Warning – and Comfort
For even if the mountains walk away
and the hills fall to pieces,
My love won’t walk away from you,
my covenant commitment of peace won’t fall apart.
The God who has compassion on you says so.
(Isaiah 54:10, The Message)
When the kingdom of Judah was conquered around 598-587 B.C., many of God’s people (Israel – not the modern nation-state) were displaced – departed – exiled – whatever language you want to use – to Babylon, This was long after they had entered the Promised Land, where I’m sure they felt they were done and settled for good after all those years enslaved in Egypt and then wandering the desert.
This exile hit God’s people hard. It was also a consequence for their violation of the covenant they made with God. Because they allowed the law God gave them to become corrupt, God allowed their kingdom to be conquered by their enemy.
Isaiah 54 is a chapter intended to comfort God’s people in this situation of exile. Isaiah shares a prophetic word to them – saying that Israel was a 1) barren woman, 2) a deserted wife, and 3) a city that had suffered from enemy armies. All of that was from the Lord for their sin.
You can’t read Isaiah 54 without reading Isaiah 53, which contains the prophetic word of the Suffering Servant – Jesus.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5, NIV)
The Servant had become a guilt offering for sin, so the effect was that judgment against them was over, and comfort from the Lord is emphasized. Israel would no longer be alienated from a loving husband (God), nor a city in fear of the enemy.
Mountains appear immovable, yet even mountains can be shaken. God’s covenant of peace is eternal. Compassion, love, and kindness are what God showed his people. The sacrifice of Jesus makes this possible.
While this message is not for us Gentiles, it serves as a reminder of God’s compassion towards Israel during that time. Over and over, they violated the covenant God had made with them, and while they did experience consequences, God never removed himself from being their God, nor did he ever break the covenant with them. His faithfulness in the midst of their unfaithfulness is a key component of his character, helping us understand who God is.
God’s faithfulness to his people – not just in refusing to break his covenant with them, but in sending the voice of Isaiah to warn and to comfort them – proves to us he will never leave us, that he is for us and not against us, and that he speaks to his people.
Sometimes we can feel as though God has walked away from us, but there are three things to remember when those “mountains walk away” – three things rooted in the character of who God is:
1.) He is always with us.
2.) We can always go to him for help.
3.) Listen for his voice.
In Christ, Pastor Stephanie
