Chapter 50
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.
2Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.
3I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
4The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
5The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
6I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
7For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
8He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.
9Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.
10Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.
11Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.
“I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”
Overview
God addresses the accusation that He has divorced Israel or sold them into slavery — no, their sins have separated them from Him. The Servant then speaks, declaring that God has given Him the tongue of the learned to sustain the weary with a word. The Servant offers His back to the smiters and His cheeks to those who plucked off the hair, not hiding His face from shame and spitting. Yet He sets His face like a flint, confident that God will vindicate Him.
Key Themes
Israel's Sin, Not God's Abandonment
God has not divorced or sold His people — their own sins have created the separation. The fault lies with them, not with God's faithfulness.
The Servant's Willing Suffering
The Servant willingly gives His back to smiters and His face to spitting — He is not a victim of circumstance but a willing sacrifice, obedient to God's purpose.
Confidence in God's Vindication
Despite horrific treatment, the Servant sets His face like a flint and trusts that God is near and will vindicate Him — no one who stands against Him will prevail.
Study Questions
How does God's rhetorical question 'Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement?' (v. 1) reassure His people?
What does the Servant's willingness to endure abuse (v. 6) reveal about His character?
How does the Servant sustain the weary 'with a word' (v. 4)?
What does it mean to 'set your face like a flint' (v. 7) in the face of opposition?
How does this passage foreshadow the events of Jesus' passion?
Connection to Christ
Isaiah 50:6 is graphically fulfilled in the Gospels, where Jesus is struck, spat upon, and His beard plucked during His trial and crucifixion (Matthew 26:67, 27:30). Christ set His face like a flint toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), willingly enduring the cross with the confidence that the Father would vindicate Him through the resurrection.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Isaiah 50. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?