"For Sion's sake I will not keep silence; And for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest: Until her righteousness break forth as a strong light; And her salvation, like a blazing torch. And the nations shall see your righteousness; And all the kings, your glory: And you shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of Jehovah shall fix upon you. And you shall be a beautiful crown in the hand of Jehovah; And a royal diadem in the grasp of your God. No more shall it be said unto you, You forsaken! Neither to your land shall it be said any more, You desolate! But you shall be called, The object of my delight; And your land, The wedded matron: For Jehovah shall delight in you; And your land shall be joined in marriage. For as a young man weds a virgin, So shall your Restorer wed you: And as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, So shall your God rejoice in you. Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, Have I set watchmen all the day; And all the night long they shall not keep silence. O you, that proclaim the name of Jehovah! Keep not silence yourselves, nor let Him rest in silence; Until He establish, and until He render, Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Jehovah has sworn by His right hand, and by His powerful arm: I will no more give your corn for food to your enemies; Nor shall the sons of the stranger drink your must, for which you have labored: But they, that reap the harvest, shall eat it and praise Jehovah; And they, that gather the vintage, shall drink it in my sacred courts. Pass, pass through the gates; prepare the way for the people! Cast up, cast up the causeway; clear it from the stones! Lift up on high a standard to the nations! Behold, Jehovah has thus proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Sion, Lo your Saviour comes! Lo, His reward is with Him, and the recompense of His work before Him. And they shall be called, The holy people, the redeemed of Jehovah; And you shall be called, The much desired, The city unforsaken. God's Relentless Effort
It is plainly to be seen that it is God who is speaking in this chapter.
"For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burns." (Isaiah 62:1)
It is He who says that He will not hold His peace, nor keep silence until the righteousness of His people--all Jerusalem--breaks forth as a strong light. When we consider this, what comfort we find in the words. God has charged himself with our case. He is interested in our behalf.
Now since God so earnestly desires our righteousness, and has said that He will not relax His efforts to that end, what is there on earth that can keep us from being righteous, if we are but willing? God is almighty, and "What He has promised, He is able also to perform." (Romans 4:21)
Let no one say that it is impossible to live without sin. "With God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)
Saved for Service
God saves us for service. He is not content with merely making us righteous, and so saving us, but He will have the righteousness shine forth for the enlightenment of others, and salvation go forth from His people, even as it does from himself. What will take place when all the people see the righteousness and the salvation which He brings to us? "Many shall see it and fear, and turn to the Lord." (Psalm 40:3) "And the Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory: and you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name." (Isaiah 62:2)
Compare this verse with: "To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that receives it." (Revelation 2:17)
What intimate relationship and loving companionship this reveals! Two friends, who are much more than mere friends, often know each other by a name that is not known to others. It would be a breach of confidence, almost a sacrilege, if they used the name before others. It is a sign of their mutual love and confidence.
So God takes His people into intimate relationship with himself, and He so takes them not merely as a whole, but individually. He has a special name for each one, which is known only to Him and that one. His love is infinite, and therefore there is enough for each one. There will be no jealousy because another receives the same attention that we do. How precious are His thoughts toward us! "The Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the meek with salvation." (Psalm 149:4)
God's People Are His Crown
"You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God." (Isaiah 62:3)
He will even make of them a crown of glory, and a royal diadem. Think of the exalted position to which God has determined to elevate His people: He will make them His crown of glory; they will be an adornment even to Him. What an incentive to walk worthy of the calling of God.
No Longer Forsaken
"You shall no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall your land any more be termed Desolate: but you shall be called Hephzibah ["My delight is in her"], and your land Beulah [Married]: for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married." (Isaiah 62:4)
How many people there are who are called Forsaken.
"Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God." (Psalm 3:2)
The devil has told many people that they have committed the unpardonable sin, and that God has forsaken them; and he has, sad to say, agents on earth, who repeat the words. But, "The Lord will not cast off for ever." (Lamentations 3:31) "He that comes to me, I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:37) "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)
Whoever is oppressed by the thought that God has forsaken him, may know that He has not; because the fact that he feels sad over the supposed casting off, is proof that he does not wish to be separate from God; and it is only man that can effect any such separation.
Thank God, the time is soon coming when there will be no possibility for anyone to call another Forsaken, for it will be apparent to all that God is in the midst of His people. But if we are ever to rejoice in God's salvation, we should do it now. God has not forsaken Zion. "But Zion said, The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget you. Behold, I have graven you upon the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me." (Isaiah 49:14-16)
Therefore, "Cry out and shout, you inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of you." (Isaiah 12:6)
The Work of the Watchmen
"I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: you that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, And give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth." (Isaiah 62:6-7)
Watchmen have been set on the walls of Zion by God himself. This is proof that He has not forsaken His people. It is the devil who would make people believe that God has forsaken them, because he knows that when they feel that they are out of God's care they fall an easy prey to him. But God says of His vineyard, His people, "Lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day." (Isaiah 27:3)
So the watchmen whom He appoints, and whose duty it is to sound the alarm of danger, and also to announce glad tidings of good things, are not to hold their peace day nor night. They are the ones who are to "make mention of the Lord," (Isaiah 62:6) that is, remind people of Him. To them He says: "Keep not silence yourselves, nor let Him rest in silence. Take no rest," "And give Him no rest, ... until He makes Jerusalem a praise in the whole earth," (Isaiah 62:7) until His people are saved, and made to dwell in the New Jerusalem, the capital of the new earth. How different God is from the unjust judge. "And He spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of my adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:1-8)
The unjust judge did not wish to be disturbed; he did not wish to have anybody--poor people, at least--come to him with a plea for help. But God, on the contrary, begs us to come to Him, and make known our troubles and needs. "Come any time, come day or night; yea, come both day and night, and do not let there be a minute's intermission, but keep making requests, even demands, of me," is what God says. What a loving Father! Why will anybody be so distrustful as to go in want?--Present Truth, May 31, 1900--Isaiah 62:1-12.