Greater Love than a Mother’s Love (Isa 49:1-13)
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.
(Isa 49:15)
The bible recognizes that in all human relations, perhaps, the greatest is between a mother and her child. However, God does not compare His love to a mother’s love. It is possible for mothers to forget about their children. God says that the attachment He has is greater than a mother’s:
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (Isa 49:16)
It is the idea of permanence, that God cannot help but see His people as if they were written on His hands.
Context
It has been revealed that God will send Babylon to judge Israel after the Assyrians conquered the north of Israel. But before the Babylonians even came, God proclaims a message of comfort, deliverance and salvation to Israel (Isa ch40-48). In chapters 49-55, God deals with how He will bring His people out from mortal captivity by Babylon, as well as from spiritual captivity through Jesus.
We, Christians, were all once in captivity too until Jesus came and called us out into His deliverance. What stands behind Isa 49 and Christ bringing salvation to this world is God’s love and faithfulness. The greatest love is God loving His covenanted people and this can be seen in 5 points.
1. The Servant’s Calling (Isa 49:1)
The calling of the servant was while he was still in his mother’s womb and did not begin in adulthood or when he showed himself worthy of being used by God. His sole purpose of being born into this world was to be a servant unto God and to do his work as Christ, the Messiah.
2. The Servant’s Preparation (Isa 49:2)
God the Father was the one preparing and equipping His servant. God prepared His servant not by giving him swords, but by giving him God’s very words. The Holy Spirit uses the words of God to indict and convict people of sin (Heb 4:12). At His baptism, Jesus was filled with the Spirit and was empowered for the ministry by God. It is through this same word that we bring to the world that God uses to call people out of darkness.
3. The Servant’s Character (Isa 49:3-5)
Two things stand out in the character of the servant:
a. He will lead a life that will bring glory to God (Isa 49:3). Jehovah God declared that He will be glorified in this servant (John 17:1-6)
b. The servant’s faith in God. He will be despised and his disciples fled towards the end of his life but his faithfulness never wavered – “...yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.” (Isa 49:4) “...yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.” (Isa 49:5)
4. The Servant’s Task (Isa 49:6)
The servant’s task is to restore and preserve Israel as well as the Gentiles. The servant will gather people from all places (Isa 49:6, 12).
The servant will not only bring salvation but will also be salvation (Isa 49:6). The servant will be the embodiment of God’s covenant with His people (Isa 49:8) and this is established in Jesus (John 14:6). It is only through Jesus that we can become God’s people, draw on God’s blessings as well as draw near to God.
5. The Servant’s Care (Isa 49:9-11)
As the embodiment of the new covenant, Jesus has been given the authority to release prisoners from their captivity (Isa 49:9) and this captivity described as darkness refers to our spiritual bondage to sin (1 Pet 2:9). We have been freed from our bondage to sin and no longer need to serve sin as our master as we have a new master who is God Himself (Rom 6:1). We will also experience God’s providential care till we reach our eternal rest (Isa 49:9-11) (Phil 1:6).
How do we respond?
Are we like Israel? Responding in unbelief and doubting God’s faithfulness (Isa 49:14)? Are we caught up in our own hardships and troubles that we forget the faithfulness of God and his plan for our eternity?
Never doubt the love of God, as nothing can separate us from it (Rom 8:35-39). Cling on to it as a child would. He has freed us from our slavery to sin and has given us the strength to resist it. He is the one that will give us rest (Matt 11:28-30).
What love is greater than a mother’s love? It is God’s redeeming love for His people.
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