Season 6, Podcast 108, Isaiah 49:1-26, “I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” Artwork

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Season 6, Podcast 108, Isaiah 49:1-26, “I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”

September 08, 2025 • Ronald • Season 6 • Episode 108

Season 6, Podcast 108, Isaiah 49:1-26, “I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”

Isaiah 48 stands in antithetical parallelism to Isaiah 49. Isaiah 48 was rather bleak. It condemns Israel, “thou art obstinate, and thy neck is iron sinew, and thy brow brass.” He calls them hypocrites. They “swear by the name of the lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.” They turn to idols rather than to God. He commands them to “Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans.” The Lord still reached out to them, but they rejected him. The Lord declared, “There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the Wicked.” All Israel is scattered.

Isaiah 49, however, refers to the last days when Israel shall be gathered. Isaiah writes, “Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.” Isaiah 49 is a chapter of hope not only to the Jews and all the house of Israel but also to the Gentiles.

In Isaiah 49, the personal pronouns refer mostly to the Savior. This chapter is about Christ and his power, his love, and his divine redemption. Verse one refers to the birth of Christ.

Isaiah 49:1

1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

This child of Bethlehem has a great mission to perform. The pronoun ‘he’ in verse 2 refers to the Father, speaking of his divine Son.

Isaiah 49:2

2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

The image of the “sharp sword” is commonly used in the Holy Scriptures to refer to the word of God.

Revelation 1:16

“And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

2. Revelation 2:12

“These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges.”

Revelation 19:15

“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron…”

Hebrews 4:12

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword…”

The sharp sword and the rod of iron symbolize the word of God.

Ephesians 6:17

“…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

2. Revelation 2:27

“And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers…”

As pointed out in Isaiah 48, Judah did not always listen to the word of God. This is repeated in the following

Isaiah 49:3-4

3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.

However, even with their stubbornness Christ shall prevail.

Isaiah 49:5

5 And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.