THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Isaiah: Jahweh Is Salvation

Part LXIII: God's Messianic Blessings For Israel With Family Applications For Us

(Isaiah 54:1-17)

I. Introduction

A. Israel's future Messianic Blessings will be marked especially by the filling of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28), and the results of such an event will include rich family blessings like those predicted in Isaiah 54:1-17.

B. The filling of the Holy Spirit is available for believers today with resulting family blessings as well (Ephesians 5:18 with 6:1-4), so we view Isaiah 54:1-17 for insight and applications affecting family blessings today:

II. God's Messianic Blessings For Israel With Family Applications For Us, Isaiah 54:1-17.

A. In Isaiah 54:1-17, God likens Israel to a wife He once divorced in judgment due to her sin, but a wife He then graciously takes back in the Kingdom after she repents, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Isaiah 54:4-10.

B. When Israel repents so that God blesses her, the blessings will unfold as described in Isaiah 54:1-17:

1. A barren woman in ancient Israel was disgraced where fertility was a sign of divine blessing, Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 1109. Thus, formerly divinely disciplined Israel who was once like a childless, divorced woman, once reconciled to God, her Husband in the Kingdom, will break forth into song and cry aloud, for more will be her children than the children of a regularly married woman, Isaiah 54:1.

2. Israel will even be called of God figuratively to enlarge her tent home to house all of her children born to her, noting they will inherit the Gentiles and dwell in the formerly desolate cities, Isaiah 54:2-3.

3. Israel will be told not to fear her past shame in God's discipline, for her Maker would be her Husband, the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth, Isaiah 54:4-5. Though God had forsaken her in judgment for a short time as compared to eternity, He will have taken her back again never to abandon her like He has promised never again to destroy the world by a Noahic Flood, Isaiah 54:6-9.

4. Though the mountains depart and the hills be removed, what were considered the most stable structures of their ancient world, God's loyal love, His hesed (Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 685) for Israel would never be shaken or His covenant of peace be removed from her due to the compassion He had for Israel, Isa. 54:10.

5. To the formerly afflicted city of Jerusalem, lashed by storms and left uncomforted, God promised to build her city with stones of antinomy, to lay her foundations with sapphires, to make her pinnacles of agate, her gates of carbuncles, and her entire wall filled with precious stones, Isaiah 54:11-12 ESV.

6. Internally, all of Jerusalem's children would be taught by the Lord, Isaiah 54:13a, and since the instruction of children was always held to be a high priority in Israel (Ibid., B. K. C., O. T., p. 1110), this promise was greatly prized by Israel's parents. Consequently, due to their instruction by the Lord Himself, great would be the peace of Israel's children in the Messianic Kingdom, Isaiah 54:13b.

7. Since Israel would be established in righteousness, oppression would be far from her, and she would no longer fear or experience terror, Isaiah 54:14. If anyone stirred up strife against Israel, since it would not have come of the Lord, the party creating the strife would fall because of Israel's might, Isaiah 54:15.

8. God reminded Israel that He was the One Who created the metal smith to form weapons of war, that He created the ravager to destroy (Isaiah 54:16), but that He would make sure that no weapon that is fashioned would succeed against Israel, that she would even refute every tongue that rose up against her, and that this promise would be the heritage of the servants of the Lord, that this would be their vindication, Isa. 54:17.

Lesson: In the Messianic Kingdom, God will take Israel back like a man takes back a wife he had divorced, all due to Israel's repentance, and He will richly bless her: she will have many children, He will build up Jerusalem gloriously and teach her children so that they will experience great peace and He will protect Israel from all oppression and dangers from all of her foes. All this would be Israel's heritage and vindication from the Lord.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ to have eternal life, John 3:16. (2) As believers TODAY, may we rely on the Holy Spirit in OUR era as Israel will also do in the Kingdom to know spiritual blessings NOW particularly relative to family life: specifically, (a) may we trust and obey the Lord to see Him bless us in the discipling of and the resulting peace of our children, Ephesians 5:18 with 6:1-4. [Since the Holy Spirit parents us (John 14:16-18 NIV), if we parents rely on the Spirit, He will teach our children through us!] (b) May we relate thus to Christ to see Him guard us from foes that we might fulfill His will for us, 2 Timothy 4:16-18. This is the heritage, the vindication God has to a degree even for those who walk with Him in our Church era today, cf. 1 Timothy 4:8.