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ISAIAH: GOD'S DIRECTIVES TO THOSE TROUBLED AT GOVERNMENTAL APOSTASY
Part XLI: God's Salvation Of A Nation's Family Life
(Isaiah 54:1-17)
  1. Introduction
    1. Wherever we turn in our culture, believers in particular and even many in secular society are concerned about the welfare of family life, the cultural framework around which Western Civilization is woven: as a mother can kill her own child through abortion-on-demand, as gay or lesbian couples can raise children and possibly affect their sexual orientation to be other than what the natural order provides and as dysfunctional abuses abound in even heterosexual family life, the deterioration of "normal, healthy" families and its quality has come to concern many culture watchers.
    2. The answer to such a problem is, of course, God and His salvation of a nation's family life. Just how God saves a nation's family life and the nation along with it is shared for us in Isaiah 54:1-17, and this insight provides effective applications for us today:
  2. God's Salvation Of A Nation's Family Life, Isaiah 54:1-17.
    1. By way of background to Isaiah 54:1-17, the nation Israel is prophetically pictured in this chapter as being downtrodden in its family life due to sin and the Babylonian Captivity punishment that came for such sin.
    2. However, in restoring Israel from her Babylonian Captivity punishment, God promised to reverse the problems the nation faced as a result of her sin and this punishment. God thus figuratively pictures Israel in this passage as an unfaithful wife who would be taken back by Him, her Husband, and He shows the consequent improvements that He plans to make in the home and family life of Israel as a nation, 54:1-17:
      1. God promised that Israel would one day be blessed with many children, Isaiah 54:1-3:
        1. The Lord prophetically calls Israel to break forth into songs of joy over being blessed with many children after she will have lost many of them in the Babylonian invasion, Isaiah 54:1. Like Hannah of old who had gone from being destitute to expressing great joy upon bearing Samuel, Israel was to shift from the sadness of her loss in discipline to the joy of God's blessing her with many new children, cf. 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10; Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 1109.
        2. Like a man who would enlarge his Bedouin tent in that day by sewing on more skins and moving out the tent pegs, Israel was to enlarge her tent to house new children, 54:2; Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, ftn.
        3. Indeed, God would bless Israel with so many children that Israel would need to use Gentile towns aside from what the Holy Land offered to house them all, Isaiah 54:3.
      2. God pictured Himself as Israel's Husband Who would graciously take back His estranged wife, Israel to cause such wonderful blessings for the nation, Isaiah 54:4-8.
      3. As He had promised Noah never again to destroy the whole world with a flood, God promised He would never again be angry at nor rebuke Israel, Isa. 54:9-10. This will be fulfilled in the Millennium!
      4. God will then garnish the homes in Israel with precious stones and peaceful, stable items that are so very important particularly to mothers of small children in such homes, Isaiah 54:11-12.
      5. In that day, God will personally disciple the children of Israel's women so that their children would have great peace in the Lord, Isaiah 54:13.
      6. God would protect Israel's families, causing those who wanted to oppress this peaceful family life in Israel (in the Millennial Kingdom) to be destroyed, Isaiah 54:14-17a.
      7. In summary, God declared those who serve Him and rely upon Him in faith will experience such a blessed family heritage and vindication before their foes, Isaiah 54:17b!
Lesson: God promised to restore, Himself disciple the children, adequately provide for the material needs and protect from enemies Israel's families when the nation turned to TRUST and SERVE Him.

Application: (1) If we NOW experience dysfunctional, destructive family life, know that the KEY to SOUND family life arises from coming to TRUST and SERVING GOD: thus, may we TRUST in CHRIST as SAVIOR and HEED and SERVE HIM to see God build our families, personally disciple our children, nurture and then protect our families from opponents! (2) If we ALONE are right with God in our family, GOD can BLESS our families to SOME degree, 1 Cor. 7:14, so it is WORTH INDIVIDUALLY trusting and serving the Lord if we would desire HIS blessings in EVEN OUR home!