Him—not in their circumstances.

God engraving His people on His hand as a constant and permanent reminder…what an inspiring foreshadowing of Messiah’s crucifixion where Jesus’ hands were “carved” with the nails that held Him to the Cross. His glorified resurrection body still carried had those permanent marks. What an awesome reminder that God will never forget or abandon His people!

• Your walls are ever before me—Walls refer to location, identity, protection, and safety. This is another beautiful way God reminded His people that they are never out of His sight, never beyond His protection, and never off His mind.

What magnificent ways the Lord described to these downtrodden people that He cannot and will not ever forget or abandon them. This was true for His people 2,700 years ago and it’s still true for His people today.

Have you ever felt forgotten, abandoned, and hopeless? We live in a fallen world, so we all may have felt this way at times.

I recently read about an extreme example in the Voice of the Martyrs magazine (they are an organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world). They published the account of Twen, a believer in Eritrea (a country in Northeast Africa). She was arrested for worshipping with other members of a secret house church and was sent to prison because she refused to stop worshipping in an “unapproved” church. She was imprisoned (often in a metal shipping container and in isolation) where she nearly suffocated in the heat of the day and couldn’t stay warm at night. Her situation seemed hopeless.

Once when Twen was receiving medical treatment outside the prison, she had an opportunity to escape. However, she knew that if she escaped that others would be persecuted because of her, so she made the decision to return to prison. She also could have been released at any time if she would deny her faith in Jesus, but she refused. She was imprisoned and tortured for 16 long years.

In her story Twen talked about learning from Jesus’ example about praying for those who persecuted and mistreated her. She had no hope of being rescued. In those long days and nights locked in the shipping container and other make-shift prison cells like underground pits, her hope was focused on the Lord, not on her circumstances. Like other heroes of the faith, Twen rejoiced that she had been counted worthy of suffering for her faith in Christ.

We are fascinated by these accounts of miraculous hope in the face of hopelessness. What Twen and others like her experience is shocking and heartbreaking. Even in hopelessness, Scripture tells us that if we belong to Christ, He will never leave us, never forsake us. If you are in Christ, there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God. His mercy endures forever!

Isaiah 49:17-21

Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you.

Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.

“Though you were ruined and made desolate and your land laid waste, now you will be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.

The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.’

Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these—where have they come from?’”

God reassured His people of His love and mercy, and how He would bring them back from captivity and restore them. He would restore them as a people, restore their land, and restore their sense of identity. Their barrenness, the mistreatment, and the despair they suffered at the hands of their enemies would be long gone—a distant memory. Their bereavement and exile would be over. Their families and communities would be re-established in the most unexpected ways. God would restore them in ways that defied logical explanation—in unbelievable ways, they couldn’t wrap their minds around.

It is no wonder that the people in captivity were having trouble understanding and believing all of this. They were confused and disorientated, asking themselves “Can this really be true?” “What’s happening here?” They needed the Lord to reassure and reorientate them by helping them to focus on His majesty.

The Lord’s Majesty

Isaiah 49:22-26

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips.

Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”

Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives be rescued from the fierce?

But this is what the Lord says: “Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.

I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

The people were worn out and crushed by their captivity and exile from their land. They needed to have their eyes lifted above their circumstances and focused on the Lord.

In Judah’s season of disappointment, disorientation, and despair in captivity, God reminded them of His majesty. Look at how He described Himself in four different places in our text:

• The Redeemer and Holy One of Israel (v7)
• The Holy One of Israel who has chosen you (v7)
• The Sovereign LORD (v22)
• The LORD, your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob (v26)

Israel’s captivity in Babylon resulted from their idolatry and rebellion against God. They were helpless and hopeless. The only solution to their hopelessness was God’s miraculous deliverance from captivity. When the Lord used His majestic power to rescue them, they would see and understand that Yahweh alone is God.

Notice how God described why He displayed His majesty first to Israel, and then to the whole world.

• “Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed” v23
• “Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob” v26

Early in our marriage, Gloria had a serious health scare. We were told that the masses in her abdomen could be cancer and we might not be able to have children. Our hopes and dreams of having a family were in jeopardy. Fear and uncertainty was followed by surgery. Our pastor reminded us that in times of turmoil we need to focus on God’s character, His power, and compassion. That was good counsel. Long story short, thankfully Gloria did not have cancer and surgery took care of the situation, and we were blessed with two sons. The point is in times of pain and discouragement and confusion we need to refocus on God’s character, His power and compassion—His majesty.

Do you ever feel hopeless, and all spun around by what you’re facing in life?

Whatever you are facing, whatever is happening in your life, don’t put your trust in broken solutions. That leads to hopelessness and spiritual captivity. You can be delivered—through the power of God. He has the power to redeem ALL situations and circumstances for His glory regardless of how confusing or hopeless they look to us!

Lift your eyes above the storms in your life. I’m not talking about wishful thinking; I’m talking about real, life-changing hope in Jesus Christ! He is our ultimate hope! When you’re in a storm turn to Christ. Surrender to Him in all areas of your life. Trust Him to do His redemptive work in the broken parts of your life. Jesus Christ is our Living Hope and He brings hope to the hopeless!