The Heritage of the Servants

What is in store for the servants of the Lord? What blessings are promised? Isaiah wrote a beautiful chapter on exactly that subject. The words of Isaiah are profound and exact in detail. No other prophet matches his text. He is quoted by many other prophets as well as Christ Himself. His writing can be hard to understand, but if broken down verse by verse, the meaning shines through, and much can be learned from it.

In this chapter, Isaiah explains the relationship between the righteous Israelites and the righteous Gentiles. Both will be blessed for following the Lord. How will they fit together?

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.

Be happy, Israel! It is true that because of disobedience, very few have become spiritual children of the Lord. But ultimately upon returning to Jerusalem, there will be many that follow the Lord in righteousness. More righteous followers than the Gentiles have produced.

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;

Israel’s home will be expanded to include much of the earth, and their tent will have to reach out, so the cords or communication lines will have to be longer. Each tent stake, or remote group of members, will have to be made stronger.

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.

Israel will join with many Gentiles, thus expanding its numbers as a people of the Lord. The newly merged people will retake cities that have not been populated for a long while.

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 will no longer be ashamed of the days when it did not follow the Lord as commanded, causing Him to forsake them for a time. Those days will be forgotten.

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.

The Lord created his people. And just as a husband takes his wife safely home, he will take his people back to their God. He is the redeemer and the Holy One of Israel, and He shall be called the God of the whole earth.

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.

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

Israel is the Lord’s “wife” from the early history of the world, the Old Testament days. The Lord did not protect Israel for a while because of a lack of obedience, but He is merciful, and will soon forgive and bring her back as His own.

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.

The Lord was angry for a while and did not reveal Himself for many years. Revelation stopped. The Heavens were silent for a time. But His mercy and kindness will soon come back.

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.

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.

The Lord promised Noah that the earth would never be flooded again. And just as He meant that promise, He means this one; He will not be angry with Israel nor will He rebuke her. Though the mountains move, the Lord’s kindness and His covenant of peace will never go away. He will show mercy on the house of Israel.

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.

12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

The Lord will make Israel’s cities beautiful, for she shall receive both material and spiritual gifts from Him, and be greatly favored on the earth. Reflections of light symbolize cities filed with a people ready to receive light and truth from the Heavens.

13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

The Lord shall teach these people, and a new era of peace shall abound for the next generations. Children shall grow up knowing only truth. The wickedness of men will be sent away from their presence.

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.

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

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.

Israel shall live in righteousness, never be oppressed again, and shall not live in fear. Though Israel will have enemies gather to fight her, the Lord will destroy all of them. He has control over the world’s weaponry, both the manufacturing and use thereof.

17 ¶ No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn…

No weapons will harm Israel, and all people that are her enemies will be destroyed.

…This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

This is wonderful news to the residents of Israel, but what does it mean to Gentiles who love the Lord and follow Him faithfully? He has always said that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Well, the first is the house of Israel, and the whole Old Testament and most of the New Testament has recorded the efforts of the Lord to give Israel its chance to be righteous. Over and over again they failed.

Then the Lord’s apostles began teaching the Gentiles, those who were not of the House of Israel. They began to accept the truths. From that time on, the Jews have suffered neglect and the Gentiles have been more favored. This is the last being first, or the Gentiles getting their turn to accept the Lord.

Verses 2 and 3 tell how in order for Israel to be given these favored gifts, it will have to join with righteous followers of the Lord, including them in its tent. These are Christians, devout followers of the Savior’s teachings. When that happens, Israel’s second chance to be favored will come. But all of the protection and righteous teachings will come to both these repentant Israelites and the Gentiles under the same tent. Man has many churches, but the Lord has only one. Those who will receive His protection will enter into His tent, or church.

The people of the world will face much terror to come, and many will suffer and die at the hands of their enemies. But the righteous followers of Christ from both Israel and the Church of Jesus Christ shall join forces. Then Christ will be in their midst, and they will receive heavenly protection, and those against them will suffer greatly.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. It is also the curse of the enemies of the people of the Lord. As the Lord blesses His followers, His enemies will suffer greatly, having had their time on earth to do as they chose. We must always choose to be on the right side. Keep choosing righteousness, keep searching for truth and keep praying for peace. It will come to His people by-and-by, and great will be the reward.