Isaiah 62
Today's Passage: Isaiah 62
“Now the Lord said to Abram, Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12 begins what might be considered the “main plot” of the Bible. God called an idolatrous man from an idolatrous nation to be his own (see Joshua 24). God made this promise—a promise of a land, a promise of a nation, and a promise of a blessing, not only to this family, but to the whole world.
Yesterday, in Isaiah 61, we read the passage that Jesus declared in Luke 4:18–19. Yet, Jesus famously stopped reading with the proclamation of the “year of the Lord’s favor,” before the “day of vengeance.” We understand the confusion of many Old Testament passages, like this one, because it doesn’t make a great distinction between the two comings (advents) of Christ—the first coming as the Suffering Servant, the second return as King and Judge. Isaiah 62 continues from chapter 61 in a time after the return of Christ. We must understand this passage as a day yet in the future.
Personally, I believe Isaiah 62 is the redemption and glorification of Israel in the future in fulfillment of Genesis 12. In verse 2, the nations blessed through the covenant God made with Abraham “shall see [Israel’s] righteousness…”
The Lord made promises to Israel, but also to the Land—it “shall no more be termed Desolate… your land shall be married.” If you’ve ever sung the song Beulah Land, “Beulah” is the transliteration of the name change God makes on the Promised Land—“Married.”
We must remind ourselves that this prophecy was spoken before the Babylonian Exile. The promise of a glorified Israel, Land, and celebration of the nations will be hard to swallow as the punishments of Deuteronomy 28 are poured out on an unrepentant Israel. Similarly, as I write this, the world sits watching a war unfold in Israel. Thousands have died. Yet, we all eagerly await the day when the words come to pass—"Behold, the Lord 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 shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.”
God is a promise-maker and a promise-keeper. He is the author of a grand story played out in history. His name will be great. Even when things look bleak, both in our personal lives or as nations rage, God is still at work. He’s still in control. God’s past faithfulness is a pattern and promise of his future faithfulness. We can rest in that, and yet, we must be alert and on mission, obedient and humbly repentant awaiting the day when the Lord will fulfill all his promises.
Written By: Tyler Short
“Now the Lord said to Abram, Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12 begins what might be considered the “main plot” of the Bible. God called an idolatrous man from an idolatrous nation to be his own (see Joshua 24). God made this promise—a promise of a land, a promise of a nation, and a promise of a blessing, not only to this family, but to the whole world.
Yesterday, in Isaiah 61, we read the passage that Jesus declared in Luke 4:18–19. Yet, Jesus famously stopped reading with the proclamation of the “year of the Lord’s favor,” before the “day of vengeance.” We understand the confusion of many Old Testament passages, like this one, because it doesn’t make a great distinction between the two comings (advents) of Christ—the first coming as the Suffering Servant, the second return as King and Judge. Isaiah 62 continues from chapter 61 in a time after the return of Christ. We must understand this passage as a day yet in the future.
Personally, I believe Isaiah 62 is the redemption and glorification of Israel in the future in fulfillment of Genesis 12. In verse 2, the nations blessed through the covenant God made with Abraham “shall see [Israel’s] righteousness…”
The Lord made promises to Israel, but also to the Land—it “shall no more be termed Desolate… your land shall be married.” If you’ve ever sung the song Beulah Land, “Beulah” is the transliteration of the name change God makes on the Promised Land—“Married.”
We must remind ourselves that this prophecy was spoken before the Babylonian Exile. The promise of a glorified Israel, Land, and celebration of the nations will be hard to swallow as the punishments of Deuteronomy 28 are poured out on an unrepentant Israel. Similarly, as I write this, the world sits watching a war unfold in Israel. Thousands have died. Yet, we all eagerly await the day when the words come to pass—"Behold, the Lord 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 shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.”
God is a promise-maker and a promise-keeper. He is the author of a grand story played out in history. His name will be great. Even when things look bleak, both in our personal lives or as nations rage, God is still at work. He’s still in control. God’s past faithfulness is a pattern and promise of his future faithfulness. We can rest in that, and yet, we must be alert and on mission, obedient and humbly repentant awaiting the day when the Lord will fulfill all his promises.
Written By: Tyler Short
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