Isaiah 54 THE HERITAGE OF THE SERVANTS Because of the victory over all foes brought to us by the Suffering Servant of Jehovah, great blessings have come to those who have become His servants when they put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In the prophecy of Isaiah, the cross work of the Savior was many years in the future, but the promise of it and the effects of it were so real to him, that he wrote of it as an accomplished fact. Israel is seen as a barren woman who in desperate need, casts herself on the Lord. He promises that if she trusts Him, she will become unbelievably fruitful. Though that favored nation, came our Lord Jesus Christ, and because of what He accomplished, millions of Jews and Gentiles from all over the world are made alive from that “olive tree.” Jewish believers, and Gentiles who have been “grafted” into the tree, become fruitful for God. This prophecy also looks farther into the future when Israel is brought back to God as a wife who has finally been willing to reconcile to her husband.
Breaking into singing after a long time of sorrow, gives insight into the feelings of redeemed Israel. The result of the cross-work of our Lord Jesus has “enlarged” the scope of Israel’s influence to include every person born again into the family of God by the Holy Spirit and the word of God. All Gentile believers have been blessed because of the One who would “save His people from their sins,” and “bear away the sin of the world.” What great, impacting and lasting, blessings have come to all of mankind because of the Lord Jesus Christ, who came from the nation of Israel, giving Himself as “a ransom for all.”
No longer is “Jerusalem” confined to its own “tent.” Spread out through all the nations, are the benefits the Servant of Jehovah has provided to bless people. As a result, Israel itself will be brought back to where they will enjoy fellowship with their Maker, the Heavenly Husband, the Lord Almighty, the Holy One of Israel who is the great Redeemer. That look into the future is reason for joy in the hearts of God’s redeemed people. Lasting joy doesn’t come from the defeat of a foe, or the success of an event. It comes when a work is accomplished that brings real, personal and lasting beneficial results. That is what our Lord Jesus has done, and the blessings from that will last for all eternity.
Isaiah’s prophecy told the Jews there were consequences that had to be faced because of the past shame of her youth when they were in the wilderness and rejected the Lord and His counsel. There would also be the reproach of widowhood in Babylon because of willful idolatry and the rejection of her “Husband,” the Lord. That would be “a small moment” in comparison to the covenant blessings that would come in the future. God is holy and cannot tolerate sin, nor would He be just if He merely overlooked it, because by virtue of His holy nature, sin separates people from Him. It brings pain and suffering to those who sin against Him. How thankful we can be as individuals, if we confess and forsake our sins in true repentance, He is willing to, and does, forgive us. The joy of reconciliation can then be real.
After the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ was accomplished when He was here, a way has been opened for lasting blessing. The day will come when Israel will never again be driven again into exile. His covenant with them will be established and not taken away. Covenant love between the Messiah and His earthly people will have mutual commitment when they “look on Him whom they pierced.” Converted Israel will be restored and will be glorious to look at.
The Gospel makes “living stones” of Jews and Gentiles who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. In the future Israel will also be like precious stones, and like our children today who “are taught by the Lord,” so will the children of Israel be taught of the Lord. Peace and righteousness go together in the church today, and it will be the same in Israel when it is finally secure in the fellowship that will be theirs with the Lord. Our safety and certainty are not dependent on us but on Him who provided it for us by taking away our sins. We can live in the enjoyment and value of eternal life now, because our rest is in Him.
Millennial conditions will be such that fear and terror will not overcome the people of God. God controls the forces of nations as well as having all power in heaven and in earth. Now, as in the past through the control He had of Babylon, our Lord retains sovereign control and authority over all forces of men and nature. He uses them for His own purposes for the correction of behavior, and punishment for sin – or whatever other reason He has. “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper,” assures us that God is faithful to His people in spite of every kind of opposition.
Believers in Christ of every age, are the offspring, or the “heritage” of the Lord. All that goes along with being servants of the Lord is guaranteed to us. Through the rest of Isaiah’s prophecy, servants of the Lord are referring to those who belong to God by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Our spiritual heritage assures us of protection and full provision [Isa.58:14]. The kingdom of God is inherited, even though much of what we have is unseen; beyond the ability of the eye to see or the ear to hear. Whatever the “all things” are that are freely given, we know that because they come from God, they will always be for our good.