Isaiah 7.8, 62

Prayer Requests

Pam, number 4 granddaughter Maya, leaving today for Spain, safe travels

Carol, Jamison, great summer, doing well

Arlene, Christy Ann praising God, done with chemo, going on maintanence

Nan, Nancy Skinner, peace,

Sandy, Marlin Ogden, surgery and infection, in rehab

Janet, mom marilyn, stroke a few weeks ago, improving

Patti, Nancy Rogers, Claire had a stroke

Gordon, praying Laura and Linda

Laura, for Suzanne, grateful that her treatment has gone well

Nation

As we move into chapter 62, we see this functions, in some way, as an answer to the a question about the great promises that have come before, specifically the promise at the very end of Isaiah 61:11 “11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.”

How can we be sure this will come to pass? How can we know? Abraham asks this of God at one point after the covenant is made with him—how can I know for sure. This is Genesis 15,

And in that chapter, God affirms his promise with this amazing vision scene of God’s very presence walking through the pieces of the cut up animals as an affirmation of the covenant and making it clear that the covenant’s fulfillment does not depend on Abraham, but only on God’s faithfulness. Here, what Isaiah will show in chpater 62 is that the fulfillment of these promises is all because of God’s unwavering determination. God is determined to make this happened.

In his commentary on Isaiah, John Calvin observed that Isaiah’s hearers would have still been in exile as they heard these promises and he wondered if they might have received Isaiah’s words as simply mockery, mocking their hopeless situation. Thus these assertions on God’s part would serve to indicate both awareness of the grim realities of the intervening situations and the continued affirmation that the promises were not just words.

Let’s read the words of these affirmations—Isa. 62:1-5

Isaiah 62:1–5 ESV

1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. 2 The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. 3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. 5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

They key here is these first few words: “For Zion’s sake…” We often read about God’s saving work as something related to His reputation, He does it for His name’s sake, to proclaim His power and might and goodness and mercy. But as important as His name is, God is not only delivering the people for Himself or for His reputation, He does it out of love for them. I am delivering you because I love you.

The language and the force of the passage—think of phrases like “my delight is in her, and your land married…” the image is of a bridegroom preparing his bride for their wedding day. How does a bride prepare for the ceremony on her wedding day? She dresses herself in her wedding dress, she prepares her hair and makeup, she’s the beautiful centerpiece of the wedding.

But what is significant about the imagery here? It is the bride who makes her clean, I will not be quiet until her righteousness goes forth as brightness. And this is imagery that we saw last week in Isaiah 61:10 “10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

It is the groom that cleans and adorns his bride to make her beautiful and righteous.

And the bride gets a new name: no longer shall you be called forsaken or desolate. These were terms associated with divorce, a man divorce his wife and she would have been considered abandoned or forsaken. This is an expression of God’s glory, and what’s behind a name change? It’s not simply a name change, it’s a change in condition and character as evidenced by a new name. But God is re-writing Israel’s story, this is not her identity, she is like the new bride that the groom rejoices over.

God rejoices over you.

Have you ever thought about that? So often we think of God in terms of guilt and innocence, can we approach Him? And that is a central question in the book of Isaiah: how can a faithless people saved? Remember all the way back to Isaiah 6: woe is me, a man of unclean lips. Yes, being made right with God is vitally important, but then once we have that status, once that status has been secured—through, remember the work of the suffering servant—THEN we see this image: God rejoices over you!

God is affirming his promises with Israel: I will not rest until this happens and I will make you clean and holy and pure and righteous, I am preparing your for myself and out of my love for you! This is the message!

Isaiah 62:6–12 ESV

6 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, 7 and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth. 8 The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink your wine for which you have labored; 9 but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.” 10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway; clear it of stones; lift up a signal over the peoples. 11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” 12 And they shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.

Let’s take this a few verses at a time. v. 6-7 give us this image of God setting watchmen on the walls of Jersualem who will maintain constant vigilance day and not to guard and protect the city. God is not only beautifying his bride, but now setting in motion the means to protect his bride and preserve her renewal.

This contrasts with the imagery of Isaiah, all the way back to chapter 5, remember back then, about a year ago? Israel was compared to a vineyard, the master had done everyhting to set this vineyard up, but it had failed. It was not producing fruit, its walls were crumbling, it’s watchmen had abandoned, it says that there were watchtowers there, but no one guarding.

And now God is showing that he will preserve the renewal, this is not dependent on Israel as it was before to clean themselves and keep themselves righteous, but God is making that happen out of His strength.

Look at v. 8-9, now, how strong are the promises of God? So secure that the curses for breaking the covenant will never again apply. It says here that God will no longer give their enemies their grain nor their wine. In Deuteronomy 28, when Moses is listing the curses and punishments for breaking the law, there it is specifically stated “You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not enjoy its fruit.”

Do you see? God is promising that this will no longer happen. Instead of taking their crops, it says here that whoever works for the fruit will enjoy it and participate in worship of God!

This section closes with this promise that Jerusalem, Zion, is being opened wide, roads and highways will lead to her splendor, a sign to all people of all nations, come to this city and receive your salvation.

World cup illustration?

It’s all because of Christ, because of this servant, but we benefit mightily.