Return to the One against whom you have so blatantly rebelled, O children of Israel. ReturnThe Hebrew word used here is "שׁוּב" (shuv), which means to turn back or return. This is a call to repentance, a central theme in the prophetic books. The concept of returning is not just physical but spiritual, urging the Israelites to turn their hearts back to God. In the context of Isaiah, this return is a call to abandon reliance on foreign powers and idols, and to trust in the Lord alone. Historically, this reflects the period when Israel was tempted to seek alliances with Egypt for protection against Assyrian threats, rather than relying on God. to the One
This phrase emphasizes the singularity and uniqueness of God. In a polytheistic world where many gods were worshiped, the call to return to "the One" underscores the monotheistic faith of Israel. It is a reminder of the covenant relationship between God and His people, where He is their sole protector and provider. This exclusivity is a cornerstone of the Jewish faith and later Christian theology, affirming that salvation and security are found in God alone. against whom you have so greatly rebelled
The Hebrew word for "rebelled" is "מָרָה" (marah), which conveys a sense of bitterness and defiance. This rebellion is not just a matter of disobedience but a deep-seated turning away from God's commandments and love. Historically, Israel's rebellion included idolatry, social injustice, and reliance on political alliances rather than divine guidance. The phrase "so greatly" highlights the extent and seriousness of their rebellion, making the call to return even more urgent. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God, yet also of His willingness to forgive and restore those who repent. Persons / Places / Events 1. Children of IsraelThe descendants of Jacob, also known as Israel, who are the chosen people of God. In this context, they are being called to repentance for their rebellion against God. 2. IsaiahA major prophet in the Old Testament who conveyed God's messages to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, urging them to return to God and warning them of the consequences of their disobedience. 3. RebellionThe act of defying or resisting authority, in this case, the authority of God. The Israelites are accused of blatant rebellion, indicating a deliberate and open defiance. 4. ReturnThe Hebrew word used here is (shuv), which means to turn back or return. It implies repentance and a change of heart and direction. 5. GodThe One true God, Yahweh, who is calling His people back to Himself despite their rebellion. Teaching Points Call to RepentanceJust as the Israelites were called to return to God, we are also called to examine our lives and turn away from any rebellion against God. God's MercyDespite our blatant rebellion, God is merciful and desires our return. His arms are open wide to receive us back. The Danger of RebellionRebellion against God leads to spiritual decay and separation from Him. Recognizing and confessing our rebellion is the first step toward restoration. The Importance of ObedienceObedience to God is a sign of our love and commitment to Him. It is essential for maintaining a healthy relationship with God. Restoration and RenewalReturning to God brings about spiritual renewal and restoration. It is a fresh start and an opportunity to realign our lives with His will. Bible Study Questions 1. What are some areas in your life where you might be rebelling against God, and how can you begin to return to Him? 2. How does understanding God's mercy and readiness to forgive encourage you to repent and return to Him? 3. In what ways can the account of the Prodigal Son inspire you to seek reconciliation with God and others? 4. How can you apply the principle of obedience in your daily walk with God, and what changes might this require? 5. Reflect on a time when you experienced spiritual renewal after returning to God. How did this impact your relationship with Him and others? Connections to Other Scriptures Hosea 14:1This verse also calls Israel to return to the Lord, emphasizing repentance and the promise of healing and restoration. Jeremiah 3:12-14God invites His backsliding children to return, promising mercy and a renewed relationship. Luke 15:11-32The Parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates the concept of returning to the Father after a period of rebellion, highlighting God's readiness to forgive and restore. People Egyptians, Isaiah, Israelites, JeremiahPlaces Egypt, Jerusalem, Mount Zion, ZionTopics Apostacy, Deepened, Deeply, Defected, Greatly, Israelites, O, Rebelled, Return, Revolted, Sinned, Sons, TurnDictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 31:6-7 6027 sin, remedy for Library Three Pictures of one Reality
'As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also He will deliver it; and passing over He will preserve it'--ISAIAH xxxi. 5. The immediate occasion of this very remarkable promise is, of course, the peril in which Jerusalem was placed by Sennacherib's invasion; and the fulfilment of the promise was the destruction of his army before its gates. But the promise here, like all God's promises, is eternal in substance, and applies to a community only because it applies to each …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Lord's Furnace
'The Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem.'-- ISAIAH xxxi. 9. This very remarkable characterisation of God stands here as a kind of seal, set upon the preceding prophecy. It is the reason why that will certainly be fulfilled. And what precedes is mainly a promise of a deliverance for Israel, which was to be a destruction for Israel's enemies. It is put in very graphic and remarkable metaphors: 'Like as a lion roareth on his prey when a multitude of shepherds is called forth …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture What God Is
John iv. 24.--"God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." We have here something of the nature of God pointed out to us, and something of our duty towards him. "God is a Spirit," that is his nature, and "man must worship him," that is his duty, and that "in spirit and in truth," that is the right manner of the duty. If these three were well pondered till they did sink into the bottom of our spirits, they would make us indeed Christians, not in the letter, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Of Conversion
Of Conversion "Be ye truly converted unto that God from whom ye have so deeply revolted" (Isa. xxxi. 6). To be truly converted is to avert wholly from the creature, and turn wholly unto God. For the attainment of salvation it is absolutely necessary that we should forsake outward sin and turn unto righteousness: but this alone is not perfect conversion, which consists in a total change of the whole man from an outward to an inward life. When the soul is once turned to God a wonderful facility is …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer Of Perfect Conversion, which is an Effect of this Method of Prayer --Two of Its Aids, the Attraction of God, and the Central Inclination of The
"Turn ye unto Him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted" (Isa. xxxi. 6). Conversion is nothing else but a turning from the creature to God. Conversion is not perfect, though it is necessary for salvation, when it is merely a turning from sin to grace. To be complete, it must be a turning from without to within. The soul, being turned in the direction of God, has a great facility for remaining converted to Him. The longer it is converted, the nearer it approaches to God, and attaches …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents That it is not Lawful for the Well Affected Subjects to Concur in Such an Engagement in War, and Associate with the Malignant Party.
That It Is Not Lawful For The Well Affected Subjects To Concur In Such An Engagement In War, And Associate With The Malignant Party. Some convinced of the unlawfulness of the public resolutions and proceedings, in reference to the employing of the malignant party, yet do not find such clearness and satisfaction in their own consciences as to forbid the subjects to concur in this war, and associate with the army so constituted. Therefore it is needful to speak something to this point, That it is …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning But Though Prayer is Properly Confined to Vows and Supplications...
But though prayer is properly confined to vows and supplications, yet so strong is the affinity between petition and thanksgiving, that both may be conveniently comprehended under one name. For the forms which Paul enumerates (1 Tim. 2:1) fall under the first member of this division. By prayer and supplication we pour out our desires before God, asking as well those things which tend to promote his glory and display his name, as the benefits which contribute to our advantage. By thanksgiving we duly …
John Calvin—Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of Faith Scriptures Showing the Sin and Danger of Joining with Wicked and Ungodly Men.
Scriptures Showing The Sin And Danger Of Joining With Wicked And Ungodly Men. When the Lord is punishing such a people against whom he hath a controversy, and a notable controversy, every one that is found shall be thrust through: and every one joined with them shall fall, Isa. xiii. 15. They partake in their judgment, not only because in a common calamity all shares, (as in Ezek. xxi. 3.) but chiefly because joined with and partakers with these whom God is pursuing; even as the strangers that join …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Sennacherib (705-681 B. C. )
The struggle of Sennacherib with Judaea and Egypt--Destruction of Babylon. Sennacherib either failed to inherit his father's good fortune, or lacked his ability.* He was not deficient in military genius, nor in the energy necessary to withstand the various enemies who rose against him at widely removed points of his frontier, but he had neither the adaptability of character nor the delicate tact required to manage successfully the heterogeneous elements combined under his sway. * The two principal …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8 Exposition of Chap. Iii. (ii. 28-32. )
Ver. 1. "And it shall come to pass, afterwards, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." The communication of the Spirit of God was the constant prerogative of the Covenant-people. Indeed, the very idea of such a people necessarily requires it. For the Spirit of God is the only inward bond betwixt Him and that which is created; a Covenant-people, therefore, without such an inward …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Upbringing of Jewish Children
The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"--"son" and "daughter"--we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly--"born"--the "jeled," or, in the feminine, "jaldah"--as in Exodus 2:3, 6, 8. …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Isaiah 31:6 NIVIsaiah 31:6 NLTIsaiah 31:6 ESVIsaiah 31:6 NASBIsaiah 31:6 KJV
Isaiah 31:6 Commentaries
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