ISAIAH LESSON 63


     We will begin this lesson in 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 "married wife of God" is speaking of physical Israel. They
are spoken of over and over as the wife of God. In the book of Hosea,
they are spoken of as the unfaithful wife. The desolate are the
unsaved from all nations. When the gospel is presented to the Gentile
world, there are many more who come to Christ, than from the physical
house of Israel. There were a few Jews who came to Christ in the
beginning, but they were in the minority. The apostles were primarily
Jews, but they were not Jews with authority in the temple in
Jerusalem. As a whole, the leaders of the Jews did not accept Christ.
There are more Christian Jews today, than ever in history before. The
apostles {Jews} were the founders of the early church, but that soon
was changed and the majority were Gentiles.

     Isaiah 54:2 "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch
forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy
cords, and strengthen thy stakes;"

     Christianity was not just for a handful of people in the holy
land, but was available to all mankind everywhere. The church would
grow rapidly. Just after the filling of the 120 with the Holy Ghost at
Pentecost, Peter preached and 3 thousand received the Lord. Acts 2:41
"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same
day there were added [unto them] about three thousand souls." This is
just one example of the large multitude of people who came to Christ
after hearing the gospel preached. The lengthening the cords and
strengthening the stakes is another way of saying how the church would
expand.

     Isaiah 54:3 "For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on
the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the
desolate cities to be inhabited."

     There was a remnant of Jews who was at the earliest the founders
of the church. Their seed {few number} would grow before their very
eyes. The Jews, who had thought themselves better than the Gentiles,
suddenly wanted them to join them in the work. God showed Peter that
he was not to call any man unclean, or unworthy of salvation.
Salvation is for whosoever will. The missionary trips of Paul set up
churches in these spiritually desolate cities spoken of here.

     Isaiah 54:4 "Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be
thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt
forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of
thy widowhood any more."

     Israel had committed spiritual adultery and God had, in a sense,
given them a bill of divorcement. He, like Hosea, kept forgiving them
and taking them back as His wife. Their times away from God were
during their captivity. He would always come and rescue them, and take
them back. This is just saying that they are back in right standing
with God, and they are not to remember the bad times. Now that they
are free, they will forget the times of bondage.

     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."

     We know that Jesus Christ is the "Groom of the bride of Christ".
The church is His bride. God of the whole earth means God of the
Gentiles, the same as of the Jews. All of the names Maker, Redeemer,
LORD of hosts, and Holy One of Israel are speaking of the One we know
as Jesus.

     Isaiah 54:6 "For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken
and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused,
saith thy God."

     They had been cast off of God, because of their unfaithfulness.
Their relationship with God is likened to the wife of a man's youth.
They had been saddened, because they felt that God had given up on
them, but now they are restored. He has forgiven them, and they are
again His wife.

     Isaiah 54:7 "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with
great mercies will I gather thee."

     God does not count time the way we do. He thinks of the few years
of their captivity as a very short time. He shows mercy to them,
because He loves them.

     Isaiah 54:8 "In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a
moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith
the LORD thy Redeemer."

     God allowed them to be captured and stay in captivity to teach
them to seek Him. God does not stay angry with His people. He is so
forgiving and kind, that He sets a plan in motion where they will be
forgiven while they are yet in sin. They are not sinless, just
forgiven. The Redeemer is Jesus Christ.

     Isaiah 54:9 "For this [is as] the waters of Noah unto me: for
[as] I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the
earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke
thee."

     God set the rainbow in the sky to remind them of the covenant God
had made with man to never flood the entire world again. God's Word is
good. He does what He says. If He says He forgives, He does.

     Isaiah 54:10 "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be
removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the
covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on
thee."

     We know that God does exactly what He says. He regards His Word
above His name even. Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my words shall not pass away."  This is just saying that God's
Word is absolute. He is a merciful God. Hebrews 8:12 "For I will be
merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities
will I remember no more."

     Isaiah 54:11  "O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, [and] not
comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay
thy foundations with sapphires." Isaiah 54:12 "And I will make thy
windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of
pleasant stones."

     This is speaking of that holy city New Jerusalem, which comes
down from God out of heaven. The following Scriptures mention some of
the stones used in the New Jerusalem.  Revelation 21:19 "And the
foundations of the wall of the city [were] garnished with all manner
of precious stones.  The first foundation [was] jasper; the second,
sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;" Revelation
21:20 "The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh,
chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a
chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst."
Revelation 21:21 "And the twelve gates [were] twelve pearls: every
several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city [was] pure
gold, as it were transparent glass."

     Isaiah 54:13 And all thy children [shall be] taught of the LORD;
and great [shall be] the peace of thy children."

     Hebrews 8:10 "For this [is] the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my
laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to
them a God, and they shall be to me a people:"  Hebrews 8:11 "And they
shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the
greatest." Hebrews 8:12 "For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember
no more."

     Isaiah 54:14 "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."

     Where there is righteousness, there is perfect peace, also. In
the New Jerusalem there will be no danger and nothing to fear. Even
death itself has been defeated. There is no temptation to sin. Bear
with me, and I will give you some Scriptures on New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:1 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more
sea." Revelation 21:2 "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband." Revelation 21:3 "And I heard a great voice out of heaven
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell
with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with
them, [and be] their God."  Revelation 21:4 "And God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away."

     Isaiah 54:15 "Behold, they shall surely gather together, [but]
not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for
thy sake."

     God is the very present help of all His people. Those who are
opposed to God's people, are actually against God. They will not win,
because God will take up the battle.

     Isaiah 54:16 "Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the
coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work;
and I have created the waster to destroy."

     God is the Creator of all, even Lucifer. Everything God created
is under His command. Not anything can do you harm, because it has to
obey God, whatever it is. Satan {Lucifer} has to get God's permission
to do anything. God will not allow it, so he cannot do it. Everything
is at peace in New Jerusalem, because of the presence of God. There
will be no darkness at all, because the Light of the world is there.
I John 1:5 "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and
declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at
all."

     Isaiah 54:17  "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."

     God is the protector of all of Israel. He protects His family.
Though they come against us, they will not prosper. This promise is
for all who believe in Jesus our Saviour. We have been given power and
authority to use the name of Jesus against the enemy. At that name
every knee must bow. Philippians 2:10 "That at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and
[things] under the earth;"











                          Isaiah 63 Questions


1.  Who is the "married wife of God"?
2.  In the book of Hosea, they are spoken of as what?
3.  When the gospel of Christ is presented to them there are more of
    whom that receive the message?
4.  Who is the desolate of verse 1?
5.  The apostles were primarily _________.
6.  Who founded the early church?
7.  How many were saved when Peter preached after pentecost?
8.  What is "lengthening the cords and strengthening the stakes"
    really saying?
9.  Thy seed shall inherit the ___________.
10. Who did God show {of the apostles} that Gentiles were to be
    accepted?
11. What had Israel done that angered God?
12. He had, in a sense, given them a bill of ______________.
13. Who is the Groom of the bride of Christ?
14. Why had they been cast off of God?
15. What short period of time does He mention in verse 7?
16. What does God call Himself in verse 8?
17. What did God do for a reminder of the covenant with man after the
    Noah flood?
18. Quote Matthew chapter 24 verse 35.
19. Quote Hebrews chapter 8 verse 12.
20. He promised to lay the foundations with what?
21. Describe New Jerusalem from Revelation chapter 21.
22. Who will teach the children?
23. Where will God put His laws?
24. Why will they not teach each other of God?
25. What happened to the first heaven and earth?
26. What was unusual about the new earth?
27. The tabernacle of God is with _______.
28. Quote 1 John chapter 1 verse 5.
29. Quote Isaiah chapter 54 verse 17.
30. Quote Philippians chapter 2 verse 10.