Isaiah 62, 62, 64
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Alright, let’s open up to Isaiah 62. Here Isaiah is continuing his thoughts from Chapter 61. He ended with praise for God’s righteousness and salvation.
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
My soul shall be joyful 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 with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
He continues at 62:1;
1 For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
And her salvation as a lamp that burns.
2 The Gentiles shall see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory.
You shall be called by a new name,
Which the mouth of the LORD will name.
3 You shall also be a crown of glory
In the hand of the LORD,
And a royal diadem
In the hand of your God.
4 You shall no longer be termed Forsaken,
Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate;
But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah;
Hephzibah- My delight is in her and Beulah- Married
For the LORD delights in you,
And your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a virgin,
So shall your sons marry you;
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So shall your God rejoice over you.
Here in this first section God is pledging His love for Zion (meaning Jerusalem and in a larger sense Israel). We have to be reminded that at the time of writing Jerusalem was carrying on as normal. We see here the heart of God for His people some 200 years in the future as they are in captivity in Babylon, the words here would have been a great encouragement to those in bondage. Later as they returned it would bring hope as the came back to a destroyed homeland.
In verse 2 I find it interesting that God loves to rename people and places.
You shall be called by a new name,
Which the mouth of the LORD will name.
Did you know that you as a believer are promised a new name.
17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’
We remember, Abram becomes Abraham, Sarai becomes Sarah, Jacob become Israel, Simon becomes Peter, Saul becomes Paul.
The new name is given to indicate a change in nature and calling. Names are very important in scripture. What does your name mean?
we continue;
6 I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall never hold their peace day or night.
You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent,
7 And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Jerusalem is a pain to the earth currently. A place of constant fighting but one day it will be a place of praise.
8 The LORD has sworn by His right hand
And by the arm of His strength:
“Surely I will no longer give your grain
As food for your enemies;
And the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine,
For which you have labored.
9 But those who have gathered it shall eat it,
And praise the LORD;
Those who have brought it together shall drink it in My holy courts.”
Justice is coming! When the Prince of Peace comes back. Jesus Christ is coming as the Kinsman to avenge the wrongs.
10 Go through,
Go through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people;
Build up,
Build up the highway!
Take out the stones,
Lift up a banner for the peoples!
Here again Isaiah mentions the “high way.” In the End Times - The high way of Holiness as the Jews return to the land from all over the Globe. In the near sense after the captivity they would allowed and encouraged by Cyrus the Great to return to Israel.
11 Indeed the LORD has proclaimed
To the end of the world:
“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Surely your salvation is coming;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.’ ”
Have you considered that God is going to reward you for your Kingdom Work? It’s kind of an uncomfortable thought, as we serve Him because we love Him, but indeed the Lord has rewards for His people.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
12 And they shall call them The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the LORD;
And you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
For the Jew and Jerusalem to know they were not permanently forsaken would be an awesome promise during many difficult times. He also says that they would be called Sought Out.
As a believer it’s really awesome realize that God personally sought you out. There is something wonderful about be wanted by someone special.
Jesus said,
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
There are many others like those. How can you know if He chose you? If you sense His call just say yes, I will follow you Jesus.
On to 63
Here we get a Prophetic look at Jesus at Armageddon.
The LORD in Judgment and Salvation
1 Who is this who comes from Edom,
With dyed garments from Bozrah,
This One who is glorious in His apparel,
Traveling in the greatness of His strength?—
“I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”
2 Why is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
3 “I have trodden the winepress alone,
And from the peoples no one was with Me.
For I have trodden them in My anger,
And trampled them in My fury;
Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments,
And I have stained all My robes.
4 For the day of vengeance is in My heart,
And the year of My redeemed has come.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help,
And I wondered
That there was no one to uphold;
Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me;
And My own fury, it sustained Me.
6 I have trodden down the peoples in My anger,
Made them drunk in My fury,
And brought down their strength to the earth.”
Notice that Jesus does this alone. Yes we are told we will be there but not to fight. Apparently we will be there as witnesses.
Revelation describes it this way; In a vision from heavenly perspective.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.” 19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.
That’s about an area of 184 miles full of blood up to about 4 feet.
Also in Revelation, from an earths eye witness point of view,
11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”
19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Imagine we as believers will be there to witness this.
Isaiah continues,
God’s Mercy Remembered
7 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD
And the praises of the LORD,
According to all that the LORD has bestowed on us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,
According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.
The word lovingkindnesses here is mentioned twice. Isaiah is emphasizing this trait of Yahweh. It is the the Hebrew word checed it means His loyal love. It is also translated as mercy and kindness.
In describing Himself to Moses, Yahweh says;
6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
Jesus said, the He and His Father are one. Scripture also says that in Jesus is all the fullness of the God head bodily. The attributes of the Father are the same with Jesus and vice versa.
Jesus is merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, absolutely loyal to His bride to His people. Aren’t you so glad He doesn’t waiver about His choice over you. You are safe in Him. Some of those listening have never felt that way. All they have known is others letting them down and disappointment.
Jesus is not that way.
We continue;
8 For He said, “Surely they are My people,
Children who will not lie.”
So He became their Savior.
9 In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the Angel of His Presence saved them;
when we see the Angel of the Lord in the OT it is a Christophany, a preincarnate visitation of Jesus.
In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;
And He bore them and carried them
All the days of old.
You see all along He has been right there with you, you just weren’t aware of His presence.
Jacob said something interesting after waking from vision of God. He said,
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”
As you get to know Him you will become more aware of His voice and leading.
But notice now, Isaiah gets back to their present condition.
10 But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;
So He turned Himself against them as an enemy,
And He fought against them.
11 Then he remembered the days of old,
Moses and his people, saying:
“Where is He who brought them up out of the sea
With the shepherd of His flock?
Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them,
12 Who led them by the right hand of Moses,
With His glorious arm,
Dividing the water before them
To make for Himself an everlasting name,
13 Who led them through the deep,
As a horse in the wilderness,
That they might not stumble?”
14 As a beast goes down into the valley,
And the Spirit of the LORD causes him to rest,
So You lead Your people,
To make Yourself a glorious name.
Isaiah changes gears here with - A Prayer of Penitence
15 Look down from heaven,
And see from Your habitation, holy and glorious.
Where are Your zeal and Your strength,
The yearning of Your heart and Your mercies toward me?
Are they restrained?
16 Doubtless You are our Father,
Though Abraham was ignorant of us,
And Israel does not acknowledge us.
You, O LORD, are our Father;
Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.
17 O LORD, why have You made us stray from Your ways,
And hardened our heart from Your fear?
Return for Your servants’ sake,
The tribes of Your inheritance.
18 Your holy people have possessed it but a little while;
Our adversaries have trodden down Your sanctuary.
19 We have become like those of old, over whom You never ruled,
Those who were never called by Your name.
So here again a prophetic prayer on behalf of those in the captivity.
On to Chapter 64
Here Isaiah offers a Prayer for Help
1 Oh, that You would rend the heavens!
That You would come down!
That the mountains might shake at Your presence—
2 As fire burns brushwood,
As fire causes water to boil—
To make Your name known to Your adversaries,
That the nations may tremble at Your presence!
This is really the prayer of all of God’s people. Lord show yourself that the all may fear you. Just like you did in the Exodus!
3 When You did awesome things for which we did not look,
You came down,
The mountains shook at Your presence.
4 For since the beginning of the world
Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,
Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
Paul uses this verse in 1 Cor;
9 But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Paul adds that the natural man cannot perceive the things of God but we as believers have access to the these unseen things by way of His Spirit.
5 You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways.
You are indeed angry, for we have sinned—
In these ways we continue;
And we need to be saved.
That is the beginning of ones spiritual journey, realizing you are a sinner and need salvation.
6 But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.
7 And there is no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself up to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us,
And have consumed us because of our iniquities.
This verse is the quintessential scripture on our righteousness. Filthy rags: “Filthy rags is ‘a garment of menstruation’; bodily discharges were considered a defilement because they were the ‘outflow’ of a sinful, fallen human nature. So, even what we might consider to be in our favour, righteous acts, partake of the defilement of fallenness.” (Motyer)
Even our best work is flawed and corrupt. We depend solely on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The song says “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Blood and righteousness.”
8 But now, O LORD,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.
9 Do not be furious, O LORD,
Nor remember iniquity forever;
Indeed, please look—we all are Your people!
10 Your holy cities are a wilderness,
Zion is a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and beautiful temple,
Where our fathers praised You,
Is burned up with fire;
And all our pleasant things are laid waste.
12 Will You restrain Yourself because of these things, O LORD?
Will You hold Your peace, and afflict us very severely?
Even though the destruction of Jerusalem was more than a century away in the mind of God they were already a desolation and “burned with fire” do to the condition of the hearts of His people.
There is no running from God, no hiding from His eye. If you need Him tonight run into His arms. Allow Him to place His robe of righteousness on you. If you want to know Him tonight, pray we me.