Isaiah 6.3, Isa. 54-55

Prayer Requests

Prayer Requests:

Gaylene—praise for great surgery results

Faye—doing really well!

Arlene—Christy is doing well, started back on chemo

Carol—travel,

Sue—Nancy Skinner,

Miguel—brother, hospitalization, pray for his salvation. Jessy

Patti—team in Africa!

Laura—peace! US Milistary

Isaiah 54-55 mark a tremendous shift in our text. From in need of salvation in 51-52 and God promising that salvation, to now in 54 and 55 that salvation has been realized! In the earlier chapters Israel was being called to believe that they could be restored, to believe that God would rescue them. All that has changed in the mind of the prophet in 54 and 55, for that salvation has come! They are restored and now Israel (though still in exile) is called to bask in the reality of their salvation!

This is how true and certain and assured the salvation of the Lord is—even when they were still in exile they could be so confident in his rescue for, from a certain point of view (God’s), it had already happened!

Now, why can we be so sure of this salvation? What accounts for the shift from the call to believe, to the new reality of restoration?

It’s what comes in the middle in chapter 53, what we studied last week, the servant who came and suffered so that many could be saved. Now that the servant has come, we go into this beautiful section describing the salvation that God brings through the messiah, through that servant, to those who believe.

Isaiah 54:1–10 ESV

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

These first ten verses provide the evidence for the Lord’s great salvation. We see here a structure that goes through all the good that will be done for those who believe in the Lord, those who have been lost but now are found in the mighty salvation of the Lord. What is this evidence?

Let’s go through it one piece at a time.

V. O barren one who did not bear child, start rejoicing! Why? Because though you have been barren, your offspring, your children will be more than that of the fertile woman! It’s using the picture of a barren woman—a deeply tragic thing, especially in this culture—as the paradigm for salvation. Isaiah’s saying this: do you feel spiritual barren? Do you feel desolate in your sin and exile? Fear not, for coming is a day where the blessings from the Lord will be even greater than that of those who have many children! One commentary put it like this:

The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40–66 (1) A Wife Restored (54:1–10)

This sense is that although persons are spiritually barren and unproductive because of unbelief, they can, through the power of God, actually be more fruitful than those who seem abundantly blessed apart from God.

This is a common theme we’ve seen throughout Isaiah. There is a regular lament of the wicked prospering throughout the prophet’s ministry. How come those people are blessed and prosperous? They dishonor you! God is saying that his restoration for those who are spiritual barren and desolate will be so great and will be greater than all the prosperity we see in this world. Are you tempted to envy or covet those around you? Don’t! You will share, as we heard in Isa. 53, the spoils and riches with the suffering servant, your reward is greater than you could imagine!

This is how great and total the salvation of the Lord will be.

He goes on: he will enlarge their tents—remember, this is a people with no land! They’d been exiled and God will restore what was taken and expand their territory, far beyond what they could have known or hoped for.

Then it uses this shame and honor language. You will not be ashamed nor disgraced. You will forget the shame of your youth. and the shame of your widowhood. What’s in view here?

Is it the shame and disgrace of their sin against God? Or is it the shame and disgrace of their exile and losing their home, land, and culture?

It’s probably a little bit of both. Right, their exile is a result of their sin so these things are inextricably linked. The promise isn’t that shame will disappear because exile ends, but look at how the whole thing is resolved: It is the faithful husband, that is the Lord, who will take his people back—the image here is of a wife—he will take her back with love and compassion and grace. It’s not just that time went on and she forgot about her shame. But that the grace she received is so great and so total, that that past shame is as of nothing.

Israel can only wallow in her sin and shame, but the promise of salvation is new life with God! This is an amazing encouragement and hope for us. The hope of eternal life with God is of a life so perfectly lived in his presence and love that our past sins, our lives here plagued by fallenness, these things will be as nothing.

So overwhelming is the redemptive love of God!

The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40–66 (1) A Wife Restored (54:1–10)

The hearers are called to sing for joy, to expand their tents, and to live in confidence. For what reason? Because the childless, rejected wife is going to be restored to the arms of her loving husband, who promises that nothing can prevent him from loving her, and she will have enough children to fill the earth. Here indeed is cause for praise: abundance for emptiness, honor for shame, and eternal love for lonely despair. This is our God.

Isaiah 54:1–10 ESV

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.

We’re reminded of the pattern of how God works: his covenant of salvation is not dependent on the people’s obedience (ultimately).

God’s redemptive action comes first—it’s the foundation upon which everything else rests.

The logic works like this: Israel could only enter into covenant with God after experiencing deliverance from Egypt through Moses. Similarly, a new covenant of peace with Israel and the nations becomes possible only through the deliverance accomplished by God’s Servant through self-sacrifice.1 Obedience isn’t the price of admission; it’s the grateful response of those already redeemed.

Isaiah 54:11–17 ESV

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. 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. 15 If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me; whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you. 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.”