Background
The Jews was captured by Babylon, and God has promised He will release the Jews to return and rebuild Jerusalem. God will redeem the ruined Jerusalem (Isaiah 52:9). God way of redemption is through His Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53). Isaiah 54 to 57 talks about the future of these redeemed people and the city of Jerusalem. Although after Isaiah 52, Jerusalem is never mentioned again by Isaiah. Jerusalem is pictured as the bridge of God in this chapter.
The bridge of God is the Church, the bridge of Christ.
Exposition
- v1: Zion was like a barren woman. Barren woman is supposed to be very sad. But here God told Judah to sing and shout for joy. Zion is a shadow of the church in NT.
- v2: Why sing and shout for joy? Because God has redeemed them. God will expand the tent where this woman lives. God asked the woman to enlarge the land where the tent is, to stretch the tent curtains. God will going to expand the church.
- v3: The gospel will be spread to the nations, and so the church will expand to the nations.
- v4: The church built by God is a holy, glorious church. She will not suffer shame and disgrace. Although in church history, there were disgrace, but the truth church of God is never in disgrace.
- v5: The church will not feel disgrace because Christ the her husband. And Christ is the Maker of the church, He is the Lord Almighty, the Holy One of Israel, the Redeemer, God of all the earth.
- v6: Even if the some people within the church in unfaithful to God, God promised He will call them back.
- v7-8: God would abandon the unfaithful temporary to discipline them. Eventual He will bring the church back.
- v9-10: [I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again]. It is a hard verse to explain. God has both shown His anger towards the Jews and the church throughout history. This verse can only be fulfilled in the millennium Kingdom.
- v11-14: This is an image of the new Jerusalem mentioned in Revelation. We are living stones, being build by Christ as the city of God.
