Isaiah 54
WHEN Israel, that is to say, the remnant of the nation, shall have entered in heart and conscience into the truth of Isaiah 53, Isaiah 54 will follow in quick fulfilment. The barren one, desolate, the widow of verses 1 and 4, is Israel rejected by Jehovah, her Husband, because of her sins. Israel, as the unfaithful wife, occupies many pages of Old Testament prophecies.
As the result of the Holy Spirit’s future work in Israel as a nation (following the close of the present dispensation of grace to Jew and Gentile alike), a remnant of the people will be brought to repentance (Zechariah 12:10-1410And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 11In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 12And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 14All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. (Zechariah 12:10‑14)), reaching its full measure after the Lord appears with His heavenly people (Revelation 19:1414And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:14); Jude 14, 1514And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 14‑15); 1 Corinthians 6:2,2Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (1 Corinthians 6:2) etc.).
The remnant will then behold not only Israel’s Son (chapter 9:6, 7) but with Him the great number who have believed during the time Israel has been set aside; and these, the Christian saints, are here regarded as the children of the desolate, far exceeding the number of Israel in the brightest days of their past history.
The word also has an application further in the future (verses 2, 3 with which compare chapter 49 :20 and chapter 60:21, 22). An immense increase of Israel’s numbers is foretold here and in Hosea 1:1010Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. (Hosea 1:10). Israel's shame will be no more as today (verse 4) for Jehovah will own them as His people, never to need to turn from them again.
Five names of God are given in verse 5; in Israel’s Maker we are reminded of the beginning of the Nation in the call of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-31Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:1‑3)); Jehovah of Hosts speaks of Israel’s mighty Protector and Governor from the day when faith grew feeble and enemies arose to spoil Israel. What enemy can stand against Him? But the state of His people prevented His acting for them, for He cannot be linked with sin. This title of God occurs no less than 280 times in the Old Testament, being found first in 1 Samuel 1:33And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. (1 Samuel 1:3).
Israel’s case is such that they must be redeemed; their sins have estranged them from God, and, scattered and oppressed, they need a Redeemer to set them free, and recompense their enemies in poured out vengeance. Then amazing grace! He will dwell among them as the Holy One of Israel; then all the inhabitants of this sphere will know and trust in Him, the God of the whole earth. Blessed prospect!
Verse 6 looks on to the day when Israel will again be owned as God’s people. Small improvements in translation are suggested in verse 8: "In the outpouring of wrath" instead of "In a little wrath;" also at the close of verse 9: "that I will no more be wroth with thee," rather than "that I would not be wroth with thee," and in verse 10,—"My covenant of peace," instead of "the covenant of My peace,"
He whose heart is not touched deeply by the language of this chapter must he far from God indeed. What unfathomable love and grace are here for the Jew, the Israelite in the day to come! Yet the love and grace made ours who have believed without seeing (John 20:2929Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29)) are greater, far greater. Do we truly value what God has done for us?
Messages of God’s Love 4/8/1934