Isaiah 62:1-5; 1Cor. 12:4-11; John 2:1-12; Psalm 96
January 16, 2022
Lloyd Penner
Isaiah 62:1-5
Isaiah is considered by many scholars to be the greatest of the prophets. He lived in the latter half of the 8th century B.C.E. during a time of great uncertainty and danger. The Assyrian Empire had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and scattered it’s people in 722 and was now threatening to do the same to the southern kingdom of Judah although in the end Judah managed to survive until 586 when the Babylonians captured Jerusalem. Isaiah was a member of the upper class and so had easy access to the kings of Judah. His message and that of his disciples to them and to the rest of the people was very direct. God, who is the exalted King of heaven, had chosen them for a special task. Jerusalem (also called Zion) was to be the capital of God’s kingdom on earth. However, God was a holy God and therefore could not live in a city that was morally defiled. In the end, the city and its people would be saved but because of their sins they would have to experience judgment first.
Isaiah’s writing style is majestic and poetic, classical Hebrew at its best. Here are a few examples: Chapter 5 begins with” Let me sing for my beloved. My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile field.” I encourage you to read the rest of the chapter-amazing poetry. Then who can forget chapter 6? “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lofty and the hem of his robe filled the temple and the seraphs called out, ”Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. The whole earth is filled with his glory.” But what we remember most about the book of Isaiah are the Messianic passages many of which we read during Advent and Christmas. Chapter 11, “A root shall come out of Jessie and a branch shall grow out of his roots” or Chapter 60, “Arise, shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” It is not surprising that Handel used so many passages from Isaiah in his great oratorio, Messiah. Jesus read words from the book of Isaiah to help launch his ministry, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.
Now we come to Isaiah 62:1-7 which we heard a few minutes ago. The author is very insistent. God has promised that he will vindicate and restore the holy city and it’s time that God keeps his promise. The author then uses a series of remarkable images to get his point across. When God restores the city, it will have a new name. A new name in the Bible means a new era has begun. Instead of the land being called “Desolate” it shall be called “My delight is in her” Wow, forgive me if I say I found this new name to be “delightful”. This is just the beginning. Here are some more metaphors: “The city shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of God.” Then in verses 4 and 5 we come to what in my view is the most stunning comparison. “For as a young man marries a young woman so shall your builder (God) marry you and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride so shall your God rejoice over you.” One of the great differences between the Hebrew faith and that of other peoples in that era was that Yahweh desired an intimate relationship with his people. The mystic, Meister Eckhart, went so far as to say, “Our God needs us as much as we need God” Contemplate that.
This is why in verses 6 and 7, the author can bravely remind God of his sworn promise to restore and glorify Jerusalem. The author say that watchmen will be posted all day and night on the walls of the city but their job is not to warn against enemy attacks but to keep reminding God and give him no rest until God has reestablished Jerusalem’s place as the center of his Kingdom on earth and has made the city renowned throughout the earth.
This image of Jerusalem is picked up again in the New Testament particularly in the book of Revelation. Revelation 21 reads in part as follows: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And I saw the holy city the new Jerusalem coming down from out of heaven from God prepared as a bride for her husband.” The author goes on to say that everything in this this city will be new: no more sorrow, no more injustice, no more war and much more. This vision of a better world has inspired people for thousands of years. I think it is one of the blessings that our faith has given to the world. Christianity at its best is a religion of hope. And do we ever need hope at this time! It has even inspired political leaders to do their best to build a better world. As a young person in 1961, I listened on the radio as the Baptist minister, Tommy Douglas, ended his acceptance speech as the first leader of the New Democratic Party with these words from a poem by William Blake and inspired by Scripture. “We shall not rest till we have built Jerusalem in this fair and pleasant land.” These words and the message of Isaiah inspire us still. May it be so.