Isaiah 50 | The Wolfe Notes
Welcome, Family! We're spending 2024 with the prophet Isaiah. While we claim no expertise, we're excited to sit with you as we both learn at the feet of Jesus. Each month, we offer a calendar that outlines daily exercises (adapted from Jenn Wilkin's Women of the Word Bible study process) to progress through Isaiah. Download October's calendar to begin with us and witness what we uncovered in our weekly "Wolfe Notes" postings.
Contents:
- Different Versions Noting and clarifying differences between KJV & GNT.
- Annotation My thoughts, connections, clarifications, and questions.
- Research on the divorced mother of Judah.
- Summary An approximately twenty-word overview of the chapter.
- Memorize Why I chose to memorize Isaiah 50:7.
- Cross References Of Isaiah 50:7.
- Respond Based on reflections on God's character and my own.
Different Versions
I read Chapter 50 in the King James Version (KJV) and the Good News Translation (GNT). The KJV is a word-for-word translation while the GNT is a thought-for-thought translation.
Major differences I noticed (*My thoughts alone are in italics and designated with an asterisk.):
- Comparisons of Isaiah 50:1:
- KJV: Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of (1) your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions (2) is your mother put away.
- GNT: "(2) Do you think I sent my people away (1) like a man who divorces his wife? Where, then, are the papers of divorce? Do you think I sold you into captivity like a man who sells his children as slaves? No, you went away captive because of your sins; you were sent away because of your crimes.
- Discrepancies:
- The KJV addresses the children, "your mother's divorcement", while the GNT speaks figuratively, "like a man who divorces his wife".
- The KJV describes the mother leaving, "and for your transgressions is your mother put away", while the GNT speaks of God's people being cast off, "Do you think I sent my people away...".
- Clarifications:
- In Hebrew, em means mother and also says the mother is sent away.
- *It seems to be a stylistic difference. My preference is the KJV. The children of Judah are being addressed, so it makes sense to frame them as the subject. Furthermore, the KJV stays closer to the Hebrew. Plus, it maintains the feeling of an intimate relationship between God and His children.
Annotation
Notes on my process. *Denotes my thoughts alone. ! Denotes a connection. Researched quick answers are in italics. *R Indicates a topic with more extensive notes under the research heading.
- God Sets the Record Straight (Isaiah 50:1-3)
- It is not I who left you, but you - by way of your sin and transgression - who left Me.
- ? Why does it talk of a mother in Isaiah 50:1 KJV: "...and for your transgressions is your mother put away"? *R
- ? What is the difference between iniquity, sins, and transgressions? SIN is missing the mark. The general term for falling short of the glory of God. It leads to negative results and occurs when you fail to do what you know is right. TRESPASS is crossing a line, falling away after being close. Wandering. TRANSGRESS is intentional disobedience. Willful trespassing. INIQUITY is a premeditated choice. You continue in your sin without repentance. - Got Questions
- None of you came when I called. You doubt my power.
- I who dry the waters with a word.
- ? Why fish in Isaiah 50:2 KJV: "...their fish stinketh..." ? Because that's what they were familiar with?
- I who darken the sky in mourning.
- God Prepares His Servant (Isaiah 50:4-9)
- God awakens me to teach me how to say the right thing at the right time.
- *And after the tough time they have been going through, they'd need someone to say the right thing to them.
- ? Is the subject here Isaiah? Jesus and on to us?
- I received His instruction willingly and kept walking with Him.
- *"Faith is a byproduct of faithfulness." - Cody Zorn
- Even when I was shamefully tormented for doing so.
- ? Is this a prophecy of Jesus being tortured including plucking off the hair on His face (Isaiah 50:6)? Chuck Missler thinks that it is. He continues to suggest it as a possible explanation for why Jesus' disciples and those close to Him did not recognize Him after the resurrection (~32:27).
- Because I knew God would help me, I faced my trials with confidence.
- Romans 1:16 GNT: I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles.
- God is the one who determines my worthiness, and He stands with me, so who dares oppose me?
- 🎵I know who goes before me / I know who stands behind / The God of angel armies / Is always by my side...Whom shall I fear🎶 ("Whom Shall I Fear" performed by Chris Tomlin)
- God helps me. Man, who condemns me, will fall away like a moth-eaten garment.
- ! Psalm 118:6 KJV: The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
- ! Matthew 6:19 GNT: Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal.
- ! Isaiah 61:10 KJV: I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels.
- ! Isaiah 2:22 GNT: Put no more confidence in mortals. What are they worth?
- God Encourages His People (Isaiah 50:10-11)
- You who have no hope, trust God. Walk in His ways.
- Proverbs 3:6 KJV: In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
- Psalm 119:105 GNT: Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path.
- For if you follow your own path, it will only lead to sorrow.
Research
*Thoughts that are mine alone are marked with an asterisk and italicized.
What mother is God referencing that was put away? Isaiah 50:1
The Nation of Judah
- Judah is God's chosen bride and not cast off, though they should be because of their choices.
- Deuteronomy 24:1 KJV: When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
- Isaiah 3:8 GNT: Yes, Jerusalem is doomed! Judah is collapsing! Everything they say and do is against the LORD; they openly insult God himself.
- Isaiah 49:14-15 KJV: But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my LORD hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
- Israel was divorced.
- Jeremiah 3:8 GNT: Judah also saw that I divorced Israel and sent her away because she had turned from me and had become a prostitute. But Judah, Israel's unfaithful sister, was not afraid. She too became a prostitute.
- Hosea 2:2 KJV: Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;
- *Daughter of Zion references the descendants, so it would reason that "Mother" would reference the ancestors. (See research and verses on daughter.)
- *The reference to a "mother" could also symbolize the compassionate grace and comfort with which God once treated Judah which is now "put away" because of their choices.
- Deuteronomy 24:1 KJV: When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
- Isaiah 3:8 GNT: Yes, Jerusalem is doomed! Judah is collapsing! Everything they say and do is against the LORD; they openly insult God himself.
- Isaiah 49:14-15 KJV: But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my LORD hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
- Jeremiah 3:8 GNT: Judah also saw that I divorced Israel and sent her away because she had turned from me and had become a prostitute. But Judah, Israel's unfaithful sister, was not afraid. She too became a prostitute.
- Hosea 2:2 KJV: Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;
Why It Matters
- This is a transition to the New Covenant.
- God sent the Jews to Babylon as chastisement for their choices, which they interpreted as divorce.
- Here, God asks them to produce the documentation which would prove that it was His choice and not theirs. They cannot.
- Next, God opens the way for Gentiles because the Jews willfully divorced themselves, especially through idol worship.
Sources:
- Bible Hub commentaries. Especially Ellicott, Pulpit, and Benson.
Summary
You walk in darkness and blame Me. But I give you a faithful servant. Listen to Him. Follow His ways.
Memorize
I chose to memorize Isaiah 50:7.
For the LORD GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
*This prepares me to face whatever comes my way:
- God will help me.
- I trust Him.
- I am resolute: He is my firm foundation.
- I will not be ashamed: He won't fail me.
Cross References
*Thoughts that are mine alone are marked with an asterisk and italicized.
Of Isaiah 50:7.
For the LORD GOD will help me;...
- Isaiah 42:1 KJV: Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
- Isaiah 49:8 GNT: The LORD says to his people, "When the time comes to save you, I will show you favor and answer your cries for help. I will guard and protect you and through you make a covenant with all peoples. I will let you settle once again in your land that is now laid waste.
- Isaiah 50:9 KJV: Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.
- Hebrews 13:6 GNT: Let us be bold, then, and say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"
...therefore shall I not be confounded:...
- Isaiah 30:3 KJV: Therefore shall the strength of Pharoah be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.
- Isaiah 24:10 GNT: In the city everything is in chaos, and people lock themselves in their houses for safety.
- Psalm 69:6-7 KJV: Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel. Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
- Psalm 71:24 GNT: I will speak of your righteousness all day long, because those who tried to harm me have been defeated and disgraced.
...therefore have I set my face like a flint...
- Ezekiel 3:8-9 KJV: Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
- Jeremiah 1:18 GNT: Listen, Jeremiah! Everyone in this land - the kings of Judah, the officials, the priests, and the people - will be against you. But today I am giving you the strength to resist them; you will be like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. They will not defeat you, for I will be with you to protect you. I the Lord have spoken."
- Luke 9:51 KJV: And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.
- 2 Peter 1:3 GNT: God's divine power has given us everything we need to live a truly religious life through our knowledge of the one who called us to share in his own glory and goodness.
...and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
- Isaiah 29:22 KJV: Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.
- Isaiah 45:17 GNT: But Israel is saved by the LORD, and her victory lasts forever; her people will never be disgraced.
- Romans 1:16 KJV: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
- I Peter 4:16 GNT: However, if you suffer because you are a Christian, don't be ashamed of it, but thank God that you bear Christ's name.
Respond
- God is fair.
- He helps us understand the truth behind the consequences of our choices. (Isaiah 50:1, 11)
- He provides us with a model to follow who is comforting, faithful, humble, resolute, and blameless. (Isaiah 50:4-9)
- He guides us to righteousness, so long as we choose to follow. (Isaiah 50:10)
- I am not fair. While fair is the target I aim for in decision-making and treatment of others, I often miss the mark because it is my nature to rule in a way that favors me or my biases.
- To grow in fairness, I must (Isaiah 50:10):
- Honor God's decisions. He is God and I am not.
- Obey Jesus' model as the embodiment of righteous living. I can become better at this by reading His word, so I am ready to do the right thing.
- Trust God. Lean on Him at all times, even in the darkest valleys, knowing He will carry me through.
Father God, how frustrated You must get with us! We make choices that are not for You, and then blame You for the consequences of our actions. Yet, You stick with us. Thank You! Thank You for giving us space to change and grow in You. Please, teach us how to extend the same grace You show us to others.
Learning with You,
Sample these related posts:
Suggested daily activities to guide you through Isaiah 51-54.
Research on refinement. Thoughts on God's glory, faithfulness, and devotion.
Train with God in speaking kindly. Includes activity suggestions for classrooms and families.
Research into Biblical usage of "daughters", verse connections, comparisons, and applications.
Read about God laying a sure foundation in Zion. Also includes research on crops and farming methods and thoughts on God's supremacy.
Interested in more faith-related blogs? Then you're looking for Faith Food. At Faith Food, you'll find links to all our faith-related blogs and a short description of each.
Image Credit: Yellow Maple Tree by David Wagner at Public Domain Pictures.
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