I The Lord Am Thy Saviour CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Jesus Christ is the Savior of Israel. In this chapter we read why he can surely say, I the Lord am thy Saviour. Jesus is the Savior of Israel because:
He was called by God from the womb to be their Savior – Is 49:1-4 –
- He will save them by his name – Is 49:1; Matt 1:21 – he was given his name, Jesus, before he was born – Acts 4:12 – he shall save his people from their sins.
- He will save them by his sharp sword – Heb 4:12; Rev 1:16 – his word that comes forth from his mouth is his sharp sword – Eph 6:17 – he uses it to destroy the nations who are his enemies and enemies of Israel, Rev 19:15, Is 66:16.
- He will save them by his work – Is 49:4; Jn 4:34, 17:4 – it appears when Israel rejects Jesus at first that his labor is in vain [v.5, 7] – but God is the judge – and his work is according to God’s will and, hence, not in vain.
He was glorified by God to be their Saviour – Is 49:5-7 –
- Israel will come to his glory – Is 49:5 – as in 2 Chr 7:3
- The Gentiles will come to his glory – Is 49:6 – Is 66:18; Is 60:2-3
- Kings and princes will come to his glory – Is 49:7 – Rev 21:22-24
He was covenanted by God to be their Saviour – Is 49:8-12 –
- His is a covenant of inheritance – Is 49:8 – by which he fulfills Gen 15:7 and Ex 15:17
- His is a covenant of liberty – Is 49:9 – see Is 61:1-3
- His is a covenant of provision – Is 49:10-11 – fulfilled at the Second Coming, Rev 7:16-17
- His is a covenant of repatriation – Is 49:12 – see Ps 107:1-8 many will be scattered to the winds and will need to be gathered to fulfill this promise [Zech 10:8-10].
He was sacrificed by God to be their Saviour – Is 49:13-17 – Jesus was forsaken on the cross [v.14; Ps 22:1] so that Israel wouldn’t be forsaken by God – Israel was graven upon his palms where the nail holes are today. The heavens and earth mourned his death [contrast v.13] and will rejoice at his return, Rev 5:13.
He was resurrected by God to be their Saviour – Is 49:18-20 – and so Israel will be resurrected to inhabit the land [Ezek 37] and they will populate it beyond its capacity – they will have to spread out as God prophesied [Deut 1:7-8]. They could not come up if he had not come up first.
He will return to be their Saviour – Is 49:21-26 – when he returns to reign, he will rule the Gentile nations and command then to return those that were scattered in the diaspora [Is 49:21-23; Is 60; Matt 25:34-40] – and he destroys those who contend with him about their salvation and return [Is 49:24-26; Ps 35:1-8; Zech 14:3].