The last chapter gave us the fourth and last Servant Song, a prophesy about a future Servant Messiah. Each Servant Song ends with a application by Isaiah on the effect of the Servant (says Motyer) and so in chapters 54 and 55 the effect of the Servant is spelled out for us.
Isaiah 54:1-3, Spread out your tent!
“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 the LORD.
“Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess nations
and settle in their desolate cities.
Out of the Servant Messiah's sacrifice, the people of Israel will make their "tents" larger, taking over large regions and cities. Their descendants will spread out to all the nations. In the New Testament, Paul quotes this passage in Galatians 4:26-28.
Isaiah 54:4-5, No more reproach
“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
For your Maker is your husband—
the LORD Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.
Israel will no longer be a widow, but a happy wife, married to YHWH, God Almighty.
Isaiah 54:6-8, Abandoned, now renewed
The LORD 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 the LORD your Redeemer.
Israel will be reunited with her "husband", who is portrayed here as rejecting her in a surge of anger. The Hebrew word racham is translated (in the next-to-last line) as "compassion." That word, says Motyer, is related to the womb and carries emotion. But "everlasting kindness", in the line above that, is our favorite hesed, a conscious loyal commitment.
The "brief moment" in verse 7 is the seventy years of the exile in Babylon. For those poor humans, that time was surely not "brief"!
Isaiah 54:9-10, Like the days of Noah
“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 the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Just as after the flood, when God promised that He would no longer punish all mankind this way, here too God will bring the people back together for one final resolution that will not be shaken.
Isaiah 54:11-12, A city of jewels
“Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted,
I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,
your foundations with lapis lazuli.
I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
Jerusalem will be a beautiful city, a city of sparkling jewels. With this adornment, the marriage metaphor continues; Jerusalem is prepared as a bride for YHWH. (In the New Testament, see Revelation 21.)
In the second line, "stones of turquoise" is an attempt to translate bap·pūḵ ’ă·ḇā·na·yiḵ. "stones of colorful gems" or "stones in mascara" (Motyer.) Motyer suggests that stones in black pigment were used to make the stonework beautiful. The Hebrew word translated "lapis lazuli" is sappir, ofen translated "sapphires."
Isaiah 54:13-15, Established in righteousness
All your children will be taught by the LORD,
and great will be their peace.
In righteousness you will be established:
Tyranny will be far from you;
you will have nothing to fear.
Terror will be far removed;
it will not come near you.
If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
whoever attacks you will surrender to you.
The new city will have God teaching the children. If the city is attacked, the attackers will be defeated.
Isaiah 54:16-17, No weapon forged
“See, it is I who created the blacksmith
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc;
no weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the LORD.Although it is the blacksmith who forges weapons, it is God who makes the blacksmith! And so God can control all the weapons; no weapon created will defeat Israel if God is in charge of Israel!
The result of the sacrifice of the Servant will be a "heritage of servants" (plural.) For the rest of the book of Isaiah, say both Motyer and Grogan, the word "servant" will be plural. These many servants receive their "vindication", their righteousness (tsedaqah) from YHWH.
Some Random Thoughts
How physical this is! All of the future kingdom is earthly, not hiding somewhere up in the clouds.
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