We Are God’s Delight

Isaiah 62:1-12
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, October 23, 2005
Copyright © 2005, P. G. Mathew

No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married.

Isaiah 62:4

The theme of the sixty-second chapter of Isaiah can be summed up in one word: Hephzibah (v. 4). Hephzibah means “my happiness is in her.” God is telling us that he takes delight in his people, the church.

What a glorious statement: God finds his pleasure in us! In fact, in God’s eyes, his most beautiful and precious creation is his people. The church is God’s handiwork, the bride of Christ, in whom God finds his eternal pleasure. It is time that we stopped listening to the discouraging words of the devil and started understanding the glory, dignity, relationship and purpose we have in God.

We want to examine three points from this chapter: first, God’s purpose; second, Christ’s work; and third, the glorious church God calls Hephzibah.

God’s Plan for His People

In Jeremiah 29 the Lord says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'” (v. 11). God has a good plan for his people-a glorious, eternal future filled with happiness. Paul describes this heavenly plan in Ephesians 1:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment-to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ (vv. 3-10).

God chose us before the creation of the world, not to be rich, famous, or powerful in this world, but for a much more grand purpose-to be holy and blameless in his sight. We read about this also in Ephesians 5: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (vv. 25-27). And why does God want to make us a glorious, sparkling, resplendent church? That we might have eternal communion with him.

Isaiah reveals the same purpose of God in Isaiah 62. In verse 1 he speaks about Zion, which stands for the church: “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.” Because the Messiah loves the remnant people of God, he will not keep silent; instead, he will pray and intercede for them. For the sake of Zion the Messiah acts savingly, performing a work that will benefit them and make them shine like stars in the world. That is his commitment to us. He will pray and act until our righteousness shines out like the dawn and our salvation like a blazing torch.

Zion’s Deplorable State

The truth is, Zion has no righteousness, no salvation, no light, no glory, and no dignity in herself. Instead, Zion is called deserted, desolate, divorced, and lonely.

Just read what Zion says about herself in Isaiah 59, beginning with verse 9: “So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead. We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away. For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities” (vv. 9-12).

In Hosea 1 Zion is called by several names that also describe her miserable state. First, she is called Jezreel (v. 4), meaning “scattered ones.” Zion was scattered by God because of her rebellion and idolatry. Then we see two other names: Lo-Ruhamah, meaning “no mercy” and Lo-Ammi, meaning “not my people” (vv. 6, 9).

Isaiah himself represented Zion’s deplorable state in Isaiah 6. What did he say about himself? In verse 5 he cried out, “Woe to me! . . .I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Peter spoke similarly when he realized that Jesus Christ was God: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8). In Ephesians 2, the classic passage that deals with man’s total depravity and total moral inability to merit any salvation from God, Paul included himself in his description of sinful man: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath” (vv. 1-3). And in Romans 5 Paul wrote, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly . . . But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. . . . For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (vv. 6, 8, 10).

So by nature we who are Zion were without strength, sinful, ungodly, dead in sins and at enmity with God. We were darkness, covenant-breakers who merited fully the just wrath of God. Yet God’s eternal purpose, based on his everlasting covenant, is to make us glorious and give us dignity.

So God says, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent” (Isaiah 62:1). God will speak and act until we become what he has planned for us to be from all eternity. In Ephesians 5 Paul says that we are no longer darkness but light in the Lord; we are the righteousness of God, saved forever by grace. God did not give us what we deserved; he gave us what we never deserved-his divine salvation.

Christ’s Redeeming Work on Our Behalf

But how can a sinner become a saint? How can darkness become light? How can the dead be raised to life forevermore? How can the wicked become righteous? The truth is, we cannot do any of these things on our own. But God accomplishes this miracle in us through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, our substitute.

In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul writes that God reconciled the world to himself in Christ, “not counting men’s sins against them” (v. 19). And long before Paul’s time, David also wrote, “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him” (Psalm 32:2). This is what it means to be blessed: though we sinned, God refuses to count our sins against us.

But God is just; therefore, he must punish our sin somehow. In God’s plan, he counts our sins against another. So Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5 that “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (v. 21). Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son, suffered for our sins.

Isaiah speaks of this redeeming work of Christ in his description of the suffering servant: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5). We are justified through the work of the glorious, heaven-sent substitute, perfect God and perfect man, the righteous, suffering servant. And in that same chapter Isaiah declares, “By his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many” (v. 11).

Jesus Christ saves sinners through his substitutionary death on the cross. So he announced: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor . . . to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor . . . to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness in place of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor” (Isaiah 61:1-3). We are saved, not to display our splendor, but to display God’s glory. So Isaiah 62:12 proclaims, “They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord.”

May we never forget the reality that we are the redeemed of the Lord. We were slaves of sin. We needed a kinsman/redeemer who would be able, willing, and ready to redeem us by paying a ransom. God’s Son became sinless man, and, by his death, redeemed us, setting us free to serve God in righteousness. That is why our righteousness can shine out like the dawn and our salvation like blazing torch.

Peter understood this, saying, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers. But we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18). Our salvation was planned by the Father from all eternity and accomplished in time by the Son. When the Spirit of God applies this salvation to us, we become heirs of salvation, clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

Even now the Holy Spirit is saving people through us. Yes, we fail frequently, stumbling and sinning in thought, word, and deed. But that is not our entire reality. Something fundamental, radical, heavenly, and miraculous has taken place in our lives. We are different! We have become the righteousness of God.

Our Redeemer Appoints Watchmen

Not only did Christ accomplish our redemption, but he also appointed watchmen to look after our souls. “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem” (Isaiah 62:6). These watchmen are posted for the people’s protection, warning, education, and guidance.

Earlier, in Isaiah 56, there is a picture of a different kind of watchmen: “Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain. ‘Come,’ each one cries, ‘let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better'” (vv. 10-12).

Should a blind man be appointed as watchman? The watchmen of Isaiah 56 were unable to see and warn the people of danger. They were dumb dogs who could not bark. They were false prophets who lacked knowledge of the word. They were lazy shepherds-hirelings-who were only interested in their hedonistic lifestyle. They were unconcerned about the sheep; instead of feeding them, they fleeced them, or, worse yet, killed and ate them.

Such watchmen can be likened to modern preachers who are ignorant of the gospel and refuse to preach the word of God. They reject the authority of the Scriptures, preaching instead a false gospel designed to minister to people’s felt needs. Such ministers may even speak about a purpose-driven life, but it has nothing to do with God’s purpose. Such watchmen can be theological liberals, modernists, post-modernists, unthinking evangelicals, and fraudulent charismatics.

But Isaiah 62:6 tells us that God himself appoints true watchmen in every age to pray and proclaim the gospel message to his people. Isaiah spoke earlier of such watchmen, saying, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’ Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem” (52:7-8). This is describing good preachers, the true prophets who declare God’s word.

Jesus Christ himself gives us true pastors, appointing them to serve as watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem: “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Such men are not blind; they see, proclaim, pray, warn, preach, and feed the sheep. We find the same idea in 1 Corinthians 12:28: “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles . . .”

Such God-appointed watchmen will not be silenced, nor will they be silent. Rather, they will constantly pray to God to perform his sovereign purpose of saving his people and will then faithfully proclaim the gospel, knowing that faith comes by hearing. Such watchmen are not lazy; they are always laboring in prayer, study, and preaching. They cry out, reminding God, “O God, do what you have promised. Make your church the praise of the earth. Save the elect! Build your church! May her righteousness shine out like the dawn and her salvation like a blazing torch. O Lord, glorify yourself by glorifying the church.” They are ever-vigilant, refusing to embrace the philosophy of the world and standing instead as God’s witnesses in the world. They are unafraid and faithful until death.

Such watchmen are like David, who declared in Psalm 132, “I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob” (vv. 4-5). They are like the Syro-Phoenician woman who refused to go away until the Lord Jesus performed a miracle for her demonized daughter. They are like the poor widow who came to the unrighteous judge again and again until her case was heard. They are like the friend who went to his friend in the middle of the night, saying, “A friend came to see me, but I have no bread. Yes, I understand that it is midnight and you are in bed. I understand that you do not want to be troubled. But I need bread,” and he would not go away until he received three loaves. They are like Peter, who said, “Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:3-4). They are like Paul, who exhorted the Ephesian elders, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number, men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:28). God-appointed watchmen must guard the flock from false watchmen, false shepherds, who only want to benefit from the sheep with no regard for their eternal salvation. They are always interceding, always wrestling in prayer, always studying the Scriptures, and always boldly preaching the gospel, knowing that they are accountable to God.

Above all, they are like Jesus Christ, the ultimate watchman, who watched and prayed in Gethsemane for his flock. Even before that, he prayed for them, as we read in his high priestly prayer (John 17). So not only did the Son accomplish redemption, but he also appointed watchmen to proclaim the gospel, that his people may be saved.

Christ’s Glorious Church

God’s ultimate purpose is to establish his church. In Isaiah 42 we find an interesting passage that speaks about the ministry of this Messiah, the suffering servant: “A bruised reed he will not break” (v. 3). Is there any use for a bruised reed? No, it is absolutely worthless. This is speaking about us when we were sinners, without strength and without God. We were useless and worthless, good only to be thrown out. But this Messiah will not break such a reed; instead, he will make it strong. What else? “a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” We were not emitting light; we were merely smoking and smoldering. We ourselves were confused, and we were confusing others. But when the Messiah came, he made us blazing torches.

What, then, are the characteristics of this glorious church?

1. No Longer Deserted

Isaiah 62 says, “No longer will they call you Deserted. . . .” (v. 4). As we said, we were deserted, desolate, lonely, divorced, miserable, wretched, and confused. But that is in the past; it is all forgiven. No longer are we called Deserted; God has saved us.

In Micah 6:13-15 God describes our past condition: “Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins. You will eat but not be satisfied; your stomach will still be empty. You will store up but save nothing, because what you save I will give to the sword. You will plant but not harvest; you will press olives but not use the oil on yourselves, you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.” But look at Isaiah 62:8: “The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm, ‘Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies.'” When Israel broke the covenant, God brought the covenant curses upon them. But now the curse has been completely removed, and those who were cursed have become blessed forever by divine grace. Never again will we be cursed. That is why we believe in the security of our salvation.

Isaiah 49:14-16 speaks of Zion feeling deserted: “But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.'” But what was the truth? God answered, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” This is speaking about us. We are ever before God, and God is always thinking about us. We are no longer deserted and desolate; now God looks on us and receives pleasure.

This does not mean that people will not forsake us or abandon us. They will! In 2 Timothy we find the heart-cry of the apostle Paul, who faithfully fulfilled the charge God gave him to preach the gospel: “You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me” (1:15). How tragic! Paul is speaking about God’s own people in Asia, for whom he labored and brought to the saving knowledge of Christ. And in chapter 4 he writes, “For Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me” (v. 10). Demas was a fellow minister who worked with Paul for many years. And in verse 16 Paul writes, “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me.” We cannot depend on other people.

But that is not all Paul said. In verse 17 he writes, “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength.” God will never desert his people; we can depend on him who said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Our parents may forsake us, our spouses may forsake us, our pastors may forsake us, our friends may forsake us. But He who died in our place will stand with us, no matter what.

2. Guided by the Lord

Next, we are told that the church is guided by the Lord, just as the people of Israel were guided by God in the exodus: “Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations” (Isaiah 62:10). As God’s people are redeemed and set free, they now proceed in God’s way to Zion.

What is the way of the Lord? Isaiah 11:16 refers to it: “There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.” Just as God’s people were delivered from Egypt, in the same way they would later be delivered from Assyria and Babylon. But all of this stands for deliverance from sin and Satan.

Isaiah 35:8 says, “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it.” To travel on God’s highway, we must be born again. That does not mean that every member of a church is born again, for there is no certain way of identifying who is born again and who is not. But eventually one’s true state will manifest itself: “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:20). The true church consists of those who are born of God and therefore love holiness. Only they can walk on this highway, for it is the highway of holiness; no unclean person, meaning one who is not born again, can walk on it.

In Isaiah 49:11 the Lord had said, “I will turn all mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.” God himself will make this way of holiness smooth for his people. So now Isaiah says, “Pass through, pass through the gates!” This can be interpreted as the gates of Babylon or Assyria or anywhere God’s people are captives. Now the gates are open and we are told to pass through them. Then Isaiah says, “Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones.” All hindrances are to be removed so that we can now walk without stumbling in the way of holiness on our journey to heavenly Zion. This is a description of the Christian life. Jesus understood this reference when he declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

But there is more. Isaiah 62:10 also tells us, “Raise a banner for the nations.” As we march on our way to Zion, we are to carry a banner, raising it so that the nations will see and join with us through faith in Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 49:22 we read, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.'” Isaiah 11:10 tell us, “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.”

What is this banner? It is the sign of the cross; it is the preaching that Jesus died for our sins and was raised for our justification. The only way a person can be saved is to hear the gospel and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. (PGM) That is why Paul said he did not want to know anything but Jesus Christ and him crucified. Jesus himself spoke about this, saying, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life . . . But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me.” (John 3:14-15; 12:32).

So the triumphant people of God must lift up the cross as they march to Zion, for the Gentile nations are eager to see it. The church must lift up the banner of Christ through their words and lives so that nations can put their faith in him and be saved.

3. A Radiant Church

Isaiah 60:2 said, “See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples. But the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.” Now Isaiah 62:1 tells us, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent . . . till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.” What is our problem? Sin and guilt. God’s purpose is to remove our sin and guilt, making us holy and blameless to enjoy eternal fellowship with him.

God does not promise that we will become rich and famous, but he does promise to make us holy. That is what Christ is doing to us through his word. In Ephesians 5 we read, “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish” (vv. 25-27). Our destiny is to be the bride of Jesus Christ. And our heavenly bridegroom is holy; thus, we must be holy. Elsewhere Jesus says, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

Notice, then, the church of Christ is radiant, but this is not speaking only about imputed righteousness. Yes, we must have the righteousness of Christ imputed to our account, but, as a result, we are also to practice righteousness. So there is imputed righteousness given to us by Christ, and there is also imparted righteousness we must manifest in our lives. We can never separate justification from personal sanctification. When a Christian child obeys his parents, he is demonstrating imparted righteousness on the basis of imputed righteousness. A justified Christian wife will also submit to her husband. A justified Christian husband loves his wife and provides for her.

It is this sanctification that will shine out like the dawn and like a blazing torch, so that others can see the difference in God’s people. We cannot see imputed righteousness, but we can see imparted righteousness manifested in our daily lives. In fact, Revelation 19 speaks about this manifestation of righteousness in the description of the dress of the bride of Christ: “‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)” (vv. 7-8).

Thus, if anyone says, “I am a Christian but I do not live a holy life,” he is contradicting himself. We “are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). We are “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

4. A New Name

This glorious church has a new name. Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” What was our old name? Rebel, wicked, desolate, covenant-breaker, disobedient, powerless, enemy of God, ungodly. But all that is gone now and we are given a new name.

In the Bible, one would receive a new name because of a new condition, nature, or capacity. When we are born again, we are also given a new name to reflect that change in us.

Israel already had one pet name, Jeshurun, which we read about in Deuteronomy 32. So “Jeshurun” means “straight one,” or “righteous one.” The problem with Jeshurun is that she grew fat and kicked against her God, abandoning him to serve idols.

But here in Isaiah 62 God gives a new name to his people: Hephzibah. As we said before, Hephzibah means “My delight, my joy, my pleasure is in her.” Imagine that-the eternal Lord finds his joy and pleasure by looking at us! We must forget about all the bad names we have had, for they are all gone now. We are new creations in Christ, with a new name given to us by God.

In verse 4 we find another name, Beulah, which means “married.” To whom are we married? To God himself! We are the bride of Christ. So we read, “As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you” (v. 5). This is our new reality in Christ: God rejoices in us and we give him pleasure. Yes, we may be nothing in the eyes of the world. But God looks on us with his love and receives pleasure from us.

5. The Praise of All the Earth

Verse 7 tells us to “give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” The church is God’s finest creation. There is no greater act of God than taking wicked sinners and making them shine like the dawn and like blazing torches-making them like God, in other words. That is what God has done with us, and that is why the redemption and creation of the church is the greatest work of the triune God. We are the praise of the earth, and when Jesus comes again, it will be proven. Now the world despises us, but in due time it will praise us.

6. The Blessed Ones

Verses 8 and 9 tell us the curse is gone forever and the blessings have come. According to the covenant language, if we keep the covenant, we will be blessed.

Notice, verse 8 begins, “The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm. . . .” This speaks about God’s personal involvement and exercise of power in blessing us. Just as Israel was so blessed that Balaam could not curse them, we also are blessed. Everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ is blessed forever.

7. A Thankful People

Verse 9 says, “But those who harvest it will eat it and praise the Lord.” The people of this world are characterized by ingratitude (Romans 1:21). Have you ever seen an unbeliever thanking God for anything? But Jesus Christ was often thanking God, and true Christians are to do likewise. Such thankfulness speaks of our creaturely dependence on God: we exist by God’s will; thus, God himself will provide all things for us. Above all, he has provided salvation for us in Jesus Christ.

8. A Victorious Church

Christ’s church is victorious, as we read in verse 10: “Raise a banner for the nations.” The raised banner is speaking about triumph. Paul echoes this in 2 Corinthians 2:14: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” Christ died and rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God where he is reigning forever. All things are made subject to him, and we are seated with him. Thus, we are triumphant people in Christ.

9. Christ’s Reward

God has given Christ a reward for his redemptive work. What is his reward? We are! In verse 11 we read, “See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.” The bride of Christ, the church, is Christ’s reward.

10. A Holy People

Verse 12 says, “They will be called the Holy People,” or “people of holiness,” that is, people characterized by holiness who are separate from the world. As light is different from darkness, so are we different from the world. If we are born of God, we are holy and will love holiness.

In Exodus 19:5-6 the Lord says, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Peter speaks about this also, saying, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. . . . (1 Peter 2:9). And in Ephesians 4:28 Paul writes, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.” Notice the complete transformation. He who was a thief stole from other people, but now, because he is a Christian, he not only works with his hands, but also gives to those who are needy. He who was a liar now tells the truth. He who was a drunkard now is sober and proclaims the gospel. He who was an adulterer is now faithful to his wife. All these are examples of the experimental holiness of God’s people.

11. Redeemed of the Lord

Verse 12 also says, “They will be called . . . the Redeemed of the Lord.” As our kinsman-redeemer, Jesus Christ gave his own life to set us from all our bondage. We have been purchased by his blood; we belong to the Lord.

12. Sought After

Next, we are called, “Sought After.” The Hebrew word means we are the most beautiful people in the universe-so beautiful that we are sought after by God. Yes, that beauty is not intrinsic to us; God himself put it in us when he made us new creations in Christ.

13. A City No Longer Deserted

What else are we called? A City No Longer Deserted. Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon in 586; later, Pompey conquered it and in A.D. 70 Rome destroyed it again. But Isaiah is not speaking about the physical city of Jerusalem; he is speaking about the people of God, the new Jerusalem.

We find a description of this city, the church of Christ, in Revelation 21: “One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal” (vv. 9-11). This is the fulfillment of God’s final purpose, to have a church that will be like him.

14. A Crown of Splendor

Isaiah 62:3 says, “You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.” Now Isaiah is comparing us to a crown of glory, a royal diadem. And where is this crown of glory? In the hand of God himself.

The Lord also speaks about this in Malachi 3:17: “They will be mine . . .in the day when I make up my treasured possession.” And Zechariah 9:16 tells us, “The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.”

This should give us great confidence and encouragement. Do not worry about what the world says about us; we must only concern ourselves with what God says. We are his priceless treasure, and the phrase “in his hand” means in his care. This is eternal security. As Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one is able to snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all; no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:28-29).

Not only that, this means that we are God’s portion and he is ours. As he looks on us, he receives pleasure from us, and when we look upon him, we get pleasure out of him.

God’s Penultimate Purpose

God’s ultimate purpose in making us glorious is to have a people for himself, that we may have fellowship with him. But what is the penultimate purpose? Isaiah 62:2 tells us, “The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. . . .” And Isaiah 60:3 declares, “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

Why, then, does God make us glorious? Why does he save us? Why does God send the Holy Spirit into our lives? So that we may shine. We are the display of God’s splendor, that the nations will come to our light and be saved.

Through Zion God purposes to save the people of the world. Thus, we are to be witnesses to the world through our lives and our words. Do you understand that? Our purpose is not to make money or get rich. Our purpose is to shine like stars in the universe, holding forth the word of life to kings and nations. So Jesus told us, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

God’s Wonderful Plan for Us

If we are Christians, God has given us a new name: it is Hephzibah, it is Beulah. We are the most beautiful and precious creation of God in all of history, designed to display God’s glory. Yes, we were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. We are God’s delight, God’s inheritance, God’s handiwork; he glories in us and we in him. He has loved us from all eternity and he will love us to all eternity. Even now, we are a royal diadem in his hand.

If all this is true of us, do we have anything to worry about? Can the world defeat us or Satan swallow us? No! We are kept in the very hand of God. Yes, we once were without strength, ungodly sinners at enmity with God. But the Holy Spirit has changed us and we are now Hephzibah and Beulah. Now God tells us, “I have a plan for you-a plan to prosper you, not to harm you, and to give you a future.” What is that future? It is an eternity of living with our God in great felicity. May God help those who have not trusted in him do so today, that they may be saved.