July 30 - Isaiah 54:1-17

July 30 – Isaiah 54:1-17

“Sing, O 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 suffer 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.

“O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will build you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires. I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children’s 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 work 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.

One of the greatest attributes of our God is His ability to fulfill His promises.

He promised Israel that she would be a great nation, yet their most immediate memory was that of the exile.  During that time, their numbers decreased and they faced incredible desolation.  But the exile is over for the Israelites and as we look at these words, we realize that when the Servant – the Messiah came, the exile was over for all of us!

God promises that shame is not necessary. Why?  Because He is the creator and He is the husband … of Israel … of His children.  The Holy One of Israel is the Redeemer – the God of all the earth.

For a brief moment in time, He allowed His children to be taken into exile, but read the end of Isaiah 54:8, “with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you.”  His kindness and compassion for those He loves will last forever.  These are glorious words!!

He reminds them of the covenant He made with Noah and tells them that He will never rebuke them again – His unfailing love will not be shaken.

Hebrews 12:28 says, “…we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.”  He is unshakeable!  He cannot be moved.  When He says He will do something, that is what He will do.  We should never doubt in His word.

God’s great promises fill these words from Isaiah 54 and He finishes by saying, “This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.”

This is our heritage, a commitment from God, the creator of the world who has redeemed us by sending His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins.  What He has promised, He will fulfill.