It is (to me) perhaps the greatest chapter I’ve ever read on God’s future blessings upon Israel! Yes, Isaiah 62, all its 12 verses.

Including the ending lines: “Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.” Verses 11 and 12, King James Version.

The whole world is going to know of this coming Event!

The “Salvation” (meaning “deliverance, rescue, safety, prosperity, victory”) is in Hebrew spelled “yesha.” Which is the very Root for the name JESUS! God the Son, come to earth once to die (and be raised from the dead) … but yet to come to earth again (and offer salvation to Israel and reign over her in Jerusalem for a thousand years!)

Notice Isaiah calls this coming “Salvation” a Person … “His reward is with Him!” That’s Jesus, Salvation personified! He Himself, truthfully, IS the Reward! But the victory He brings, the peace, the blessings … reward aplenty!

But His “Work?” Isaiah teaches us: “His Work is before Him!” Much to do … like defeating the anti-Christ and overthrowing wickedness and establishing righteousness world-wide! Redeeming creation from its Adamic curse, helping “the wolf lie down with the lamb,” so to speak!

Wow!

After this “saving Work” is done … the whole world will call Israel … “The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD.”

No longer a stubborn, rebellious people!

No more “Ahabs” and “Jezebels” leading her!

Jesus on the Throne!

Israel, “redeemed!” (The expression is derived from the Hebrew “Goel,” her True Kinsman Redeemer having come!)

But there’s even more: “and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.” No longer will humanity spurn Israel. Or mock or attack her! She shall be “sought out!” No longer will traitors “turn” on her!

And, due to her newly found (imputed) righteousness (via the Cross of Calvary, the Blood of Jesus) even God will no longer have to chasten, judge her!

Never again “forsaken!”

Amazing!

Yet still, in the midst of all this “good news” … a individual Jew who is alive today and who dies without Jesus … will go straight to Hell. (As will lost Gentiles!)

THEY are among the precious souls who need to hear the Gospel! We should be burdened to reach THEM for Jesus!

Paul certainly was. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for ISRAEL is, that they might be saved.” Romans 10:1

Even to this extent: “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for MY BRETHREN, MY KINSMEN according to the flesh.” Romans 9:1-3, an ongoing burden to see those dear children of Abraham saved!

Back to how I began today’s Lesson … Isaiah 62, One of the greatest chapters in all God’s Word about the multitudinous future blessings He plans for Israel, for His “chosen people,” for “the apple of His Eye!”

God save Israel!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Again in today’s Lesson/Text … God (through His Prophet Isaiah) is speaking to Israel:

“Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.” Isaiah 62:4-5

“Forsaken” and “desolate,” what bleak adjectives. Yet they accurately describe Israel’s history for many a year.

But, because of Calvary, because of God’s deep Love for those people we call the Jews … soon they will be called “Hephzibah” (meaning “a delight”) and their land will be known as “Beulah” (meaning “married”) … what a reversal of circumstances!

God is excited about Israel’s “conversion!”

As we shall soon see, Isaiah 66:8 pictures the Salvation Event coming to Israel some day. “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? OR SHALL A NATION BE BORN AT ONCE? for as soon as Zion travailed (came under Holy Ghost conviction), she brought forth her children.”

Wow, the equivalent of the “New Birth,” in New Testament language! “In one Day” as well! The Day Jesus comes again to earth, His Second Coming, riding that that white horse of victory so well described in Revelation chapter 19.

But just HOW EXCITED is God?

Verse 5 of our Text tells us: “For as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.” Wedding language! Depicting one of the happiest days of any young man’s life!

Makes me think: God wants sinners saved far more than any sinner ever wanted to be saved! As in “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16, maybe the best known verse in all the Bible.

One more note, the first clause of verse 5 above … “For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.” This implies that Israel has many sons who have turned away from her. Have been ashamed of their heritage. Many so-called Jews in America today (liberals, especially politicians it seems) appear to “hate” the little nation of Israel! And the current Prime Minister of Israel (as I write this anyway) is hated by multitudes in that fair Land!

BUT THIS SAD CONDITION TOO IS GOING TO CHANGE IN THE FUTURE, IN THE MILLENNIUM! When all Israel’s progeny (her sons) will “marry” their homeland. Will again be sympathetic (fall in love) with Israel!

Oh Lord, Thy Will be done!

As I said in the Lesson’s title … “and the good news just keeps coming” .. for saved Israel!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Truly, Hallelujah!

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God speaking through Isaiah to Israel, some day yet in the future: “Thou shalt also be a CROWN OF GLORY in the hand of the LORD, and a ROYAL DIADEM in the hand of thy God.” Isaiah 62:3

Never would my fingers type such a high claim for any man, apart from Scripture verses like this! Calling a man … a “crown” of the Lord’s? Especially a “crown of glory!”

But here is such an exalted claim, flowing directly from the pen of Isaiah the Prophet! In a chapter that is filled with encomiums for Israel! (What an interesting word, “encomium.” It’s from the Greek, of course. And it’s a blend of “en” meaning “internal, inside” and “komos” meaning “reveling, partying,” but here used in a good sense! God is having a party, exulting Within Himself, in view of Israel’s new status as a saved people!)

The noun “crown” is derived from a verb that means “to encircle, to surround.” And that’s exactly what a crown does as it sits on one’s head. But here the Jews are called even more, a Crown of “Glory” to our Lord … a not-so-often used noun meaning “splendor, beauty, honor, excellence! (Seldom used, only 51 times … in comparison to the other Old Testament word for glory, 200 times!)

Look at our Text again: “Thou (Israel) shalt also be a crown of glory IN THE HAND OF THE LORD, and a royal diadem IN THE HAND OF THY GOD.” Here is Israel “in God’s Hand!” (And I thought that was mostly a New Testament term! Jesus in John 10:28, for example. “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my HAND.”)

Then … Scripture (our Text today) uses a classic example of parallelism. The “Crown of Glory” is equated (or at least favorably compared) to a “Royal Diadem!”

Wow!

“Royal” means “belonging to the King!” And “Diadem” means “one’s attire,” but specifically one’s head wear! (We Christians are told to “put on” the Lord Jesus Christ! Now here, Almighty God is “wearing” Israel, the “Apple of His Eye!”

(My proof Texts … Galatians 3:27 … “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have PUT ON Christ.” Furthermore in Judges 6:34, the Holy Spirit “put on” Gideon! “But the Spirit of the LORD … CAME UPON … Gideon, and he blew a trumpet.” Where “came upon” is the verb “labash,” meaning “to dress or wear or clothe!”)

Now, to the point of today’s Lesson. Although I have already enjoyed the thoughts the Lord has given to share with you all!

Paul the Apostle in the New Testament (at least 700 years after Isaiah’s Ministry) uses this Prophet’s terminology!

He, Paul, called the Philippians … “his joy and his crown!” (If God can have a crown, saved Jews … then Holy Spirit inspired Paul can have a crown, saved gentiles!) The verse I have in mind: “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, MY JOY AND MY CROWN, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” Philippians 4:1

Wow!

And again in 1 Thessalonians 2:19 … “For what is our hope, or joy, or CROWN of rejoicing? Are not even ye (you in the plural) in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?”

Saved people, as “crowns” unto the Lord!

As “trophies of His marvelous Grace!”

Indeed.

Oh, how He loves us old ex-sinners!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

It is called “inter-textuality” … when one Bible Passage quotes or alludes to another Bible Passage. (Particularly when the New Testament so uses the Old!)

And Isaiah 62:3 is a “seed bed” of such phenomena!

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Our Text today … Isaiah 62:1.

And yes, I really do believe this is Jesus (seen via the eye of Bible Prophecy) PRAYING for the salvation of Israel!

This would be Jesus as the now resurrected Saviour … ascended into Heaven to there “make intercession” for “those that come unto God by Him!” (Hebrews 7:25)

Listen as Isaiah thrills us, today’s verse: “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 burneth.” Isaiah 62:1

The verb “hold one’s peace” literally means “be quiet!” Jesus will not be silent (in Heaven right now), not while Israel is still lost in her sins! He is PLEADING for her to “come home!”

Jesus is at this moment, in this sense of being burdened for His people the Jews … “not at rest!” (This is amazing!)

Jesus the Prayer Warrior!

Praying such “UNTIL” … an “until” that has not occurred yet! Until Israel is “born again!” Until her “righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.”

And to help “prove” this “Jesus is at Prayer right now” point … Isaiah 62 (within a few verses) reiterates God’s “burden” for Israel … “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye 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.” Verses 6 and 7.

Give God no rest?

Until Jerusalem (Israel’s Capital City, here representing the whole little Nation) is made “a praise” in the whole earth!

Israel … no longer hated?

Anti-Semitism a thing of the past?

Yes!

With this side-effect, too (back to verse 2 of our chapter) … “the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory.” (During the Millennium, we believe. Israel, a witness to the whole world!)

Wow!

Jesus did NOT ascend to Heaven and retire!

He is yet interceding!

In fact, Paul teaches us (as the author of Hebrews) that Jesus “ever liveth” to do this! He is, then in fact, STILL being “about His Father’s Business!” (Luke 2:49)

Oh, how we should love Him!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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One more thought from Isaiah 61, and a thrilling one at that!

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.” Verse 10, King James Version

This is saved (converted, born-again) Israel sharing her testimony.

The expression “greatly rejoice” is interesting, in Hebrew at least. The string there reads “sus” followed immediately by another “sus.”

What does it mean?

“Sus” is a Hebrew noun meaning most often “horse!” As a magnificent prancing, leaping, “joyful” animal! And from that “word picture” (of the exuberant horse) is derived “sus” as “displaying” great joyfulness!

And when it is doubled, used twice in a row as in our Text, that means GREAT joy! DOUBLE excitement!

And when the accompanying verb “shall be joyful” is added (in Hebrew “giyl”) the meaning is yet intensified again! “Be joyful” as “spinning round and around!” Literally!

Wow!

Happy in Jesus!

But why?

Because God had “clothed them in garments of salvation!” No longer were they wearing “filthy rags!” (As was the case in Isaiah 64:6 … “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”)

And furthermore because God had “clothed Israel with the robe of righteousness.” A word picture used later in the New Testament, in Revelation 7:14 … “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Amazing!

Yes, Isaiah 61:10 sounds a lot like the Gospel!

In fact, it is!

Is anyone reading here today “saved?’

“Clothed” and “covered” in the Blood, the Righteousness of Jesus the Saviour, our Saviour?

If so … we too should, like the horse, jump up and down for joy!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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