It is the Messiah’s mighty arm which will vindicate God’s people. We place our hope, trust, and full confidence in His nail scared but resurrected arms, feet, and side.
Opening with verse 1, we are beckoned to listen to the Lord so we may pursue righteousness. We are to look to the “rock from which we have been cut” from or, rather, the “hole we were chiseled out from.” In verse 2, Abraham and Sarah are the example for our original hearers. God once brought them out of Ur of the Chaldeans (Babylon), and God is able to bring His people out from Babylon (Ur of the Chaldeans) again. God did it once and He can do it again. In verse 3, God is comforting Zion with more than just words. Reaching back to the beginning of this unit, we see in 40:1 that He is comforting them with the promise of restoration. He comes to His people who are in ruins in the wilderness, or the waste places, and restores them to be like Eden, the very garden paradise of God. This is a beautiful image of moving from death for sin to resurrection life and restoration as God designed everything to be.
Having unlocked the context for our pericope, we now have the material to make something of our short reading. So, as we move into verse 4, we are asked to “give our attention” or “harken” to something, but harken to what? Are we to pay attention to the Law in this text? No, we are to hear the great Gospel promises to Abraham and Sarah. The exiles are leaving Babylon for Eden. Eden is the first home of humanity and paradise with God. The second part of verse 4 deals with the Torah. In Chapter 2 of Isaiah, the Torah comes from Zion, but here, in verse 4, the Torah comes from the Lord Himself. In this case I am taking “Torah” in parallel to “Mishpat,” which makes it less about laws and judgement and more about being vindicated by God’s Word. The Word of God here in context is a revelation of vindication for those who had His Word in exile. God has not forgotten His people and He has placed His Word there with them to remind them that they are not forgotten by Him and He will justify those who put their faith in Him.
The most preachable part of our text has to be verse 5. If the people of God were “pursuing righteousness” in 50:1, here, in verse 5 of our reading, “righteousness itself has drawn near” to His people. His drawing near with righteousness is for the purpose of redemption. I am taking קָרוֹב (qarob – near) in verse 5 and understanding it in parallel with גָּאַל (gaal/go’el – kinsman redeemer) like we see in Ruth 3:12, making it possible to understand that God is the One who drew near as a type of kinsman redeemer, as our righteousness Himself. We also read Isaiah 53:11 this way when we understand that righteousness is a person, namely, the “righteous servant” who will justify many. If you move to the last line of the suffering servant song in 54:17, you can understand the “inheritance” we receive from Him as having been given when we were justified by the sufferings and life of the “righteous one” who has literally imputed righteousness from God Himself to us freely and not from us at all.
To be sure, this is the heart of a sermon on this text. Righteousness is the main idea, and righteousness is near because of a righteous servant who justifies the many. He justifies us because the “punishment that brought us peace was upon Him” (Isaiah 53:5). So, I imagine this scene: We are decked out in righteousness in all its splendor, all the while the “righteous servant” is suffering. That was the cost of this eternal peace, His righteousness and death for us. Our text serves as a reminder of that cost of redemption in the midst of rejoicing in the salvation of God for His exiled people.
That was the cost of this eternal peace, His righteousness and death for us.
Focusing your sermon on righteousness as a gospel idea, a salvation idea, an idea of victory will give you the focus you need to stay centered on Christ. In order to emphasize this concept, you need to focus on the “arms” of God in verse 5. His “arms” vindicated people as they were stretched out wide upon the cross. As much as the “mighty arm of God” is an Exodus motif (also Deuteronomy), the might arms of God are really what hold this unit in Isaiah (chapters 40-55) together. All the way back in 40:9-11, to 52:10, and 53:1, you have the mention of the mighty and merciful arms of God. Indeed, the well know lyrics of the first and last verses of “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Lutheran Service Book #507), on this Christ the King Sunday, also hold this tension before us of the merciful and mighty God who is thrice glorious and victorious. This processional hymn focuses us on God’s mighty works for our salvation. The arms which would hang on a cross are both merciful and mighty. So, this text reminds us that it was by Jesus’ merciful arms and not by our might that we are saved. On the cross, He holds our salvation, and this is not by our might. It is the Messiah’s mighty arm which will vindicate God’s people. We place our hope, trust, and full confidence in His nail scared but resurrected arms, feet, and side.
The final verse of our reading reminds us how all people, great, small, and even great kings, will be drawn to and shocked at who has the true victory and salvation in this world. They will be surprised by the means by which this victory has been attained. This reminds me of a powerful painting that captures our text and a moment when a regal and splendid king turns and sees the righteousness of our suffering King Jesus. It is a painting of a king coming in victory, only to be confronted by the King of Kings, Jesus, who came in suffering. You might have seen this painting before. It is by Frank Dicksee and entitled “Two Crowns.” 
Captured here is the moment when a ruler comes in splendor and looks at the real King of Kings on a cross. Notice how you could almost miss Jesus in the painting because of all the pomp and circumstance going on in front of us. Everyone is looking at the gifts and splendor, but what is the man on horseback staring at. He looks up in shock at the true King of Kings, who Himself has no regal splendor or fine gifts. He sees in an ashen silhouette the One who gave His life for this very moment of splendor and beauty. This regent is struck by the Spirit of the Lord who has come to fulfill Isaiah’s words in more than just a verbal way (Luke 4:16-30), but to take that word all the way to the cross where He would fulfill it when He cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30)! Then, on the third day, clothed with the early morning sun, God’s only begotten Son of Righteousness would rise again to bring in the victory which would lead us home as a vindicated host of salvation, restored in the splendor of Eden, with new life in Him. He brings with Him the righteousness we hear about in our text, which we could never afford or earn, freely giving to us by the God who has drawn near to us to redeem us.
Look at the artwork closer this time. Really focus on the one part of the scene in the middle of the painting. Contemplate your place as one who receives the mercy and might of the God who gives salvation from His outstretched arms on Calvary. Fix your focus on the meaning of the divine exchange, the forensic cost of our justification by grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ shed blood and third day resurrection alone.
For preaching our text using this piece of art, we need to utilize an “Imagistic Structure,” focusing on a “Central Image” where:
“The image serves as a lens through which one views the textual exposition, the theological confession, the evangelical proclamation, and the hearer interpretation of the sermon. Having a single image lends coherence to the sermon.”
With a single focus, the image remains the same throughout the sermon. Our single focus will be on the image of the “Two Crowns,” by Frank Dicksee, which is central and unchanging to the devotional contemplation. From this single focus, the sermon can reinforce one theme in a first encounter with the image which will establish the Gospel emphasis, and then, as the image is applied again and again in the sermon, it centers the desired Gospel motif to the text, and then, later, to the hearers.
By focusing on one part of the image (the look at the crucifix), which remains in the fore of the minds of the hearers, a fresh approach is created for the listeners through this piece of art you are displaying. As the preacher, you are:
“Changing how the image is seen, and the hearers are able to track the basic development of a larger theme in the sermon. Each stage of development (like moving from a misconception to a clearer vision or moving from application in terms of one’s relationship to God to application in terms of one’s relationship to others) is captured by preaching the image through a different perspective.”
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Isaiah 51:4-6.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Isaiah 51:4-6.
Text Week-A treasury of resources from various traditions to help you preach Isaiah 51:4-6.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
Lectionary Podcast- Prof. Ryan Tietz of Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN walks us through Isaiah 51:4-6.
