Behold, It Is Taken Off

The author of the book of Isaiah tells God’s people what God has assuredly done, not what he will do for the people of God in his book as contained in Isaiah 51:22.

“Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:” (Isa. 51:22)

We need know that prior this utterance the people of God have erred they have gone after other gods that they do not know of the gods that do not lead them out of the land of Egypt, the gods who has not promised them anything are those they have been following. After repeated warnings but which they did not yield to, God decides to punish them for go a whoring for rejecting him, their maker, their founder, their sure foundation and put into their hands the cups of his fury, the cups of his anger for them to drink.

This happened when he led the warriors of other countries to overthrow his city, plundered the city and led his people away as captives of war. While those who remain in the country are like slaves in their own lands, for they were working for the leaderships of other nations they were put under serious servitude.

However, at the nick of time before him he has compassion on them and assure them that he has taken off the cups of trembling which is the cup of his fury out of their hands. Shall we dissect this verse a bit to know what Yahweh is speaking through his prophet unto his people and by extension us there.

The people of God have been drawn to the court of God here but when they were there was no one to plead for them, there was no one to plead their case and cause before the Lord. For who can plead the case of a sinner before God who himself is not a sinner? No one could plead their case before the Lord.

“Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:” (Isa. 51:22)

It presumably was because there was no one to plead their case before the Lord that they were handed over to their enemies and they suffered greatly in the hands of their enemies.

We should know that sinners cannot have anyone to plead his case before the Lord at the seat of judgment, because the person who wishes to plead for another person too would have iniquities all over him, no one is righteous, no one says the bible.

Ellicott while commenting on this verse says we should note the unequivocal combination of Adonai (or better still, in this instance the solitary use of the word instead of the plural word which is Adonim as Elohim) with Jehovah. Man’s requirement is God’s opportunity. He will plead the cause of his people when no one else does.

When God sees that no one can plead for the cause and case of his people he doubled his actions for the sake of his covenant with Abraham his friend and pleaded the case of his people, he has pity and compassion on them.

In the same wise is it for those of us in the world when we do not have people who can plead our cause and case before God, God thence sent his son into the world to die for our sakes. He pleaded our case on the cross of Calvary after he has successfully executed this, he is yet pleading our cause with the Lord, as he stands at God’s right hand to plead our cause with his father and our father.

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” (1 Jn 2:1)

As he pleads our cause in the heavenlies he also sends the Holy Ghost to dwell in our hearts to plead our internal cause to testify with our spirit that we are children of God.

We shall herein see the outcome of his plea here, for he succeeded in his plea for the case and cause of the people of God. It was because he was successful in the plea with his father that he could take off their hands the cups of trembling that God has put into their hands for going against his words and wills.

“Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:” (Isa. 51:22)

Jesus Christ also succeeded in his work on the cross of Calvary as he said it is finished.

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” (Joh 19:30)

To show them that he was successful in what he has done, he calls them to see what he has done for them by saying “behold”.

“Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:” (Isa. 51:22)

The word behold in Hebrew here is “הנּה”, the Romanized form is hinnêh (pronounced as hin-nay') which could imply see, lo. In other words what the Lord has done for them they are not seeing it immediately, but the Lord is pointing it out to them he is showing them what he has done. Like a father would point something out to his children or someone who has seen something ahead of other people with whom he is standing would point the thing out to them. This what the Lord is doing here, he is pointing out what he has done for his people.

God through Jesus is pointing out what he has done for all in the world, that he has finished everything on the cross and we do not have to suffer again, we do not have to follow the multitude to sin again, we do not have to yield our bodies to Satan again but we should yield ourselves unto the Lord God.

What they were in the oblivion of is what the Lord has done and they are being called to see what he has done which is that he has been granted the authority to take off their hands the cup of trembling which is the dregs of the cup of his fury.

“Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:” (Isa. 51:22)

Fury is called “חמא חמה” in Hebrew and the Romanized form is chêmâh chêmâ' (phonetic spelling is khay-maw', khay-maw') which means anger, hot displeasure, furious rage, wrath.

God in his fury has poured his anger on them. Because the effect of the fury of the Lord still lingers on, they instantly did not know what God has done this for them. You can consider this in this light, you know when someone touches a hot object, some moments after leaving the hot object, the pain sensation would still be felt in his hands, this is akin to what has happened to his people. What they were passing through were yet being felt thus they couldn’t easily notice the changes that God has wrought in their lives and country.

But despite not sensing what he has done, he yet calls them out to see what he has done, that he has done it, it is not as if he is about to do it, he is not just starting it, but it is done. It is a completed task.

The cup of the suffering of the anger of the Lord was in their hands before, but none he asks them to check their hands, he asks them to send signals to their spiritual brain and they would discover that the pains are no longer there, because source of the pain has been removed.

“Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:” (Isa. 51:22)

Someone may be asked by his partner to hold a cup for him for the time being, but in this case they were not holding the cup for anyone, they were actually drinking the contents inside the cup and the contents inside the cup was not good, it is toxic and having negative effects on their bodies spiritually and physically.

“Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:” (Isa. 51:22)

The devil has also made all the inhabitants of the world prior Jesus coming to drink of the contents of the cup in his hand thereby taken all away from the presence of the Lord.

“For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” (Rev 18:3)

For this reason, the son of God was made manifest to destroy the works of the devil.

“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 Jn 3:8)

We are being told now that God through his son has destroyed the works of the devil and we need to embrace the gospel see what has been done and accept Jesus into our lives.

Having taken the cup of his fury, indignation, hot anger off their hands he told them that never shall they drink it again.

“Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:” (Isa. 51:22)

It is a word of assurance of what he has done. God too assures all who yields himself unto Christ that such a one would not be judged neither would such a one die a second death.

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (Joh 3:18, 36)

“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Rev 20:6)

God arose to save his people because he is ever compassionate and loving, in the same way he sends his son to the world to get us off the hook of devil and bring us back unto himself, whole, holy and blameless.