The Book Of Isaiah. Day 144, The Future Glory Of The Nation, Part One

In the previous chapter the Lord talked about the suffering and the glory of the Messiah. As we move on into Chapter 54 the Lord talks about the future glory of Israel. There was suffering in store for Isaiah's people coming first though. Due to the idolatry of the northern kingdom of Israel, it would be conquered by Assyria during the days of Isaiah. Later, due to the idolatry of the southern kingdom of Judah, it would be conquered by Babylon. But, just as the death of the "Servant" in Chapter 53 was a beginning and not an ending, the "death" (the defeat and captivity of Israel and Judah) was a beginning and not an ending. 

The same is true in our own lives. How many times have our situations appeared hopeless only for God to completely turn them around? How many times have our goals and dreams seemed impossible only for the Lord to make them come true? Though for a time Isaiah's people were disciplined for turning from the Lord, after the captivity we never again find them bowing to pagan idols on the pages of the Bible. The prophecy of the people returning to the land had a partial fulfillment when they were released from captivity, then another partial fulfillment when Israel once again became a sovereign nation in the world in 1948, then more fulfillment as the gospel message went out to the world from Israel, but there is a permanent fulfillment yet to come when the King of kings reigns over the world forever from that nation.

We will now begin our text from Chapter 54. The Lord says: "'Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,' says the Lord." (Isaiah 54:1) 

In ancient times it was considered a disgrace for a woman to be barren. People assumed those women had sin in their lives and that the Lord was displeased with her and had closed her womb. This was sometimes the case with some of the women in the Bible but not always. There are incidents in the Bible where the Lord delayed giving a woman a child for other reasons, such as to perform a miracle no one could deny like when He enabled the ninety-year-old Sarah to conceive. But while Isaiah's people are captive in foreign lands, they will feel as ashamed and disgraced as a woman whose womb had been closed. They would feel like a woman whose neighbors talked about her behind her back, like a woman whose neighbors believed the Lord was displeased with her. Their captivity was due to the Lord being displeased and their captors and the other nations knew it. But just as the Lord miraculously opened the wombs of women in the Bible who desperately wanted to be mothers, He will miraculously bring the people out of foreign lands and resettle them in their own land.

Once the captivity is over, the people will be more spiritually fruitful than they were before. They won't build altars to false gods. They won't bring offerings and sacrifices to false gods. They won't waste their time and energy calling upon false gods to help them. They had become spiritually barren before the captivity, producing no worthwhile fruit of godliness, but when their hearts return to the Lord they will bear spiritual fruit and will be able to lead others to repentance. This is even more true under the New Covenant, after Christ has died and has risen from the dead, for those in Israel who put their faith in Him will spread out to preach the gospel to heathen nations, making converts to Christianity and to the one true God. There will be more children born to God in this way than in any other time before. Children are still being born to Him through the gospel message in our own day and children will continue to be born to Him right up until the end.