Isaiah 51:5
My righteousness draws near, My salvation is on the way, and My arms will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look for Me and wait in hope for My arm.
My righteousness draws near
The phrase "My righteousness draws near" signifies the imminent arrival of God's divine justice and moral order. In Hebrew, "righteousness" is "צְדָקָה" (tsedaqah), which encompasses not only legal justice but also a relational fidelity to God's covenant. This righteousness is not distant or abstract; it is actively approaching, indicating God's readiness to intervene in human history. The nearness of God's righteousness assures believers of His faithfulness and the certainty of His promises being fulfilled.

My salvation is on the way
"Salvation" in Hebrew is "יְשׁוּעָה" (yeshuah), which means deliverance or rescue. This phrase emphasizes the certainty and imminence of God's saving action. Historically, this would have resonated with the Israelites who were awaiting deliverance from exile. For Christians, it also points to the ultimate salvation through Jesus Christ. The assurance that salvation is "on the way" provides hope and encouragement, affirming that God is actively working to redeem and restore His people.

and My arms will bring justice to the nations
The "arms" of God symbolize His power and might. In ancient Near Eastern culture, the arm was often a metaphor for strength and authority. The promise that His arms "will bring justice" indicates that God's intervention will establish fairness and equity across the earth. This is a prophetic assurance that God's sovereign power will rectify wrongs and establish His divine order among all nations, not just Israel, highlighting the universal scope of His justice.

The coastlands will wait for Me
"Coastlands" refers to distant lands and peoples, often seen as remote or on the periphery of the known world. The Hebrew word "אִי" (i) can mean islands or distant shores. This phrase suggests that even those far from the epicenter of God's historical dealings with Israel are included in His redemptive plan. The act of waiting implies anticipation and trust, indicating that these distant nations recognize their need for God's intervention and eagerly await His coming.

and they will hope in My arm
To "hope" in the biblical sense is to have a confident expectation. The Hebrew word "יָחַל" (yachal) conveys a sense of trust and reliance. "My arm" again symbolizes God's strength and ability to save. This hope is not wishful thinking but a firm assurance based on God's proven character and past faithfulness. The nations' hope in God's arm reflects a universal acknowledgment of His sovereignty and the ultimate fulfillment of His promises to bring about justice and salvation.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Isaiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah is the author of the book that bears his name. He prophesied to the Kingdom of Judah and spoke of both judgment and redemption.

2. The Nations
Refers to the Gentile nations beyond Israel. In this context, it signifies the universal scope of God's justice and salvation.

3. The Coastlands
Often used in the Bible to refer to distant lands or peoples, symbolizing the far reaches of the earth that will witness God's salvation.

4. God's Arm
A metaphor for God's power and might, often used in the Old Testament to describe His ability to save and deliver His people.

5. Salvation and Righteousness
Central themes in Isaiah, representing God's deliverance and moral order, which are imminent and assured.
Teaching Points
Imminence of God's Salvation
God's promise of salvation is not distant but near, encouraging believers to live with expectation and hope.

Universal Justice
God's justice is not limited to Israel but extends to all nations, reminding us of the global scope of His kingdom.

Hope in God's Power
The "arm" of God symbolizes His strength and ability to fulfill His promises, encouraging trust in His power.

Waiting on the Lord
The coastlands waiting for God teaches us the importance of patience and hope in God's timing.

Righteousness and Salvation
These are intertwined in God's plan, reminding us that true salvation involves a transformation into righteousness.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the promise of God's imminent salvation in Isaiah 51:5 encourage you in your current circumstances?

2. In what ways can you see God's justice being extended to the "nations" in today's world?

3. Reflect on a time when you had to wait on God's timing. How does the imagery of the coastlands waiting for God resonate with your experience?

4. How can understanding God's "arm" as a symbol of His power influence your faith and trust in Him?

5. How do the themes of righteousness and salvation in Isaiah 51:5 connect with the message of the gospel in the New Testament?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 46:13
This verse also speaks of God's righteousness and salvation being near, reinforcing the theme of imminent divine intervention.

Psalm 98:2-3
Highlights God's revelation of His righteousness to the nations, similar to the message in Isaiah 51:5.

Romans 1:16-17
Paul speaks of the gospel as the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, echoing the universal reach of God's salvation.
God's ArmIsaiah 51:5
God's Righteousness and SalvationIsaiah 51:5
A Bright Light in Deep ShadesIsaiah 51:1-8
A Humble Origin: John BunyanJ. A. Froude.Isaiah 51:1-8
Characters: Unhewn and HewnW. J. Acomb.Isaiah 51:1-8
ComparisonsW. J. Acomb.Isaiah 51:1-8
Instructions to the Spiritual IsraelE. Johnson Isaiah 51:1-8
Looking to BeginningsJ. Parker, D.D.Isaiah 51:1-8
Nature and GraceIsaiah 51:1-8
Seeking Souls DirectedJ. Irons.Isaiah 51:1-8
Spiritual StatuaryW. J. Acomb.Isaiah 51:1-8
The Benefit of ReflectionE. Cooper.Isaiah 51:1-8
The Lord's PeopleW. Birch.Isaiah 51:1-8
The Thrice HearkenF. B. Meyer, B.A.Isaiah 51:1-8
An Evangelical LawF. Delitzsch, D.D.Isaiah 51:4-6
Righteousness and SalvationT. Page, M.A.Isaiah 51:4-6
The Absolute in Human HistoryD. Thomas, D.D.Isaiah 51:4-6
People
Isaiah, Rahab, Sarah
Places
Jerusalem, Rahab, Tigris-Euphrates Region, Zion
Topics
Arm, Arms, Bring, Coastlands, Deliverance, Draws, Expectantly, Favour, Forth, Hope, Islands, Isles, Judge, Justice, Nations, Peoples, Righteousness, Rule, Salvation, Sea-lands, Shining, Speedily, Strong, Suddenly, Trust, Wait, Waiting, Yea
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 51:5

     5977   waiting
     8678   waiting on God
     8825   self-righteousness, and gospel
     9612   hope, in God

Isaiah 51:1-6

     9165   restoration

Isaiah 51:4-5

     2376   kingdom of God, coming
     9155   millennium

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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