A Sermon by Robert Gordon
Isaiah 62:1-12. 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. . . .
1Taken, with abridgement, from Christ in the Old Testament, vol 4. This four-volume set has been reprinted by Free Presbyterian Publications, and gives an excellent exposition of the types and prophecies of the Saviour in the Old Testament.
In the previous chapter, the Messiah says of Himself: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound”. The Saviour expressly applied the passage to Himself in the synagogue at Nazareth. And in this chapter He speaks on His mediatorial work, on behalf of His Church. He assures His people that He will never cease carrying on His undertaking till all the glorious results which He has foretold are fully brought about “until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth”.
The meaning of the figurative language here used about Jerusalem is obvious. It predicts the time when the character of the true Church, as contrasted with that of a world lying in sin, should be more fully manifested and her influence more powerfully felt than before. From the beginning, the Church had been raised up to reflect the glory of her great Head – to be a light in the midst of a world sunk in the darkness of ignorance and idolatry. There were indeed times when it shone very dimly, when the true people of God were so few and had become so cold as to raise but a feeble testimony for God and His truth. So it was in Isaiah’s time. Multitudes still came to Jerusalem professedly to worship the true God. But Isaiah thus testifies: “Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah”.
The light which the Church at that time gave forth, must have been very faint. And it was destined to be still fainter, for, with some occasional, partial revivals, the men of Judah continued to degenerate, till the long-threatened judgement of captivity overtook them. Though they were delivered from captivity, they again fell away into cold formality, if not idolatry. Thus when the Messiah appeared, the true Church was as weak as perhaps it had ever been. Still, even then there was a remnant. The light from the Church was not extinguished; and it was here foretold that not only would it revive, but the revival would be more glorious as a result of the feebleness to which it had been reduced. The prophet addressed the Church in her low state: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee”.
This is what, in this chapter, the Messiah declares He would accomplish for His Church. The promise implied she was in a low condition – disregarded by an ignorant, ungodly world. There was nothing about her which men recognised as proof that she was the special object of God’s favour, and that He would exalt her to a state of honour. He assured her that her righteousness would “go forth as brightness” and her salvation “as a lamp that burneth” – in other words, God would make it clear that she was the object of His favour and would work out a deliverance for her which should constrain men to acknowledge that it was from Him. There is here an obvious reference to the Messiah’s words in the previous chapter: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord . . . for He hath clothed Me with the garments of salvation”. Christ spoke here of His mediatorial work, in which He undertook to fulfil all righteousness. Having done so, he was exalted to glory and honour, in testimony of having finished the work His Father gave Him to do.
The righteousness which He fulfilled was wrought out on behalf of His Church – those whom He had undertaken to redeem. As that righteousness was to be imputed to them, so they were to participate in all the blessed effects it was to produce – in all the glory and blessedness to which Christ Himself was to be exalted. Christ was clothed “with the garments of salvation” and covered “with the robe of righteousness” that He might impute the same righteousness to His people, for their acceptance with God – and that He might adorn them with the holy beauty of His character, and so fit them to enjoy the blessedness with which His righteousness was rewarded. Accordingly Christ declared He would assuredly do all for His Church; and make it plain to all that He had done so – that the Church was righteous before God, enjoying His approval, that she was saved from the power of sin and Satan, being adorned with the beauties of holiness, the Saviour’s graces.
Her righteousness shall “go forth as brightness” and her salvation “as a lamp that burneth”. Thus the predicted deliverance of Zion – the revival of true religion – would not only equal, but excel in glory, anything that had been seen even in the purest times of the Church. The light from her would be brighter, and her influence more powerful and extensive, than at any former period. This is confirmed: “The Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name”. There was a time when Jerusalem attracted mighty sovereigns. When the Queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, “she came to prove him with hard questions”. And “all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart”.
But the outward prosperity of the visible Church, in Solomon’s time, was only a type of the spiritual glory of the true Church when a greater than Solomon would appear. That glory was not to consist in a display of temporal power and grandeur, such as the world naturally admires. It was to be such as the world naturally hates, a righteous and holy grandeur, the reflected glory of Him against whom the kings of the earth were to set themselves. Ultimately they too will be brought into subjection to the King of kings, and will esteem it their highest honour to serve Him. But whether they are rebellious or submissive, whether they should hate or admire the Church, it is here foretold that they will not be able to ignore the likeness of her divine Head: “The Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory”.
That the spiritual glory of the Church is here spoken of is further evident from what follows: “Thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.” The Church is here called “a crown of glory” and “a royal diadem” as in other passages of Scripture where the salvation of His people is represented as the glorious reward of the Messiah, for all that He did on their behalf.
Thus Zechariah prophesied of Him as “the Branch”, on whose head crowns were to be set, because He was to “build the temple of the Lord”, “bear the glory”, “sit and rule upon His throne” and “be a priest upon His throne”. The New Testament declares that, because Christ finished His mediatorial work, He was crowned “with glory and honour”. In Revelation He is described as having “many crowns” on His head. And in a subordinate sense, Paul speaks of those as his crown who, through his ministry, had been converted or built up in the faith: “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?”
The Church is here represented as “a crown of glory” and “a royal diadem” in the hand of Jehovah, to be placed on the head of the Messiah, who was to purchase her with His own blood. And while He was thus to be glorified in and by her, she was to be honoured by Him; for she was to “be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name”. From verse 4 we are to understand a state of higher attainments in holiness and a corresponding increase of happiness: “Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken . . . but thou shalt be called Hephzibah” – that is, “My delight is in her”.
Almost always, in Old Testament times, the true Church was so small, and so infected by the prevailing sins of the age, as hardly to be distinguished from the hypocritical multitude of the visible Church, who differed little from the heathen nations around them. The light which emanated from the true Church must have been very faint and the testimony she lifted up for God very feeble. As her love waxed cold, so her faith became weak, her hope less bright, and her spiritual comfort less abundant. The Old Testament Church must often have been in great darkness, which must have been greatly increased by temporal judgements because of the grievous sins of the people at large. These judgements affected the true Church necessarily, and she must have regarded them as tokens of God’s displeasure.
The Church must have often felt forsaken and desolate; except for the gracious messages which the prophets brought to her, she must have sunk into despondency. In the message now before us, she was there assured that she was not forsaken; notwithstanding all she then suffered, the time would come when she should receive a new name – she should be brought into a better condition, and the word of Jehovah Himself was pledged to accomplish this. But those who belonged to the true Church when this prediction was given might not live to witness the change that was foretold.
Yet the prediction contained consolation for them; for the prophecy also assured them that, if they would cleave to the Lord and make Him their refuge, He would not forget them or forsake them. The preservation of the true Church was essential to the fulfilment of the promise, and however much they might be afflicted, they could not be cast off. Thus, however long till the promise was fulfilled, the Church of that and of all future times could draw abundant encouragement from it: “Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shall be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah [Married]: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married”.
This great change in the condition of the Church began to take place when, in the fullness of time, Christ appeared as announced: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings”. Christ, by His death at Jerusalem, finished the work which His Father gave Him to do, rose from the dead, ascended up on high and, according to His promise, poured out His Spirit on the apostles. Then there followed such a revival of the true religion as had never before taken place, so that the “righteousness” of Zion went forth “as brightness” and the “salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth”.
Such a change in her condition made the glory of the Church clearer than ever before, showing that she was the special object of God’s favour and should no more be termed “Forsaken” or “Desolate”. She was not exempted from temporal distress, nor was a temporal inheritance granted her. But such an inheritance no longer had the importance it once had; nor did she now regard even the severest persecution as a token of God’s displeasure. On the contrary, she rejoiced to be counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ. The Gentiles saw the light from the Church, and kings had to recognise it. Yet they did not always acknowledge it to be light from heaven; they hated it because they loved darkness. The Apostles saw the fulfilment of the psalmist’s words: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed”. But this opposition made it more evident that He who was for His Church was far greater than all against her, and so she never could be forsaken or desolate. In spite of this opposition, the light of the Church spread rapidly among the Gentiles, so that multitudes turned from the power of Satan unto God.
Though, thus early, the promise to the Church, “The Gentiles shall see thy righteousness”, was largely fulfilled; yet even the glory of the apostolic age was only a partial fulfilment. The light which then broke forth from Jerusalem, and spread rapidly through an idolatrous world, is destined to be still brighter. The full accomplishment of the promise is infallibly certain, for the Messiah here says, “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”. This very strongly expresses how earnestly the Saviour carried out His mediatorial work when He did not cease to preach the glad tidings of pardon to the guilty, while demonstrating His divine authority by miracles of mercy. But His words declare as emphatically that He will never cease from His mediatorial work until the glorious result here foretold shall be realised – He will not cease to make intercession and exercise His divine power on behalf of His Church, until her “righteousness” shall “go forth” over all the earth “as brightness”, and her “salvation . . . as a lamp that burneth”.
But if Christ has never held His peace from interceding and has always acted for the extension of His kingdom, why did that kingdom not long ago embrace all the kingdoms of the earth? And why does His cause still remain in conflict – sometimes apparently unequal – with error and ungodliness in every form? Perhaps it is sufficient to say that known unto Christ are all His works from the beginning and that, however mysterious His dispensations may appear, He has not forgotten His promise and He will one day make it clear to the satisfaction of His people, and to the confusion of His enemies, that He has never ceased to intercede and to act on behalf of His Church.
Yet the general tenor of His dealings with the Church provides a farther reply – one full of important practical instruction. The fulfilment of the most notable of God’s promises to the Church was, according to men’s estimate of time, long delayed. Israel did not possess Canaan, which had been promised to Abraham, till 400 years after the promise was first given. And 4000 years elapsed before the great promise of the great Deliverer, the seed of the woman, who was to bruise the serpent’s head, was put into effect. But now that both these promises have been fulfilled, who will allege that divine power was not constantly operating to have them accomplished and that, when they were accomplished, the long delay only brought out more clearly the infinite wisdom, almighty power and unchangeable faithfulness of Him who determines all things according to the counsel of His will?
The manifestation of the divine sovereignty and perfections was not the only consequence of the seeming slackness in the fulfilment of the divine promises. Provision was also made for exercising the faith and patience of the Church, and we are indebted to this exercise of the faith and patience of Old Testament saints for those holy examples which were recorded for the instruction, reproof and encouragement of the Church in all subsequent times.
Can the Church now, with the clearer revelation she has of the principles of God’s government, doubt that Christ is faithful to the promise: “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”? Can she doubt that He is overruling all events, though she may not see how, to further His cause and finally establish His kingdom? And can she fail to learn the lesson, taught by all God’s former dealings with His people, that one of the purposes to be accomplished by the seeming delay in fulfilling His promise, is to exercise her faith and patience – to keep her in a state of earnest expectation for the time when “the Gentiles shall see [her] righteousness, and all kings [her] glory”. This is the attitude which all true believers are required habitually to have – each in his own sphere seeking to reflect more clearly the image of Christ, and all uniting to make the glory of that image more manifest to the world around them.
How sad if the seeming slackness in fulfilling the promise of the universal spread of the gospel produces the very opposite effect on believers! Yet is there not reason to fear that often, instead of becoming more anxious for the fulfilment of the promise the longer it is delayed, they come to regard it as something they hardly expect – that the slow progress of the truth, together with the many apparently-insurmountable obstacles that oppose it, creates in their minds a feeling of near hopelessness for its final triumph? Though they would tremble at expressing the sentiment of the scoffer, they entertain the question of the ungodly, “Where is the promise of His coming?”
But the practical lesson about the Church’s duty to be deduced from the Messiah’s gracious promise is expressly given in the subsequent verses. At verse 6, He says, “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”. By the watchmen we are to understand the office-bearers in the Church; and the purpose of their appointment is that they may constantly watch, labour and pray for her extension and prosperity. It is said of them that they will do so, in a declaration that emphatically expresses the heavy responsibility resting upon them – if they cease to do so, they belie their profession, betray their holy trust, and do what they can to defeat the great purpose of their office. We find unfaithful watchmen, and the consequences of their unfaithfulness, thus described in an earlier chapter: “All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind; they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.”
Yet this duty is required of all “that make mention of the Lord” – all God’s people – “Keep not silence, and give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth”. This strong language implies, on the one hand, that the progress of the true religion was at times to be so slow that it might almost appear as if God had forgotten His promise and had ceased to further His cause. On the other hand, it commands the people of God to be as earnest as if they prayed to one who was unwilling to grant their request. And Christ taught this doctrine anew when “He spake a parable” to His disciples, “to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint”.
What an exalted view is here given of the privilege and responsibility of believers! By the injunction here laid on them to be importunate in prayer, till God shall “establish” and “make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” – till the Church shall embrace men of every kingdom, tongue, nation and people – they are invited to the honour of participating in the very work in which the Saviour Himself is engaged in His glorified state. He declares, “For Zion’s sake will I not hold My peace . . . until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness”. This gracious assurance is followed by the gracious injunction to His people, “Ye that make mention of the Lord,” or, ye that are the Lord’s remembrances, “keep not silence, and give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth”. This is accompanied with a promise that their prayer will in God’s time be answered; for the remainder of the chapter describes the spiritual glory which the Church is one day to exhibit throughout the whole world, but expressed under the figure of great temporal prosperity to the literal Judah and Jerusalem.
The Church is here taught plainly and emphatically that, though Christ is exalted to universal sovereignty and is unceasingly exercising His mediatorial offices on behalf of His Church, and though He needs no aid to accomplish the work for which He has pledged His power and faithfulness, yet He does not dispense with the prayers and labours of His people to further His cause in the world. He has assured them of His unceasing intercession on their behalf so that they may be encouraged to pray and labour for the advancement of His kingdom. He thus intimates that, if the progress of that kingdom appears at times to be held back, they ought to inquire if they have become faint and faithless in what He has assigned to them.
There is surely enough in the honour of being fellow workers with the Saviour, if they did but realise it, to awaken and keep alive in their minds a holy earnestness of desire for the spread of the gospel, as the glory of the Church reflects the glory of her living Head. While their earnest perseverance in prayer for this great object must redound to the honour of the Redeemer, it will also contribute to their spiritual health and comfort. What is better fitted to raise their affections above everything that would bind down their hearts to earthliness than to have their minds seriously exercised about the manifestation of the Saviour’s glory, and the visible display of His supremacy in subduing all nations to His righteous government?
I assume that the interest they feel in the advancement of Christ’s cause is not confined to the time they set apart for their devotions – a time when they can hardly avoid recollecting the petition, “Thy kingdom come”. But I assume that true Christians will always seek to have on their minds the progress and universal establishment of the kingdom of Christ. I assume too that in all the events which affect society they will ask, How will these events affect the spread of the gospel? Yet they may not be able to answer this question, nor will they dare speculate about it beyond what is warranted by the plain declarations of Scripture and the clear leadings of providence. Let them also remember that in seeking a habitual interest in the extension of the Church, their minds are going forth in the same direction as the mind of Christ – they long for what He intercedes for, for which He exercises His divine power. Therefore they cherish a feeling which He approves of.
What is here specially brought before us is earnest longing and persevering prayer for the advancement of the kingdom of grace, which ought to characterise all believers. While the blessed effects of cherishing such a spirit must be a matter of experience in the growing holiness of their own soul and in their growing peace and comfort, they are encouraged to believe that their prayers will have an effect in bringing about the glorious state of things which they long and pray for. They cannot doubt that, among the various means by which Christ carries on His mediatorial work, a place has been assigned to the prayers of His people. And it will be made clear to them that in the final success of Christ’s kingdom, there will be an answer to the petitions they presented to God when they kept not silence, and gave Him no rest, pleading that He might “establish” and “make Jerusalem a praise in the earth”.