Future Blessings for Zion
“Shout for joy, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth into song and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband, ”says the LORD. “Enlarge the site of your tent, stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not hold back. Lengthen your ropes and drive your stakes deep. For you will spread out to the right and left; your descendants will dispossess the nations and inhabit the desolate cities.
Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; do not be humiliated, for you will not be disgraced. For you will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your husband is your Maker—the LORD of Hosts is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth. For the LORD has called you back, like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, the wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” says your God.
“For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great 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.
“For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you. Though the mountains may be removed and the hills may be shaken, My loving devotion will not depart from you, and My covenant of peace will not be broken,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
“O afflicted city, lashed by storms, without solace, surely I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. Then all your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their prosperity. In righteousness you will be established, far from oppression, for you will have no fear. Terror will be far removed, for it will not come near you.
If anyone attacks you, it is not from Me; whoever assails you will fall before you. Behold, I have created the craftsman who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its task; and I have created the destroyer to wreak havoc. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the LORD’s servants, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.”
What Isaiah must have been thinking when God gave him this message? Clearly, God is speaking to the city of Jerusalem, describing her as a barren woman without offspring. Such a circumstance could only happen if the citizens of Jerusalem were completely carried off or destroyed. Poor Isaiah must have been looking at his friends and relatives in horror, knowing that eventually they would be massacred or captured and sent away as slaves. And yet….and yet, God is making glorious promises of restoration.
““Shout for joy, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth into song and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband, ”says the LORD.” No matter what happens, eventually, Jerusalem will not only be inhabited, but there will be so many people that they will move into all the “desolate cities.”
“Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; do not be humiliated, for you will not be disgraced. For you will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.” The citizens of Jerusalem earned their destruction by persistent idolatry, despite all the warnings by Isaiah and other prophets.
““For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you. Though the mountains may be removed and the hills may be shaken, My loving devotion will not depart from you, and My covenant of peace will not be broken,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.” Once Noah and his family left the ark, God promised that He would never again destroy the world by flooding. Now God is swearing that He will not be angry with the city of Jerusalem or rebuke her or remove His loving devotion. His covenant of peace will NOT be broken! Amazing.
Next God promises to rebuild Jerusalem using precious materials. Here God might be referring to the New Jerusalem which will come into being when Jesus the Messiah returns. At that time, terror will be removed and Jerusalem’s citizens will live in safety. Clearly, these verses are not describing the current state of Jerusalem or of Israel. Thousands of rockets are launched against Israel annually.
“If anyone attacks you, it is not from Me; whoever assails you will fall before you. Behold, I have created the craftsman who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its task; and I have created the destroyer to wreak havoc. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the LORD’s servants, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.” Here God is referring to Israel; however, many believers have also claimed these verses as personal promises from God.
APPLICATION: Although these promises were originally made to Israel and to Jerusalem, again, these promises work on many levels. For me personally, this chapter of Isaiah has brought me incredible comfort. “Shout for joy, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth into song and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband, ”says the LORD.” I am a doctor who cares passionately for other people’s children; yet, I have never been able to give birth myself. But I have three stepchildren whom I love dearly, and my husband and I have scores of young people whom we have helped educate or medically treat throughout our time in Ghana. Many of these men and women and children are as close to us as any blood relatives.
“Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; do not be humiliated, for you will not be disgraced…” Someone once said, “If you want to be popular, sell ice cream.” Certainly, running a bush hospital in a troubled area is not a swift route to universal popularity. Someone is always unhappy that you aren’t doing more for them or doing it differently. Many times, God has used these verses from Isaiah to remind me that I am working for Him and not for my critics.
“If anyone attacks you, it is not from Me; whoever assails you will fall before you. Behold, I have created the craftsman who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its task; and I have created the destroyer to wreak havoc. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the LORD’s servants, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.”
When we are working for God, then God becomes our Protector and He is the One who defends us. We always have a choice: do we believe God or do we listen to attackers? A popular Gospel song says, “Whose report will you believe? We will believe the report of the Lord!” If God has called you to do a work, DON’T QUIT! STAND FIRM AND WAIT FOR THE LORD TO DEFEND YOU! I love the story of Nehemiah. When Nehemiah’s enemies kept trying to entice him to do something foolish, he just kept working steadily, reminding them and himself that God had called him to that work.
Do you feel embattled? Are your critics raining insults? Or are you simply in a situation where the petty accusations make you feel as if you are being stoned to death with popcorn? Whatever your situation, if God has called you to be there, hold on and quote Isaiah 54:17 to yourself until you really believe it!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, you know there are those who are reading these words who feel overwhelmed. Help them to turn to You as their Protector and Defender. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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