Isaiah 54
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Covenant of Peace
Covenant of Peace
Last week we looked at the coming Suffering Servant who came and gave himself as a ransom for sin, to redeem humanity and restore us in a right relationship with God.
God clearly was working on our behalf, and the servant would extend himself even suffering that we might be accepted.
But in some of the earlier chapters we saw that Zion thought God had forgot her and her children but we have also seen that God promised that her enemies would be defeated and God would indeed bless them through the work of HIS servant, Jesus.
God will save his children, but they may not think so immediately, they may think he has forgot them, but they are His, He never forgets His children, God works for their and our best interest and at times,
So lets begin....
Verse 1 Isa 54:1
1 “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
break forth into singing and cry aloud,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
The barren one is the city of God, Zion. Jerusalem is often referred to as a woman. So looking backward in the family of the jewish world, who is the barren one? It is Sarah to start with..
She was the wife of Abraham, she was barren until god showed up in their life and promised a son, a family that would be as numerous as the sands of the sea.
Late on this this chapter, the scene shifts from Sarah to Jerusalem.
And what does God say here, the barren one will not always be barren, there is coming a day when she will be greatly blessed and will have many children.
So God calls for her to sing with joy for her life will change for the better. it will be a divine act this is one reason she can cry out, God has blessed her.
Verses 2-3 Isa 54:2-3
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
and your offspring will possess the nations
and will people the desolate cities.
Here the transformation of the family is talked about in ways everyone could see!
They were called to enlarge to broaden the tent… why? The family was growing. As more children are born, as the family grows you have to have more space to live and dwell. Don’t just plan for enough room, the call to lengthen the cords and to not hold back means to use the imagination, expand
They will spread out far and wild, .to the right and left, to the eat and the west… the descendants will be many. God told Jacob that his seed would seed would spread out north, south, east and west
These images tell us that those places where the people once were before the captivity took place will once again have people.
Verse 4 Isa 54:4
4 “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;
be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
The people we talked about in verse 3 should not worry, they are not to be in distress or ashamed. But above all do not do what you might be tempted to do...
Because of the servant, Zion’s gift,people can rejoice and have courage. They cannot remain in fear and must let go of their past if they will move on in the future.
Verse 5 Isa 54:5
5 For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
Look at this, the Maker, is your husband, God the Creator
These titles define who God, he is the one who acts, does and makes the world.
The Maker, He is husband, Lord of hosts, Holy one is your redeemer and God of the whole earth.
All of these titles are descriptive and remind the people that His glory is in full display and guess what…The whole earth will see him and worship him.
Israel, and the whole world knows him
Verse 6 Isa 54:6
6 For the Lord has called you
like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
says your God.
God is calling to Zion with comforting words to assure the people that he still loves them.
Because of sin, God did forsake them for a temporary time but he did not abandon them, He did not divorce them or cast them off permanently .
In times of war or in other threats the people wondered if they were alone, but they were not, God was there for His people.
Verses 7-8 Isa 54:7-8
7 For a brief moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
8 In overflowing anger for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the Lord, your Redeemer.
The beginning of verse 7 the Lord says that for a brief moment, I deserted you.
It wasn’t that the Lord walked away from them, or abandoned them in the sense that he was no longer with them. He did allow them to go into exile because of their sin.
God withdrew His hand of protection, he did allow them to go into captivity, but He was still there.
But with great compassion I will gather you God says… The word great there is in contrast to the brief time they were in exile.
The word compassion here speaks to the idea of a “womb”, so it signifies the compassion a mother has for a child. God’s compassion will cause him to gather his people once again to himself, to their city.
And God drives home the point speaking of His anger, but it like we already said was for a brief moment, He hid his face from them..
But God once again responded to them. verse 8 says "but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”...
The everlasting love is a steadfast covenant love, (Hesed) where by God will compassionately love Zion. His love will not fail and he will act as their Redeemer… like a relative who cares about the other members of His family who are in need of help.
Verses 9-10, Isa 54:9-10
9 “This is like the days of Noah to me:
as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
and will not rebuke you.
10 For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
As we read these verses, the people have more reasons to sing and praise. Just as God told Noah he would not destroy the earth through another great flood so God is saying the time is here where by He will not be angry or rebuke his people.
And we know that when God makes a promise, he never abandons it. This doesn’t mean that they will not suffer in war or be attacked...
We know currently and in times past Israel have suffered, they have experienced war. But God’s steadfast love has not departed them.
Even if the mountains be shaken, and moved, even though the earth be rattled, shaken, the love of the Lord will not depart from them, this covenant peace will not be removed from them.
Why? The Lord has compassion on them. He loves them, They are the people he has called to follow Him.
Now verses 11-17 start a new section
Verses 11-12 Isa 54:11-12
11 “O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
and lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will make your pinnacles of agate,
your gates of carbuncles,
and all your wall of precious stones.
God is addressing Zion here long before they experience the good times, the glory of Jerusalem, before His kingdom is made real on this earth.
Right now they are miserable and affected. They are storm tossed, trouble on every side about to overwhelm them,
But suddenly and new promise comes to the scene.. God is scene her as announcing a plan for the glorification of His holy city.
He will step into the affairs of Jerusalem and he will transform it by his power, and grace. So look at the description that he makes… This is not the days of Nehemiah, not the walls that he rebuilt.
This is what God is going to do, He says that he will build the walls with antimony, or some might refer to it as turquoise. The foundation of the city will be set in sapphires.
In verse 12 he will make their pinnacles of agate..a stone that will shine like the sun and the sun rises and is reflected off of it.
The gates will hold sparkling gems and the walls of the city, previous stones.
This imagery is also seen in Rev 21, as the new Jerusalem is described in verses 18-21 of that chapter. A city that is fitting a new heaven and a new earth.
Now lets move to verses 13-14
13 All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the peace of your children.
14 In righteousness you shall be established;
you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
This dramatic change that will take place in the city will also be seen the spiritual atmosphere of the city, the people will also be changed.
The people of the city will be taught by God. This was a problem of the city and its people for many years, they failed to listen to what God was saying, if they had paid attention to what He had told them previously, they would have experienced something quite different.
And even some earlier prophecies told that they would one day open their ears and listen to God their teacher.
The assumption is verified that God’s teaching will produce good results in the lives of his people.
Their sons will enjoy great peace. No more terror or fear..
The city will be founded on righteousness, so much that the city will be known as a city of righteousness.
And when righteousness reigns in Zion, the world of oppression, tyranny, fear and destruction will be a thing of the pat
God will transform the city
Verse 15 Isa 54:15
15 If anyone stirs up strife,
it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
shall fall because of you.
God is speaking if anyone would try and attack the city to stir up strife as God says, you will know it is not of his doing… He will no longer need to send anyone to Jerusalem, why? They have changed…they are a city of righteousness.
What will happen to those who bring trouble, God says they will fall.
Last two verses 16-17
16 Behold, I have created the smith
who blows the fire of coals
and produces a weapon for its purpose.
I have also created the ravager to destroy;
17 no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”
These verses send us a strong message of God’s Omnipotence over everything. He says I will create a “smith” a black smith if you will who blows over the coals to heat them and make, mold and shape an instrument like a sword or spear..
And then God says he creates the ravager… so look at this.. he creates the one who can make the weapons and the one who knows how to use them.
So God is able to care for his people and save them from anyone who might rise up to harm them. He says in verse 17 no weapon of war will have success.
God is able to take care of those who would fight against or try and slander his people. The Lord will defend His people.
The children of Israel will be able to enjoy all that God has prepared for them, including his coming kingdom. Only the righteous of God will inherit his future kingdom and blessings,
One thing we can take away is to inspect our life each day, the Scriptures call for us to be holy as he is holy.
What does it mean to be holy… It means to be in a right relationship with our heavenly father.
He can cleanse from sin all who turn to him. So we do that, we surrrender ourself and repent of our sin and call upin the name of the Lord to save us.
Each day then we seek to be more like him, in all that we are, relfecting His glory to others.
Can you do that...
Pray
