To what kind of people is this passage addressed? How would you describe them and the way God speaks to them? How would you describe the way God speaks to them? Some of the sweetest verses in the book can be found in these two chapters (Isaiah 54-55), the tail end of the Book of Comfort.
(A) Ultimately, Love brings forth new life and change (Isa 54:1-3)
53 chapters into the book and a summary might be helpful.
We are in the section of Isaiah from Isaiah 40-55, and there was a time jump between Isaiah 39-40. Israel took a while to grow into the nation that they were from King David’s time to the current situation in Isaiah’s day, yet they are taken out of the land and forced into exile at this point. The people that received the next section of Isaiah are a people in exile. They are far away from home, do not have God’s presence, and have no indication that God is with them. Everything in their life is disgrace, shame and humiliation. It is to those people that the section on grace is given.
God’s word given to those who feel like they have been beaten by life and are more burdened and worried about the present and future than they have ever felt. If you feel this way, Isaiah is also for you.
Isaiah 54 is given to those who are called barren and desolate. Do you feel like your life is fruitless, like the Lord is not with you? Do you feel like your life does not smell and sound like the favour of the Lord is on you? You are in good company in Isaiah 54 tonight.
In Isaiah 54:1, we see that the speaker address the barren one. Isaiah calls them to sing, break forth into singing and cry aloud (Isa 54:1). They are given the reason too: “For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married” (Isa 54:1b). Barrenness is associated with fruitlessness and being forgotten by God. Thus, the exhortation is to those who feel like they have been forsaken and they are called to sing. Notice how Isaiah is not calling those who are in the temple or feel up to it or holy to sing. In fact the call is to those who feel like they have no reason to sing! It might feel strange that God is commanding people to sing. Isn’t it kind of God that when he exhorts us to sing, he doesn’t just tell us to do it? We are also given the reason!
When you go to church this Sunday, and you have many reasons not to sing — maybe you think your voice is bad or you don’t like the song or you are not in the mood or you are too tired. If this is you, pause and remember why we have the reason to sing.
The reason to sing? Fruitfulness and blessing.
The picture of the barren woman runs in the Old Testament as one of the strongest pictures about what the gospel is going to do. From Genesis 3, we are told to look forward that the Saviour will come through childbirth, as the line of the promise goes on and on. Thus, in the people’s mind, having children is a blessing from God and is one of the ways God’s people partner God in the work of redemption.
Yet in the Old Testament, we often have women that are outside the line.
Sarah: Barren and old and God chose her.
Rebekah: Barren and eventually had twins
Rachel: Barren for a while
Hannah: Who bore Samuel, the prophet who ushers in David and speaks for God in a time of darkness
These women were unable to conceive until God’s grace comes and produces her something more than the fertile, fruitful women. God does not choose those things which the world understands naturally, and one of the picture is barrenness.
In Isaiah 54 then, God promises to turn things around when things seems fruitless, dead, and lifeless.
We see this immediately in Isaiah 54:2-3. The people are told to make space for more children and a similar picture is given in Isaiah 49:19-21. They are to be a part of this house-building/get involved in the work of the offspring as they multiply.
Isaiah 54:3 is linked to what was in Isaiah 11:6-9). It is not about a hostile takeover. Rather, the multiplication of the people was always a part of God’s plan. God has always intended for His people to be fruitful and multiply so that the people of God who know and love Him and are love by Him bring about peace wherever they live.
If you call yourself a Christian today, is your life marked by peace? Do you bring the knowledge of God and His peace wherever you go? See God’s plan and what He always wanted here. Remember these words are given to those who feel like they are a failure. God promises to do something in them that is so fruitful, better than even actual children. God promises new life, and through that, change and transformation.
(B) Practically, Love comforts and reconciles (Isa 54:4-8)
Isaiah acknowledges that there is a sense of shame, of being confounded and of disgrace, using the image of widowhood (Isa 54:4). What does this tell us about how we respond to good news? When God tells us good news, we could be tempted to doubt because it seems too impossible to us. What seems more possible is all the other “bad stuff”. Deep down, we know our sins and how we got to the situation. We may think our sins are too real and our guilt is too great for God’s promises of grace. This is why God has to say “Fear not” (Isa 54:4).
We can make a shipwreck of our faith when we say that what we feel is more real than God’s word. We may make ourselves God instead of the God who speaks. When we hear teaching, we need to be sure that teaching is from the Bible and not a man-made speech. God’s word is more real than our feelings, guilt and shame. When He says, “Fear not”, He means it and He desires for us to not have a distance. He wants us to approach Him and trust Him!
In Isaiah 54:5-8, God and His people are described to be in a marriage with conflict and even a temporary desertion on God’s part in exile when He was not favourable to them or distant. At this point, we are going to make a side note that conflict in a marriage is not inevitable. It might also mean a (temporary?) desertion. Marriage is not going to fulfil and perfect us no matter how hard we try.
Back to the text. In Psalm 74:1-3, we have a psalm for those in exile, and God’s distance and coldness might feel like it’s forever. This brings to mind the Exodus account, where God called a people to Himself and entered a covenant at Sinai. This is what is being referenced in Isaiah 54:6.
Yet, see also Isaiah 54:8. God speaks of something that is forever — His “everlasting love”.
Who initiates reconciliation in their conflict? It is the LORD. This is what God does for His people. He is always the one who initiates, whose heart moves towards sinners! We are not on equal terms with God (if we use the marriage picture). God left behind the 99 to find the 1. We are Christians not because we decided to reconcile ourselves to God. This is not how Christians come to Christ. We are Christians because He came looking for us first.
And this is what He does for us in Jesus Christ.
(C) Essentially, Love makes peace (Isa 54:9-10)
What kind of God shows such everlasting love? This is a love that does not love us because we are so lovely. It is not a love that gives us second and third chances because we deserve it. Rather it is a love that proceeds from a God who is steadfast love and a GOd who loves.
We need a radical redefinition of what love is. Most of the time, when we talk about love we are talking about some kind of transaction. But we cannot transact with God. Yet He set His love on us because He loves us.
Have you ever thought about how terrifying it is to be loved by a God who loves us because He loves us? It means we cannot limit, hold Him back or disqualify us from His love!
How do we know this covenant, never stopping and forever love? How do we know that this is what God feels about you and I right now? In Romans 5:6-8, we see how the great hope of the gospel is that while we were lost, disinterested and at enmity with God, barren and desolate and had nothing to do with Him because of our sins, at that moment, Christ died for us. He died for us when we had nothing to offer and give Him. This is love.
If you are a Christian today and think that your gifts, time, money, theology are worthy of something to God, put it down right now and remember what it is like to be loved. He sees us for what we truly are, and still loves us.
There are a thousand different ways for us to chase a feedback that makes us feel valubale. We may not be crass enough to call it love, but think about the ways we dress, speak (or not speak) or the places that we go to, to seek the validation and affirmation of others. Isn’t this why we spend so much time on social media — that we put up a version of ourselves that we want others to like? Can you see all the ways that you are craving love and then seeing how we should be turning to the one who loves us freely? Is your everlasting, steadfast love sufficient for this moment, in your insecurities and fear.
We don’t have to look far. We look to Christ who makes the barren one fruitful. He intiates peace and is the voice of God that brings comforts. He promises that we do not need to fear, for He has dealt with sin and death. His name is the one we want to spread across the earth.
If you are a Christian, know that you belong to the one who is love. You find all the love you need and you can be a blessing to those around you, especially in a world that desperately needs love.
If you are not a Christian or not sure that the love of God extends to you, turn to Him. Repent and believe and turn to Him.