Let's open our Bibles, please, to Isaiah chapter 49. Isaiah chapter 49. This chapter has to do with the servant of Jehovah and his mission. In other words, reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. Though Israel is spoken of in some instances as God's chosen and God's servant. We find that the perfect fulfillment or the ideal Israel is the Lord Jesus Christ. We can show in the Bible where the things that are said to Israel refer to the promised Messiah, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. So God's servant, too, is a light to the nations and a comfort to his people, we find in this chapter. We might find that It is divided into three sections. The ideal servant speaks in verses 1-6. Then Jehovah speaks, verses 7-13. And then Zion speaks, verses 14-26. So it is the ideal servant, and then Jehovah himself, God himself, and then Zion, his special chosen people. Jerusalem is sometimes referred to. But God's people in general, his heavenly people, as well as his earthly people, when we get it in the context. So we'll find a lot of these things that are said for Israel of old apply to Christ and to his blessings upon nations in the future, the Jews as well as the Gentiles. So with all those thoughts in mind, and especially the fact that this is divided into these three sections, and God's servant does show light to the nations, or Gentiles, as well as be a comfort to his own people, the Jews, will find it develops in that direction. Let's look at the first verse, if you will. It says, 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. Now, then we're going to take each verse and try to analyze it and give you a great deal as we may from each verse. This is the ministry of Jesus. And of course, when he says, listen, O Isles, he's speaking to distant lands. Isles are distant lands from the land of Israel. And when he says, and hearken ye people, he's speaking to the people from afar. And hearken ye people from afar. And then when he says, the Lord hath called me from the womb, not only did God call Israel from the womb, or the beginning, but God called Jesus from the womb and He gave Him the name. He says, from the bowels of my mother hath He made mention of my name. If you remember, Jesus was given a name before He was ever born. The message concerning Mary was, Thou shalt call his name Jesus, and to Joseph, for he shall save his people from their sins. And so his name was given before his birth. And the name of Jesus was given before his birth especially. Now, we know as far as Israel being taken from the beginning themselves, they were. They were called from the womb, so to speak, because God chose them from the very beginning before they were nothing. And He chose them, and that would have a bearing upon them as well. Now, if you'll notice, in verse 2 it says, 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." Now notice, my mouth like a sharp sword. The Bible says the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. God's word is like that. And the Bible says concerning Jesus that the word comes out of his mouth as a sharp sword. In the book of Revelation, let's see, chapter 1 and verse 16, it says, And he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. And his countenance was as the sun shineth in a stream." The sharp sword signifies the very word of the Lord that goes forth with power and with two cutting edges. It's a two-edged sword. It cuts both ways. And the word of Jesus is like that. The Bible teaches Let me see if John chapter 12, verse 48, look in John 12, if you will, verse 48. And here's a wonderful verse of Scripture to look at. It says, He that rejecteth me. Now, Jesus said this. He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words. Here's the word. Hath one that judgeth him." Now what does he say? The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. That word that Jesus has spoken, the same shall judge in the last day. And there are so many scriptures that show you that the word of God is that which is Quick and powerful, Hebrews 4, verse 12, that we just quoted a moment ago. So it says in the context, hold your place in Isaiah 49, where we're studying. And verse 2 says, and he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me. Christ is said to be in the shadow of God's hand and made me a polished shaft. In other words, like an arrow. It says, In his quiver hath he hid me, like an arrow that would penetrate. In Psalm 45, verse 5, it says this, Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies, whereby the people fall under thee. Thine arrows are sharp. You know, when God speaks and His Word goes out, it's very sharp and cutting. And we need not rebel against God's Word. Because it's going to certainly have its effect upon our lives. And verse 3 says, And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Now then, God's glory was not only in the nation and people of Israel, but this is speaking of Israel as God's promised son, or the Messiah. The son that God promised to come into the world. Now, I want to give you three passages of scripture. and show you that this verse describes the Messiah as the ideal Israel. In other words, every time God speaks of Israel, He doesn't speak of Israel as a nation, but there's sometimes a prophetic view in it that points to Christ. And here you find that prophetic view. Now, let me give you three passages of Scripture to help you to understand that Israel can be applied, the term Israel, and Israel as God's Son, can be applied to Jesus, and is sometimes done so. In the book of Exodus 4, the first one, Exodus chapter 4, if you will, and I'll read two verses, verse 22 and 23. Exodus 4, verse 22 and 23. Now, remember when Israel was in bondage in Egypt, Now, God spoke these words to Moses, and He said in verse 22, And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord. He says, Moses, you say to Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord. Israel is my son. Nothing could be plainer than that. Israel is my son, even my firstborn. And He says, And I say unto thee, Let my son go. that he may serve me, and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn." So here we have the fact that God said to Moses that Israel was his son. Now then, look in the book of Hosea chapter 11, verse 1. The very first verse. It says, When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt." Well, that's what we just referred to. See, Hosea 11, verse 1. When Israel was a child, then I loved him and called my son out of Egypt. And that's exactly what we referred to in the book of Exodus when Moses was told by the Lord to tell Pharaoh to let my son go. Israel is my firstborn, my son. So we can see that it looks back to Israel as a nation and as a people. Now then, you say, well, how in the world does this apply to Jesus? Look in the book of Matthew, chapter 2. Remember when Joseph and Mary fled after the birth of Jesus? They fled into Egypt because Herod sought the young child's life? The baby Jesus? Remember when that happened? Let me read. We'll pinpoint on verse But let's read verse 12, after the wise men had come to Jesus. And Joseph and Mary, they had found baby Jesus. But verse 12 says, And being warned of God in a dream, this the wise men, they were warned of God in a dream, Matthew 2, verse 12, that they should not return to Herod. They departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt. This is where Israel was one time, right? Flee into Egypt. And be thou there until I bring thee word again, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." It says, when he arose, he took the young child and his mother. This is Joseph. He arose, took the young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt. Now, verse 15 is the key. Look at it. And was there until the death of Herod that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord, you get this, of the Lord by the prophet, that's the prophet Hosea. Hosea, of the Lord, not of Israel of old, not of being delivered out of Egypt, though it pointed back to Egypt, remember? That was in Hosea 11, verse 1. But it was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, and he's referring to Hosea's prophecy, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. So when Jesus was called out of Egypt after they fled, baby Jesus was called out of Egypt, and Joseph and Mary had fled there. This was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Hosea when he said, Out of Egypt have I called my son. See, that prophecy of Hosea looks two directions. It looks back to Israel as a nation, Exodus chapter 4. It looks forward to Israel, the true Israel of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, Matthew chapter 2, verse 15. And see, Hosea chapter 11, verse 1, looks both directions. It looks back when Israel was a child. Israel as a nation, as a child, God under Moses called His Son, Israel, His firstborn out of Egypt. But then when Israel was a child, or baby Jesus was a child, Hosea looks forward to the time that they would have had to flee to Egypt. And after the death of Herod, out of Egypt have I called my son, that it might be fulfilled. Notice, the prophecy, the word in Matthew 2.15 says that it might be fulfilled. Hosea doesn't say it was fulfilled, does he? Hosea just gives us the prophecy. But in Matthew, we have the prophecy fulfilled. Because it was not completely fulfilled when Hosea referred back to Israel as a nation being called out of Egypt, but it was fulfilled when his true son Israel, when Israel, it's applied to Christ, as the true Israel of God, was called out of Egypt in Matthew 2.15. You see, that's why sometimes prophecies not only have a historical or local, fulfillment, but they have a future reference and fulfillment. Many scriptures are like that. They have a local fulfillment. Many of these in Isaiah that we've been studying have referred, now listen carefully, have referred to Israel's deliverance sometimes from Babylonian captivity, but they've also been applied to a future deliverance of the nation. that is yet to come, even now. And I'm trying to go slow enough so this will sink in, because these are important things we're talking about. Now, back in our text in Isaiah chapter 49, So look at verse 3 again and see what you can see there. And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Now this anticipates a more complete revelation and a future glory of Israel and a future glory only under the Messianic kingdom. When Christ will be revealed at His second coming. And it's referring to that as well. So it looks forward to the future. Now then, when it says in verse 3, And he said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel. If you look back in chapter 42, I want you to notice verse 1, and we've studied Christ as the servant back here. Behold my servant, whom I will uphold, whom I uphold, mine elect, and whom my soul delighteth. I will put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. So there's no question back here in Isaiah 42, but that it looks to Christ as God's servant in the future under the same terms as we studied in Isaiah 49. So this goes along with Isaiah 42. In fact, if you remember in Isaiah 42, and I'm looking there now, it says he shall not cry nor lift up nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised wreath shall he not break. And the smoking flax shall he not quench, he shall bring forth judgment unto victory. And we find that in the New Testament, this is applied in the book of Matthew. It's applied specifically to the Lord Jesus Christ, that a bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench, showing the compassion and longsuffering of Jesus. You know, a reed is just a little stalk of growth. It grows up and it's brittle. It can be brittle if it becomes dead or after the greenery has gone off of the reeds. Well, they become stiff and dead. If it's bruised, you know there are thousands and millions of them along the river. Why would you not break it and get a new one? But it says, a bruise for each and every individual soul. It pictures to me that though he be broken, he is worthy of repair by the Lord. Not just throw it away and get a new one. It kind of reminds me of a story that Dr. Lakin used to tell. Said this fellow back in West Virginia, they were building a new highway through there. And they were putting down blacktop, and they were tar all over. And this lady, she had about five or six kids. And she said, now, you youngins don't run up there now and get that tar all over yourself. And said, if you do, you'll just have that stuff to clean off, and it'd be so hard to get rid of. And so sure enough, the kids sneaked off and got up there on the highway, and they had that tar all over them. And they came back and she was just raking and scraping that tar and she was trying to clean them up. And she says, my goodness, it'd be easier to have another than to clean this one up. Jesus is not that way. He'll clean this one up. He'll clean this one up. You and I are like a bruised reed. And he says, smoking flax shall he not quench. So you find that the Lord cares for that which is broken, doesn't he? And if there's just a spark, a little smoking flax, instead of putting out that flame, smoke and doing a rekindling job or whatever is necessary, it has to do with By the way, it had to do with wicks sometimes and the burning there. But the thing about it is, what we want to see is that the Lord, if He sees a little bit of good, if He sees anything broken, He'll still repair it for the sake of that individual. You know, there's not one of us that are altogether perfect, are we? Jesus is the only perfect one. And He had a lot of repair work to do on every one of us. And he did it in grace, and he did it in love. So anyway, we know that this patch of scripture, and I could go on, we've already taught that in Isaiah 42, but this runs parallel with what we're studying here in Isaiah chapter 49. So if you read Isaiah 42 in relation, especially the first seven verses into what we're studying here. And let's pick up in Isaiah 49 again and verse four. It says, Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught, and in vain. Yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God. You know, Jesus came to His own, and His own received Him not, the Bible says. He said in one place, Go not but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And they rejected Him. And remember that they wanted to kill Him, I think in the book of Luke chapter 19 when he is talking about his kingdom and certain servants being sent. But last of all he said, but his citizens hated him. He finally sent his son. But his citizens hated him. This is not that passage at this particular time, but this verse of scripture ties in what I'm saying. His citizens hated him and sent a message after him saying, we will not have this man to reign over us. This makes the point anyway. In other words, they would not have Jesus to reign over them. We find there are other places where they wanted to cast him out of their coasts. Do you know the first sermon Jesus ever preached? They tried to get rid of him. You and I, sometimes we young preachers feel bad when we preach our first sermon. But I'm telling you, they wanted to get rid of Jesus. They tried to cast him off the hill where the city was built. We have some that accepted him, but others wanted to treat him that way. OK, back in Isaiah 49. Notice he says, Then I said, I have labored in vain. because of the fact that his people would not receive him. Not one of his own appreciated his efforts. Remember, he says, a prophet is not without honor, saving his own country and among his own kindred. And they rejected him. For Jesus was raised up in Nazareth. Now, notice this. But he says, yet surely my judgment is with the Lord. It doesn't make any difference what happens. and how others receive the message of God, especially in the case of Jesus. His judgment was with the Lord. And by the way, preachers today, if we give our message out in truth, it may seem to be in vain by many people. But our judgment is with the Lord and my work is with my God. He's the one that either says yea or nay or approves or disapproves. You know, a lot of people criticize preachers for one thing or another. In fact, a preacher can say 999 things that are good and make one mistake, and they'll focus on that one thing out of a thousand instead of that 999 things that are good. And we're all guilty of that. There's no one perfect. Sometimes I go home and I'll listen to one of my sermons and I'll say, now, what did that mean? There was one point. There's one point there that I just didn't get what I was trying to get over. And I'm sure no one else did if I didn't. But on the other hand, there might have been a lot there that I thoroughly understood, and I hope other folks did too. You know, we're none of us perfect. We try to make a point and sometimes we don't get it over. But if you'll notice this, the judgments with the Lord and the works with the Lord. Verse 5, And now saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob. Now, notice here, Jacob is mentioned again to him. Jacob is the earthly name of Israel, or his first name is human name. It says, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. So he's talking about here that Jesus himself, the true Israel of God, would be trying to bring the Jacob or the Israel of old into fellowship with God. So there's a kind of a double thought here. The thought concerning the Israel that is to be brought. to bring Jacob again to him, though Israel be not gathered. And Israel as a nation and as a people were scattered. If you remember, he speaks of the dispersed of Israel, the scattered. And so the purpose is to bring them back together and bring them to God. And through their fall, they had fallen away from God, and Paul speaks of it in the book of Romans, and through their fall, the next verse shows that salvation is going to come, not only to them when they're regathered, and God will be glorified in it, we've already mentioned, but The Gentiles would be brought in. Look at the next verse. And he said, it is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob. Now that's a light thing. That's a small thing, he says. But, and to restore the preserved of Israel. That's a light thing. Now look. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be for my salvation unto the ends of the earth." In other words, because of the fall of Israel, he says, your fall will prove to be, in your regathering, a salvation for the ends of the earth. And Paul speaks of that in the book of Romans. Let's see. Romans chapter 11, verse 11. Remember, this won't be hard to remember. 11, 11. It says, I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? And he's speaking of Israel. God forbid. But look, but rather through their fall, salvation is come to the Gentiles, unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. See, when salvation came to the Gentiles, and it shall come in a greater and more multiplied way in the future, it is to provoke them to jealousy. And by the way, it did in the days of the apostles when salvation came to the Gentiles and the Jews as a nation were kind of say, we'll say, put on the back burner, so to speak. And they had to realize that God had already chosen the Gentiles into salvation. We've been studying in Sunday school about Peter preaching to the house of Cornelius and the Bible saying that this opened up the door of faith to the Gentiles. And they said this conclusion, then hath God also granted unto the Gentiles repentance unto life? So it provoked them to what? Jealousy. So back here in our text, look at it again. Isaiah 49 and verse 6, and he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserve of Israel. Well, I thought that was a great thing, but God says it's a light thing, but it's a light thing in comparison, in comparison to what he's going to do for the Gentiles. In other words, it wasn't just a light thing of itself. Follow me now. It was not just a light thing or immaterial. But it was a light thing in comparison to what he was going to do because of the opening up of the door of faith to the Gentiles and the salvation of the Gentiles. He says, I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be for my salvation to the ends of the earth. Remember when baby Jesus was born and he went, let me see, in the Gospel of Luke, if you will, chapter 2, I believe. Look in Luke's Gospel, the second chapter. Remember Simeon, when Jesus was brought in to Jerusalem to be presented to the Lord, and they offered the sacrifice, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, and this was the offering of the poor of Israel, because otherwise it would be a bullock or other kinds of more expensive offering. So it proved that Joseph and Mary were of the poor families. Verse 25, And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon. And the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Ghost was upon him, and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Now look, here is the key. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation." Now look at this, "...which thou hast prepared before the face of all people." The people are usually spoken of in the sense of God's chosen people. But he says, "...a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." So at the very birth of Christ, what was it said about Him? He was a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Simeon says, Now let thy servant depart in peace according to thy word, because this is what he was waiting for. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation. And he said, What is it for? Now back in Isaiah 49, Now look at verse 6 again in the light of what we have just said. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserve of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth. So there you have the prediction of Isaiah. being fulfilled, not only in Israel's restoration which is yet to come, but Israel's prediction fulfilled in the fact that when Jesus was born, Simeon recognized the purpose of Christ that would be fulfilled. the one that would bring back the tribes of Israel and restore the preserved of Israel and also be a light to the Gentiles and the glory of His people Israel. Now in verse 7, verses 7 through 13, Jehovah speaks, God the Father. This is if God the Father speaks. He is the Redeemer, and yet His servant is His Son, the Redeemer. God is the Redeemer in a sense, because He sends His Son to do the redemptive work. So look at this. Thus saith the Lord, or Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, He is the Redeemer of Israel, and His Holy One, to Him whom man despiseth. to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers. Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee." So his chosen one was sent to do the redeeming, though God Himself is seen here in the sense of being the Redeemer. But Christ is God manifest in the flesh, who would come and redeem Israel, and redeem all mankind as far as that goes. Remember, when Jesus, before Jesus was crucified in the message of one, the high priest said something about the fact that this is the one that would be for the salvation of his people and for the salvation of, die for the sins of a nation. And not only that, but for the sins of the whole world. I mean, he spoke this, and sometimes those priests would say things that God prompted them to say, and then they'd think, what did I just say? I meant even the sins of the whole world? Well, I really didn't intend to say that. I was talking about Israel, you know, God's people. Just kind of like old Peter, he had to be persuaded to go to the house of Cornelius, didn't he? I mean, God had to give him a sheep come down from heaven knit by the four corners with all these unclean animals in it. And he says, Arise, Peter, slay and eat. And Peter says, Lord, I've never eaten anything unclean. And he did this three times, and he convinced Peter that He should not call any man common or unclean. So therefore, Peter went to the house of Cornelius, though he was reluctant, and he preached the message of salvation and opened the door of faith to the Gentile world as well." And here, God is showing that His chosen one will come and do the redeeming. Look at verse 8. It says, Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee. Paul quotes in 2 Corinthians 6, verse 2, this very verse, applying it to the New Testament age and the preaching of the gospel of Christ. Behold, what does he say? He says, Thus saith the Lord, in an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee. So he applies it to the gospel dispensation. And I will preserve thee, look at this, I will preserve thee and give thee for a covenant of the people to establish the earth to cause to inherit the desolate heritages. I like those words. The day of salvation, preserve, give, covenant, establish. All these are good words, aren't they? Because they have to do with the stability and the surety of the covenant of grace that God has made through Jesus Christ. And if we will hear Him in the acceptable time and in the day of salvation, not only individually, but as the people in the New Testament had done in the book of Acts and in the church age, in the epistles where Paul quotes that in 2 Corinthians 6. Now, verse 9 says, that thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth to them that are in darkness, show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastors shall be in all high places." Now then, there were those that were in prison in Babylon, and God was saying that they would go forth. It would apply historically to their deliverance in the context of Isaiah, and then it would It refers also to future people, not only Israel's release, but others who would be released from the prison house of sin, from Satan's grip. You know, we're talking about people in prison and people in darkness. It's not just the fellow that's behind bars that's in prison. It's not the fellow that's just out in the dark and has no light whatsoever. But it's speaking of the prison house of sin or Satan and the darkness, the darkness of sin and the kingdom of darkness. The Bible says he has delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and translated us. Now, listen into the kingdom of his dear son, the kingdom of light. And God's people are not in darkness anymore. They're in light. They're in light in the Lord. And he says, show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways. When you're delivered out of that prison house and when you're delivered out of darkness, you're going to feed in the ways, the ways that God has for you. You will find food for your soul. And their pastures were spoken of as sheep of his pasture. Their pastures shall be in all high places. Their pastures will be in the places where it's free and full of Good, fresh grass. Fresh feeding for God's people. I remember years ago, when I was a young man, I used to go up to the top of, we called it Old Baldy in those days, Sierra Blanca. You went straight up the canyon, in the upper canyon, crossed the river several times in the South Fork, and you came up They had a spring up there a good ways up called Goat Springs. And then above that, you'd find some shepherds up there grazing sheep in grass, sometimes knee high, when sometimes it would come above your feet when you were riding horseback in the saddle. I mean big, tall, beautiful grass. And there would be sheep all over those mountains up there after you got way up above the timber line. Beautiful. They don't have that anymore. They had sheep herders up there with a lot of sheep. We are led in the ways of green pastures, and the pastures shall be in all high places, it says here. They shall not hunger nor thirst. They shall not hunger nor thirst. Neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them. Remember, God says, the sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. God will protect us from the heat of the sun. The sun shall not smite them. For he that hath mercy on them shall lead them. Even by the springs of water shall he guide them. This is pleasant feeding and pleasant protection for God's people. Neither shall they hunger nor thirst. Sometimes in this day and age, we don't know too much about what it is to be hungry. Because there seems to be a land of plenty. But I was raised up during the Depression as a little boy. I was hungry many times. And I was hungry when we didn't have anything to eat and couldn't get anything to eat. And there were not all these welfare programs then. You either worked or you starved. There were two things, one of the two. And if you couldn't find work, you starved, even if you were willing to work. Not much choices. Now they've got a lot of choices, you know. But any of that goes on. And I can remember my mother washing on an old rug board for maybe getting 20 or 25 cents to go up in the store and buy some milk or some bread or some flour to make bread with. Now, folks, listen, we're talking about hard times. We're not talking about luxuries. We're not talking about even all kinds of foods. We're talking about hard, real hard times. And so I know what it is to be hungry. And there are many souls out here today, let's get this, in the spiritual aspect, that are just starving for the Word of God. And we need to fill them and feed them with God's Word. And the thirst that's in their soul, because there's a longing there and there's an emptiness there. And that's your business and mine. I won't have time to go any further, but let me read the verse of Scripture that coincides with that. In the book of Revelation, chapter 7, verse 16, and we'll close. Revelation 7, verse 16 and 17. It says they shall hunger no more. There's a future time when God's people and not only here, these were the saved out of the tribulation, but it also repeats it in the 19th. No, it's the 20th chapter. But here, or 21st chapter, but here in this 7th chapter of Revelation, verse 16, they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. Isn't that what he said in Isaiah? Now look, for the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them. Our food will be from the Lord. the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. It says, For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and He shall lead them unto living fountains of waters. Now look at this. This is the blessing. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. All tears from their eyes. There are tears of pain when you're hurting. There are tears of sorrow. There are tears of bereavement. There are tears that hurt us. We're in pain and all kinds of feelings among us. But God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. In Revelation 21, he says there'll be no more sorrow. There'll be no more pain. There'll be no more death. For the former things are passed away. Behold, I will make all things new. That's Revelation 21 and verse 4. I'm looking for a time like that. I've endured my share of pain and suffering in this life, and I'm sure most of you have. But anyway, God's Word promises better things for all of His people. We pick up in that place in the book of Isaiah in our next lesson.