Isaiah 51:1 Study Bible: "Listen to me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock you were cut from, and to the hold of the pit you were dug from.

◄ Isaiah 51:1 ►

"Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut, and to the quarry from which you were hewn.

Study Bible

“Listen to Me,

God summons the faithful remnant to give earnest attention to His word. In a time marked by desolation, opposition, and exile, His authority remains unchanged, and His promises provide the sure ground for hope.

Psa 34:11 Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you…
Psa 78:1 A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my instruction;…

you who pursue righteousness,

The call is directed to those who desire to live faithfully before God, seeking justice, obedience, and covenant faithfulness. Their pursuit does not earn God’s favor but reflects hearts turned toward Him amid a nation often characterized by rebellion.

2Ti 2:22 Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness…
1Ti 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee from these things…

you who seek the LORD:

Seeking the LORD involves dependence on Him in worship, prayer, and obedience. God had promised that those who seek Him wholeheartedly would find Him, and He calls His people to look beyond present circumstances to His enduring purposes.

2Ch 15:2 So he went out to meet Asa and said to him,…
Jer 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me…

Look to the rock from which you were cut,

Israel was to remember Abraham, their father in faith, from whom God raised a people when humanly speaking there was little prospect of a great nation. Abraham’s life testified that God fulfills His promises by His power, not by natural strength or numbers.

Rom 4:17-18 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations”…
Gen 12:1-3 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country…

and to the quarry from which you were hewn.

The image continues in the following verse with Sarah, through whom God gave Abraham the promised son. From one aged couple God formed Israel, demonstrating that He could again restore, multiply, and bless His people. Their history called them to trust the God who had faithfully brought them into being.

Gen 21:1-3 Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said…
Gal 4:28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Isaiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah is the author of the book bearing his name. He prophesied to the Kingdom of Judah and is known for his messages of both judgment and hope.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing His eternal existence and faithfulness to His promises.

3. The Rock
Symbolically refers to Abraham, the patriarch of Israel, representing the foundation of faith and the origin of the Jewish people.

4. The Quarry
Represents Sarah, Abraham's wife, and the matriarch of Israel, symbolizing the source from which the nation of Israel was formed.

5. The Pursuers of Righteousness
Those who earnestly seek to live according to God's standards and desire a relationship with Him.

Teaching Points

Pursuing Righteousness
As believers, we are called to actively pursue righteousness, which involves aligning our lives with God's will and seeking His presence daily.

Remembering Our Spiritual Heritage
Just as Israel was reminded to look back to Abraham and Sarah, Christians should remember their spiritual heritage and the faith of those who have gone before us.

The Importance of Foundations
Our faith is built on the foundation of God's promises and the examples of faith in Scripture. We should regularly revisit these foundations to strengthen our own faith.

Seeking the LORD
Seeking God is an intentional act that requires dedication and focus. It involves prayer, study of Scripture, and a heart open to His guidance.

Identity in Christ
Understanding our identity as part of God's people helps us to live with purpose and confidence, knowing we are part of His redemptive plan.

Bible Study Questions

1. What does it mean to "pursue righteousness" in your daily life, and how can you actively seek the LORD?

2. How does remembering the faith of Abraham and Sarah encourage you in your own faith journey?

3. In what ways can you ensure that your spiritual foundation remains strong and unshaken?

4. How can the examples of faith in the Bible inspire you to trust in God's promises more fully?

5. What practical steps can you take to deepen your relationship with God and better understand your identity in Christ?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Genesis 12:1-3
This passage describes God's call to Abraham, promising to make him a great nation. It connects to Isaiah 51:1 by highlighting the foundational role of Abraham in the faith journey of Israel.

Romans 4:1-3
Paul discusses Abraham's faith being credited as righteousness, linking back to the idea of looking to the "rock" of faith.

Hebrews 11:8-12
This passage recounts the faith of Abraham and Sarah, emphasizing their trust in God's promises, which is a key theme in Isaiah 51:1.

Sermons

Lessons of the Past	R. Tuck	Isaiah 51:1
A Bright Light in Deep Shades		Isaiah 51:1-8
A Humble Origin: John Bunyan	J. A. Froude.	Isaiah 51:1-8
Characters: Unhewn and Hewn	W. J. Acomb.	Isaiah 51:1-8
Comparisons	W. J. Acomb.	Isaiah 51:1-8
Instructions to the Spiritual Israel	E. Johnson	Isaiah 51:1-8
Looking to Beginnings	J. Parker, D.D.	Isaiah 51:1-8
Nature and Grace		Isaiah 51:1-8
Seeking Souls Directed	J. Irons.	Isaiah 51:1-8
Spiritual Statuary	W. J. Acomb.	Isaiah 51:1-8
The Benefit of Reflection	E. Cooper.	Isaiah 51:1-8
The Lord's People	W. Birch.	Isaiah 51:1-8
The Thrice Hearken	F. B. Meyer, B.A.	Isaiah 51:1-8

People

Isaiah, Rahab, Sarah

Places

Jerusalem, Rahab, Tigris-Euphrates Region, Zion

Topics

Attentively, Cut, Deliverance, Digged, Dug, Ear, Follow, Hearken, Hewn, Hold, Hole, Listen, Pit, Pursue, Pursuing, Quarry, Righteousness, Rock, Searching, Seek, Seeking, Whence

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Isaiah 51:1

1125 God, righteousness
8158 righteousness, of believers

Isaiah 51:1-2

     4354   rock
     4963   past, the
     5078   Abraham, significance

Isaiah 51:1-6

9165 restoration

Library

August 25 Morning
Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.--ISA 51:1. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity.--None eye pitied thee but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, Live. He brought me up . . . out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

January 26. "I Called Him Alone and Blessed Him" (Isa. Li. 2).
"I called him alone and blessed him" (Isa. li. 2). When we were in the East we noticed the beautiful process of raising rice. The rice is sown on a morass of mud and water, ploughed up by great buffaloes, and after a few weeks it springs up and appears above the water with its beautiful pale green shoots. The seed has been sown very thickly and the plants are clustered together in great numbers, so that you can pull up a score at a single handful. But now comes the process of transplanting. He first …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Awakening of Zion
'Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old.'--ISAIAH li. 9. 'Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion.'--ISAIAH lii. 1. Both these verses are, I think, to be regarded as spoken by one voice, that of the Servant of the Lord. His majestic figure, wrapped in a light veil of obscurity, fills the eye in all these later prophecies of Isaiah. It is sometimes clothed with divine power, sometimes girded with the towel of human weakness, sometimes …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Hearken and Look; Or, Encouragement for Believers
THE second verse contains my actual text. It is the argument by which faith is led to look for the blessings promised in the third verse. It is habitual with some persons to spy out the dark side of every question or fact: they fix their eyes upon the "waste places," and they study them till they know every ruin, and are familiar with the dragons and the owls. They sigh most dolorously that the former times were better than these, and that we have fallen upon most degenerate days. They speak of "shooting …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 27: 1881

A Prospect of Revival
THE pedigree of God's chosen nation Israel may be traced back to one man and one woman--to Abraham and Sarah. Both of them were well stricken in years when the Lord called them, yet, in the fulfilment of his promise, he built up of their seed a great nation, which, for number, was comparable to the stars of heaven. Take heart, brethren; these things are written for our example and for our encouragement. His Church can never sink to so low an ebb that he cannot soon build her up again, nor in our …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 62: 1916

"Sing, O Heavens; and be Joyful, O Earth; for the Lord Hath Comforted his People. " -- Isaiah 49:13.
"For the Lord shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." -- Isaiah 51:3. "Sing, O Heavens; and be joyful, O Earth; for the Lord hath comforted his people." -- Isaiah 49:13. A living, loving, lasting word, My listening ear believing heard, While bending down in prayer; Like a sweet breeze that none can stay, It passed …
Miss A. L. Waring—Hymns and Meditations

Of Inward Silence
Of Inward Silence "The Lord is in His Holy Temple, let all the earth keep silence before him" (Hab. ii. 20). Inward silence is absolutely indispensable, because the Word is essential and eternal, and necessarily requires dispositions in the soul in some degree correspondent to His nature, as a capacity for the reception of Himself. Hearing is a sense formed to receive sounds, and is rather passive than active, admitting, but not communicating sensation; and if we would hear, we must lend the ear …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

Of Rest in the Presence of God --Its Fruits --Inward Silence --God Commands it --Outward Silence.
The soul, being brought to this place, needs no other preparation than that of repose: for the presence of God during the day, which is the great result of prayer, or rather prayer itself, begins to be intuitive and almost continual. The soul is conscious of a deep inward happiness, and feels that God is in it more truly than it is in itself. It has only one thing to do in order to find God, which is to retire within itself. As soon as the eyes are closed, it finds itself in prayer. It is astonished …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

Lii. Manna. Exodus xvi. 4.
I.--Manna like salvation, because undeserved. The people murmured at the very first difficulty. If they had been grateful they would have said, "The God who brought us out of Egypt, and through the Red Sea, will not allow us to die of hunger." But instead of this they accused Moses of being a murderer. And in answer to this God said, "I will rain bread from heaven." What an illustration of Romans v. 8. II.--Manna like salvation, because it saved the people from perishing. Nothing else would …
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread

Early Battles
Six months of joyous service amongst the Welsh miners was cut short by a telegram announcing to the sisters the serious illness of Mrs. Lee. Taking the news to their Divisional Commander, they were instructed to Headquarters. It was found that the illness was due to shock. The income from investments of the little estate left by Mr. Lee had dwindled; it now had disappeared altogether. Captain Lucy faced the matter with her usual practical decision. 'Mother, darling, there are two ways out. Either …
Minnie L. Carpenter—The Angel Adjutant of "Twice Born Men"

Stedfastness in the Old Paths.
"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."--Jer. vi. 16. Reverence for the old paths is a chief Christian duty. We look to the future indeed with hope; yet this need not stand in the way of our dwelling on the past days of the Church with affection and deference. This is the feeling of our own Church, as continually expressed in the Prayer Book;--not to slight what has gone before, …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

An Appendix to the Beatitudes
His commandments are not grievous 1 John 5:3 You have seen what Christ calls for poverty of spirit, pureness of heart, meekness, mercifulness, cheerfulness in suffering persecution, etc. Now that none may hesitate or be troubled at these commands of Christ, I thought good (as a closure to the former discourse) to take off the surmises and prejudices in men's spirits by this sweet, mollifying Scripture, His commandments are not grievous.' The censuring world objects against religion that it is difficult …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Ci. Foretelling his Passion. Rebuking Ambition.
(Peræa, or Judæa, Near the Jordan.) ^A Matt. XX. 17-28; ^B Mark X. 32-45; ^C Luke XVIII. 31-34. ^b 32 And they were on the way, going up to Jerusalem [Dean Mansel sees in these words an evidence that Jesus had just crossed the Jordan and was beginning the actual ascent up to Jerusalem. If so, he was in Judæa. But such a construction strains the language. Jesus had been going up to Jerusalem ever since he started in Galilee, and he may now have still be in Peræa. The parable …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Work of Jesus Christ as an Advocate,
CLEARLY EXPLAINED, AND LARGELY IMPROVED, FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL BELIEVERS. 1 John 2:1--"And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." By JOHN BUNYAN, Author of "The Pilgrim's Progress." London: Printed for Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms, in the Poultry, 1689. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This is one of the most interesting of Bunyan's treatises, to edit which required the Bible at my right hand, and a law dictionary on my left. It was very frequently republished; …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Thirdly, for Thy Actions.
1. Do no evil, though thou mightest; for God will not suffer the least sin, without bitter repentance, to escape unpunished. Leave not undone any good that thou canst. But do nothing without a calling, nor anything in thy calling, till thou hast first taken counsel at God's word (1 Sam. xxx. 8) of its lawfulness, and pray for his blessings upon thy endeavour; and then do it in the name of God, with cheerfulness of heart, committing the success to him, in whose power it is to bless with his grace …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Death Swallowed up in victory
Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory! D eath, simply considered, is no more than the cessation of life --that which was once living, lives no longer. But it has been the general, perhaps the universal custom of mankind, to personify it. Imagination gives death a formidable appearance, arms it with a dart, sting or scythe, and represents it as an active, inexorable and invincible reality. In this view death is a great devourer; with his iron tongue …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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