Isaiah 54:1-17

Isaiah 54:1-17 NIV

“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord. “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband— the Lord Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit— a wife who married young, only to be rejected,” says your God.

“For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer. “To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

“Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with lapis lazuli. I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.

In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you. If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you. “See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc; no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isaiah 54 is wonderfully full of good tidings for the exiles of Israel. This word from the Lord reaches them in Babylon where they languish under their captors' oppression. God has a message for His chosen nation. Though Israel appears to be like a scorned divorcee, the Lord will turn to her with compassion and bring her back home. Though Israel seems like a barren woman disgraced, the Lord tells His people that they will become great in numbers and dispossess nations and move into empty cities. This is a wonderful message of hope in the restoration of a nation brought low.

God promised no disgrace, so do not fear. The joy to come will make the exiles forget the shame of their youth.

Isaiah 54:4 NIV

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth...

That verse grabbed me. Of course the shame of youth is directed toward the fact that Israel was handed over to their enemies because of their idolatry. They were not faithful to God and broke His covenant law. But God doesn't even mention it, only that their shame will be forgotten.

Isn't that what our God is like? He washes us clean of our shame and guilt. No longer disgraced, we are filled with His amazing grace and set upon a course to eternal life. He remembers our sins no more. He has cast our sins away as far as the east is from the west. That is the mercy of our God.

And yet I find that even though God forgives and forgets, I find it terribly difficult to do so. I'd love to forget the shame of my youth, but I feel more like King David.

Psalm 51:3 NIV

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

God calls to me to not fear disgrace, but to embrace these glad tidings to the exiles. I am in exile too, driven from paradise and estranged from my God because of the power of sin. Yet Christ Jesus has broken the power of sin through the cross. Though He was abandoned and disgraced upon Calvary, He was exalted from the grave to glory on high. All who hope in Him will share in His glorious resurrection.

God promises the exiles a great future and protection from further harm. The Lord will have deep compassion for them that will never end. The city of Jerusalem will be glorious, built upon precious stones as its foundation, jewels will fill its walls! Just as God promised never to flood the earth again to destroy all life, God promises to never attack Jerusalem again as He did through Babylon. If Israel is attacked, God will fight for them and repel the enemy.

Knowing that Jerusalem was taken again by the Greeks, followed then by the Romans and destroyed, it's sad to say this promise failed in a literal sense. Israel was attacked again and God did not repel the enemy nor save the city. The early church set its sights on a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. They still embraced the promise, for the city is really only a symbol of a community dedicated to holiness, to the just and right ways of God. Though the temple was destroyed, Christians began to think of themselves as a temple made of living stones. Christians trust in God to ultimately create a lasting peace through God-centered holy community. The church is supposed to be expression of this kind of community. Though we fall short, God remains compassionately faithful. Do not fear disgrace and forget your shame. Your God calls you out of exile, out of your estrangement from Him, and into His loving embrace.

Isaiah 54:10 NIV

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.