Shall
the plunder be taken from the mighty,
or the lawful captives be delivered?
But Yahweh says, “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away,
and the plunder retrieved from the fierce;
for I will contend with him who contends with you,
and I will save your children.
I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh;
and they will be drunk on their own blood, as with sweet wine.
Then all flesh shall know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior,
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Isaiah 49:24-25
Isaiah 49 [20.] The children of your bereavement will say in your ears,
‘This place is too small for me.
Give me a place to live in.’
Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children,
and am solitary, an exile, and wandering back and forth?
Who has brought these up?
Behold, I was left alone. Where were these?’”
Thus says the Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations,
and lift up my banner to the peoples;
and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
Kings shall be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth,
and lick the dust of your feet;
Then you will know that I am Yahweh;
and those who wait for me shall not be disappointed.”
Shall the plunder be taken from the mighty,
or the lawful captives be delivered?
Isaiah 49 [25.] But Yahweh says, “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away,
and the plunder retrieved from the fierce;
for I will contend with him who contends with you,
and I will save your children.
I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh;
and they will be drunk on their own blood, as with sweet wine.
Then all flesh shall know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior,
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Meaning:
Isaiah 49 speaks to God’s people at a time of exile and despair. Zion had complained, “Yahweh has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me”, and God had answered that he could no more forget her than a mother could forget her child (Isaiah 49:15). He promised that her scattered children would return and that “those who wait for me shall not be disappointed” (Isaiah 49:23). But the people raise an objection, and these verses give God’s answer.
- “Shall the plunder be taken from the mighty?”
The question sounds reasonable. Israel’s captors were powerful empires. In war, what a strong conqueror had seized, whether goods or prisoners, was regarded as his by right. Who could take it back from him? The exiles felt like plunder in the hands of a giant.
- “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away”
God’s reply is emphatic. Yes, the captives will be freed and the plunder recovered, because someone stronger than the tyrant is involved. “I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children.” The battle is God’s. Israel’s strength was not enough, but the Lord would fight for them.
- “I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh”
This vivid language describes the downfall of the oppressors. Their violence would turn back on themselves. God’s justice means that cruelty does not have the last word.
- “Then all flesh shall know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior”
The rescue has a purpose beyond Israel. When God frees his people, the whole world will see who he is: Savior, Redeemer, and “the Mighty One of Jacob”. The tyrant is mighty, but God is mightier.
- Fulfilled in Jesus
Jesus drew on this picture when he answered the charge that he cast out demons by Beelzebul: “how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man?” (Matthew 12:29). Luke adds, “But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him his whole armor” (Luke 11:22). Satan holds people captive, but Jesus is the stronger one who sets them free. At Nazareth he announced that he had come “to proclaim release to the captives” (Luke 4:18).
The Significance of Isaiah 49:24-25
- No captor is too strong
Whatever holds a person captive, whether sin, fear or evil powers, God is stronger. Those who feel trapped can call on the Mighty One who still sets prisoners free.
- God fights for his people
God does not leave his people to rescue themselves. He contends with those who contend with them.
Cross-References:
Matthew 12:29: "Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man?" Jesus binds the strong man.
Luke 4:18: "to proclaim release to the captives," The mission of Jesus.
Colossians 2:15: "having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Christ’s victory over evil powers.
Conclusion: The exiles asked whether plunder could be taken from the mighty or captives be delivered. God answered that even the captives of the mighty would be taken away, because he would contend with their oppressors and save their children, so that all would know him as Savior and Redeemer. Jesus fulfilled this promise when he bound the strong man and set Satan’s captives free.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible