Yesterday we met Jesus, the Messiah, the suffering servant in Isaiah’s moving prophecy. In today’s chapters, the tone changes to hope and promise. Even though God’s Son was rejected by the people He came to save, God still has a love for Israel and Jerusalem. In the end, Israel has time to repent and come back to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Furthermore, they will accept Jesus as Yeshua Hamashiach, the Jewish Messiah. As you will see, these promises and this hope is for ALL NATIONS. Let’s dig in…
Isaiah 54 – Future Glory for Jerusalem
“Sing, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem,
you who have never been in labor.
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband,”
says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge your house; build an addition.
Spread out your home, and spare no expense!
3 For you will soon be bursting at the seams.
Your descendants will occupy other nations
and resettle the ruined cities.4 “Fear not; you will no longer live in shame.
Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you.
You will no longer remember the shame of your youth
and the sorrows of widowhood.
5 For your Creator will be your husband;
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
the God of all the earth.
6 For the Lord has called you back from your grief—
as though you were a young wife abandoned by her husband,”
says your God.
7 “For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great compassion I will take you back.
8 In a burst of anger I turned my face away for a little while.
But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the Lord, your Redeemer.9 “Just as I swore in the time of Noah
that I would never again let a flood cover the earth,
so now I swear
that I will never again be angry and punish you.
10 For the mountains may move
and the hills disappear,
but even then my faithful love for you will remain.
My covenant of blessing will never be broken,”
says the Lord, who has mercy on you.11 “O storm-battered city,
troubled and desolate!
I will rebuild you with precious jewels
and make your foundations from lapis lazuli.
12 I will make your towers of sparkling rubies,
your gates of shining gems,
and your walls of precious stones.
13 I will teach all your children,
and they will enjoy great peace.
14 You will be secure under a government that is just and fair.
Your enemies will stay far away.
You will live in peace,
and terror will not come near.
15 If any nation comes to fight you,
it is not because I sent them.
Whoever attacks you will go down in defeat.16 “I have created the blacksmith
Isaiah 54 NLT
who fans the coals beneath the forge
and makes the weapons of destruction.
And I have created the armies that destroy.
17 But in that coming day
no weapon turned against you will succeed.
You will silence every voice
raised up to accuse you.
These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord;
their vindication will come from me.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
The Childless Woman
Paul explains the first verses about the “childless woman” in his letter to the Gentiles in Galatia.
22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. 23 The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.
24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. 25 And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. 26 But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 As Isaiah said,
“Rejoice, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband!”28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.
30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.
Galatians 4:22-31 NLT
The Promise to Jerusalem
The New Jerusalem is described by John in Revelation 21. It is what we born-again believers base our confident hope!
No weapon formed against it will prosper! Jesus certified that in Matthew 16:18…
I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
Matthew 16:18b NLT
Continuing…
Isaiah 55 – Invitation to the Lord’s Salvation
“Is anyone thirsty?
Come and drink—
even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk—
it’s all free!
2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
You will enjoy the finest food.3 “Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.
4 See how I used him to display my power among the peoples.
I made him a leader among the nations.
5 You also will command nations you do not know,
and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey,
because I, the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious.”6 Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
7 Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens
Isaiah 55 NLT
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
11 It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
12 You will live in joy and peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song,
and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name;
they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”
Water, Wine and Milk
This is from one of studies in the free, YouVersion Bible app…
These three drinks match our deepest needs. We all are needy and must be taken care of by a loving yet almighty God.
Water relates to our need for refreshment. When you are most thirsty and most desperate and totally dehydrated, water is what you want and nothing else. God invites us to receive refreshment, restoration, reviving, and a new beginning which he only can give.
Milk relates to our need for ongoing nourishment and growth. When you want a little baby to grow day after day, you give it milk again and again. God is not just for thirsty emergencies, but even more for sustainable health. He invites us not only to come alive with water, but also to be stable and strong with milk.
Wine relates to our need for excitement, joy, and celebration. We want to be truly alive. Yes, we need to be strong and stable. But that is not all we need to be alive. No matter how unemotional, laid-back, and poker-faced we may look like to others, there is an excited child inside every one of us that God wants to bring to life for joy and delight: for shouting and singing and dancing and playing and skipping and running and jumping and laughing.
When we come to God, we will find that in our relationship with him we will receive more than resuscitation or even growth—we will find that a relationship with God, in Christ, brings excitement and joy!
Andries Combrink, minister Emeritus in the Uniting Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa. “Insights from Isaiah” Bible Plan
Jesus is OUR LIVING WATER!
He told us this when He was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Shelters (Tabernacles)…
37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
John 7:37-39 NLT
Here’s a snippet from my favorite Jesus movie…
The last chapter of the Bible has this verse…
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.
Revelation 22:17 NLT
Come Back to God
- Jesus is our leader and commander — from whom do you take orders? Who do you obey?
- Seek the Lord! The Bible is available in many languages! Check out these Bible Translators.
- Theology is the study of God. We should all be theologians!
- However, we can never fully know God. Verse 8 explains this. Nevertheless, what’s over your head is still under God’s feet.
5Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
We should seek God because He is the only source of truth and help. This world can’t provide the answers we need. It certainly can’t provide the assurances God can. Putting your hope in money, power, position, technology, government, or human ability leads nowhere. Trust God and put your hope firmly and fully in HIM. We must read the Bible, study the Bible, memorize passages, repeat passages and share passages. Consume it as if your starving soul depended on it to live — because it does!
Going on…
Isaiah 56 – Blessings for All Nations
This is what the Lord says:
“Be just and fair to all.
Do what is right and good,
for I am coming soon to rescue you
and to display my righteousness among you.
2 Blessed are all those
who are careful to do this.
Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest
and keep themselves from doing wrong.3 “Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say,
‘The Lord will never let me be part of his people.’
And don’t let the eunuchs say,
‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’
4 For this is what the Lord says:
I will bless those eunuchs
who keep my Sabbath days holy
and who choose to do what pleases me
and commit their lives to me.
5 I will give them—within the walls of my house—
a memorial and a name
far greater than sons and daughters could give.
For the name I give them is an everlasting one.
It will never disappear!6 “I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord,
who serve him and love his name,
who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest,
and who hold fast to my covenant.
7 I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem
and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer.
I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices,
because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
8 For the Sovereign Lord,
who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says:
I will bring others, too,
besides my people Israel.”
Sinful Leaders Condemned
9 Come, wild animals of the field!
Isaiah 56 NLT
Come, wild animals of the forest!
Come and devour my people!
10 For the leaders of my people—
the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds—
are blind and ignorant.
They are like silent watchdogs
that give no warning when danger comes.
They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming.
11 Like greedy dogs, they are never satisfied.
They are ignorant shepherds,
all following their own path
and intent on personal gain.
12 “Come,” they say, “let’s get some wine and have a party.
Let’s all get drunk.
Then tomorrow we’ll do it again
and have an even bigger party!”
ALL Nations!
It’s interesting about all the Nations. Today, Dec. 3, 2021, the U.N. — the United Nations — voted overwhelmingly that the Temple Mount belongs to the Muslims. Check out this video…
That last paragraph brought to mind what Jesus said about the last days…
37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
Matthew 24:37-44 NLT
Verses 40 and 41 are describing the Rapture. That’s when Jesus comes in the clouds to call up His born-again believers. Look around the world today and the signs are there. He can come at any moment. The question is…
ARE YOU READY? Will YOU get Left Behind?
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
