Isaiah: Enjoying the Covenant of Peace

Isaiah 54

“The most terrible poverty is loneliness, the feeling of being unloved.” Those were the words of Mother Teresa as she worked with the “poorest of the poor” in Calcutta. She was well acquainted with physical poverty and all that goes with it. But she knew that true devastation is the poverty of the soul.

Have you ever felt forgotten, abandoned, or lonely? Have you ever had times when the future seemed to hold nothing but questions? If you have, today’s passage is for you. Isaiah 54 speaks of hope and confidence.

Isaiah is writing to those who feel that God has forgotten them. They are far from home, living in a foreign country under the heavy-handedness of the Babylonians. Seven decades have passed since they were taken captive.

Isaiah likens God’s people to a woman who cannot have children. In Isaiah’s day, children provided security. They worked in the family business and supported their parents in old age. Israel has felt abandoned, but now it is time to sing—everything is going to change.

Isaiah 54:1
Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord. 

Judah is personified as a woman who had no children and was in a state of mourning. But now it’s time to sing with a loud voice. Isaiah loves to sing; he mentions songs or singing over thirty times in his prophecy.

God’s people have a reason to sing. God is changing their course. She (Judah) will have a great number of children requiring a bigger tent to hold them all (Isa. 54:2). God will bless Judah so abundantly that they will need to live in other nations (Isa. 54:3)

In Isaiah 54:4-8, Israel is likened to a bride and God is the husband. Because of continued unfaithfulness, Israel was deserted for a “brief moment,” but now the Redeemer has returned with great compassion and “everlasting love” (Isa. 54:7-8). Judah had felt abandoned and depressed (Isa. 54:6) until God returned to his people. It is time to sing.

Isaiah 54:5
For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. 

When the Creator, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the Holy One, the Redeemer, the God of the whole earth is on your side, we move from a place of confusion to a place of confidence. God says, “Fear not!” (Isa. 54:4).[1]

God is on our side. Here are the reasons we can live with confidence:

1. Our sins are forgiven! (Isa. 54:4)
   
   Isaiah 54:4
   Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
   
   
2. God’s steadfast love! (Isa. 54:5-6)
   
   God is our Maker. He loves us with a love that will never let us go. He will never abandon or forsake us. Even in our most difficult times, the “God of the whole earth” is with us.
   
   
3. God’s promises are dependable! (Isa. 54:7-10).
   God compared Judah’s discipline and restoration to Noah and the flood. As he swore that the waters would never flood the earth again, so he swears to never rebuke Israel again.
   
   However, we know that Israel was disciplined after their return. Therefore, this promise must be speaking about the millennial kingdom where God’s “steadfast love shall not depart” from them.[2]

Isaiah 54:10 [Anchor Point]
For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love  shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. 

The “covenant of peace” refers to the promise that God had just made. He promises a lasting peace (Isa. 9:7; 32:17–18; 54:13; 55:12; 66:12; Jer. 30:10; 33:6, 9; 46:27).

With God you always have a hope and a future. Even when you feel alone, the truth is that you are never alone. And even when your sin has consequences, God is not finished with you.  Discipline is for a purpose.

In Isaiah 54:11-17, God promises to rebuild and restore Jerusalem. This city had been “afflicted” and “storm-tossed.” God will adorn it with precious stones (Isa. 54:11-12). Speaking of the millennial kingdom where Jesus will reign, Isaiah says that “all your children shall be taught by the LORD” (Isa. 54:13). We can live with confidence because God will provide lasting protection (Isa. 54:14-17).

Today, if you are feeling abandoned and forgotten, turn to the God of the whole earth. You’ve rebelled in the past and experienced the consequences. Unfortunately, in this life, we all will have our desert stretches. Now it is time to move out of the wasteland, out of captivity.

Turn to the Redeemer!

His forgiveness is full. His love is everlasting and steadfast. His promises are true. He can rebuild your life with beautiful stones and allow you to sing a new song of praise to the One who knows you intimately.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Isaiah 55, focusing on our Anchor Point—Isaiah 54:10. Consider the steadfast love God has for his children. What does that security provide for you each day?

Talking to God:  Thank God for his everlasting love.

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Every day is a day of spiritual renewal as we follow hard after Jesus.