Idea: God knows man's hearts. He will reward His servants with peace but punish the hypocrite with emptiness. The only way that you may experience the peace of God is to trust in Christ.
Intro: This passage gives a picture of two different types of people. The first eats and drinks and is satisfied. He is at peace and has joy, even though he may not have much. The second eats and drinks and is still hungry and thirsty. He is restless and can't find anything that will ease his guilty conscience. He tries to cover over his shame and to quiet his conscience by many different means. But in the end, he is empty. He cries out for peace but can't find it anywhere. He is full of sorrow, but can't seem to find out why he is miserable. He feels lost, alone, and cut off from everyone and everything. The comparison is very stark.
The Bible often compares and contrasts the way of the sinner with the way of the righteous. This passage makes the distinction in a series of side by side phrases. God speaks about “my servants” on the one hand and confronts the hard-hearted ones on the other hand.
In this portion of the chapter, the warning turns to pronouncement of judgment along with a promise of reward to believers. The church needs to know that God knows the difference between the hypocrite and the genuine believer. In Isaiah's day, the first was a citizen of the earthly nation of Israel, but was unchanged spiritually. To them came the sober warning against rebellion and hard-heartedness. The second, God calls ‘My servants.' They sought for God even in the midst of the decline.
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