relationships (Isaiah 54:1-17) The Closest Relationship

(Isaiah 54:1-17) 

1   “Shout for joy, infertile one, you who have not given birth to any child;
     Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor;
     For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous 
     Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2   “Enlarge the place of your tent;
     Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not spare them;
     Lengthen your ropes 
     And strengthen your pegs.
3   For you will spread out to the right and to the left.
     And your descendants will possess nations 
     And will resettle the desolate cities.

4   “Fear not, for you will not be put to shame;
     And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;
     But you will forget the shame of your youth,
     And no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.
5   For your husband is your Maker,
     Whose name is the Lord of armies;
     And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
     Who is called the God of all the earth.
6   For the Lord has called you,
     Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
     Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”
     Says your God.
7   “For a brief moment I abandoned you,
     But with great compassion I will gather you.
8   In an outburst of anger 
     I hid My face from you for a moment,
     But with everlasting favor I will have compassion on you,”
     Says the Lord your Redeemer.

9   “For this is like the days of Noah to Me,
     When I swore that the waters of Noah
     Would not flood the earth again;
     So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you 
     Nor rebuke you.
10 For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
     But My favor will not be removed from you,
     Nor will My covenant of peace be shaken,”
     Says the Lord who has compassion on you.

11 “Afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,
     Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
     And I will lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies,
     And your gates of crystal,
     And your entire wall of precious stones.
13 All your sons will be taught by the Lord;
     And the well-being of your sons will be great.
14 In righteousness you will be established;
     You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear;
     And from terror, for it will not come near you.
15 If anyone fiercely attacks you, it will not be from Me.
     Whoever attacks you will fall because of you.
16 Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows on the fire of coals 
     And produces a weapon for its work;
     And I have created the destroyer to inflict ruin.
17 No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;
     And you will condemn every tongue that accuses you in judgment.
     This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
     And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

There are two levels of relationships... actually three.  While God created us in order to have children to love, who would (hopefully) love Him back, He also created us in His image.  Therefore, we are social beings who crave acquaintances, friendships, family, a spouse, and children of our own.  These are important, but these would actually be the least important of all relationship-types.  

The most important relationship would be with the Lord.  And out of this relationship, we gain an entire spiritual family, which includes all believers everywhere, and from all time.  Therefore, as believers, we can see the importance of having a spouse who is also a believer.  Therefore, we will desire that our children, other family members, friends, acquaintances, neighbors and strangers, also come to personally know the Lord in a close, deep and meaningful relationship.

Of course, becoming a Christian is a very personal decision, and it cannot be forced.  While we want that for others, we can only share God's love and gospel message, and pray that the Holy Spirit will open their eyes and ears to the truth.  Not even God will force anyone to love Him back.  In His love, He created everyone with a free will.  Even once we're a child of God, He will not force us to be obedient.

Israel was called by the Lord to be the missionaries to the nations, but they rebelled and turned away from God.  In this chapter we see that there is hope.  God has not forgotten them.  During the Tribulation, Israel will see the signs of Jesus' second coming and realize that He was and is their Messiah, and as a nation, they will believe.  Ridding the earth of evil, Jesus will set up the Millennial kingdom, taking Israel with Him, as well as all those who become believers during the Tribulation.

Meanwhile, with the nation of Israel, God will not forget His covenants with them.  With everyone, individually - once anyone becomes a child of God - our salvation and eternal life is secure because of God's grace!  But let us not take that for granted.  God still hates sin!  And He will discipline those He loves, because He wants a better life for us;  so He will allow us to experience consequences to our actions while we are still here on earth.

As far as where a person goes after we pass away, we must remember that God is just.  He gives everyone a fair opportunity to turn to Him.  For anyone who refuses His salvation and forgiveness of sins, they will be judged for the sins they have committed and will be sent to a place of darkness, completely void of God and His goodness.  For those who have received His salvation and forgiveness of sins, once in heaven, we will be judged and rewarded for the good deeds done with right motives, which are done in His strength, and to His glory.

Our choice reflects our desire - to do things on your own without God, or to want God in our lives for all eternity, in a personal relationship.  And just how close can our relationship be with the Lord?  Well, consider the analogy that He gives here of a husband and wife.   And throughout the New Testament, we also see a similar analogy used, describing Jesus as the groom, and the Church as the bride.  

Just as a husband and wife become one flesh (body), when we put our faith in the Lord, we become one with Him, and His Holy Spirit dwells within us for eternity.  It is in this very close relationship with the Lord that we are made complete.  Because He cherishes us, He fulfills and satisfies us, and He looks after us and cares for us!  He literally is our soulmate!!!

(If interested, here are some NT verses to check out: Matthew 25:1-13, Mark 2:19, Luke 5:34, John 3:29, Ephesians 5:22-33, and Revelation 18:23, 21:2.)