The Lord God Has Opened My Ear and I Was Not Rebellious

The people chiefly addressed in these opening verses were presumably walking in darkness with no light, as described in verse ten of chapter 50. The first thing that the lord encourages them to do is to look back to their ancestors, abraham and sarah. Much like abraham found assurance from looking to the innumerable stars that signified his descendants, so those descendants could find assurance by looking back at their forefather. In chapter forty nine, verse six, the lord is going to set the world to rights. And all the peoples await his redemption and his mighty arm going forth to bring salvation to the world.