Zion’s Coming Salvation
Isa 62:1 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.
Isa 62:2 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.
Isa 62:3 You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God.
Isa 62:4 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.
Isa 62:5 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.
Isa 62:6 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,
Isa 62:7 And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Isa 62:8 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.
Isa 62:9 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.”
Isa 62:10 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!
Isa 62:11 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.’ ”
Isa 62:12 And they shall call them The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD; And you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.
1 The fervent desire of the prophet to confirm the church in God’s promises. 5 The office of the ministers (unto which they are incited) in preaching the gospel, 10 and preparing the people thereto.
Isa 62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.
This chapter continues the theme of ch. 61, without interruption—the glorious future of Israel as God’s chosen messenger of truth to the world, on condition that she remain faithful to Him.
Israel failed to live up to her exalted privileges, therefore the promises must find their fulfillment in the church today. Christ is still the speaker, as in ch. 61:1, and tells what He will do in behalf of Zion (see on Ps. 48:2). Zion was a poetic name for Jerusalem.
I will not rest.
Christ pledges Himself not to cease working on behalf of His people until His eternal purpose for them shall have been accomplished (see on ch. 42:4).
Isa 62:2 The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
A new name.
Anciently, a new name was given—or assumed, as the case might be—to commemorate an event of major significance (Gen. 17:5; 32:28; Ruth 1:20; cf. Hosea 1:6, 9; 2:1). Here God’s people receive a new name appropriate to their new experience, to the glorious state to which they, as a nation, have attained. Concerning the nature of their new name see Isa. 62:4, 12. Compare Rev. 2:17; 3:12; 19:12.
Isa 62:3 You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God.
In the day when God’s glorious purpose for Israel becomes a reality, His name will be honoured as all men see the unparalleled success and prosperity with which He has blessed them. God intends that the church today shall likewise become an instrument of praise and beauty in His hand.
Isa 62:4 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.
Forsaken. See on chs. 49:14; 54:6, 7.
Hephzi-bah. Literally, “my delight is in her.” This name betokened restoration to divine favour. Hephzibah was the name of Hezekiah’s wife (2 Kings 21:1), as Azubah, “forsaken,” was of Jehoshaphat’s mother (2 Chron. 20:31).
Beulah. Literally, “possessed,” or “married” (see Eze. 16:8). She who had been in a state of widowhood and desolation would become the honored wife of King Messiah! Compare Hosea’s child, whose name was changed from Loammi, “not my people,” to Ammi, “my people” (Hosea 1:9, 10; 2:1).
Isa 62:5 As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
The marriage relationship is often used in the Bible to represent the covenant relationship between God and His people (see Isa. 54:5; Jer. 3:14; Eze. 16:8–14; Hosea 2:19; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23, 27; Rev. 19:7; 21:2). As a bride brings joy to her husband, so the church brings joy to the heart of God. He will care for them as a faithful husband provides for and protects his beloved bride.
Isa 62:6 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,
It is the duty of the watchmen on the walls of Zion to guard its people against danger. In the ancient Orient danger constantly threatened, and it was necessary for watchmen to be ever on the alert. Every spiritual leader is a watchman, whose duty it is to stand guard upon the walls of Zion. See on ch. 21:11.
Day or night.
The work of a faithful minister is never done (see 2 Tim. 4:2). When others sleep he must remain on guard. When others are weary he must have courage and strength. He must be vigilant, industrious, unselfish, and alert, for on his fidelity depends on the safety of the church. If he sleeps or falters, the enemy may gain a victory, and souls may be lost.
Make mention of the Lord. Literally, “causing to remember the Lord.” The spiritual watchman is accountable not only to his flock but also to God. He must at all times keep close to God, look to Him for counsel, and depend upon Him for strength. Day by day it is his task to present before the Lord the needs of his people and to make certain that their needs will be supplied. For Christ’s personal example see on Isa. 50:4; Mark 3:13; Luke 2:49.
Isa 62:7 And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
God’s servants are neither to take rest themselves nor, as it were, to give God rest till His purpose for them is accomplished. They are to take a deep personal interest in their work, not as hirelings (see on John 10:12, 13), but as men who must give an account (see on Heb. 13:17). Compare Christ’s lesson in the parable of the importunate widow (Luke 18:1–8).
Isa 62:8 The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled;
Upon taking an oath a man was to raise his right arm in solemn affirmation of his truthfulness and sincerity (Deut. 32:40; Eze. 20:5, 15).
Because Israel had sinned, God withdrew His protecting care and allowed their enemies to triumph over them and to despoil the land (see on Isa. 59:1–15). Henceforth, He would defend them against their foes (see on vs. 15–20). God would supply their necessities and bless them abundantly.
Isa 62:9 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.”
My holy courts. That is, in the sanctuary. The Levitical law provided for peace offerings and first fruits to be brought to the Temple in thankful acknowledgment of the blessings of Heaven (Deut. 12:5–18; 14:23). If the people had always continued to be grateful and faithful to God, their blessings would have continued, and their enemies would not have triumphed over them (see on Rom. 1:21).
Isa 62:10 Go through, Go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, Build up the highway! Take out the stones, Lift a banner for the peoples!
Isaiah refers prophetically to the coming of Messiah (see on ch. 40:3–5). All obstructions are to be removed; everything that might give offense is to be put aside.
Lift a standard. That is, a “flag,” or “ensign.” A flag stands for authority and challenges men to be loyal to that authority. God’s law is a spiritual ensign. Similarly, the Scriptures as a whole bear the stamp of Heaven and call for loyal obedience. It is the solemn duty of God’s spiritual watchmen to lift high the standard of truth God has entrusted to them.
Isa 62:11 The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.'”
Ends of the earth. That is, to its farthest extremity. The message of salvation is to go to the most distant parts of earth. Because this work was to have been accomplished anciently by literal Israel, had they been faithful. In our day, it is the great task of the church to work together with God for the fulfillment of these glorious promises.
At His first coming Christ offered salvation to the daughter of Zion (Zech. 9:9; Matt. 21:5–9; John 12:15), but at His second coming He will reward His people, each according to his works (Isa. 40:10; Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12).
Isa 62:12 And they shall call them The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD; And you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.
The holy people. Christ transforms His people into a “glorious church,” “holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:26, 27). When probation closes, Christ’s work of sanctification in behalf of His people will have been completed, and those who are holy will forever remain “holy still” (Rev. 22:11).
Redeemed of the Lord. It is Christ who redeems, or ransoms, His people, a thought Isaiah frequently stresses. In ch. 35:8, 10 he speaks of a “way of holiness” over which “the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion.”
In ch. 43:1 he comforts Israel with the thought that He who created her is the One who redeemed her, and in ch. 51:10, 11 he declares that the redeemed will “come with singing unto Zion.” See also chs. 44:6, 23; 52:3.
A city not forsaken. See on v. 4. Zion had sinned, and because of her sins the Lord had allowed judgments to fall upon her. She thought herself forsaken and forgotten by the Lord (chs. 49:14; 54:6, 7), but Isaiah brings a message of comfort and reassurance (see on ch. 40:1).