The scripture is so rich with vibrant life. As we have been looking at Isaiah 54, we see the same scripture in its application to me personally and we looked at how it applied to the Israelite nation. Now let us turn to see the richness of how this truly is a prophecy of the church that is made up of all who would believe in Christ. To fully grasp this one must go back and read Isaiah 53 in which Christ’s atoning sacrifice has been presented. It is only reasonable that immediately following, the prophet would speak to the body of believers which will become “the church”. Look at Isaiah 54: 1 “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 the Lord.” The nation of Israel had been separated out as God’s wife through whom in the fullness of time, God sent His son into the world to redeem all who would become His heirs.
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Christ came to take upon Himself the full wrath that justly belonged to each one of us so that we might be saved. He provided the only means by which we might be clothed in the perfect righteousness needed so that we could commune with God and become saturated with the Love, Joy, and Glory that can only belong to God-His Essence, His Righteousness, His Glory and His Being.
Thus, once Isaiah has so described the atoning sacrifice of Christ; he turned to the church. Read verse one again. “Sing, O barren”—the gentiles (as a whole) were not the lineage of Christ and had not bore the son; but, God is calling out to them to sing because they had been barren; yet, the numbers of those who would believe during this the age of the church will outnumber all those saved within the Israelite nation. By sheer numbers the “church” –the body of all those who would believe in Christ as their Savior-“the children of the desolate” outnumber the “children of the married wife.” God has reached forth with tremendous mercy to spread the gospel message to all the world. He has chosen us as His bride—to establish His covenant of mercy, His faithfulness, His vow of love, His protection, and His everlasting provision. Read below
Isaiah 54: “5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.6 For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, …with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.” He proclaimed this new covenant by standing firm on His former covenant with Noah and proclaiming that based upon His Faithfulness, His “10 kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.” His promise of protection of the “church” is true of the body and also true of each and every believer. “14 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…17 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 the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”
Paul in Galatians 4:27 refers back to Isaiah 54:1 as he provides his in-depth argument against legalism and proclaiming once more that our salvation is by grace alone. From the moment of our accepting Christ as our Savior we are declared righteous—we are endowed with the righteousness of Christ. God, who created the Universe takes upon Himself the responsibility for our transformation and He will change us from the inside out beginning with our hearts. For some of us that may require a lot of surgery (which may appear painful at the time); but we can trust the Surgeon’s hand. That is the argument of Paul as he continues in Galatians 5: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage…5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” This transforming work can only be done by God through the redemption of the son and the working of the Holy Spirit then in us. 2 Corinthians 3: “17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Think about the marvelous magnitude of this—my salvation, my transformation, and my eternal position with God is based on God. Think about that. Wouldn’t it be worth it to walk through great trials and tribulations on this earth if that is what is needed to change this heart into one who can desire God above all else and to be one day transformed into the likeness of Christ.
Much like this song by Sidewalk Prophets, “Keep Making Me”; are you willing to be broken so that you might be filled with the love, joy and Glory of God?
© 2014 Effie Darlene Barba
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to any brands, products or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides regarding the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”