|
|
Zion’s Coming Salvation
62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
The nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will give.
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land Married;
for the LORD delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.
On your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night
they shall never be silent.
You who put the LORD in remembrance,
take no rest,
and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it a praise in the earth.
The LORD has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
“I will not again give your grain
to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink your wine
for which you have labored;
but those who garner it shall eat it
and praise the LORD,
and those who gather it shall drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.”
Go through, go through the gates;
prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway;
clear it of stones;
lift up a signal over the peoples.
Behold, the LORD has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion,
“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.”
And they shall be called The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the LORD;
and you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
(ESV)
Isaiah 62 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
*If you haven’t read the Isaiah 61 blog entry, it would be helpful for context. Isaiah 62 is picking up on the new status of Israel after their redemptive moment in Isaiah 61.*
Holy people. Redeemed. Sought out. Not forsaken.
A relational God uses relational language for His people. They will go from captivity to redemption. They will go from a destructive relationship to one of empowerment. Interestingly, this status change will come with a “new name.”
“Nations will see your righteousness and all kings, your glory. You will be given a new name that the LORD’s mouth will announce. [3] You will be a glorious crown in the LORD’s hand, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God’s hand.”
Isaiah 62:2-3 CSB
Where else in the Bible do we read this same language?
“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.
Revelation 2:17 CSB
The prophecy in Isaiah 62 is contextually speaking to Israel. John, in the book of Revelation, is writing to churches in Asia Minor (a primarily Gentile region). So, the question is, what is the connection? G.K. Beale believes there is a common thread that runs through both of these prophecies. The concept of receiving a “new name” is related to ownership and identity.
“This conclusion is also pointed to by observing that the ‘new name’ of 2:17 is an allusion to the prophecy of Isa. 62:2 and 65:15 about Israel’s new standing in the future. The saints of Israel are referred to figuratively (by metonymy) as Jerusalem which ‘will be called by a new name.’ There, the ‘new name’ designates Israel’s future kingly status (62:3), restoration to Yahweh’s covenantal presence (62:4a; cf. the same significance for ‘name’ in 56:4–8; 65:15–19).”
“The promised blessings of this prophecy will be fulfilled among those in the church, the latter-day Israel, who do not compromise. Isaiah’s prophecy of Israel’s restoration to God’s latter-day presence lies as the substratum also for all the other references in the book to the believers’ ‘name’ (3:12; 14:1; 22:4) and God’s or Christ’s ‘name’ (3:12 and 22:4, as well as 19:12–13, 16).”
G.K. Beale
In Isaiah, the “new name” symbolizes a future status change for Israel. There will come a royal day when they will be restored to a special relationship with God. In Revelation, we learn that these promises also apply to believers in the church who remain faithful and do not compromise their beliefs. It is also significant to mention that (as Beale states) the concept of a “new name” also appears in other parts of the Bible, symbolizing a close relationship with God or Christ.
What does all this mean? God is a relational Father. He loves you as a son or daughter. He has a redemptive plan that positions you in your new eternal identity. And the beautiful thing about all of this is that He gives us the Holy Spirit who empowers us to live the rest of our lives here on earth in that new identity.