Isaiah 50:9
It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.
Who will condemn me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
the moths will eat them up. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 50:1-11
We see yet another instance of the Messiah acknowledging that it is the Sovereign Lord who comes to the rescue. It’s worth mentioning here that like the Father provides the help to the Messiah, Jesus provides the help for us in our times of struggle. The Hebrew word for “help” is ʽāzar which points to God’s consistent intervention in the lives of His people and His desire for us in turn to be helpful to others.
The Messiah was unjustly crucified and condemned by men. However, the Father vindicated Jesus by raising him from the grave. The writer of Hebrews says, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb 2:18). Jesus suffered greatly and can sympathize with our suffering in every way. Conversely, Jesus was helped by the Sovereign Lord in his time of need so now he can also help us in our time of need.
The Messiah then asks the question, “Who will declare me guilty?” Now that he has been resurrected, who dares to condemn him? The Hebrew word for “condemn” is rāšaʽ which is best understood as “to be declared wicked.” It represents a deliberate disobedience to God and results in being declared guilty. It stands in stark contrast to being justified or declared righteous.
Anyone who dares oppose the Messiah will potentially receive two fates – be worn out like a garment or eaten up by moths. The analogy of things wearing out like a garment has shown up before in the Psalms:
“In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded” (Ps 102:25-26).
The psalmist declares that the heavens and earth will eventually wear out like a garment. God will discard them like old clothes. Anyone who stands against God will receive the same fate. Conversely, those who stand with God will be preserved. We have seen this before as well:
- “Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years” (Deut 8:4)
- “Yet the Lord says, ‘During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet’” (Deut 29:5).
- “For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen” (Neh 9:21).
The Lord preserved the Israelites’ clothes the entire time they wandered in the desert. Not only did he provide manna and water for forty years, but their clothes and sandals didn’t wear out. There was clearly a practical reason for God to preserve their clothes. But there is also a lesson from God in that He can provide for us in our time of need. Those who stand against Him, even the heavens and earth, will wear out like old garments. But those who stand with Him will be preserved.
Jesus spoke of garments and moths as well:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:19-21).
The earth is going to pass away. Whether it is possessions or positions that you seek, they won’t last. Eternity is all that matters. Jesus would go on to say, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:33).
Jesus will help us in our times of need – when temptation is at our door. His desire for us is that we seek his kingdom first and lay up treasures in heaven by helping those around us just as the Father helped the Son. The earth will eventually wear out like old clothes. But the things we do to advance God’s kingdom will last for all eternity.
Christ in the Old Testament 
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