Isaiah — Chapter 54
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1Sing, 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.
2Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
3For 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.
4Fear 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.
5For 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.
6For 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.
7For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8In 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.
9For 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.
10For 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.
11O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
13And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
14In 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.
15Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
16Behold, 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.
17No 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.
1Sing, 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 Jehovah.
2Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.
3For thou shalt spread aboard on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
4Fear 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 the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more.
5For thy Maker is thy husband; Jehovah of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called.
6For Jehovah hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God.
7For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith Jehovah thy Redeemer.
9For this is [as] the waters of Noah unto me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.
10For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith Jehovah that hath mercy on thee.
11O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones.
13And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
14In 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.
15Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee.
16Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17No 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 Jehovah, and their righteousness which is of me, saith Jehovah.
1“Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth! Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one are more numerous than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2Make your tent larger, stretch your tent curtains farther out! Spare no effort, lengthen your ropes, and pound your stakes deep.
3For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your children will conquer nations and will resettle desolate cities.
4Don’t be afraid, for you will not be put to shame. Don’t be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated. You will forget about the shame you experienced in your youth; you will no longer remember the disgrace of your abandonment.
5For your husband is the one who made you— the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name. He is your Protector, the Holy One of Israel. He is called “God of the entire earth.”
6“Indeed, the Lord will call you back like a wife who has been abandoned and suffers from depression, like a young wife when she has been rejected,” says your God.
7“For a short time I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather you.
8In a burst of anger I rejected you momentarily, but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,” says your Protector, the Lord.
9“As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time, when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood would never again cover the earth. In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you.
10Even if the mountains are removed and the hills displaced, my devotion will not be removed from you, nor will my covenant of friendship be displaced,” says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.
11“O afflicted one, driven away, and unconsoled! Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony and lay your foundation with lapis lazuli.
12I will make your pinnacles out of gems, your gates out of beryl, and your outer wall out of beautiful stones.
13All your children will be followers of the Lord, and your children will enjoy great prosperity.
14You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. You will not experience oppression; indeed, you will not be afraid. You will not be terrified, for nothing frightening will come near you.
15If anyone dares to challenge you, it will not be my doing! Whoever tries to challenge you will be defeated.
16Look, I create the craftsman, who fans the coals into a fire and forges a weapon. I create the destroyer so he might devastate.
17No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed; you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you. This is what the Lord will do for his servants— I will vindicate them,” says the Lord.
1“Sing, barren, you who didn’t give birth; break out into singing, and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,” says Yahweh.
2“Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your habitations; don’t spare: lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.
3For you will spread out on the right hand and on the left; and your offspring will possess the nations, and settle in desolate cities.
4“Don’t be afraid; for you will not be ashamed. Don’t be confounded; for you will not be disappointed. For you will forget the shame of your youth; and the reproach of your widowhood you shall remember no more.
5For your Maker is your husband; Yahweh of Armies is his name. The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. He will be called the God of the whole earth.
6For Yahweh has called you as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off,” says your God.
7“For a small moment I have forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you.
8In overflowing wrath I hid my face from you for a moment; but with everlasting loving kindness I will have mercy on you,” says Yahweh your Redeemer.
9“For this is like the waters of Noah to me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah will no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.
10For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my loving kindness will not depart from you, and my covenant of peace will not be removed,” says Yahweh who has mercy on you.
11“You afflicted, tossed with storms, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in beautiful colors, and lay your foundations with sapphires.
12I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.
13All your children will be taught by Yahweh; and your children’s peace will be great.
14In righteousness you will be established. You will be far from oppression, for you will not be afraid; and far from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15Behold, they may gather together, but not by me. Whoever gathers together against you will fall because of you.
16“Behold, I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame, and forges a weapon for his work; and I have created the destroyer to destroy.
17No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of Yahweh’s servants, and their righteousness is of me,” says Yahweh.
Summary
The aftermath of the Servant's atonement (ch.53): the barren woman sings! More children than ever before. Enlarge your tent — your offspring will possess nations. God promises covenant faithfulness like Noah's rainbow: "My kindness shall not depart from thee." No weapon formed against you shall prosper.
Authorship & Background
- Sing, Barren Woman! More Children Than Before (vv.1-3)
- Fear Not: God as Husband and Redeemer (vv.4-8)
- The Covenant of Peace: Like Noah's Rainbow (vv.9-10)
- Precious Stones: The Rebuilt City (vv.11-12)
- Children Taught by the LORD (v.13)
- No Weapon Shall Prosper (vv.14-17)
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
- Charles Spurgeon: "'No weapon formed against thee shall prosper.' Weapons WILL be formed — expect that. But prosper? Never. Every arrow aimed at God's children falls short, breaks apart, or turns back on the archer. This is your HERITAGE — claim it."
Reflection
- 1. "Sing, O barren" (v.1). Whatever feels dead, empty, or unfruitful in your life — God says SING over it. The singing comes BEFORE the evidence. Faith sings in the barren season because it trusts what God is about to do.
- 2. "Enlarge the place of thy tent" (v.2). Think BIGGER. Prepare for MORE than you currently see. God's plan for you is larger than your current tent. Stop building for your fear; build for God's promise.
- 3. "A small moment... great mercies" (v.7). If you're in a hard season, hear this proportion: the pain is a MOMENT; the mercy is GREAT. The ratio is not 1:1. The kindness always massively outweighs the suffering.
- 4. Mountains may depart, but His kindness won't (v.10). Think of the most permanent thing you know — God's love is MORE permanent than that. His covenant outlasts the Rocky Mountains.
- 5. "No weapon... shall prosper" (v.17). Not "no weapon will be formed" — they WILL be. But none will accomplish its purpose against you. You're not exempt from attack; you're exempt from defeat. THIS is your heritage. Claim it.