“I have raised up one from the north, and he is come,
From the rising of the sun one who calls on my name.
And he will come on rulers as on mortar,
And as the potter treads the clay.”
Who has declared it from the beginning, that we may know,
And beforetime that we may say, ‘He is in the right'.
Yes, there is no one who declares, there is no one who shows,
Yes, there is no one who hears your words.
First to Zion, behold them, behold them,
And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings,
And when I look there is no man,
Even among them there is no counsellor,
Who when I ask of them can answer a word.
Behold all of them are vanity
Their works are nothing,
Their molten images are wind and confusion.”
One has come from the north who has been raised by God. Abraham entered the land from the north and ‘went on southwards' (strictly ‘towards the Negeb'), emphasising that he came from the north (Genesis 12:5-9). So it was Abraham who came, and yet also those who came in Abraham. It was in essence a whole army of descendants. As Abraham advanced on the land he was Yahweh's Servant, and Yahweh's future Servant was in him, comprising all who would be servants of Yahweh in the fulfilling of His purposes. In him came Isaac and Jacob. In him came Moses and Joshua. In him came David. In him came Isaiah and Eliakim and Israel. But always having in mind the Servant of Yahweh par excellence Whom Yahweh had promised. He has been spoken of beforetime, even from ‘the beginning' by Yahweh. But no one else has spoken of him, or has taken heed of Isaiah's words about him. No one else has recognised Him. He is one who brings good tidings (Isaiah 61:1-2).
Thus he is a figure in the future, and yet he is in the past. When Abraham came into the land of God's inheritance the future Servant came in him, One who was as it were in his loins (Genesis 35:11). He came as God's Servant. And no one recognised Him except Yahweh and Isaiah. But Isaiah has proclaimed Him. He will be Immanuel, God with us (Isaiah 7:14), coming in the name of Israel and representing Israel. Thus the Servant is Israel, and especially Immanuel as representing and summing up Israel, the final focal point of the call of Abraham. That is why sometimes we have the idea of a group and sometimes of an individual (50. 4-9; Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12). He will fulfil Israel's destiny.
‘I have raised up one from the north, and he is come, from the rising of the sun one who calls on my name.' The sun rises in the east, so that this one came from the east and the north. As we have seen this was Scripturally true of Abraham. He was called by God from Ur of the Chaldees in the east, proceeded to Haran in the north, on which he entered the land from the north, and called on the name of Yahweh, and went on going towards the south (Genesis 12:1-9).
‘And he will come on rulers as on mortar, and as the potter treads the clay.' This is a remarkably picturesque description of the Bible's account of Abraham's victory over the four kings (Genesis 14), which included the kings of Babylon (Shinar) and Elam. They were trodden down by him as men tread down mortar, and as a potter treads the clay. To use a more modern idiom, they were as putty in his hands and as the dust beneath his feet. And in him has come his descendants.
So we may also see it as indicating also Abraham's victories through his descendants, God's servant Joshua (‘the servant of Yahweh' - Joshua 24:29; Judges 2:8) when he conquered the land and God's servant David (Isaiah 37:35) when he trod down the Philistines and all the nations round about. The one whom God had raised up was strong.
‘Who has declared it from the beginning, that we may know, and beforetime that we may say, ‘He is in the right'. Yes, there is no one who declares, there is no one who shows, yes, there is no one who hears your words.' So Yahweh now issues a challenge as to who else has been able to speak of the significance of Abraham, and of his seed, and of the One Who is coming Who is the seed of Abraham. But there is no one. The so-called gods are unaware of either. They do not know what is happening. No one declares it, no one reveals it and there is even no one who has absorbed the words of Isaiah about Him. They manifest total ignorance.
‘First to Zion, behold them, behold them, and I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings.' So now the attention is turned on Zion. Yahweh's first words are concerning Zion. Let all ‘behold ‘them'. These are the ones whom God has raised up to fulfil His purposes. And it was to Jerusalem that He would give one who would bring good tidings (compare Isaiah 61:1-2). Jerusalem was to be the bearer of good news (Isaiah 2:2-4), and especially through the one whom He sent. But now, Isaiah asks, where is that one? (Isaiah 41:28). There is no one. Among them there is no Counsellor (compare Isaiah 9:6). The king has failed. The leaders have failed. There is no one who can reply to Isaiah's searching words, and speak up. They are all show and pretence, and their idols are as bad as they are (Isaiah 41:29).
‘And when I look there is no man, even among them there is no counsellor, who when I ask of them can answer a word. Behold all of them are vanity, their works are nothing, their molten images are wind and confusion.' So, sadly, among the people of Jerusalem there is as yet no one who can counsel on these matters, and who can speak to God about them. This comment may be in the words of Isaiah as he has sought to find those who will receive his prophecies and teach them. Or it may be God's condemnation of the people. Either way the matter is summed up simply. They are vain and empty, what they do is worth nothing and accomplishes nothing, and their idols simply produce messages which are empty wind or total confusion. What is therefore required is a new Servant of God Who will be able to give counsel and fully reveal the truth of what Isaiah has been speaking about, acting on behalf of Israel (see Isaiah 50:2-9).
Note the parallel to this in Isaiah 50:2-9. Then too there is ‘no man' and there too the idea introduces the Servant of Yahweh.
It is interesting to consider the significance of the word ‘behold' in this passage.
1) Behold their enemies will fail and perish (Isaiah 41:11).
2) Behold Jacob will become a sharp threshing instrument with teeth (Isaiah 41:15).
3) Behold the gods are nothing (Isaiah 41:24).
4-5). Behold, behold them. Zion are to be doubly beheld as the ones who are the hope for the future, and who are to bring forth those who proclaim good tidings. But Zion has failed, as is evidence by the fact that there is no one (Isaiah 41:27).
6) Behold all of them, their words speak and are empty, as are their idols, which are merely wind and confusion (Isaiah 41:29)
7) Behold My Servant! (Isaiah 42:1). Here is God's answer.
Note that at each point the enemies of Israel (Isaiah 41:11), their false gods (Isaiah 41:24) and the ‘gods of the nations' (Isaiah 41:29) are contrasted with Jacob made mighty by God (Isaiah 41:15), the powerful words of those who were to arise from Zion (Isaiah 41:27), and finally with God's Servant who will fulfil all His will (Isaiah 42:1). The seventh behold indicates the divine perfection of this Servant.