WTW 2021
26 March
Isaiah 54
“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 Yahweh.
For your Maker is your husband—Yahweh of Armies is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. Yahweh 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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:1, 5-10
Wisdom in the WORD 
Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Psalms 2:12
LikeLike
Everytime we see a rainbow, we should also remember the new covenant of peace on earth, good will toward man.
“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 Yahweh, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:9-10
LikeLike
RJ
Isaiah 54
This is a chapter of great joy.
But to whom is this pronouncement of Joy? Paul gives us the answer in Galatians 4:27 as he quotes from here in Isaiah 54:1
“25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written:
“Rejoice, O barren,
You who do not bear!
Break forth and shout,
You who are not in labor!
For the desolate has many more children
Than she who has a husband.”
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. ”
Because of Jesus, there is new life and the promise of the abundant life which He came to secure for us.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
Isaiah 54 places a contrast between how God once put distance between Himself and His people because of their sins and how, from now on, He will no longer do that.
“In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.” (vs 8)
Someone may question God and call Him fickle here. Is God being unpredictable? He calls Abraham and makes a great promise to him that all the nations of the world would be blessed through him. Then God blesses Israel for a while, then He judges them for a while, then He blesses them again, then He punishes them severely and now He makes these promises through Isaiah of where God will be done with that wrath for good.
But remember that through this time, the people of Israel were operating under a covenant of law that said “if you do this, then God will do this, but if you fail to do this, then God will do this.” Remember the words that God spoke to Joshua right after Moses died and how it was as if God was reminding them of that covenant:
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Josh 1:8)
It was a promise of prosperity and success based on their adherence to the law.
And remember the last chapter of Joshua where, after having fought battle after battle to secure the promise land, Joshua gathers the people together again to remind them of the covenant to which they swore. But he also reminds them that they will not be able to keep it and that they are witnesses against themselves on this:
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” (Josh 24:19-22)
So, how will God secure the blessings for Israel that are being promised in Isaiah 54? It is based on a covenant that is based on God swearing unilaterally that He Himself will do it. No longer will it be based on how faithful they could be to the law, because they (and we) had demonstrated that they could not keep it.
Throughout this chapter, we hear God saying “I will…I will…I will”
—–
Back to Galatians. Paul was writing to the church that was in Galatia because of how they were starting to go back to a system of trusting in their own ability to earn God’s favor. The “I will..” was no longer about trusting in God’s grace but in our ability to accomplish the righteous demands of God. And whenever this happens, we have the tendency to set ourselves up as the standard against which we judge others. Or, we can also belittle the sacrifice of Jesus in saying “it was not enough. I have to add to it in order for me to feel forgiven.” But Paul continues in Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Live by faith in the promises of God including those in Isaiah 54 and find rest.
—–
Wow. Wow. Wow.
I had forgotten about the bond woman and free woman, Hagar and Sarah, the earthly and heavenly, representative of the corruptible flesh and the incorruptible promise. Even the old covenant (dependent on the flesh) and new covenant (dependent on grace through faith via new birth).
Earlier I questioned the children referenced in Isaiah 49:20-22 (physical? spiritual?) and the reference to offspring in 53:10. Here in chapter 54 we see the barren woman being told to celebrate because her children will outnumber the existing mother’s.
For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. For the Lord has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” Says your God.
Isaiah 54:5-6
We see in 50:1 and above in 54 the imagery of God as husband. He is the father of these new children! How does a virgin conceive a child!? Only be the hand of God.
LikeLike
Yahweh bound Himself in covenant, and so He operated faithfully according to His very nature in keeping with that covenant, always faithful, though the other party in that covenant was immediately unfaithful. Because of His faithfulness, He was bound in faithfulness to that covenant to function toward His beloved in “fits & starts” as it were, now accepting, now rejecting, now blessing, now cursing, now lavishing, now punishing, as seen so clearly in Psalm 107 for example and so many other wandering logbooks.
He showed that the only covenant that would satisfy His true love is this new covenant of peace which is unconditional. It cannot rely on man at all. Yahweh is faithful, and so faithful He will remain. He has established this covenant in faithfulness, and He allowed the old covenant to become obsolete because it had been replaced by this eternally superior covenant based only on Himself Who alone is faithful. Now, all who desire to come may come and rest in His enduring faithfulness without fear of being hurt or turned away.
Fu wi musu bekenti den swaki fwi
Fu wi GADO lobi kan tapu wi
Fu de tru en sabi sortu sma wi de
Now, this everlasting covenant of peace remains forever for all who would come and enter in freely. All who remain in this new covenant partake freely of all the benefits and blessings, promises and primogeniture, entailments and entitlements given by this One Father & LORD, Teacher & Shepherd, Savior & Friend.
Because of HIS faithfulness alone, we can come alongside and enter in with HIM into this self sustaining covenant HE established and maintains in perpetuity, sealed and secured by HIS very SPIRIT, just as HE confirmed it by those 2 unchangeable things, HIS unchanging nature and HIS oath-promise, which together produced this eternally secure confidence and unshakeable covenant because HE did this thing HIMSELF and because HE cannot lie.
Ameen ameen, I tell you the truth
I cannot lie
Look at this thing Yahweh has done!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amen.
He has decided, He has determined how it will go down, and He will see it through. Come if you will. Though He obligates none, all are welcome. It will be done only on His terms, and yet grace and mercy abound.
LikeLiked by 1 person