Isaiah 62.01-12x

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SCRIPTURE:    Isaiah 62:1-12

A BONUS RESOURCE: This exegesis is a bonus resource for SermonWriter subscribers. Our primary resource consists of a weekly bundle of materials to support lectionary preaching on the Gospel lessons, but we want to provide the exegesis for Old Testament lessons as well. We began in 2006 to develop the exegesis for the Old Testament and are starting with Genesis. We plan to move next to Isaiah and Jeremiah. We hope to complete the exegesis for the Old Testament lectionary passages by 2010, so please be patient.

EXEGESIS:   

CHAPTERS 60-62:  THE CONTEXT

These three chapters promise great things to the people of Jerusalem and record the rejoicing that they will experience upon the fulfillment of those promises.  These chapters constitute an optimistic, joyful unit.  A number of themes, such as light, righteousness, salvation, and joy are repeated throughout the chapters.

The former exiles have returned to Jerusalem after a lengthy exile that challenged their faith in Yahweh.  Cyrus of Persia has defeated the Babylonians and instituted a new policy.  Instead of subjugating Jewish exiles, Cyrus allows them to return to Jerusalem and even provides funds to finance the rebuilding of the temple. 

However, upon their return, the former exiles find that Yahweh, who made possible their return, has not seen fit to make their task easy.  The books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple.  The returned exiles experienced opposition from local people and the project ground to a halt (Ezra 4; Nehemiah 4-5). 

These new obstacles created a crisis of faith, in much the same way as the exile did.  Yes, Yahweh has made it possible for them to escape their bondage in Babylonia, just as Yahweh earlier made it possible for their ancestors to escape slavery in Egypt.  However, just as the earlier Israelites experienced obstacles in their wilderness journey that caused them to grumble and to doubt Yahweh, so also these former exiles who returned to Jerusalem are experiencing obstacles that create a similar crisis of faith for them.  Yahweh has allowed them to return to Jerusalem, but has permitted opponents to dog them at every turn.  Is Yahweh powerless to achieve what he promised?  Is Yahweh faithful –– will he keep his promises?  Has Yahweh given up and abandoned them?

Second Isaiah dealt with these same questions while the people were still in exile (see 50:2).  Yahweh is a passionate God who is in travail as he labors to achieve his goals (42:14).  He is not like the Babylonian gods, who are made of wood and are powerless.

Now Third Isaiah, addressing people who are no longer exiles, addresses those same issues –– answers the same questions (59:1).

VERSES 1-5:  INTRODUCTION

1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
     and her salvation like a burning torch.
2 The nations shall see your vindication,
     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 builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
     so shall your God rejoice over you.

Scholars debate whether these are the words of the prophet or of Yahweh.  We can't say which is true, but we can say that they are either the words of Yahweh or the assurances of Yahweh as expressed through the words of the prophet.

"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch" (v. 1).  Zion refers to Mount Zion on which Jerusalem was built.  In this case, Zion is a synonym for Jerusalem. "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest" is an example of parallelism in Biblical poetry –– repetition of a thought in slightly different words.

The people, in their exile, have accused God of hiding himself (45:15) and keeping silent (64:12; see also 42:14; 57:11; 65:6).  They felt abandoned by God as they suffered through an exile that seemed to go on forever.  That exile did, in fact, span nearly seventy years, so it is easy to see how they would feel that God had kept silence when he might have spoken a word of redemption to free them.  However, their exile had a purpose, and Yahweh had to wait for that purpose to be accomplished.  Now that has been done and Yahweh promises to vindicate his people –– to clear them of blame –– to justify them –– to reestablish their good reputation among the peoples of the world.  This vindication will be highly visible, like the sun at dawn or a burning torch.  Note these two allusions to light, a theme that runs throughout these chapters.

"The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give" (v. 2).  The vindication of Yahweh's people will be a highly public affair.  Yahweh will act and the nations (Gentiles) will see it.  Kings will observe the glory of God's people, and Yahweh will give his people a new name.

Isaiah 60:2b says, "The Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you."  Watts notes that 62:2 is parallel to that verse "but with a reverse twist.  There these characteristics were promised to the emperor.  Here they are claimed for Jerusalem alone.  There, Jerusalem was to receive YHWH's benefactions through the empire and from her neighbors.  Here, she sets out to get them for herself" (Watts, 881).

Names in the Bible are seen as expressing a person's essential character, and a renaming reflects a significant change of character.  Thus Abram becomes Abraham (Genesis 17:5) and Jacob becomes Israel (Genesis 32:28) and Simon becomes Peter (Matthew 16:18) and Saul becomes Paul (Acts 13:9). 

"This (new) name is mysterious, a secret known only to God (cf. 65:15; Rev. 2:17; 3:12).  It is the symbol of closer intimacy with him, and a consequent holier character.  It may be hinted at in the names in vss. 4 and 12, but is not necessarily any of these" (Coffin, The Interpreter's Bible, 717).

"You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God" (v. 3).  "The opulent trappings of monarchy are now bestowed directly upon the corporate people of God as a whole, who are here described more in terms of a queen to King Yahweh than those under the human leadership of a Davidic monarch" (Bartelt, 386).

The restored Jerusalem is described as "a crown of beauty" and a "royal diadem" in God's hand (the word diadem refers to a jeweled headband and can be a synonym for a crown).  This is a poetic way of saying that Jerusalem will be a symbol of God's glory and one of Yahweh's proudest possessions.

"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" (v. 4).  In verse 2, we learned that Yahweh would give Jerusalem and its people a new name.  Now we learn what that name (or names) will be.  While they have been known as Forsaken (a word commonly used for a wife whose husband has forsaken her) and Desolate (a word commonly used for a childless woman), they will in the future be known as My Delight Is in Her, a happy name for any bride –– and Married, implying that the bridegroom is Yahweh.  (See also Isaiah 61:10; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-27; Revelation 21:2, 9 for similar wedding metaphors).

"For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you" (v. 5). 

The people will rejoice over a restored Jerusalem, but the key to their rejoicing is not bricks and mortar but a restored relationship with Yahweh (Newsome, 105).

VERSES 6-12:  A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE

"Christians…find the fulfillment of 62:6-12 in Jesus, both the Messiah who proclaimed and embodied God's reign and the Suffering Servant who offered salvation to the world.  It is revealing that Luke 4:16-21 records that Jesus began his ministry by reading Isaiah 61:1-3 and saying, 'Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing' (Luke 4:21)" (McCann, 391).

VERSES 6-7: UPON YOUR WALLS I HAVE POSTED SENTINELS

6 Upon your walls, O Jerusalem,
     I have posted sentinels;
all day and all night
     they shall never be silent.
You who remind the LORD,
     take no rest,
7 and give him no rest
     until he establishes Jerusalem
     and makes it renowned throughout the earth.

"Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted sentinels; all day and all night they shall never be silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest" (v. 6).   Earlier we encountered sentinels who saw the messenger bearing good news and alerted the city to join in the celebration (52:8).  Now these sentinels, whether prophets or angels, have a very different task.  They are to remind Yahweh of his promises –– to do this all day and all night –– to serve as nags and complainers until the promises are fulfilled.  A king would typically have an official assigned to remind him of promises made and obligations undertaken.  Here King Yahweh has sentinels assigned for that purpose.  It would not seem likely that Yahweh would need reminding, but it would reassure the people to know that people were assigned to remind God day and night.

"and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it renowned throughout the earth" (v. 7).  This is the promise of which the sentinels are to remind Yahweh.  Yahweh has promised to reestablish the city of Jerusalem which was destroyed in 587 B.C. by the Babylonians.  But it is not enough that it be reestablished.  It must reestablished as a great city, "renowned throughout the earth."

This raises the question whether Yahweh is forgetful –– requires reminders.  Or perhaps Yahweh has an excellent memory but requires our prayers as a prerequisite to doing what he has promised.  There are a number of passages in the Bible that speak of the Lord's forgetfulness:

­­–– "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" (Psalm 13:1).

­­–– "I say to God, my rock, 'Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?'" (Psalm 42:9).

­­–– "Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild animals; do not forget the life of your poor forever" (Psalm 74:19). 

But these passages fall short of proving that Yahweh is forgetful.  They indicate, instead, that people feel deserted by God when life is not going well.  The archetypical expression of that feeling is Jesus' cry on the cross:  "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" ­­–– "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).  We can be certain that the Father had neither forgotten nor forsaken the Son, but rather that the Son in his suffering felt forsaken.

VERSES 8-9:  THE LORD HAS SWORN BY HIS RIGHT HAND

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 the 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 my holy courts.

"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 the wine for which you have labored" (v. 8).  Yahweh's "right hand" and "mighty arm" are both symbols of his overwhelming power.

Brueggemann speaks of "futility curses" –– "curses that make human effort futile because under the curse one does not get to enjoy the results of one's efforts" (Brueggemann, 223).  He cites the following verse as an example of a futility curse:  "You shall become engaged to a woman, but another man shall lie with her. You shall build a house, but not live in it. You shall plant a vineyard, but not enjoy its fruit" (Deuteronomy 28:30; see also Isaiah 65:21-22).

The people of Jerusalem and Judah have, indeed, experienced what is spoken of here.  Even prior to their captivity, they were accustomed to paying tribute to more powerful nations as the price of maintaining their freedom.  Once they were taken into exile, most of the fruits of their labors would have gone to benefit the Babylonians.  As slave labor, most of their productivity benefited their captors.  They could expect to receive only enough to sustain life.

Now, however, Yahweh promises to lift the futility curse.  No longer will enemies and foreigners help themselves to the food and wine grown by the Judean exiles.  The exiles will be free –– not only free to return home but also freed from the oppression of heavy tribute (see also Amos 9:14).

"but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather it shall drink it in my holy courts" (v. 9).  "It is…in keeping with the covenant context that the receipt of the blessings of God results in the worship of God (eat it and praise… drink it in my holy courts)" (Oswalt, 586).  The phrase, "in my holy courts," implies the restoration of the temple and its courtyards.

We too often forget from whence our help comes, but these people will remember and give thanks to God for blessings received.  It sounds as if every day will be Thanksgiving Day.  Thanksgiving Day is joyful, because it causes us to remember our blessings.  What we see described in verse 9 is an ongoing festival of joy by people who have been blessed by God.

VERSE 10-12:  PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE PEOPLE

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 an ensign over the peoples.
11 The LORD has proclaimed
     to the end of the earth:
Say to daughter Zion,
     "See, your salvation comes;
his reward is with him,
     and his recompense before him."
12 They shall be called, "The Holy People,
     The Redeemed of the LORD";
and you shall be called, "Sought Out,
     A City Not Forsaken."

"Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones, lift up an ensign over the peoples" (v. 10).  Earlier, Second Isaiah wrote:  "A voice cries out: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God'" (Isaiah 40:3).  Now the former exiles have arrived in Jerusalem, and are commanded to go through the gates.  But they must also prepare the way for others to return.  Not only are they to rebuild the city, but they are to build up the highway leading to the city –– to "clear it of stones."

There is a possibility that "the people" of the first half of this verse and "the peoples" of the second half refer not only to exiles who have not yet returned, but to peoples of other tribes and nations who will see in the rise of Jerusalem a witness to the power of Yahweh and the vindication of Yahweh's people.  In other words, the highway and ensign are intended to facilitate witness to the surrounding peoples as well as to facilitate the return of the rest of the exiles.

This return to Jerusalem would not be an entirely happy event, because the city was destroyed decades earlier and is in ruins as they return.  It would be easier to start a new city in a new and barren place than to restore a city buried deep in rubble, but their task is to enter the ruined city, to build it up and clear it of stones, and to lift up an ensign (a flag) to mark the place as belonging to Yahweh and Yahweh's people.  The ensign will serve other purposes as well.  It will serve as a beacon to guide people still enroute.  But, most important, it will encourage and inspire the people who face many difficult days before the city is rebuilt.  As they lift their eyes from the rubble to the ensign, they will be reminded of Yahweh's presence among them –– of Yahweh's faithfulness that has resulted in their deliverance from exile –– of Yahweh's promises of a city not only restored but also renowned.

But for the people to see these promises fulfilled, they must go –– prepare the way –– build up –– clear it of stones –– lift up an ensign.  Yahweh will make their work fruitful, but requires that they perform the work that they have been assigned.  Yahweh has saved them, but they can't expect a free lunch.

"The LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to daughter Zion, 'See, your salvation comes; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him'" (v. 11).  Zion refers to Mount Zion, on which Jerusalem was built, and is often used as a synonym for Jerusalem.

The last phrase of this verse, "his reward is with him, and his recompense before him" quotes 40:10b.

In verse 7, we learned that Yahweh would establish Jerusalem and make it renowned throughout the earth.  Here we see that promise repeated once again.  Yahweh will bless Jerusalem and those who are privileged to live within its walls so that people from all over the world will take notice of the blessings that it has received from God.

"They shall be called, 'The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD'; and you shall be called, 'Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken'" (v. 12).  There appears to be a contrast here between the "they" of the first part of the verse and the "you" of the second part.  Are "They" and "you" the same people –– the returned exiles?  The names that are given, "The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD" and "Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken," would seem to indicate that.  Perhaps the "They" and "you" are a simple slip of the pen.  Perhaps this should have read "You" and "you."

The other possibility is that "They" of the first half of the verse refers to someone other than the returned exiles.  Who could that be?  Most of the commentaries have little to say regarding this matter, but McCann (page 390) and Watts (page 889) suggest that "They" refers to the surrounding peoples –– foreigners –– Gentiles –– including those who have opposed the rebuilding of the city.  If they are correct, verse 12a would seem to hold out hope for the redemption of Gentiles.  While the place of the Jews as the chosen people of God is the primary emphasis of the Old Testament, God's concern for Gentiles is certainly an underlying theme.  Thus we read, "Sing to the Lord, all the earth" (1 Chronicles 16:23) and "Declare his glory among the nations" (1 Chronicles 16:24) –– "I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations (Psalm 18:49) –– and "Say among the nations, 'The Lord is king!'" (Psalm 96:10).  ("Nations," of course, is often used as a synonym for "Gentiles" in the scriptures.)  The book of Jonah is the most substantial Old Testament witness to Yahweh's concern for Gentiles.

In verse 4, the people were promised that they would no longer be known as Forsaken and Desolate.  Their names would now be My Delight Is in Her and Married.  Those names expressed the delight of the Lord in his people.  Now the people are given names that reflect their new character, "The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord­" and "Sought Out, a City Not Forsaken."  Each of these names identifies something of importance about these people:

–– They shall be holy –– set apart for God's service –– devoted to God –– God's "treasured possession" (Deuteronomy 7:6).  "The scope of that demand is spelled out in the Holiness Code (Lev. 17-26); all of its rules, both cultic and personal, follow from the basic command, 'You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy' (19:2)" (Myers, 494). 

–– They shall be redeemed.  Redemption has to do with being freed from bondage, usually by the payment of a redemption fee.  A person might pay a fee to redeem a slave or a prisoner.  However, in this case, Yahweh says, "You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money" (52:3).  In the New Testament, redemption is also used to speak of being redeemed by Christ from sin (Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14).  In that case, the price of redemption was the blood of the savior.

–– They shall be sought out.  Yahweh has taken the initiative to transform the lives of his people.  He sought them, not because they were attractive, but because they were his people.  This seeking out is an ongoing activity.  Yahweh sought out Abram to become the father of the nation Israel, and Yahweh has continued throughout Israel's history to seek out his people. Even when they were in exile, Yahweh was seeking them, although they did not understand that.

–– They shall not be forsaken.  Verse 4 promises, "you shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate" (v. 4).  In truth, the people of Jerusalem and Judah were never truly forsaken, although it seemed that way to them.  Their exile was painful and lonely, but it was a time when the flame burned away the impurities of their lives so that they would be fit for Godly service. 

"The order of the words in vs. 12 should be noted.  When the church is patently holy, dedicated to her task as bearer of God's word, when she is the redeemed of the Lord, freed from worldly entanglements of race, class, political interest, etc., then she exerts her attraction on wistful souls" (Coffin, The Interpreter's Bible, 723-724).

–– Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Bartelt, Andrew H., in Van Harn, Roger (ed.), The Lectionary Commentary:  Theological Exegesis for Sunday's Text.  The First Readings:  The Old Testament and Acts (Grand Rapids:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2001)

Brueggemann, Walter, Westminster Bible Companion:  Isaiah 40-66 (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 1998)

Hanson, Paul D., Interpretation Commentary: Isaiah 40-66, (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1995)

Holladay, William, Unbound by Time:  Isaiah Still Speaks (Cambridge, Massachusetts:  Cowley Publications, 2002)

Kaiser, Otto, The Old Testament Library: Isaiah, (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1983)

McCann, J. Clinton, in Van Harn, Roger (ed.), The Lectionary Commentary:  Theological Exegesis for Sunday's Text.  The First Readings:  The Old Testament and Acts (Grand Rapids:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2001)

Muilenburg, James (Introduction and Exegesis of Isaiah 40-66); and Coffin, Henry Sloane (Exposition of Isaiah 40-66), The Interpreter's Bible:  Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Vol. 5 (Nashville:  Abingdon Press, 1956)

Myers, Allen C. (ed.), The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1987)

Newsome, James D. in Cousar, Charles B.; Gaventa, Beverly R.; McCann, J. Clinton; and Newsome, James D., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV–Year C  (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 1994)

Oswalt, John N., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66 (Grand Rapids:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998)

Seitz, Christopher R., Interpretation Commentary: Isaiah 1-39, (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1993)

Seitz, Christopher R., The New Interpreters Bible: Isaiah, Vol. VI (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001)

Tucker, Gene M. in Craddock, Fred B.; Hayes, John H.; Holliday, Carl R.; and Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year, C (Valley Forge:  Trinity Press, 1994)

Watts, John D. W., Word Biblical Commentary: Isaiah 34-66 (Dallas:  Word Books, 1987)

–– Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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