Isaiah 51:2
Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse emphasizes that God called Abraham "alone" to highlight the extraordinary nature of His blessing and multiplication, showing that even a single, solitary individual could become the ancestor of a vast nation. This means God's power to restore and grow His people isn't dependent on their current numbers or favorable circumstances, but on His own initiative.
The prophet is addressing the exiled Jewish people in Babylon, reminding them of God's faithfulness through their ancestor Abraham. He urges them to look to Abraham and Sarah not for imitation of their flaws, but as proof that God can bring life and prosperity even from seemingly impossible origins. This message serves as encouragement, assuring them that the God who called and blessed a solitary Abraham into a mighty nation can likewise restore and multiply the remnant of Israel.
When life feels overwhelming and your numbers are few, where do you look for hope? Isaiah points back to a surprising starting point.
The people of Israel were in exile, feeling diminished and forgotten. Isaiah calls them to 'look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you.' This isn't just about remembering their ancestors; it's a reminder of God's faithfulness from the very beginning.
A Tiny Seed
Abraham and Sarah were chosen by God when they were just one person and one wife, with no children and in their old age. It seemed impossible for them to start a nation. Yet, God called Abraham, blessed him, and promised to multiply him.
The Power of God's Call
This wasn't just a human endeavor. God's calling of Abraham initiated everything. From that single individual, God built a vast nation, fulfilling His promises despite seemingly insurmountable odds. This historical example is presented as a powerful anchor for faith in times of despair.
How does God turn a 'few' into a 'multitude'? Isaiah reveals it's not about our strength, but His purpose.
The core of Isaiah's message here is God's ability and intention to increase His people, even from the most unpromising beginnings. The verse contrasts the exiles' current state – few and scattered – with the potential God had already demonstrated through Abraham and Sarah.
From One to Nation
God didn't just bless Abraham with descendants; He multiplied him. This wasn't a slow, natural growth that could be easily explained away. It was a divine act, turning a solitary man into the ancestor of countless people, likened to the stars of the sky and the sand of the sea. This multiplication was a tangible sign of God's power and His covenant faithfulness.
A Pattern of Restoration
By reminding the exiles of Abraham and Sarah, Isaiah was showing them that their present suffering and diminished state was not the end. God's power to bless and multiply was not limited to the past. He could, and would, restore them, turning their 'wilderness' back into a fruitful 'garden'. This is a powerful reminder that God's redemptive plan often works through impossible situations.
Isaiah reminds the exiles in Babylon of God's faithfulness to Abraham and Sarah, a couple who began with nothing but a divine promise. This historical perspective is meant to assure them that God can, and will, restore them from their desperate state, just as He multiplied their ancestor into a nation.
~2091 BC
God Calls Abram
God calls Abram (later Abraham) from Ur of the Chaldeans, promising to make him a great nation and bless the world through him.
~2081 BC
Abraham in Canaan
Abraham and his household, including his wife Sarah, settle in Canaan. At this time, Abraham was childless, and Sarah was barren, making the fulfillment of God's promise seem impossible.
~1897 BC
Birth of Isaac
After many years, God fulfills His promise with the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, demonstrating God's power to bring life from seemingly dead circumstances.
~1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
Descendants of Abraham, now a vast nation of Israelites, are delivered from slavery in Egypt, recalling God's power to multiply and save His people.
This passage describes God's initial call to Abraham, emphasizing the promise of blessing and multiplication, which is the very foundation of the argument in Isaiah 51:2. It shows the origin of God's covenant with Abraham from a single individual.
Genesis 17:4-6Here, God reiterates and expands His covenant promise to Abraham, stating, 'you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.' This directly supports Isaiah's point that Abraham, though initially 'one,' became the progenitor of many.
Romans 4:18-22Paul reflects on Abraham's faith, highlighting that he 'against all hope, hoped in hope.' This passage illuminates the 'why' behind God's focus on Abraham in Isaiah, showcasing Abraham's unwavering faith in God's power to bring life from barrenness and increase from singularity.
Hebrews 11:11-12This text in the Hall of Faith points to Sarah's faith in believing God's promise to give her a child, despite her old age and barrenness. It directly links to Isaiah's mention of Sarah and emphasizes the miraculous nature of the multiplication from 'one' person.
Ezekiel 33:24This verse shows the Israelites in exile boasting, 'Abraham was but one man, and he possessed the land, but we are many; the land has been given to us for inheritance.' This demonstrates how the very argument Isaiah uses in 51:2 was a common reference point, even being twisted by the people, highlighting its significance.
barnesIsaiah 51:2: "Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him."
Look unto Abraham - What was figuratively expressed in the former verse is here expressed literally. They were directed to remember that God had taken Abraham and Sarah from a distant land, and that from so humble a beginning he had increased them to a great nation. The argument is, that he was able to bless and increase the exile Jews, though comparatively fee…
wesleyIsaiah 51:2: "Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him."
51:2 Him alone - To follow me to an unknown land: him only of all his kindred. Increased - Into a vast multitude, when his condition was desperate in the eye of reason. And therefore God can as easily raise his church when they are in the most forlorn condition.
The verse emphasizes that God called Abraham "alone" to highlight the extraordinary nature of His blessing and multiplication, showing that even a single, solitary individual could become the ancestor of a vast nation. This means God's power to restore and grow His people isn't dependent on their current numbers or favorable circumstances, but on His own initiative.
The prophet is addressing the exiled Jewish people in Babylon, reminding them of God's faithfulness through their ancestor Abraham. He urges them to look to Abraham and Sarah not for imitation of their flaws, but as proof that God can bring life and prosperity even from seemingly impossible origins. This message serves as encouragement, assuring them that the God who called and blessed a solitary Abraham into a mighty nation can likewise restore and multiply the remnant of Israel.
The prophet is addressing the exiled Jewish people in Babylon, reminding them of God's faithfulness through their ancestor Abraham. He urges them to look to Abraham and Sarah not for imitation of their flaws, but as proof that God can bring life and prosperity even from seemingly impossible origins. This message serves as encouragement, assuring them that the God who called and blessed a solitary Abraham into a mighty nation can likewise restore and multiply the remnant of Israel.
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586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
Jerusalem is destroyed, and many Jews are exiled to Babylon, a time of great national despair and seeming abandonment by God.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus's Edict
Cyrus the Great issues a decree allowing exiled peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples.
"Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him." — The verse emphasizes that God called Abraham "alone" to highlight the extraordinary nature of His blessing and multiplication, showing that even a single, solitary individual could become the ancesto…
