Isaiah 62: 1 -12
Yahweh’s Marriage Vow
1 For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. 2 The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will name. 3 You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 4 You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; For the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. 5 For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. 6 I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, 7 and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. 8 The LORD has sworn by His right hand and by the arm of His strength: “Surely I will no longer give your grain as food for your enemies; And the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine, for which you have labored. 9 But those who have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; Those who have brought it together shall drink it in My holy courts.” 10 Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, build up the highway! Take out the stones, lift up a banner for the peoples! 11 Indeed the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the world: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘ Surely your salvation is coming; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.’ ” 12 And they shall call them The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD; And you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.
We live in a cursed world and rightly so because our race is a fallen race. We do not deserve anything good. Yet, stop and realize how Great and Merciful our Wonderful Holy God Is. He still leaves us some beautiful things. I love Louis Armstrong’s song ‘What A Wonderful World’. Look with me at these amazing lyrics which paint an awesome picture;
I see trees of green,
Red roses too,
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself,
What a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue,
And clouds of white,
The bright blessed day,
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself,
What a wonderful world.
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people goin' by,
I see friends shadin' hands,
Sayin'"how do you do?".
They're really sayin' "I love you"
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more
than I'll ever know
And I think to myself,
What a wonderful world.
I want you to take just a couple of minutes to stop and think of five things that you are thankful for. Here is my list. Have I listed some of the things on your lists?
. Peace with Almighty God because of Our Lord Jesus Christ’s Sacrifice at the cross – Salvation
. Love
. Marriage
. Kids
. Safety and security
Would it surprise you if I said that all five on my list are talked about in chapter 62 of Isaiah’s message from our Sovereign Master?
The Anointed One promises His continued activity on behalf of God’s people in their association with Zion so that they may be a true witness to God and enjoy Yahweh’s favor. Here the idea of Zion (chapter 60) and the idea of the Anointed One (chapter 61) are combined. The Anointed One has come in order to establish Zion.
62.1-2 ‘For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp which burns. And the nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory, and you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of Yahweh will name.’
The Anointed One Is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - The Son of God. He first declares His intentions to bring home the concept of Zion to the nations. He will not rest until the nations know that Yahweh is there, reigning in glory among His true people. He will not rest until they see the glory of the Zion that is calling to them. Then He declares to them the certain fulfillment of what He will accomplish. His central purpose is the establishment of all that Zion means, and He will not cease His endeavors or give Himself rest until all His people are a shining witness of the effectiveness of His work; until all see their righteousness shining out as He says recorded by the apostle Matthew in chapter 5 verse 16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
. He will pay for our sins and all will behold their salvation which will be like a burning lamp.
For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace.’ The verb can refer to action rather than words. We see this truth brought out in the Gospel of Luke chapter 9 verse 51, “And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem
Our Lord Jesus knew what awaited Him in Jerusalem – the awful suffering, crucifixion, and death on the cross. Yet, we read in the book of Hebrews this love of Jesus for us all, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
From the foundation of the world He volunteered to pay the price for our sins. What A Great Holy God we have. He cannot rest until His words have been successful on behalf of His people. Here Zion and Jerusalem are used to denote the purified, faithful Israel, but in the whole context of God’s presence with them and among them.
‘Until her righteousness goes forth as vivid brightness, and her salvation as a lamp which burns.’ Once again salvation and righteousness are paramount. Both go together. There can be no salvation until they are accounted righteous, and that can only be through that salvation. Both go forward hand in hand. Then once righteousness has been imputed and imparted it will be like a shining brightness, a vivid brightness before them. They will be a fit witness to the glory of Yahweh. Their lights will shine out before men who will see their good works and glorify their Father Who is in Heaven as we read in the Gospel of Matthew 5.16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
The consequences of their deliverance and salvation will also be a burning light, in a similar way to the lives of men like John the Baptist, which we find out in the Gospel of John 5.35, He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.. The basic thought is of a world in darkness, unable to see, until the brightness of the light shines on them out of the darkness, revealed in the purity of life of God’s people.
I have been called a lot of names. Mostly I would not like to list. But like a bride who receives her husband’s name, we also receive a new name when we come to God as He requires. Are new family name is ‘Christian’. This is what our Precious Holy Spirit points out to us in this verse - ‘And the nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory, and you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of Yahweh will name.’ Such will be the brightness of their lives that nations and kings will see and wonder, and there will be given to them a new name depicting the glorious change that has occurred in them, a name given to them by Yahweh. For so wonderful will be their transformation that only Yahweh can provide the name. They will be His workmanship. The giving of a new name indicates total transformation. They will be those named by Yahweh.
62.3-5 ‘You will be a crown of beauty in the hand of Yahweh, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You will no more be termed, Forsaken, nor will your land any more be termed Desolate, but you will be called, My Delight Is In Her (Hephzibah), and your land, Married (Beulah), for Yahweh delights in you, and your land will be married.’ For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so will your God rejoice over you.’
Here the total transformation is described. God’s people will also become a royal crown of beauty in Yahweh’s hand. It is not on His head because that would depict that royal authority belongs to His people, it is in His hand because they are under His care and protection, because it shows that they and we are His own private possession, and because it represents the royal worth and dignity that is theirs and ours. The thought may also be that He has fashioned it with His own hands.
Do not forget that the promises our Holy Father had made to the nation of Israel also applies to us. In the book of Romans chapter 15 verse 4 it says, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope”.
In the past they have been Forsaken and Desolate, but this will be so no longer, for instead they will be called My Delight Is In Her (hephzibah - in contrast to forsaken) and Married (beulah - in contrast to desolate). When God’s true people feel forsaken and desolate they can take comfort in these words, that in their new state they are those in whom God delights and who are bound to Him by the closest of ties.
In Old Testament times, the Israelites understood the power behind a name. Whether there was actual spiritual blessing or power imparted through a God-given name, or whether the names given simply powerfully influenced the thoughts and beliefs of persons about themselves, the names of the Old Testament characters in many ways predicted or foreshadowed important characteristics or the roles that they would play. “Hephzibah” is found twice in the Old Testament, 2 Kings 21:1 and Isaiah 62:4. Translated from the original Hebrew, Hephzibah literally means, “My delight is in her.” In 2 Kings 21:1, Hephzibah is the name of King Hezekiah’s wife. The name Hephzibah or Hafzbah expresses a very clear idea. Since the same root hafz means "guarding" or "taking care of," all words from this root suggest the idea of "safeguarding," and therefore the name Hephzibah means not only someone who evokes delight, but also "one who is guarded," a "protected one."
The more enigmatic use of the term can be found in Isaiah 62:4: “No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.” In this passage, God is speaking to the nation of Israel, who had turned from a monotheistic worship of the one, true God to a mishmash of idolatry, including worship of the Baals and Ashtoreth, in combination with worship of God. Because of this “adultery,” God turned from Israel, and the Northern Kingdom was invaded by the Assyrians in 732 BC, which resulted in the loss of the northern territory surrounding the Sea of Galilee. In 722 BC, the Samarian area fell to Assyria, resulting in the deportation of vast numbers of the Israelites to other parts of the Assyrian Empire.
Isaiah 62:4 is a message of hope to the nation of Israel. God plans to change its name from Deserted and Desolate to Hephzibah and Beulah. Beulah means “married.” When God changes a name in the Bible, it conveys transformation, a second chance, and a new beginning. This passage promises the restoration of Israel to a place of favor and protection in God’s sight. Through this passage, the whole world knows that God finds delight in Israel and is married to her. He will no longer forsake His people. The Lord has sworn to never again allow a conqueror to overcome Israel, and Israel will exist in a sanctuary of safety.
Israel would prepare the way for all those to come to receive the Lord’s salvation. Ultimately through Israel, our Lord Jesus came bringing His reward and recompense, fulfilling the Old Testament prophetic passages for the Messiah. Israel will be called “the Holy People, the Redeemed of the LORD; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted” (Isaiah 62:12). Since its rebirth in 1948, the nation of Israel has survived despite the fact that it is totally surrounded by enemies sworn to its destruction. For those familiar with Isaiah 62:4, however, the persistence of Israel should come as no surprise. The message of hope to the nation of Israel is ultimately a message of hope to all mankind, for from Israel comes the hope of the ages, the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
62.6 ‘I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, they will never hold their peace day nor night, you who are Yahweh’s remembrances, take for yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest until He establish, and until He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Isaiah calls on the true people of God to constant intercession. He has set them as watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem, perhaps literally. But ‘watchmen’ could also be translated ‘guardians’. Either way they are to pray without ceasing. And they are to intercede unceasingly day and night until it is turned into the true city of God which brings praise to the earth.
Please take note that the true purpose of prayer is its emphasis, and the requirement for continuance in it. When our Lord Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer the first part was concentrated on such intercession, that God’s name be hallowed (sanctified) through the bringing about of His purposes, that God’s Kingly Rule might come and that His will might be done on earth, as in Heaven. That was His concentration. He was one of Yahweh’s remembrances.
So God’s true people are called on to be Remembrances, to be watchmen for God, and to cry to God day and night for the final bringing about of His purposes.
62.8 ‘Yahweh has sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, surely I will no more give your corn, to be food for your enemies, and strangers will not drink your wine, for which you have labored, but those who have garnered it will eat it, and praise Yahweh, and those who have gathered it will drink it, in the courts of my sanctuary.’
There is no more heartbreaking situation than to have labored and then to find the fruits of that labor unfairly wrested from us by another. I remember a time when I took on a part time job to help pay the bills. I went to work for a retail clothing outlet. I worked each evening for about 4 hours and all day Saturday. On the following Monday I received my pay check which came to a whopping $68. Tired and exhausted I drove home. As I was driving I noticed red flashing lights behind me. After pulling over the police officer came up and asked me if I remembered not coming to a full stop at a stop sign two miles back. ‘I responded, “Are you kidding?’I am supposed to remember what I did two miles back. Well, I got a ticket. Guess how much it cost? Yep - 68 dollars.
As you know the world is a place of greed and selfishness, and there are always those who will strive to obtain what is not theirs. None experienced this more than Judah in Isaiah’s time as Assyria again and again entered the territory of Judah in predatory raids
However, this condition will not be so in God’s new world. There selfishness and greed will have been done away. Predatory enemies will have ceased. Each person will enjoy the fruits of his life and activity in the presence of God. It will be Paradise restored. The symbolic nature of the promises is brought out in that all consumption of wine is to be in the courts of His sanctuary. This could not be literal. The thought was rather that wherever they were they would drink it as in the presence and conscious awareness of their Protector, just as those who ate would praise Yahweh - For they would live in the presence of God.
62.10 ‘Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way of the people, cast up, cast up the highway, gather out the stones, lift up a banner for the peoples.’
While the work of salvation is all of God it is the privilege of His people to have their part to play in it. They are to prepare the way for Him to act. Thus they are not to sit in their Jerusalem but are to go outside the gates and prepare the way for the return to God of those who are scattered. Zion is to make a way back to Zion. They are to build up the highway, remove stumbling blocks, and raise a banner calling the people to come. Theirs is the work of evangelism. The double repetition stresses the urgency of the task. Note the active participation required. They are to put great effort into making the way for people as easy as possible by every means at their command.
62.11-12 ‘Behold Yahweh has proclaimed to the end of the earth, “Say to the daughter of Zion, behold your salvation comes.”, behold His reward is with Him, and his recompense before him, and they will call them the holy people, The redeemed of Yahweh, and you will be called Sought Out, A city not forsaken.’
Note God’s call to the end of the earth. The scattered exiles around the world, ‘the daughter of Zion’, are to be informed that the time of Yahweh’s deliverance is coming. Note the threefold repetition of ‘behold’. It is a startling event. They are to ‘behold’ Yahweh’s proclamation. They are to ‘behold’ the coming Deliverer and His deliverance. And they are to ‘behold’ what blessings the Deliverer has obtained in His people.
‘Behold your salvation comes.’ This salvation is a ‘He’. The One Who comes Is the author of their salvation and its Mediator. He Is The One Who bore their transgressions and offered Himself a guilt offering on their behalf which chapter 53.1-12 pointed out. He Is The One Who makes them to be accounted righteous (53.11). He is the One Who saves by His mighty arm (59.17; 62.8)
His call is worldwide. All God’s people are to be stirred. The Savior Is coming to receive His reward and recompense, and those who respond will thus become the holy people, the redeemed of Yahweh. Then they will seek out Zion, which will be called Sought Out, the city not forsaken.
Does this last passage ring a bell for you? Yes, in the book of Revelation our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says this to us, “12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” 14 Blessed are those who do His commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. 16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
And can we all say this ‘Even so, comes quickly Lord Jesus!’
