Isaiah 49:25, commentary and pictures

Even those held captive by the mighty shall be taken away and the prey seized by the terrible shall be delivered, for God himself will contend with the one who contends with His people and will save their children. The mighty holder of the prey is Satan, the prince of darkness with his confederacy of evil, who holds the sinner as his lawful prey in deception and bondage. This deliverance is fulfilled through Christ's redemption, whose victory over Satan and suffering and death in Gethsemane and onward secures the rescue of the captives and proves obedience possible. None have fallen so low or become so vile by secret sin or a master passion that they cannot be delivered in Christ, for God holds out His hand all day to pardon even the chief of sinners, yet He does not force the will but saves those who consent to covenant with Him and open the heart to faith. It is an assurance of divine help calling for deep and earnest trust that He will strengthen, uphold, and shield His children, and for those empowered by the Spirit to strive to rescue souls in danger of passing from Christ's control.

Promise and Context

Even captives held by the mighty shall be taken away, and prey seized by the terrible shall be delivered, for God himself will contend with the one who contends with his people and will save their children. He delivers people held captive by a power stronger than themselves and opposes those who oppose them, freeing even those under Satan's control through faith in the Saviour. He can free those held by powerful enemies and rescue those treated as prey and threatened by the cruel, opposing the one who opposes his people. People truly under Satan's control, held by secret sin or a master passion and by a will stronger than their own, can still be taken away and delivered, and marvelous will be the transformation in the one who by faith opens the door of the heart.

The promise belongs to the comfort and mercy given to afflicted people when Zion fears she is forsaken and forgotten. It describes the way by which Christlike attributes of character may be obtained. It is true and righteous, because God is true and not like an erring man.

Isaiah 48 and 49 are what every minister should read prayerfully to learn what it means to keep his lamp trimmed and burning. Those chapters represent the work of the Lord's messengers today to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel. That work is to be a light to the Gentiles and God's salvation to the end of the earth, to be a covenant of the people to establish the earth and to cause to inherit the desolate heritages. It is to say to the prisoners to go forth and to those in darkness to show themselves, with feeding in the ways and pastures in all high places.

The mighty one holding the prey and captives is Satan, the prince of darkness, with his apostate forces and confederacy of evil. Lost humanity lies as prey and captives helpless in his hands. The sinner remains bound by Satan and is his lawful prey, while the wicked as his lawful prey are completely deceived and do not recognize their lost condition. By contrast the Christian has support in trials. Christ came to take humanity, the prey held by Satan, out of the enemy's hands, and his healing of the sick and raising of the dead demonstrate this deliverance, representing the Father's love for the human family.

The verse reveals the Lord as Saviour and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob, whom all flesh shall know. He stands for his children against those who wrong them and acts as their guardian and defender. His protection is like a shield, so that no one can wound them without striking against his hand of justice.

Deliverance Through Christ

Christ's work of redemption is the fulfillment of the promise that the helpless shall be rescued from the power of the mighty and those held captive shall be delivered, for through His victory Satan is overcome, the captives are set free, believers are made more than conquerors, and obedience to God's law is shown to be possible. That deliverance hung upon His drinking the cup in Gethsemane and finishing the sacrifice ordained before the foundation of the world, for had He let the cup pass the prey would have been left in the mighty hands of Satan and Satan would have triumphed, but because He went forward to suffering and death the captives are delivered.

His authority over storms and over those possessed by demons, His healing of the sick and raising of the dead, His giving of His life as a ransom and His overcoming of Satan as the Son of man, all demonstrate this taking of humanity as prey from Satan the prince of darkness out of the enemy's hands. By it He brings peace to minds overwhelmed by Satan and sets the captives free, represents the Father's love for the human family, and removes the obstruction to humanity's return to allegiance to God. For a soul dominated by evil spirits God's angels contend with prevailing power, and the Lord contends against the enslaving power to save.

Even those truly under Satan's control, held captive by secret sin or a master passion and by a will stronger than their own, those dominated by evil spirits and sin and sunk in sin, and guilty helpless souls liable to be destroyed by Satan's arts and snares, can still be taken away and delivered. None have fallen so low and none are so vile that they cannot find deliverance in Christ, and marvelous will be the transformation in the one who by faith opens the door of the heart to the Saviour. God holds out His hand all day long to the sinful and fallen, welcomes all, rejects none, and will receive all, making it His glory to pardon even the chief of sinners. He lowers the golden chain of His mercy to the lowest depths of human wretchedness and lifts up the debased soul contaminated with sin, caring for them as a shepherd cares for his flock, because every human being is the object of His loving interest who gave His life to bring men back to God.

God does not control the mind without consent but leaves every person free to choose what power shall rule over him, hearing even an unspoken appeal from a soul in need when only words of Satan can be uttered. Those who consent to enter into covenant with God are not left to Satan's power or to the infirmity of their own nature, for God contends with the one who contends against them and saves them and their children with mercy. The rescue is offered freely as pardon and salvation through Christ even to the most guilty, but God does not force anyone to accept it. The sinner must respond, choose to come, and accept Christ's righteousness, while refusing it or postponing resolution ends in perishing and ruin and does not save.

Trust and Rescue Work

Even those seized by overpowering strength can be taken back, and those held as prey by the cruel can be set free, because God himself will oppose whoever opposes his people and will save their children. The promise is an assurance of divine help in trials and opposition, calling for trust in God. It reveals the Lord as Saviour and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob, whom all flesh shall know, and it calls for deep and earnest trust in him now, trusting that he will strengthen and help and uphold with the right hand of his righteousness. That trust is sustained by Christ as a sinless high priest who was tempted in every way as human beings are and is able to help those who are tempted. In the same way, the deliverance of captives from powerful enemies and the rescue of prey reaches honest-hearted people in heathen lands, whom God leads out of spiritual darkness and toward hope in him.

The same rescue from powerful enemies and the same divine opposition to those who oppose his people encourages trust that God will strengthen and protect his workers from the enemy's discouragement. That protection was to surround the workers in Washington, so that the work would advance according to his will. The deliverance of those held as prey by the mighty and the saving of his children is also applied to people endangered by Satan's deceptive influence. They belong to Christ and are not to pass from his control into the control of evil. Those empowered by the Holy Spirit are therefore to strive to rescue them and to counter the efforts of those who lead them away from God's word.