Let us turn to the Word of God
in that short portion that we've just read at the beginning of
Isaiah chapter 54 and I direct you in particular to the verses
4 and 5 Isaiah 54 verses 4 and 5 Fear 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 shall
not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For 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." Firstly, let's say something with regards to
the context, historical setting. Remember that Isaiah is ministering
about 700 years before the birth of Christ, and probably something
like nearly a hundred years before the Babylonian exile. It was
in 605 BC that the armies of Nebuchadnezzar, the armies of
the great Babylonian empire overran the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem
was destroyed. The temple raised to the ground
and the people removed into exile. Isaiah does make mention of that
terrible catastrophe that was to befall the nation. He even
speaks of it to that godly king Hezekiah. Here in chapter 39
and verse 6 the prophet says, Behold the days come that all
that is in thine house and that which thy fathers have laid up
in store until this day shall be carried to Babylon Nothing
shall be left, saith the Lord, of thy sons that shall issue
from thee which thou shalt beget, shall they take away, and they
shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. That's the prophetic word and
that word of course was in its appointed time fulfilled. Isaiah was a very solemn ministry
then, although he is often referred to as the evangelical prophet
because he has so much to say concerning the great promises of the gospel, he has so much
to say concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, yet at the same time
he does also speak those words that we just read concerning
what was to befall the nation. that the people would be taken
into captivity. His ministry then was certainly
a solemn ministry, it was a separating ministry. He makes it plain,
does he not, that whilst they were being taken away yet the
Lord God would preserve a remnant, but it would be a very little
remnant when he received his commission as a prophet in chapter
6. The Lord God told him then that
the ministry would be one that would be discriminating and separating. You're familiar I'm sure with
the vision that's spoken of there at the beginning of that 6th
chapter and how the Prophet is brought to say here, I send me,
the end of verse 8 and then God answers him In verse 9, Go and
tell these people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not, and see ye
indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of these people
fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand
with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord,
how long? And the eye said, Until the cities
be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man and
the land be utterly desolate that's the consequence of course
of the overthrow of Jerusalem by the Babylonians verse 12 and
the Lord hath removed men far away and were taken into exile
and there be a grave forsaking in the midst of the land but
yet in it shall be a tent and it shall return there is the
doctrine then of the remnant the tenth and it shall return
and shall be eaten as a tile tree and as an oak whose substance
is in them when they cast their leaves so the holy seed shall
be the substance thereof. There is then a remnant who are
to be preserved but it's a very little remnant and Isaiah makes that very plain
as he executes that commission that he received from God in
chapter 10 And verse 21, the remnant shall return, even the
remnant of Jacob unto the mighty God. And he speaks of that again
here in the verses that we've just read at the beginning of
this 54th chapter. God says in verse 7, For a small
moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I
gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face
from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have
mercy on this hath the Lord thy Redeemer for a moment that's
the 70 years remember a thousand years in God's sight is as one
day it was but a small moment that they were taken away that
they were removed into exile that God would not forsake his
people forever there would be a restoration and so it was God
raised up Cyrus, the Medes, the Babylonians were overthrown by
the Medes and the Persians and so Cyrus is that one who is raised
up to be the deliverer and issues that decree whereby the Jews
are permitted to return to Jerusalem. Now that's a little bit of the
of the context he's speaking in the first instance of course
to that situation And it's important that we do note that historical
background. But really what we have here
as in all the scriptures is that
that is prophetic of the day of Christ. This is a prophecy,
is it not, of the gospel day. We know that because what we
have here in this chapter is actually quoted by the Apostle
Paul, when he writes in Galatians chapter 4, the opening verse
of the chapter, Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, break
forth into singing and cry aloud, thou that didst not prevail with
child for more are the children of the desolate than the children
of the married wife, saith the Lord. The married wife is Israel,
God's ancient covenant people, that people that he had taken
to himself married them to him as he were when he entered into
covenant with them. And there's a contrast here between
the Jew and the Gentile. The Gentile is identified with
the barren woman who bore no children but under the gospel
there is to be that great calling of the Gentiles. Now as I say
those words at the beginning of this chapter are found in
the New Testament in Galatians chapter 4 and there in the 27th
verse Paul actually quotes the words of the prophet for it is
written. Look at the context there is
he not drawing a contrast in Galatians 4 between the the new
covenant and the old covenant. It was a contrast between Sinai
and Zion. So often in the scriptures we
see that in Hebrews chapter 12. It was a contrast here between
the two wives of Abraham, Hagar and Sarah. There at verse 21
in Galatians, For tell me ye that desire to be under the law,
do ye not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham
had two sons, one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman. But
he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh, that's
Hagar and Ishmael. But he of the free woman was
by promise, Herod and Isaac. Which things are an allegory,
for these are the two covenants, the one from Mount Sinai, which
genereth to bondage, which is Hagar, For this Agar is Mount
Sinai in Arabia, and also to Jerusalem, which now is and is
in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem, which is above,
is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written,
Rejoice thou that bearest not, break forth, and cry thou that
travailest not. For the desolate hath many more
children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren,
as Isaac was, are the children of promise. It is clear then
that Paul there is making it plain that what is declared at
the beginning of Isaiah 54 belongs to the Christian believer, the
child of promise. What we have in this chapter
then, in these verses that we've read, and the text that we're
considering, is that it is a prophecy of the gospel. And it speaks,
does it not, of the enlargement of the church, the gospel going
out to the ends of the earth. Verse 2. Enlarge the place of
thy tent, let them stretch forth the curtains of thy inhabitation.
Spare not, lengthen thy courts, and strengthen thy stakes. For
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. It's the gospel going out, the
gospel that is to be preached to the ends of the earth, going
into all the world, says the Lord Jesus Christ. and preach
the gospel to every creature. And it's interesting that verses
2 and 3 was the text from which William Carey preached that famous
sermon before the Northamptonshire Particular Baptist Association,
before the formation of that society. the particular Baptist
society for propagating the Gospel amongst the heathen. And he entitled
that sermon, Expect great things from God, attempt great things
for God. We can expect great things because
of this great promise. In the light of the promise,
great things therefore ought to be attempted. Here then we
see that the gospel is to go out, there is to be the enlargement
of the church. At the end of verse 5, the gods
of the whole earth shall he be called, that is God's name. His
gospel then goes out and sinners are called from all the nations
under the heavens. Well let us come then to these
words in verses 4 and five as we consider them more carefully
tonight and consider them in the light of that great gospel
promise. And the first thing I want us
to do is to consider the one who is speaking. It's not Isaiah,
is it? It is Isaiah as the mouthpiece
of God. That is the ministry of the prophets
of course. They are God's servants. They carry that burden of the
Lord and they declare the word of the Lord. And here we see
in the one who is speaking the suitability of him to be the
saviour. What do we read in verse 5? Thy
maker is thy 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. Now observe three things with
regards then to the One who is speaking. He is spoken of here
as the Creator, thy maker. He is the great God who is the
One who has made the heavens and the earth. Know ye not, we
read in Psalm 100, that the Lord he is God, it is he that hath
made us, not we ourselves, we are his people and the sheep
of his pasture. And when we are reminded of that
great work of God, the work of creation, are we not also reminded
of that power that belongs unto the Almighty? How did God create
Well, we've considered the content of those opening chapters in
the book of Genesis on previous occasions and there we've noted
how God simply acted by divine fears. He simply spoke. As the
psalmist says, by the word of the Lord were the heavens made
and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth for he spake
and it was done. He commanded it and it stood
fast. It is quite remarkable is it
not that there at the very beginning of the revelation of God that
we have in Genesis chapter 1 we are confronted by His great power,
He is the omnipotent God. In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth and as I said in that work God certainly
reveals himself to be the one who is all-powerful all creation
bears its testimony to the blessed truth that God is and so this
is why every people are without any excuse even those who have
never heard the word of God as we have it said before us here
in the scriptures because God's line goes out to the ends of
the earth as we read in the Psalms And Paul in Romans chapter 1
reminds us of that. The invisible sins of him from
the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead. Therefore they are without excuse. This is the one who is speaking
then. He is the mighty God. He is the
omnipotent God. He is the creator of all things,
thy maker. but then also we are reminded
that he is that one who is sovereign over all things he is referred
to here by his name the Lord of hosts is his name the Lord
of hosts that is all the hosts of heaven all the angels, elect angels
and fallen angels and he is that one of course who is ruling and
reigning over all the inhabitants of the earth even Nebuchadnezzar who was raised
up to be such a scourge to the Jews the one who was the Babylonian
emperor at the time when Jerusalem fell even that man was so humbled
before God as we see in Daniel chapter 4 that he has to acknowledge
His sovereignty, all the inhabitants of the earth, says Nebuchadnezzar,
are accounted as nothing. And He doeth according to His
will among the armies of heaven, and the inhabitants of the earth,
and none can stay His hand, or say to Him what doeth that. The Lord of hosts, you see, the
armies of heaven, the inhabitants of the earth, all things are
subject to His will. he is the one who rules and reigns
as he is the creator as he is the omnipotent one so he is that
one whose sovereignty is absolute throughout every part of his
creation even in the heavens as well as in the earth but see
how we're told that his name is Lord of hosts and Lord as
you will observe appears in the capital letters indicating that
this is the Covenant name. This is the name Jehovah. This is the God of the Covenant
who is speaking there. And are we not right to bring
together the Covenant and His sovereignty? How in grace God
is always sovereign. and in all these things God of
course has his eye on that remnant Isaiah was assured of that right
at the beginning when he was first called to be the Lord's
prophet he had a ministry to that little remnant in it shall
be a tenth and it shall return this is the little remnant fear
not little flock it is your father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom All God doth leave in the midst an afflicted and a
poor people and they are trusting in the name of the Lord. And
their comfort is that this God is a sovereign God. And in all
his dealings with the earth of course his eye is upon his people,
they are as the apple of his eye. The Lord Jesus Christ we
are assured is the head over all things to the church. which
is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. This one then who speaks is not
only the sovereign God, but he is that God of sovereign grace
who will save his people from their sins, who will preserve
them even in the years of exile as we see in the book of Daniel.
They are preserved. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Bednika,
Though Daniel be cast into the lion's den, though those three
young Hebrew men be cast into the fiery furnace, there is one
who is present with them to preserve them. But then furthermore, this
God is not only the Creator, not only the Sovereign Lord,
He is also the Holy One. The Holy One of Israel and as he is holy so we know
that he only speaks truth he is that one who is different
to sinful men he is not a man that he should lie nor the son
of man that he should repent have he said it shall he not
do it have he spoken it shall he not make it good The Holy
One can never lie. All that He says must then ultimately
be accomplished. He says here in chapter 46 verse
9, Remember the former things of old? For I am God, and there
is none else. I am God, and there is none like
me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times
of things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand. and I will do all my pleasure." This is the Holy One, you see,
and what the Holy One says must therefore be fulfilled. His holiness is celebrated before
the throne of heaven, as we see there in chapter 6, those seraphim,
those burning angels, one cried unto another and said, holy,
holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his
glory. Oh, this is the one then who
is speaking, the Creator God, the Sovereign God, the Holy One
of Israel. And who are the ones that he
speaks to? well look at what we're told
in verse 4 here we can discern who it is that this God takes
account of and addresses himself to fear 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 shall
not remember the reproach of thy widowhood anymore Now, of course, it's a word that's
addressed to the Gentile, as the gospel is to go out to the
ends of the earth. But surely, besides that general
reference, there is a particular reference here. To whom is this
word made a real word and a word of
comfort? Well, it's to those who are a
fearful people. There are many fear nots in the
scripture. Why are there so many fear nots? Because God's people are a fearful
people. And they need then that God should
come to reassure them and to speak words of comfort to them.
Turn back to chapter 41 and look at what God says there. Verse
10 Fear thou not for I am with thee
be not dismayed for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea
I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my
holiness and I like the emphatic way in which the fear not is
declared there it's not just fear not but the pronoun is inserted
fear thou not and it's a singular pronoun Oh, how personal it is. We mustn't just deal with God's
word then in terms of generalities. God deals with us personally,
particularly. Again you see at verse 13. He
says, I, the Lord thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto
thee, Fear not. I will help thee. Fear not. Thou
worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel. I will help thee, saith the Lord,
and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Now again, look at
the margin there in verse 14. Ye men of Israel is literally,
ye few men. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and
ye few men of Israel. That little remnant. How they
need that the Lord should come and speak to them. They are so
fearful. Why are they fearful? Well, they are fearful because
they are conscious of what they are, they are conscious of their
sinnership. They are sensible of their state, their condition,
their needs. It is a truth of course that
all are sinners. The Bible is played in declaring
that in his prayer at the dedication of the temple. Remember, as Solomon
acknowledges that fact, there is no man that sinneth not says
King Solomon all men have sinned all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God all are in that sad condition dead in trespasses
and in sins but how few are aware that they are sinners but this
word you see is addressed to those who have an awareness though
all are sinners in God's sight there are but few so in their
own says Joseph Hart and he goes on to say The sinner is a sacred
thing. The Holy Ghost has made him so.
When there is that sense of our sinnership, is it not a comfort
to us to know what we are and that we cannot help ourselves
or save ourselves? Was it not for sinners that the
Lord Jesus Christ came into the world? He himself has said it. They that are whole have no need
of the physician, but they that are sick. I came, he says, not
to call the righteous, but sinners. to repentance. These are the
ones that the Lord is ever mindful of. And of course the sinner
here is one who's ashamed. And we say that's true of us.
So often we feel ashamed of what we are, we're ashamed of what
we were. Some of us, before ever we were converted, but we're
more ashamed of what we are as professed Christians. Look at
how graciously the Lord speaks to the to these characters in
the text. Three times we have the word
ashamed. Shame. Shame. Clearly these people very much
feel what they are. Fear 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 three
times then we have that word ashamed or shame and even the
word confounded there at the beginning thou shalt not be ashamed
neither be thou confounded those are parallel statements and the
word that's rendered confounded could also be rendered to put
to shame or to blush the consequence of being ashamed you see one's
face colours and here we have mention of the
shame of thy youth the shame of thy youth we sang of that did we not in
our opening hymn that lovely hymn of Thomas Callies I remember having my attention
drawn to this hymn by dear John, the late John Chalk, for many
years of course was responsible for the chapel at Providence
in Chichester. With tears in his eyes he drew
my attention to the third verse, "'Twas long before I knew this
truth and learned to trust the Saviour's name, in Vanita I spent
my youth." The thought now fills my heart with shame. In vanity I spent my youth ashamed
of it. But what do we read here? Thou
shalt forget the shame of thy youth. When the Lord God speaks
to Israel in Ezekiel 16, that long chapter, that remarkable
chapter in the book of Ezekiel, He reminds them what they were
when he found them. And in fact the
command that's given to the Prophet is to cause them to know. There
in verse 2 of Ezekiel 16, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know
her abominations and say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem,
thy birth and thy nativities of the land of Canaan, thy father
as an Amorite and thy mother a Hittite, And as for thy nativity
in the day that thou wast born, thy navel was not cut, neither
was thou washed in water to supple it. Thou wast not salted at all,
nor swaddled. He goes on at verse 6, When I
passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto
thee, When thou wast in my blood, live. Yea, I said unto thee,
When thou wast in my blood, live. he reminds them you see of what
they were in and of themselves and how he had mercy upon them
the psalmist cries out remember not the sins of my youth remember
not the sins of my youth another of the hymns is that one by Joseph
Hart I don't know if you ever sung it really in public worship
but 775 my God when I reflect how all my lifetime past I ran
the roads of sin and death with rash impetuous haste my foolishness
I hate my filthiness I loathe and view with sharp remorse and
shame my filth and folly both here are those you see that the
Lord God is addressing and they feel these things. They know
something of shame because of their sins. And so God speaks these comforting
words to them. It is God, of course, who has
caused them to feel what they are. It is God who has taught
them. He causes Jerusalem to know her abomination. And how
does God cause his people to know these things? It is, strangely,
in the light of the New Covenant. It's in the light of God's gracious
dealings with sinners in the Lord Jesus Christ that we're
made to see the awfulness of sin. Law and terrors do but harden
all the while they work alone but a sense of blood brought
part. soon dissolves the heart of stone look at the end of that
16th chapter in Ezekiel God says at verse 62 I will establish
my covenant with thee I will establish my covenant that's
the new covenant I will establish my covenant with thee and thou
shalt know that I am the Lord that thou mayest remember and
be confounded and never open thy mouth anymore because of
thy shame When I am pacified toward thee for all that thou
hast done, saith the Lord God. Their sin you see and their shame
all has to do with how God has dealt so graciously with them. Oh how God's people then are
spoken to here in this fourth verse. God addresses himself
to particular character. Those who are ashamed of what
they are, have nothing that they can bring to commend themselves
to God. They are such a fearful people. They think that God must
cast them off forever. There is no hope for them. But
there is. The Lord God Himself is the one
who is dealing with them and He assures them of the forgiveness of every sin.
That's the language of the text, is it not? Fear 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." It's the language of certainty, it's the promise
that is Yah and Amen in the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, thirdly,
let us just look more carefully at the message that is being
spoken to these people. We consider the one who speaks
It is the Great God, the Mighty Creator of all things, the Sovereign
Lord of Heaven and Earth, the Holy One of Israel, and He is
speaking to these people in verse 4. But there is something more
of the promise in what He says also here in verse 5. For thy Maker, He says, is thine
Husband, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One
of Israel. thine husband thy redeemer and
redeemer is that great word it's the word go out the kinsman redeemer the kinsman
redeemer it's what we have of course in the case of Ruth and
Boaz here is this woman she was widowed Marlon Her husband, the
son of Naomi, died. She returned with her mother-in-law
from Moab to Bethlehem, Judah. And we have recorded there in
that little book of Ruth how kindly, how tenderly she was
dealt with by Boaz. and he becomes her kinsman redeemer she's lying at his feet chapter
3 and verse 8 he turned himself and behold a woman lay at his
feet and he said who art thou? and she answered I am Ruth thine
handmaid spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid for
thou art a near kinsman but there was one of course who was a nearer
kinsman and he goes on to acknowledge
that verse 12 now it is true that I am thy nearer kinsman
albeit there is a kinsman nearer than I tarry this night and it
shall be in the morning that if he will perform unto thee
the part of a kinsman well let him do the kinsman's part but
if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee then will I
do the part of a kinsman to thee as the Lord liveth lie down until
the morning. It's that provision that's made
in the Levitical law, Leviticus chapter 25 and verse 25. It's
set forth there and again in Deuteronomy 25 and verses 5 and
6. The kinsman redeemer, or the
relative is to redeem his brother's portion in Israel by marrying
the widow. but all of this of course ultimately
directs us to the Lord Jesus Christ and we see that in what
Job says in that great verse in Job 19 I know that my Redeemer
liveth and he shall stand upon the latter day upon the earth
and it's the same words as is used by Ruth when she speaks
to Boaz it's the same word that is used here concerning who it
is that is speaking to these people who are so fearful and
so ashamed thy maker is thine husband the Lord of hosts is
his name and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel. O the Lord Jesus Christ you see
has come where his people are has come to redeem his people
We are familiar with the words of Hebrews 2, for as much then
as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, he likewise
took part of the same, says the Apostle. Verily he took not upon him the
nature of angels, but he took upon him, says Paul, the seed
of Abraham. He goes on there to draw this conclusion, wherefore,
in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. Oh, it behoved him to be made
like unto them because he would be that one who is their merciful
and faithful high priest. And it's the same one, you see.
that is spoken of here in the promise of our text 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 we have the language of appropriation thy maker thine
husband thy redeemer It's the language of those who have a
vital living union and relationship with this God. Fear 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
anymore. May the Lord bless His word to
us. Now let us worship God in the
singing of the hymn 396. The tune is Zundel, 664. Hymn 396. Could the creatures
help or ease us? Seldom would we think of prayer.
Few, if any, come to Jesus, till reduced to self-despair. Lunged,
we either slight or doubt him. But when all the means we try
prove we cannot do without Him, then at last to Him we cry. 396 Could the Would we think of prayer? Do we many come to Jesus, Still
reduced to self-disdain? Long will I the slight old doubt cannot do without Him, then at
last to Him we cry. Fear Thou not, distressed believer,
venture on His mighty name. He is able to deliver and His
love is still the same. Wait but his appointed hour,
And thy suit thou shalt obtain.