Bible Commentaries
Isaiah 54

Verses 1-8

Isa 54:1-8

Isaiah 54:1-3

In this chapter, our sacred author turns from the atoning sufferings and death of the Son of God which won at awful and agonizing cost the hope of eternal life for the sinful race of Adam, giving every man ever born the possibility of renewing the lost fellowship with the Creator that was lost in the disaster in Eden; from all this, so magnificently presented in the previous chapter, he here turns to give us a glance of the future glories of God’s kingdom under Messiah.

This chapter is not a dissertation on God’s remarriage to the old whore Racial Israel, as some have vainly supposed, but an outline of the marvelous blessings in the Kingdom of Heaven, under the rule of Messiah. Kelley alleged that, "An appropriate title for this section would be `the return of the prodigal wife.’ In language strongly reminiscent of Hosea, the prophet describes the restoration of Israel to God’s favor." Many people simply need to read the Book of Hosea again. Gomer was indeed brought back home, but no longer as the wife of Hosea. At the time of her return, her husband said to Gomer, "Thou shalt not be wife to any man, and so will I also be toward thee" (Hosea 3:3). The declaration of this passage is that "Never again shall racial Israel be the "wife" of Jehovah. Four times the Word of God emphatically declares that there is "No distinction" between Jews and Gentiles. Race has no significance whatever in God’s holy religion. Despite this, the commentaries are full of the very type of inaccuracy and misunderstanding just cited.

As Barnes noted:

"This chapter contains a promise of the enlargement, moral renovation, and the future glory of the kingdom of God, especially under the Messiah. Although designed to give comfort to the captives in Babylon, it was a consolation to be derived from what would occur in distant times under the Messiah ... The design of the whole chapter is consolatory, and is a promise of what would certainly result from God’s purpose of sending the Messiah into the world."

"All attempts to interpret this chapter as a prophecy of the exiles’ return from Babylon and the rebuilding of physical Israel as a nation and of physical Jerusalem as a city are extremely weak. Rather, the subject here is the glorious results of the Servant’s sacrificial work in redeeming a spiritual people."

The interpretation given by Hailey, above, harmonizes perfectly with all of the Old Testament prophecies, with all of the teachings of Jesus Christ and his apostles, and with all of the facts of human history. The church was in God’s plans from the beginning, "before the world was," being definitely a part of "God’s eternal purpose"; and it is no accident, makeshift, or accommodation to the rebellions and iniquities of men (Ephesians 3:9-11). Therefore the Church is prophesied in Isaiah, this very chapter being an instance of such prophecies.

The contrast that looms in this chapter "is not the state of the Gentile world contrasted with that of the Jews." It is a contrast between the status of Racial Israel throughout her history as slaves in Egypt, captives in Babylon, depicted in Isaiah 52 as a wretched drunken woman with none to help her, neglected, forsaken, divorced, cast out and abandoned, a contrast between all of that and the glorious estate of the New Israel, a legitimate child of the Old Israel, now married to the Son of God Himself in the Kingdom of the Messiah.

For extensive discussion of the marriage state of the two Israel’s, the Old, and the New, see our studies in the Book of Hosea, Vol. 2, in our series of commentaries on the minor prophets, pp. 53-67.

Isaiah 54:1-3

THE GREAT GROWTH OF GOD’S KINGDOM UNDER MESSIAH

"Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith Jehovah. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited."

Fortunately, we do not need to rely upon merely human opinion as to what is meant here. The inspired apostle Paul quoted this passage (Galatians 4:26-27) and applied it to the Church of Jesus Christ. The Jerusalem in view here is not literal Jerusalem at all, but "The Jerusalem that is above, which is free, which is our mother."

Thus, the metaphor of enlarging the dwelling places and of "spreading abroad" in all directions is a reference to the great growth and prosperity of the Christian faith. "Thy seed shall possess the nations" is a promise that the great heart of all the Gentile nations shall accept the principles of Christianity; and thus, in the sense of the value-judgments and guiding principles that shall control those nations, these shall be derived from the Judaic faith, as interpreted and extended in Christianity.

Isaiah 54:4-8

"Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. For thy Maker is thy husband; Jehovah of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. For Jehovah hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith Jehovah the Redeemer."

The false understanding of this passage as a remarriage between God and the old Racial Israel which never in any sense whatever repented and which even rebelled against God’s command to return to Judah, preferring to remain in Babylon, derives from a failure to see that it was only the "righteous remnant" who would receive this consolation, believe it, and return to Judah when God commanded it. The marriage of God here would not be with the old crowd at all but with the new group "the righteous remnant" so prominent in Isaiah; and from those "Israelites Indeed," who made up the nucleus of Those who followed Christ, and from whom the New Bride of Jesus Christ would be formed.

The thing that confuses some is that the glorious promises such as these, occurring throughout the prophecy are addressed to Israel, usually understood as the physical, fleshly, racial Israel; because, indeed, those who received these promises and honored them were racial Israelites; but as McGuiggan observed, "All such promises, while addressed to the nation at large, are the heritage only of those who commit themselves to God (Isaiah 54:17; Isaiah 55:6-7 and Isaiah 57:13)." However, in all of God’s promises, there is an implied condition, whether specifically stated or not, and that is the condition "provided that, those receiving the promises continue in the way of God." Thus, the Israelites who would not return to Judah, as well as all of them who would not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, lost forever all rights and privileges of a saving relationship with God.

But Jews are racial descendents of Abraham! So what! So were the murderers of Jesus Christ (John 8); but Jesus called them the "sons of the devil," and stated categorically that, "If ye were Abraham’s seed, ye would love me" (John 8:31-42).

Isaiah 54:1-4 REPOPULATED: The result of the Suffering Servant’s redemptive work (Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12) shall be a prolific spiritual offspring. He is to “bring many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10-13). That is why Zion (God’s faithful remnant in the O.T. which will become His church in the N.T.) is told to “break forth into singing.” The physical descendants of Abraham (cf. Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 17:2-8, etc.) did not produce spiritually as they should have. Most of his offspring turned to idolatry and ungodliness. Jerusalem, the “holy” city, was barren of spiritual children except for a small remnant of faithful (cf. Isaiah 8:16). But when the Servant shall have completed His work Israel shall produce spiritual offspring prolifically (cf. Galatians 3:29). Jerusalem cannot produce because God, her Husband has forsaken her on account of her sins. She will be given over to captivity for a season. But the time will come when she will produce more children than a woman who had never been forsaken (cf. Isaiah 49:18-26; Isaiah 51:1-3; Zechariah 2:1-5; Hosea 1:10-11). She will produce a “great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues . . .” (Revelation 7:9).

Inasmuch as the “new” Jerusalem (the Messiah’s kingdom, the church) is to produce an innumerable offspring, she will need to “enlarge” her “tent.” Jehovah instructs the people of Isaiah’s day to stretch their faith to accept an expanded concept of the Messiah’s kingdom. God is going to extend covenant relationship to more than Jews; He is going to include “the nations.” Ezekiel’s vision of the glorified temple, land, city and priesthood (Ezekiel 40-48) is a graphic, figurative prophecy of the immense enlargement which will be necessary for the coming messianic kingdom. Ezekiel’s “temple” was never intended to be literally built. It is hyperbole. The terumah (“most holy place” RSV, Ezekiel 48:12) measures about 2500 square miles, nearly twice as large as the whole area of geographic Judea! The rebuilt temple (Ezekiel 40:2) of Ezekiel was 500 reeds (4500 square feet), larger than the literal Jerusalem of Ezekiel’s day or our day. Ezekiel’s exaggerated temple, land and city are visionary predictions of the “enlargement” of the messianic age. Micah predicts, “A day for the building of your walls! In that day (the messianic age) the boundary shall be far extended . . .” (Micah 7:11 f).

Jehovah’s people are to take comfort in the fact that their redemption draws nigh. The finished work of the Servant is now on the prophetic horizon (Isaiah 53), therefore, Zion need no longer look upon her temporary captivity and “indignation” with hopelessness. She shall forget all her shame when the Servant comes and takes her, shame upon Himself. The reproach associated with barrennesss will be forgotten when she begins to produce spiritual children through the gospel, She will then be the church of Christ “without spot or blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Isaiah 54:5-8 REUNITED: Through the Servant, Jehovah will reclaim His “wife.” Jehovah will be reunited, remarried to His people in a new covenant relationship (cf. Isaiah 56:6-8; Jeremiah 31:27-34; Ezekiel 37:24-28; etc.). The Old covenant will pass away and be remembered no more (cf. Jeremiah 3:15-18). They must remember that the prophet Isaiah is speaking the promise of Almighty God. They must find their reasons for singing and shouting and for overcoming their shame and hopelessness in the fact that these are promises of Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth! Jehovah will call back His forsaken wife (cf. Ezekiel 16:53-63; Hosea 1:10-11; Hosea 2:14-23; Hosea 3:1-5), through the messianic covenant. The Lord will forsake Zion for only a short time (See Daniel 8:19; Daniel 11:36) compared with the time He will show His great mercy to Zion. The “indignation” will last only 600 years (from the captivities until the Christ). But Jehovah will show everlasting lovingkindness to Zion.

The interesting thing about this passage in which the Lord refers to His reconciliation to His “wife” is that it is to include the “nations” (goiym, Gentiles). The Gentiles will be called into the new covenant relationship and be a part of the “bride of Christ.” Although the prophets predicted it and the Christ taught it, many of the Jews could never accept it. It took even some of the apostles a few years to understand and accept it (cf. Acts 10, 11, 15; Galatians 2, etc.).

Verses 9-10

Isa 54:9-10

Isaiah 54:9-10

"For this is as the waters of Noah unto me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith Jehovah that hath mercy on thee."

What is this? It is God’s promise that the New Covenant, of which Christ is the Mediator, shall never be taken away, and as Jesus said, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:18-20).

"Words of comfort like this are not to be taken as a blanket promise that all Jews, penitent sinners and impenitent rogues alike, are to be forgiven, The glorious descriptions such as we find here (and in the final paragraph) assume penitence and obedience on the part of the people to be blessed."

The glorious promises here certainly include the Divine Pledge that God’s people will never again go into captivity; and some have complained that God did not keep this promise because Israel was destroyed, 1,000,000 of them murdered, and 30,000 of them sold into slavery in Egypt at the conclusion of the war in 70 A.D.; but God is faithful, and like all of his other promises, he has kept this one also. As Rawlinson explained:

"Much as the Christian Church has suffered from the world, it has never been with them like it was with captive Jews in Babylon. Here the prophet views the Jewish Church as absorbed and continued in the Christian Church, into which all the better and more spiritual members passed at the first preaching of the gospel."

This alleged "failure" of God to keep his promise to the Jews, indicates that merely racial Jews were no longer "heirs of the promises" to Abraham, but that all of those precious promises were henceforth the inheritance of the saved "in Christ Jesus," a fact that Paul stated categorically in Galatians 3:29.

Isaiah 54:9-10 PERMANENCE: The future reconciliation promised in Isaiah 54:1-8 is, of course, predicted on the condition that Zion will enter into covenant relationship with Jehovah through the Suffering Servant who is to come. This covenant relationship will be as intimate and precious as a marriage; for that, in fact, is what it will be—the Lord married to His bride (the church) Zion. In the verse before us now, the permanence or certainty of that relationship is declared. When the Lord predicts that He will enter into a covenant of reconciliation with Zion, it is as certain to come to pass as His promise not to destroy the world by a flood again.

God’s covenant sign to Noah was the rainbow. God’s covenant sign of reconciliation was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The Jews of Jesus’ day were not satisfied by the evidence of His miracles that He came to fulfill the covenant promises made through the prophets. Jesus told them that one great sign would be given them (the sign of Jonah; Matthew 12:38-42; Luke 11:29-32) confirming that He was the Messenger of the Covenant (cf. Malachi 3:1-4). The writer of Hebrews said that when God desired to demonstrate the immutability of His promise of covenant reconciliation, He “interposed” (emesiteusen, Gr., Hebrews 6:17) with an oath. What God actually did was “interpose” Himself as that oath, incarnate in Jesus Christ. All the promises of God find their verification, validation, confirmation and authentication (“Yes” or “Amen”) in Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:18-20). The new covenant is one of a “living hope” by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 3:3-5). The surety of God’s new covenant does not originate subjectively within man. It does not have its basis in man’s ability to earn surety through self-righteousness. The surety of God’s reconciliation is in God’s objective, historical “interposition” in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We appropriate it by faith and may experience it subjectively, but its certainty is in its objectivity and historicity! The confirmation of God’s new covenant is even more certain than the confirmation of the covenant made to Noah. Mountains and hills, heaven and earth, rainbows and clouds may pass away (and most certainly will), but Christ conquered death and lives forever. The Word of God, confirmed by the resurrection of Christ, abides forever (Matthew 5:17-20; Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:22-25). God through Isaiah, is promising Zion that she shall be cast off for a little while but she will be reconciled to Him later (through the Servant) in an eternal marriage. He has sworn it will come to pass. God does not lie. His word is sure!

Verses 11-17

Isa 54:11-17

Isaiah 54:11-17

"O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy pinnacles with rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones. And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness which is of me, saith Jehovah."

Isaiah 54:11-12, here describe "the external beauty of the kingdom of God." Of course, the language is wholly metaphorical, much like the magnificent description of the "New Jerusalem," coming down out of heaven from God in Revelation 21-22. Men, many of them, at least, do not view God’s church in such extravagantly magnificent colors; but this is God’s view, the correct view. The Church is the most beautiful, sublime, glorious, and magnificent entity upon the planet earth. Her head is in heaven itself; and there’s no other organization known among men that is worthy even to be compared with the Church.

Isaiah 54:13 is a glimpse of the inner, spiritual glory and beauty of the Church. "All thy children shall be taught of God"! Membership in the Jewish nation was via natural birth and the circumcision that followed (in the case of males) some eight days later. Thus, unless such individuals were carefully instructed and reared in their faith, they remained as persons who had no knowledge whatever of God. The words here show that a new system was being followed during the reign of Messiah. Just as Jeremiah had foretold:

"For they shall all know me (in the days of the New Covenant), from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more" (Jeremiah 35:1-19).

The simple meaning of this is that infants and children before accountability "cannot belong" to the Christian Church, for they do not "know the Lord," the presumptuous acceptance of infant church membership by some churches to the contrary, notwithstanding. One must "know the Lord" before he can become a member.

The balance of these verses speak of the peace, tranquillity, security, safety, and absence of fear among God’s people in the Church.

In times past God had brought powerful enemies against his people, but never again. There indeed may arise powerful and determined enemies, but the Lord will not be with them (Isaiah 54:15). God’s people shall be established in righteousness (Isaiah 54:14); but that righteousness shall not be of themselves, but of Jehovah (Isaiah 54:17).

A further word about that "righteousness" is in order. The righteousness that redeems and establishes the people of God is genuine, not imputed, or faked; it is the real thing. It is the righteousness achieved and wrought by Jehovah through Christ, the righteousness of Jesus Christ being in fact the only actual righteousness ever known on earth. Now without that righteousness, no one shall ever see God or be saved. How, then does one acquire it? Oh, it is imputed to man upon the basis of faith, some say. Ah no! That would be altogether a phony righteousness. How then, does one possess it? God’s way of saving stinking sinners is not by shooting righteousness into stinking sinners, but by requiring that sinners deny themselves, confess Christ, repent and be baptized "into Christ" who is righteous, that is, by transferring sinners "into Christ." Thus, no man who ever lived can be saved except as he is identified with Christ, as Christ, and in Christ; and then, he is not saved as John Smith or Joe Bloke, but "as Christ."

Isaiah 54:11-12 PRECIOUSNESS: When this “marriage” takes place between God and His new Zion, the bride (the church) will be regaled in beauty. The old Zion, having degraded itself with idolatry and paganism (Jeremiah 18:12-17, etc.), is about to be taken captive and made a “byword” among the nations. The old Zion will suffer shame, humiliation and mocking. The old Zion will be loathed as a harlot (cf. Ezekiel 16:1-52), but Jehovah will restore her fortunes and make her the beautiful, new Zion (Ezekiel 16:53-63).

The Hebrew word puk in Isaiah 54:11 is translated “fair colors” but might be more accurately translated “antimony” because the Hebrew word apparently refers to a mineral powder used as an eye pigment (cf. 2 Kings 9:30) which was also mixed with a liquid to make a cement or paste in which stones or jewels might be set. This puk would make a setting that would enhance the beauty of the jewels. That is the point of the passage. Peniyniym is the Hebrew word for rubies (they are red); sappiyriym are sapphires (they are blue-green); aekeddakh is Hebrew for carbuncles (they are also brilliant red) and the word more literally means simply, sparkling. The new Zion will be beautiful and precious. Peter must have had this in mind when he wrote 1 Peter 2:4-10! Christ’s church is precious and pure (Ephesians 5:25-27) The best human words available to John to describe the extravagant beauty of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9-21) were words describing jewels and precious stones. Of course, the “precious stones” will be purified, sanctified Christians who are “living stones” in whom the Spirit of the living God abides (cf. Ephesians 2:19-22).

Isaiah 54:13-17 PROTECTION: The phrase, “. . . taught of Jehovah” is quoted by Jesus (John 6:45) in His sermon on The Bread of Life. It is therefore a prediction of the Messiah. Isaiah was predicting the Incarnation! Jesus Christ was “the bread come down out of heaven.” The new Zion would be established and continually sustained by “eating” the incarnated Bread from Heaven. The new Zion would have the privilege of being taught directly by God in the flesh. The old Zion had only “divers portions and divers manners” of God’s revelation through the prophets (Hebrews 1:1), but in the messianic age the new Zion would be spoken to by God Incarnate in the Son. Anyone taught by Jesus is taught by God Himself.

The protection God is promising Zion here is essentially spiritual. It should be clearly understood by any student of the New Testament that Christians are never promised complete deliverance from wars, sicknesses, trials and tribulations. All who live godly in this world will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). The prophets never promised the Jewish people a time when they would be free of physical tribulation on this earth. The promise that Zion shall be “far from oppression” is a promise of freedom from spiritual oppression (guilt, fear of judgment). The new Zion will be founded in righteousness (cf. Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:1-16, etc.). The imputed righteousness of God because of the atoning death of Christ will free the new Zion from guilt and fear of judgment. The Lord will protect His church and the gates of eternal death shall never prevail against it because Christ will partake of flesh and blood and destroy the power of the devil which is the fear of death (cf. Hebrews 2:14-18; Isaiah 25:6-9). In Isaiah 54:15-17 the prophet clearly predicts that Zion will suffer physical attacks as well as judgmental accusations (probably referring to the chief slanderer himself, the devil), but none of it shall prevail against God’s new Zion. God is the Creator of everything and everyone. He is able to control all His creation and use it to fulfill His ultimate purpose which is the redemption of those who come into covenant relationship to Him through the Servant. And He will do so! Zion’s future righteousness cannot be gainsaid. The accuser of all mankind cannot hurt God’s new Zion with his accusations. The heritage of new Zion shall be the perfect righteousness of God Himself, which God has given her by His grace through His Servant. The Hebrew word tsedek is able to be translated righteousness or justness. The meaning in this text apparently has more of the flavor of justification, vindication or exoneration. God’s new Zion will be cleared of all guilt and be given God’s righteousness through her covenant marriage in the Servant.