Isaiah 51:17
Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His fury; you who have drained the goblet to the dregs--the cup that makes men stagger.
Awake, awake!
The repetition of "awake" serves as a powerful call to action, emphasizing urgency and importance. In the Hebrew text, the word "עורי" (uriy) is used, which means to rouse oneself from sleep or inactivity. This is a divine summons for Jerusalem to rise from its spiritual slumber and recognize the gravity of its situation. Historically, this call can be seen as a reminder of God's covenant with Israel, urging them to return to faithfulness and awareness of His presence and promises.

Rise up, O Jerusalem
The phrase "Rise up" is a call for Jerusalem to stand in dignity and strength. The Hebrew word "קומי" (qumi) implies not just a physical rising, but a restoration to a rightful position. Jerusalem, representing the people of God, is called to reclaim its identity and purpose. This is a prophetic encouragement, reminding the Israelites of their unique role as God's chosen people, despite their current suffering and exile.

you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD
This imagery of drinking from the "hand of the LORD" suggests receiving something directly from God. In this context, it refers to the experience of God's judgment. The Hebrew word "יד" (yad) for "hand" often symbolizes power and authority. Historically, Jerusalem had faced the consequences of turning away from God, and this phrase acknowledges that their suffering was a direct result of divine discipline.

the cup of His wrath
The "cup of His wrath" is a metaphor for experiencing God's judgment and anger. In ancient Near Eastern culture, a cup often symbolized one's fate or destiny. The Hebrew word "כוס" (kos) for "cup" here signifies the full measure of God's righteous anger towards sin and disobedience. This serves as a sobering reminder of the seriousness of turning away from God's commands and the inevitable consequences that follow.

you who have drained to its dregs
To "drain to its dregs" means to experience something fully, down to the last drop. The Hebrew word "מצית" (matsit) conveys the idea of consuming completely. This phrase indicates that Jerusalem has endured the full extent of God's judgment. It reflects the thoroughness of their suffering, yet also implies that the period of judgment is complete, paving the way for restoration and hope.

the goblet that makes men stagger
The "goblet that makes men stagger" illustrates the overwhelming nature of God's wrath. The Hebrew word "תרעלה" (tarela) for "stagger" suggests a state of confusion and disorientation, akin to intoxication. This imagery highlights the devastating impact of divine judgment on the people, leaving them reeling and powerless. Yet, within this context, there is an implicit promise of redemption, as the staggering will eventually lead to a renewed reliance on God's strength and mercy.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jerusalem
The city represents the people of Israel, often personified in the Bible. Here, it symbolizes the nation that has experienced God's judgment.

2. The LORD
Refers to Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, who administers both justice and mercy.

3. The Cup of Wrath
A metaphor for God's judgment and punishment, often used in prophetic literature to describe divine retribution.

4. The Goblet that Makes Men Stagger
Symbolizes the overwhelming nature of God's judgment, causing disorientation and suffering.

5. Isaiah
The prophet who delivers God's message to the people of Israel, calling them to awaken and recognize their situation.
Teaching Points
Awakening to Spiritual Reality
Just as Jerusalem is called to awaken, believers today must be vigilant and aware of their spiritual condition and the consequences of sin.

Understanding Divine Judgment
The cup of wrath serves as a sobering reminder of God's holiness and justice. It calls us to reflect on the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance.

God's Sovereignty in Judgment
Recognize that God's judgments are just and purposeful, leading us to trust in His sovereign plan even when it involves discipline.

Hope Beyond Judgment
While the passage speaks of wrath, it also implies the possibility of restoration. Believers can find hope in God's mercy and the promise of redemption through Christ.

Call to Repentance
The imagery of staggering under judgment should prompt us to examine our lives, repent, and seek God's forgiveness and guidance.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of the "cup of wrath" in Isaiah 51:17 help us understand the nature of God's judgment?

2. In what ways can we "awake" spiritually in our own lives, and what practical steps can we take to ensure we are not spiritually complacent?

3. How does the concept of divine judgment in Isaiah 51:17 connect with the New Testament teachings on God's justice and mercy?

4. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's discipline. How did it lead to spiritual growth or a deeper understanding of His character?

5. How can the hope of restoration and redemption, implied in the call to "awake," encourage us in our walk with God today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Jeremiah 25:15-16
This passage also speaks of the cup of God's wrath, emphasizing the theme of divine judgment upon nations.

Revelation 14:10
The imagery of the cup of wrath is echoed in the New Testament, illustrating the continuity of God's justice.

Psalm 75:8
Describes God's judgment as a cup that the wicked will drink, reinforcing the theme of divine retribution.
A Call to Abandon DespairIsaiah 51:17
Brighter Time for Exiled IsraelProf. S. R. Driver, D. D.Isaiah 51:17
The Cup of TremblingW. M. Statham.Isaiah 51:17
Encouragement for JerusalemE. Johnson Isaiah 51:17-23
Spiritual StupefactionW. Clarkson Isaiah 51:17-23
People
Isaiah, Rahab, Sarah
Places
Jerusalem, Rahab, Tigris-Euphrates Region, Zion
Topics
Awake, Bowl, Cup, Drained, Dregs, Drunk, Drunken, Goblet, Jerusalem, Makes, O, Rise, Stagger, Staggering, Stand, Wrath
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 51:17

     1265   hand of God
     5283   cup
     5534   sleep, spiritual

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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