Isaiah 51:10, commentary and pictures

It remembers how God dried the waters of the great deep and opened a path through the sea for His ransomed people out of Egypt. It is a cry for His arm to awake as in ancient days when He cut Rahab and wounded the dragon. That past crossing stands as proof of His power to redeem and save, grounding the promise that His redeemed shall return to Zion with singing and everlasting joy, where comfort and gladness remain and sorrow and mourning flee away. For that reason His people in trial are to trust Him and not fear oppressors or the reproach of men, for salvation comes from God and not from human agents. The same God who made the depths a way will deliver to the close of earth's history those who know righteousness and keep His commandments.

Sea Deliverance Remembered

The verse remembers God drying the sea, the waters of the great deep, and turning the depths of the sea into a road for the ransomed to cross over, and that crossing is the deliverance from Egypt. That drying of the sea and opening of a path through its depths stands as proof of God's power to redeem, save, and deliver His people. It is therefore a ground for assurance and hope in the Lord as the bearer of His people's burdens, and a reason to trust Him and not fear oppressors. It is cited in connection with rebuilding what has been ruined and restoring the paths of righteousness.

It is framed as a call for the arm of the Lord to awake as in the ancient days and in the generations of old. That awakening is joined to cutting Rahab in pieces and wounding the dragon. On that ground of ancient victory it looks forward to the redeemed of the Lord returning and coming with singing unto Zion with everlasting joy upon their heads, obtaining joy and gladness while sorrow and mourning flee away.

Its instruction fell from the lips of Jesus Christ as He, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud as the great I AM, educated His church in the wilderness. It makes known God's covenant with the people He is seeking to save today and the terms of salvation. It sets forth the education of most value today, the highest knowledge after the divine similitude that a human being can possess, without which a scholar is not truly educated. By it one learns to conduct himself as a citizen of heaven for present and eternal good.

Promised Return to Zion

The drying of the sea and the opening of a path through the depths for the ransomed to cross stands as proof of divine power to redeem, to save, and to deliver. That deliverance from Egypt is held up as reason to trust that power to save. It is also cited in connection with rebuilding what has been ruined and restoring the paths of righteousness.

On that ground of past deliverance rests the promise that the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion with everlasting joy upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness and comfort, while sorrow and mourning flee away. The call for the arm of the Lord to awake as in the ancient days, joined to cutting Rahab and wounding the dragon, is the ground for that promise. The sea-crossing deliverance thus leads into the promise of return, giving hope that the redeemed will return to Zion with joy and not fear their oppressors.

The making of a way through the sea for the ransomed points to the power to rescue the lost and give them hope. That hope is hope of life with God through the life-giving Saviour revealed in the Scriptures. Salvation in this rescue comes from God, not from human agents, so the soul in danger is to look to God and rely wholly on Christ.

Assurance for Present Trial

The chapter to which this appeal belongs is a chapter of assurance and hope in the Lord as the bearer of human burdens, recalling how He dried the sea and opened a way for the ransomed to pass through. The God who then made the depths a passage for the ransomed bears all burdens still, giving assurance and hope even in tedious affliction. By grace He strengthens to write and to counsel and to endure pain for His glory, to refuse murmuring, and to rest in confidence that Jesus watches through the night.

That sea deliverance is set forth as reason to trust Him and not to fear oppressors nor the reproach of men. Salvation is from God and not from human agents, so the soul in danger is to look to God and rely wholly on Christ. The appeal makes known God's covenant with the people He is seeking to save today and the terms of salvation, together with the most valuable education and the highest knowledge after the divine similitude, without which a scholar is not truly educated. By that knowledge one learns to conduct himself as a citizen of heaven for present and eternal good.

The same God who made the depths a way for the ransomed gives everlasting righteousness and comfort, and will deliver to the close of this earth's history those who know righteousness and keep His commandments. In this time of general departure from truth and righteousness, Isaiah 51:7-16 calls God's remnant to build the old waste places, to raise up the foundation of many generations, and to restore the paths of righteousness. This is done by holding the banner of truth firmly and proclaiming the law of God with the faith of Jesus, without compromise, without hiding their colors, and without speaking smooth things, maintaining allegiance in the pressing final conflict with every power employed for God.