猶太人的休書雖沒有實際的文字內容，但是上帝確曾給過以色列人休書（耶3：8），上帝並沒有離棄祂的子民，事實上是他們離棄上帝，毀壞了上帝和他們之間的關係，他們忽略了上帝的警告，導致他們被賣為奴。在巴比倫流亡時，像是一段與上帝分居的時刻（54：6~8），但只要上帝願意，祂的大能隨時可釋放他們。上帝統管宇宙一切，祂有主權，能掌管人所有的事（50：1~3）。

        上帝差耶穌來到地上，賜祂能力、知識和智慧，耶穌不像猶太人背叛上帝或遠離上帝，反倒日日與上帝親近（50：4），就是耶穌在受苦、受死亡時，也是甘心順服；耶穌甘願忍受鞭打、凌辱、貶抑（50：6；太26：39、67；27：26），因祂知上帝是祂的力量和幫助，祂也知最後上帝必要得勝，以致耶穌硬著臉面像堅石，成全了上帝的願望。

        上帝對信心的餘民說，誰追求公義，就將明白公義（51：1，7），上帝要他們看先祖亞伯拉罕，固守謙卑的心，也要他們記得上帝仍是信實的，和當初祂從埃及救贖祂所喜悅的百姓，為他們預備應許之地時一樣，且信實至今仍未改變。上帝要建立一個新興繁榮的耶路撒冷，其中要充滿不止息的歡樂、喜悅和感恩，所有被救贖回來的人，都要歌頌讚美祂，他們的悲哀要消失（51：3，10~11；啟15：3；21：4）。

        祂的公義國度，引導著所有順服祂權柄的人，外邦人也同樣經歷祂的救恩和信靠祂，雖然天地都要過去，但公義的救贖卻永存。那些逼迫上帝子民的要面對審判，上帝的子民卻歡喜上帝保護他們，且在祂應許的話語中尋得安慰和希望，不再懼怕（51：7~8，12~16）。

        上帝的應許是從巴比倫人手中，救贖祂的百姓歸回；以賽亞宣佈因罪惡遍及耶路撒冷，尤其在瑪拿西王的時候，耶路撒冷要飲上帝震怒的杯，受毀壞成為荒蕪，但赦免和歸回的日子將到，上帝要除去祂憤怒的杯，而將此杯放在苦待他們的巴比倫人手中（51：17~23）。那時耶路撒冷要再次穿上華衣，不潔淨的巴比倫人必被棄之於外（52：1~2），像以往的埃及人和亞述人一樣；上帝為祂名，祂主權的緣故，必勝過巴比倫。巴比倫轄制祂的百姓、褻瀆祂，自以為比上帝更有能力，到審判釋放的日子，他們要知道上帝是以色列全能的上帝，他們呼喊著「您是掌權的上帝」（52：4~7）；同樣在上帝大又可畏審判日子臨到全地時，人們也要看上帝的救恩拯救祂的子民，他們驚訝的看見，至高掌權的萬王之王就是被釘十字架的聖僕耶穌（52：13~14）。

        傳好消息到耶路撒冷，告訴猶太人上帝要將他們從巴比倫手中釋放的人，也將是照主耶穌命令傳福音在全地的人（52：7；羅10：15，16）；他們的腳蹤佳美，傳揚全地最好的信息，就是上帝的愛和救贖，藉耶穌使人靈裡自由的福音，而這福音要帶來真平安和永遠的救恩，那些因信稱義的人，上帝要他們離開被困之地（巴比倫），得潔淨成為上帝聖潔的祭司；今日上帝也要我們從這邪惡的世代中分別出來。上帝應許要保護祂的子民，除去他們的罪，親近他們（52：11~12）。

        主啊！感謝您，您的手臂並沒有縮短，您大能的手藉十字架救贖我們，願您的手在今日也不短縮，能伸向任何需要的人，幫助他們將自己交在您手中。奉主耶穌聖名，阿們！

English

        The question concerning Judah's certificate of divorce is rhetorical, implying there was none; whereas it was clearly stated that the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been given a certificate of divorce (Jer. 3:8). God did not abandon His people, but the implication is that the people had abandoned God and broken their relationship with Him. Their own iniquity and deafness to His warnings and appeals led them to be sold into slavery. The time of the Babylonian Exile, then, was like a period of separation (54:6-8), but at any time God desired, He could deliver them with His all-powerful arm. The God who controls nature is also able to sovereignly exert His power and influence in the affairs of man (50:1-3).

        In sending Jesus, God personally intervened in the affairs of man. He empowered and gave His Servant, Jesus the Messiah, knowledge and wisdom. Unlike the people of Judah, Jesus was not rebellious, nor did He turn away from God. Rather, He had daily communion with God, "morning by morning" (50:4). He was obedient to the Father, even unto suffering and death. He willingly endured the beatings, abuse, and humiliation (50:6; Matt. 26:39, 67; 27:26), yet through it all He knew that God would be His strength and help. With a strong resolve, Jesus set His face "like a flint" to do God's will (50:7), knowing that ultimately He would be the victor.

        In chapter 51, the Lord addresses His faithful remnant "who follow after righteousness" and who "know righteousness" (51:1, 7). He exhorts them to look to their forefather Abraham, "the rock" from which they were hewn, and to their humble beginnings (the "hole of the pit"). God wants them to recall His faithfulness and understand that the Lord is still faithful and will continue to be faithful to the righteous. Just as He redeemed His joyous people from Egypt ("Rahab", 51:9; Ex. 15) and prepared the Promised Land for them. So too He will create a new and flourishing Jerusalem that will be filled with everlasting joy, gladness, thanksgiving, and singing unto Him by all the redeemed whose sorrows will flee away (51:3, 10-11; Rev. 15:3; 21:4 ).

        His Kingdom of righteousness and justice will enlighten all people who will submit to His authority. The Gentiles ("coastlands") will also experience His salvation and trust in Him. Although the heavens and the earth will pass away, the salvation of the souls of the righteous will last forever. For this reason they are to have hope, be encouraged, and not fear, since those who persecute them will only meet with doom; but the people of God will enjoy His blanket of protection over them and will find comfort and hope in the promises of His Word (51:7-8, 12-16).

        One of God's promises was to restore His people from the Babylonian captivity. Isaiah explains that because of the sin that prevailed in Jerusalem, especially under Manasseh (2 Kings 24:3), she had to drink the cup of God's fury and suffer destruction and desola tion. Yet the day of forgiveness and restoration would come, and at that time God would take the cup of His fury out of His people's hands and put it into the hands of Babylon, their oppressors (52:17-23), At that time, Jerusalem would once again be adorned with beauty, for the chains of the unclean Babylonians would be thrown off (52:1-2), just as they were with the Egyptians and Assyrians. The Lord would show Himself Sovereign over the world power of Babylon, and He would do this for His Name's sake, for every day that God's people were held as their captives, they would blaspheme Him, believing themselves to be more powerful than God. In the day of their judgment and His people's deliverance, however, they would know that the true and all-powerful God was the God of Israel, and they would have to proclaim: "Your God reigns!" (52:4-7). Likewise, in the great and terrible day of God's judgment upon the whole earth, all people will see the salvation that God grants to His people (52:10). They will behold in amazement the highly exalted reigning King of kings, the Servant Jesus who was marred from the crucifixion (52:13-14).

        Those who carried the good news to Jerusalem of the Lord's liberation of the captives from Babylon serve as types of the missionaries who would one day fulfill the Lord Jesus' mandate to go into all the world with the good news of the Gospel (52:7; Rom. 10:15,16), Their feet are beautiful because they carry the best news of all-God's love, redemption, and freedom from spiritual bondage through Jesus, and this news brings true peace and everlasting salvation. Those who have been justified through faith in Jesus are now the holy priesthood of the Lord. Just as the Lord wanted all His priests to leave the land of defilement (Babylon) and be clean, so too He desires that we, His priests today, become separated from worldliness; then God promises to go before them and also protect them from behind, for He would be pleased with them, and with their sin removed, He could draw near to them (52:11-12).

        Thank You, Lord, that Your hand is not shortened. Your mighty hand reached all the way down to the cross and there redeemed us. May our hands not be short today in reaching out to others who need a helping hand, helping in some area of need and most of all helping them to put their hand in Yours.