Isaiah 49–Can a Mother Forget Her Child?

Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.”

“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!
See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. . .
–Isaiah 49:14-16

Our congregation has been blessed with a few “little” additions over the past couple of months. Sharon and Reuel (pictured here) were blessed with their first child a few weeks ago. Joel and Eden had their second child a little over a week ago. I was able to visit them in the hospital a few days after the birth.

There’s a special bond that forms between parents and a newborn child—this extraordinary relationship is easily observed. Parents will simply stare at the new edition to the family. This is especially true with the mother, who felt the child develop inside her own body. This love is one of the purest forms of love and devotion in the world.

Babies require constant care and attention, and that is exactly what they receive. Ask a new parent how their baby is doing. You can get a complete report on feeding habits, sleeping schedule, and even bowel movements. Every detail is carefully monitored during those first months of life.

Could new parents ever forget their baby? This ridiculous question is one of many that God asks through Isaiah. As we’ve seen before, such questions are given to demonstrate a spiritual truth.

Remember that much is written in Isaiah about God’s judgment on His people. God’s people disobeyed Him and suffered the consequences. Because of God’s judgment, they thought He had forgotten or forsaken them. “Never!” God responded.

God cannot forget His children, just as earthly parents cannot forget theirs. Remember that God’s love is even more pure and intense than the mother-child bond.

Most of us have been angry with God at some point in our lives. During these times, we may feel as though He has forgotten us. It is easy to think this way when we are suffering, even when the suffering is our own fault (this was the case with Israel).

No matter what we are experiencing, we can be sure that God has not forgotten us! If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ, you are engraved on the palms of His hands (this verse takes special meaning when we consider the cross). You are the object of His attention, just like a newborn baby is the object of the parents’ attention. He will not forget you—ever.

Can Anything Good Come from Nazareth?


Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

“Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.
John 1:45-46

“Jesus of Nazareth” is a beautiful name to those of us who follow him. Ironically, Jesus was often criticized because of his home town (John 7:52). Even Nathanael was surprised to learn that the Messiah had come from Nazareth. In fairness to Nathanael, he was probably surprised because he knew that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem (this was in fact Jesus’ place of birth, but he grew up in Nazareth). Nathanael quickly decided to follow Jesus despite his initial shock.

Nazareth was located in the Galilee region, which was the northern section of Israel. Due to Galilee’s history and location, Galileans had frequent interactions with Gentiles (Pagans; non-Jewish people). Nazareth itself was actually home to a large Roman military outpost.

Galileans were known for having more simple religious customs than Judeans. The elite religious leaders considered Galileans inferior in terms of their religious practices. Perhaps they thought Galileans were “corrupted” by their contact with Gentiles.

Galileans were also easily recognized by their accent (Matthew 26:69) and had a reputation for poor grammar.

We know, of course, that these stereotypes were not true of Jesus. He was raised in a devoutly Jewish home—he knew the Scriptures by the time he was twelve years old (Luke 2:41-48). We know that he was a powerful public speaker who could awe entire crowds. There was also a well-known (though unwritten) prophecy that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene (Matthew 2:23).

There is a point to all of this information. Your destiny is not determined by your hometown or place of birth. You may be from a place that others look down upon. Your hometown may be known for poverty and crime instead of its good qualities. Don’t allow this to bring you down or destroy your hopes.

Jesus never apologized for his home town. He never seemed too concerned about what people thought of Galilee (he actually never seemed concerned with man’s opinion at all). He simply obeyed the will of the Heavenly Father and fulfilled his mission here on earth.

Don’t get too concerned with where you are from—none of us decided our birthplace or our hometown. Focus instead on where you are going—the direction God is leading you in your life.