Isaiah 54:1-8

VIII. COMMUNION THROUGH GOD'S COVENANT
Chapter S 54-59

A. WED TO THE LORD IN COVENANT RELATIONSHIP
CHAPTER 54

1. RECONCILED

TEXT: Isaiah 54:1-8

1

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith Jehovah.

2

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.

3

For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4

Fear not;.for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more.

5

For thy Maker is thy husband; Jehovah of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called.

6

For Jehovah hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God.

7

For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

8

In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith Jehovah thy Redeemer.

QUERIES

a.

Who is the barren one?

b.

Why enlarge the place of her tent?

c.

When did God forsake her?

PARAPHRASE

When the Suffering Servant of God accomplishes His work, O Zion, My covenant people you will sing and shout for joy. You have not been able to produce spiritual offspring; you have been like a childless woman. You have been cast off by your Husband-God because you sinned against Him, but through the reconciling work of the Messiah you shall have more children than you had when you were married. Prepare yourself to accept the expansion of God's kingdom beyond your present nation because through the Messiah, God is going to establish a kingdom that stretches to the ends of the earth. The offspring that shall be given you through the Servant will include people from every nation on the earth. The Servant will also take away the humiliation of your present barrenness. You will not suffer the reproach of spiritual barrenness again, because the God who created you is also your Husband. The Faithful Covenant God, Jehovahthe Holy One of IsraelThe Sovereign, Omnipotent God of all creationHe is your Redeemer. This is the God who has promised to betroth you to Himself through the Servant, even though He has forsaken you and cast you off because of your unfaithfulness. I will cast you off into captivity for only a short time, but My mercy extended to you through the Servant will be great. In a flood of wrath I will turn away from protecting you for a short time, but I will love you and be kind to you forever through the Servant.

COMMENTS

Isaiah 54:1-4 REPOPULATED: The result of the Suffering Servant's redemptive work (Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12) shall be a prolific spiritual offspring. He is to bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10-13). That is why Zion (God's faithful remnant in the O.T. which will become His church in the N.T.) is told to break forth into singing. The physical descendants of Abraham (cf. Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 17:2-8, etc.) did not produce spiritually as they should have. Most of his offspring turned to idolatry and ungodliness. Jerusalem, the holy city, was barren of spiritual children except for a small remnant of faithful (cf. Isaiah 8:16). But when the Servant shall have completed His work Israel shall produce spiritual offspring prolifically (cf. Galatians 3:29). Jerusalem cannot produce because God, her Husband has forsaken her on account of her sins. She will be given over to captivity for a season. But the time will come when she will produce more children than a woman who had never been forsaken (cf. Isaiah 49:18-26; Isaiah 51:1-3; Zechariah 2:1-5; Hosea 1:10-11). She will produce a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues. (Revelation 7:9).

Inasmuch as the new Jerusalem (the Messiah's kingdom, the church) is to produce an innumerable offspring, she will need to enlarge her tent. Jehovah instructs the people of Isaiah's day to stretch their faith to accept an expanded concept of the Messiah's kingdom. God is going to extend covenant relationship to more than Jews; He is going to include the nations. Ezekiel's vision of the glorified temple, land, city and priesthood (Ezekiel 40-48) is a graphic, figurative prophecy of the immense enlargement which will be necessary for the coming messianic kingdom. Ezekiel's temple was never intended to be literally built. It is hyperbole. The terumah (most holy place RSV, Ezekiel 48:12) measures about 2500 square miles, nearly twice as large as the whole area of geographic Judea! The rebuilt temple (Ezekiel 40:2) of Ezekiel was 500 reeds (4500 square feet), larger than the literal Jerusalem of Ezekiel's day or our day. Ezekiel's exaggerated temple, land and city are visionary predictions of the enlargement of the messianic age. Micah predicts, A day for the building of your walls! In that day (the messianic age) the boundary shall be far extended. (Micah 7:11 f).

Jehovah's people are to take comfort in the fact that their redemption draws nigh. The finished work of the Servant is now on the prophetic horizon (Isaiah 53), therefore, Zion need no longer look upon her temporary captivity and indignation with hopelessness. She shall forget all her shame when the Servant comes and takes her, shame upon Himself. The reproach associated with barrennesss will be forgotten when she begins to produce spiritual children through the gospel, She will then be the church of Christ without spot or blemish (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Isaiah 54:5-8 REUNITED: Through the Servant, Jehovah will reclaim His wife. Jehovah will be reunited, remarried to His people in a new covenant relationship (cf. Isaiah 56:6-8; Jeremiah 31:27-34; Ezekiel 37:24-28; etc.). The Old covenant will pass away and be remembered no more (cf. Jeremiah 3:15-18). They must remember that the prophet Isaiah is speaking the promise of Almighty God. They must find their reasons for singing and shouting and for overcoming their shame and hopelessness in the fact that these are promises of Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth! Jehovah will call back His forsaken wife (cf. Ezekiel 16:53-63; Hosea 1:10-11; Hosea 2:14-23; Hosea 3:1-5), through the messianic covenant. The Lord will forsake Zion for only a short time (during the indignation; see our comments, Daniel, Daniel 8:19; Daniel 11:36, College Press) compared with the time He will show His great mercy to Zion. The indignation will last only 600 years (from the captivities until the Christ). But Jehovah will show everlasting lovingkindness to Zion.

The interesting thing about this passage in which the Lord refers to His reconciliation to His wife is that it is to include the nations (goiym, Gentiles). The Gentiles will be called into the new covenant relationship and be a part of the bride of Christ. Although the prophets predicted it and the Christ taught it, many of the Jews could never accept it. It took even some of the apostles a few years to understand and accept it (cf. Acts 10:11, Acts 10:15; Galatians 2, etc.).

QUIZ

1.

What is the basis for Zion's singing and shouting?

2.

Where in the Prophets do we have a visionary picture of the enlargement of Zion to receive the messianic multitudes?

3.

What is the basis of Zion's being able to forget her shame?

4.

How long did God forsake her?