Isaiah 51:10
Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?
Was it not You
This phrase is a rhetorical question, emphasizing God's sovereignty and power. The Hebrew root here is "הֲלֹא אַתָּה" (halo attah), which is a direct address to God, acknowledging His past mighty acts. It serves as a reminder to the Israelites of God's active role in their history, particularly in their deliverance. This phrase calls believers to remember and trust in God's unchanging nature and His ability to intervene in seemingly impossible situations.

who dried up the sea
The imagery of drying up the sea refers to the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, as recorded in Exodus 14. The Hebrew word "יָם" (yam) for "sea" is often associated with chaos and danger. By drying up the sea, God demonstrates His control over creation and His ability to bring order out of chaos. This act is a powerful testament to God's deliverance and protection, encouraging believers to trust in His power to overcome any obstacle.

the waters of the great deep
The "great deep" (Hebrew: "תְּהוֹם רַבָּה," tehom rabbah) refers to the primordial waters, symbolizing the forces of chaos and destruction. In ancient Near Eastern cosmology, the deep was often seen as a threat to life and order. God's mastery over these waters underscores His supreme authority over all creation. This assurance of God's control over the deepest fears and uncertainties provides comfort and hope to believers facing their own "great deeps."

who made a road in the depths of the sea
This phrase highlights God's miraculous provision of a path through the sea, a direct reference to the Exodus event. The Hebrew word "דֶּרֶךְ" (derekh) for "road" signifies a way or path, often used metaphorically for God's guidance. The creation of a road in the sea symbolizes God's ability to make a way where there seems to be none, reinforcing the theme of divine deliverance and guidance. It encourages believers to trust in God's provision and direction in their lives.

for the redeemed to cross over
The term "redeemed" (Hebrew: "גְּאוּלִים," ge'ulim) refers to those who have been delivered or rescued, particularly the Israelites who were freed from slavery in Egypt. This concept of redemption is central to the biblical narrative, foreshadowing the ultimate redemption through Christ. The crossing over signifies a transition from bondage to freedom, from death to life. It serves as a powerful metaphor for the believer's journey of faith, emphasizing the transformative power of God's salvation.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The central figure in this verse, Yahweh is depicted as the powerful deliverer who performs miraculous acts for His people.

2. The Sea and the Great Deep
Symbolic of chaos and danger, representing the obstacles that God overcomes for His people.

3. The Redeemed
Refers to the Israelites, God's chosen people, who were delivered from slavery in Egypt and crossed the Red Sea.

4. The Exodus Event
The historical event where God parted the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to escape from Egyptian bondage.

5. The Road in the Sea
A miraculous path created by God, symbolizing His provision and guidance for His people.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Creation
God has ultimate control over the natural world, as demonstrated by His ability to part the sea. This reassures believers of His power over any chaos in their lives.

Deliverance and Redemption
Just as God redeemed Israel from Egypt, He offers spiritual redemption through Jesus Christ. Believers are encouraged to trust in God's saving power.

Faith in God's Provision
The Israelites' journey through the sea required faith. Similarly, believers are called to trust in God's provision and guidance through life's challenges.

Remembrance of God's Past Faithfulness
Reflecting on God's past acts of deliverance strengthens faith and provides hope for current and future trials.

God's Pathway Through Obstacles
God creates pathways through seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Believers should seek His guidance and trust in His ability to make a way.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of God parting the sea in Isaiah 51:10 enhance your understanding of His power and sovereignty?

2. In what ways can you relate the deliverance of the Israelites to your own experiences of God's redemption in your life?

3. How does the faith of the Israelites in crossing the Red Sea inspire you to trust God in your current circumstances?

4. What are some practical ways you can remind yourself of God's past faithfulness during times of trial?

5. How can you apply the concept of God making a pathway through obstacles to a specific challenge you are facing today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 14
This chapter details the parting of the Red Sea, directly connecting to the imagery in Isaiah 51:10.

Psalm 77:16-20
This passage poetically recounts God's power over the waters, echoing the themes of deliverance and divine intervention.

Hebrews 11:29
This verse highlights the faith of the Israelites as they crossed the Red Sea, emphasizing the role of faith in experiencing God's deliverance.
A Sure Criterion of Character, EtcW. Clarkson Isaiah 51:7, 8, 12,13
Fear, and Fear NotR. Tuck Isaiah 51:7, 12, 13
Christ the Arm of GodN. Schenck, D.D.Isaiah 51:9-10
Prayer for National ProsperityJ. Witherspoon, D.D.Isaiah 51:9-10
The Arm of the Lord InvokedJ. Parsons.Isaiah 51:9-10
The Awaking of ZionA. Maclaren, D.D.Isaiah 51:9-10
The Church S Cry and the Divine AnswerA. Rowland, LL. B.Isaiah 51:9-10
The Force in ReserveW. Clarkson Isaiah 51:9, 10
Thy Strength! My StrengthJ. H. Jowett, M.A.Isaiah 51:9-10
The Arm of JehovahE. Johnson Isaiah 51:9-11
People
Isaiah, Rahab, Sarah
Places
Jerusalem, Rahab, Tigris-Euphrates Region, Zion
Topics
Cross, Deep, Depths, Dried, Driedst, Dry, Drying, Isn't, Lord's, Madest, Pass, Passing, Pathway, Places, Ransomed, Redeemed, Road, Waters
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 51:10

     4227   deep, the
     4819   dryness
     5955   strength, divine
     7223   exodus, significance

Isaiah 51:9-11

     5854   experience, of God

Library
August 25 Morning
Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.--ISA 51:1. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity.--None eye pitied thee but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, Live. He brought me up . . . out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

January 26. "I Called Him Alone and Blessed Him" (Isa. Li. 2).
"I called him alone and blessed him" (Isa. li. 2). When we were in the East we noticed the beautiful process of raising rice. The rice is sown on a morass of mud and water, ploughed up by great buffaloes, and after a few weeks it springs up and appears above the water with its beautiful pale green shoots. The seed has been sown very thickly and the plants are clustered together in great numbers, so that you can pull up a score at a single handful. But now comes the process of transplanting. He first
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Awakening of Zion
'Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old.'--ISAIAH li. 9. 'Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion.'--ISAIAH lii. 1. Both these verses are, I think, to be regarded as spoken by one voice, that of the Servant of the Lord. His majestic figure, wrapped in a light veil of obscurity, fills the eye in all these later prophecies of Isaiah. It is sometimes clothed with divine power, sometimes girded with the towel of human weakness, sometimes
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Hearken and Look; Or, Encouragement for Believers
THE second verse contains my actual text. It is the argument by which faith is led to look for the blessings promised in the third verse. It is habitual with some persons to spy out the dark side of every question or fact: they fix their eyes upon the "waste places," and they study them till they know every ruin, and are familiar with the dragons and the owls. They sigh most dolorously that the former times were better than these, and that we have fallen upon most degenerate days. They speak of "shooting
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 27: 1881

A Prospect of Revival
THE pedigree of God's chosen nation Israel may be traced back to one man and one woman--to Abraham and Sarah. Both of them were well stricken in years when the Lord called them, yet, in the fulfilment of his promise, he built up of their seed a great nation, which, for number, was comparable to the stars of heaven. Take heart, brethren; these things are written for our example and for our encouragement. His Church can never sink to so low an ebb that he cannot soon build her up again, nor in our
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 62: 1916

"Sing, O Heavens; and be Joyful, O Earth; for the Lord Hath Comforted his People. " -- Isaiah 49:13.
"For the Lord shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." -- Isaiah 51:3. "Sing, O Heavens; and be joyful, O Earth; for the Lord hath comforted his people." -- Isaiah 49:13. A living, loving, lasting word, My listening ear believing heard, While bending down in prayer; Like a sweet breeze that none can stay, It passed
Miss A. L. Waring—Hymns and Meditations

Of Inward Silence
Of Inward Silence "The Lord is in His Holy Temple, let all the earth keep silence before him" (Hab. ii. 20). Inward silence is absolutely indispensable, because the Word is essential and eternal, and necessarily requires dispositions in the soul in some degree correspondent to His nature, as a capacity for the reception of Himself. Hearing is a sense formed to receive sounds, and is rather passive than active, admitting, but not communicating sensation; and if we would hear, we must lend the ear
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

Of Rest in the Presence of God --Its Fruits --Inward Silence --God Commands it --Outward Silence.
The soul, being brought to this place, needs no other preparation than that of repose: for the presence of God during the day, which is the great result of prayer, or rather prayer itself, begins to be intuitive and almost continual. The soul is conscious of a deep inward happiness, and feels that God is in it more truly than it is in itself. It has only one thing to do in order to find God, which is to retire within itself. As soon as the eyes are closed, it finds itself in prayer. It is astonished
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

Lii. Manna. Exodus xvi. 4.
I.--Manna like salvation, because undeserved. The people murmured at the very first difficulty. If they had been grateful they would have said, "The God who brought us out of Egypt, and through the Red Sea, will not allow us to die of hunger." But instead of this they accused Moses of being a murderer. And in answer to this God said, "I will rain bread from heaven." What an illustration of Romans v. 8. II.--Manna like salvation, because it saved the people from perishing. Nothing else would
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread

Early Battles
Six months of joyous service amongst the Welsh miners was cut short by a telegram announcing to the sisters the serious illness of Mrs. Lee. Taking the news to their Divisional Commander, they were instructed to Headquarters. It was found that the illness was due to shock. The income from investments of the little estate left by Mr. Lee had dwindled; it now had disappeared altogether. Captain Lucy faced the matter with her usual practical decision. 'Mother, darling, there are two ways out. Either
Minnie L. Carpenter—The Angel Adjutant of "Twice Born Men"

Stedfastness in the Old Paths.
"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."--Jer. vi. 16. Reverence for the old paths is a chief Christian duty. We look to the future indeed with hope; yet this need not stand in the way of our dwelling on the past days of the Church with affection and deference. This is the feeling of our own Church, as continually expressed in the Prayer Book;--not to slight what has gone before,
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

An Appendix to the Beatitudes
His commandments are not grievous 1 John 5:3 You have seen what Christ calls for poverty of spirit, pureness of heart, meekness, mercifulness, cheerfulness in suffering persecution, etc. Now that none may hesitate or be troubled at these commands of Christ, I thought good (as a closure to the former discourse) to take off the surmises and prejudices in men's spirits by this sweet, mollifying Scripture, His commandments are not grievous.' The censuring world objects against religion that it is difficult
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Ci. Foretelling his Passion. Rebuking Ambition.
(Peræa, or Judæa, Near the Jordan.) ^A Matt. XX. 17-28; ^B Mark X. 32-45; ^C Luke XVIII. 31-34. ^b 32 And they were on the way, going up to Jerusalem [Dean Mansel sees in these words an evidence that Jesus had just crossed the Jordan and was beginning the actual ascent up to Jerusalem. If so, he was in Judæa. But such a construction strains the language. Jesus had been going up to Jerusalem ever since he started in Galilee, and he may now have still be in Peræa. The parable
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Work of Jesus Christ as an Advocate,
CLEARLY EXPLAINED, AND LARGELY IMPROVED, FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL BELIEVERS. 1 John 2:1--"And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." By JOHN BUNYAN, Author of "The Pilgrim's Progress." London: Printed for Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms, in the Poultry, 1689. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This is one of the most interesting of Bunyan's treatises, to edit which required the Bible at my right hand, and a law dictionary on my left. It was very frequently republished;
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Thirdly, for Thy Actions.
1. Do no evil, though thou mightest; for God will not suffer the least sin, without bitter repentance, to escape unpunished. Leave not undone any good that thou canst. But do nothing without a calling, nor anything in thy calling, till thou hast first taken counsel at God's word (1 Sam. xxx. 8) of its lawfulness, and pray for his blessings upon thy endeavour; and then do it in the name of God, with cheerfulness of heart, committing the success to him, in whose power it is to bless with his grace
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Death Swallowed up in victory
Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory! D eath, simply considered, is no more than the cessation of life --that which was once living, lives no longer. But it has been the general, perhaps the universal custom of mankind, to personify it. Imagination gives death a formidable appearance, arms it with a dart, sting or scythe, and represents it as an active, inexorable and invincible reality. In this view death is a great devourer; with his iron tongue
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

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

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