We are in Isaiah. Let us take one more look into the rich, full content of that statement, and we shall, this evening, find this, for the present, final word concerning the prophecies of Isaiah, chapter 62—the first seven verses.
For Zion’s sake will I not hold My peace,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her righteousness go forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a lamp that burneth.And the nations 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.Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.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.I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem;
they shall never hold their peace day nor night:
ye that are the Lord’s remembrancers, take ye no rest,
and give Him no rest,
till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
At this point, it is not necessary only to repeat what has been said again and again regarding the spiritual counterpart of Zion in the Old Testament: that heavenly people who are brought into fellowship with His Son. These verses are the fulfilment of His supreme purpose.
When it says here, “For Zion’s sake,” it is only a manner of speaking. Literally and actually, the statement with Zion is now present in all the spiritual meaning of the old symbolisms. That is all I am going to say as to what Zion means and stands for.
There is a change here from the earlier chapters. In the earlier chapters, we have that with which the prophet was charged as the message of the Lord. Repeatedly, the prophet said, “The Lord spake unto me,” and what the Lord said unto him became his burden. That word is used: “The burden of the word of the Lord,” the oracle, concerning.
It was what the Lord told the prophet to say. But here there is a change. It is what the Lord Himself is represented as saying directly and personally.
Who is this? “For Zion’s sake will I not hold My peace.” Who is the “I”? It is none other than the Messiah Himself.
You notice chapter 61: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings.” Who is speaking? We know that, prophetically, it is the Messiah speaking—the Lord Jesus—who said in the days of His flesh that those very words related to Him. It is He who is speaking. The same “I” is in chapter 62 as in chapter 61.
The statement that He will not hold His peace, nor take rest, is a long way ahead, and it suddenly outspeeds the life of the prophet Isaiah. Here is Someone committing Himself to an extended intercession.
Who is this Someone making this intercession? It is the One of whom it is spoken in Isaiah 53:12: “He shall make intercession for the transgressors.” Here is His intercession—the same One, the Lord Jesus—directly represented as making Zion His personal concern.
It is true that this burden is transmitted through either the lips or the pen of the prophet. The prophet takes a secondary place here to the Lord Himself. He does come into fellowship with the Lord in that matter, and of course that is an important part of our message. But the main point is this: this is the Lord’s own personal concern.
It is not something detached from the Lord and just given out for someone else to take up and make their business alone. It has to be done there, but it is important to realise that the Lord Himself is involved in this and committed to it. This is His primary burden.
What is His burden? What is the Lord concerned with and about? What is it that draws the Lord out in this way? What is the Lord after? What is really on the heart of the Lord? That is important for us to know.
What is the thing nearest to His heart? We must know that. We must be in the knowledge of that, in touch with it, in association with it. What is it? The answer is Zion.
“For Zion’s sake will I not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness.”
Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness. The Lord always begins there. It is important—most important—to know where the Lord always begins. We have a way of beginning a little further on. The Lord always begins with the inward condition of His people.
Everything is contingent upon that. We cannot get anywhere until we face that: the inward condition of the people with whom He is concerned. “Until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth.”
You must remember that it had been darkness—the darkness of the seventy years’ exile and captivity. Darkness had been over Zion. Zion had been in eclipse: a dark, dark day because of the spiritual condition of the Lord’s people.
You remember an incident in the life of Abram. The Lord gave him the vision of the affliction and emancipation of the nation after four hundred years. Then, in the midst of the darkness, a lamp appeared—a burning lamp appeared in the midst of the darkness.
The thing is repeated here. It was true with regard to Egypt, in the dark years in Egypt’s captivity. The lamp of hope, the sign of deliverance, the sign of redemption, is repeated here of Zion.
The darkness that had overtaken the people was symbolic of their spiritual state; then came the lamp of recovery and redemption. What is it? If the people are recovered for righteousness, that is the hope.
There is no hope at all—no future, no prospect—only insofar as the inward spiritual state is as the Lord would have it. There is no deliverance, no salvation, no testimony, nothing, until the Lord has a people corresponding to His mind. What Zion really needs is spiritual righteousness.
So let us take note of that. Oh, we could spend all our time on that quite profitably, dear friends. We are very, very much concerned about the work of the Lord, about effectiveness and such matters—power, testimony, and all those things.
Yes, we are greatly concerned about that. But do we realise that it all just hangs upon spiritual condition? If the inward state is not right, then nothing is right, and nothing can be right.
Ineffectiveness and all that sort of thing is traceable to something wrong inside—something that does not answer to the nature of God, for He is a righteous God.
Unpleasant as it is, we have to be very faithful about this. All hope, all blessing, begins with Zion’s inward spiritual condition. So righteousness stands at the head of the whole list.
“Until her righteousness”—until the Redeemer has come. “The Lord thy Redeemer”: that is the great, great phrase of Isaiah, “the Lord thy Redeemer.”
Do we not somehow hear a definite allusion? Do you remember, in the little book of Ruth, the whole question of redemption—the redemption of the inheritance—was in the balance, whether Boaz would take the responsibility of redeeming the inheritance and acting as the redeeming kinsman?
Naomi said to Ruth, “Sit still, my daughter; for the man will not rest, until he have finished the thing this day.” He will not rest until the matter is settled. The redeeming kinsman will not rest.
“I will take no rest.” Here is the redeeming Kinsman. The state of this matter of righteousness—He is committed to it, and He will see it through.
“Her righteousness goeth forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth.” The salvation is linked with the righteousness. What is this salvation? It is simply what the Lord has done for her.
Zion needed the Lord to do something for her salvation. The prophet is saying that Christ will not be silent; He will take no rest until it is manifest to all what the Lord has done for His people.
Her salvation: the Lord has saved her from her terrible state, from this darkness of her own sinfulness. The word “salvation” there could be translated “health.” What it means is: until it is perfectly clear that health has returned to Zion—she is in good health.
Salvation is good health. It seems to signify that some awful disease, some awful malady, had overtaken Zion. She was suffering from the invasion of foreign elements into her system, producing this state of things.
The Healer has returned to Zion, and He is saying, “I will not rest until this healing, this good health, goes forth as a lamp that burneth.” You see what the Lord is concerned about—what He is after: to have a people in spiritual good health.
Oh, sound and vigorous and free from these maladies that put her out of condition.
“And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory.” What does that mean? “I will not be silent. I will take no rest until Zion’s influence and testimony are re-established in the world.”
She has recovered her position, and her testimony is recognised and honoured among the nations. The Lord’s burden is to have a people whose influence and testimony are felt—really felt—in the world, something about which the world has to take account.
There is no unfair criticism in saying that, very largely, that is not true of what is called the church and Christianity. It is not regarded as something really to be reckoned with and taken account of.
Too easily Christianity can be despised. It can be considered something that really does not count at all. There is no real challenge about it. Is not that true, speaking quite generally of Christianity in this world?
The Lord is concerned—terribly concerned—that it should not be like that; that there should be in this world a people whose influence is such that the world has to take account of them.
The world has to say, “That amounts to something. That means something.” We are not here in this world as something that does not make any difference. Oh, the Lord wants that.
The nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory. They have had to admit and acknowledge that this people have something that is different—something mighty.
“Thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.” A new name. What is a name? A name implies a reputation—what you are called, what people call you. That usually is their way of describing you.
The name Israel had become something without honour. The nations could call Israel names which were not very complimentary. The Lord is here saying, “No silence for Me, and no rest for Me, until your reputation in the world is recovered—until it is redeemed.”
Until you are called by another name, a new name, the whole thing is changed. People are saying something different about you. It is the name which the Lord shall name, by which the Lord shall call you.
What was the name by which they were going to be called? The answer is found in the Scriptures: they shall be called by the name of the Lord. They shall be called the people of God.
That is the name to have: the people of God. “These are God’s people.” Something when the world begins to say that about Christians, is it not? Individually and collectively, these are God’s people.
Associating these people with God—there is not too much of that today, is there? The Lord is saying, “What I am deeply and terribly concerned with, and committed to, is that My people shall be called the people of God.”
Recognised as the people of God, they may truly and rightly be associated with God, and God with them. That name may rightly rest upon them: the Lord’s people, the people of God. That is the thing which the Lord says He will have. He will not rest until He has it.
“Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.” What does that mean?
There is much here in the figure that would repay careful study and consideration, but we are attempting, as far as possible, to gather every sentence into one implication. It just means this: something that is of tremendous value to the Lord.
A royal diadem in His hand. Get the picture: something precious, something that the Lord admires, something that the Lord delights to have, something upon which He dwells with admiration.
“I will not hold My peace. I will not rest until there is something in the earth like that—a people like that.” Valuable to the Lord, appreciated by Him, looked upon with pleasure and delight. He says, “Oh, that is grand. That is grand.”
A royal diadem in the hand of thy God; a crown of beauty. That is Zion.
“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.”
What is Hephzibah? It is just the following out of what has already been said. Hephzibah means, “My delight is in her.” My delight is in her.
Is this too much to expect? Is this too high a standard? What is the hope of there ever being anything like this? Just this: He said, “I will not rest until I have got it. I am going to pursue this thing until it is realised.”
If the Lord is set upon that, bent upon that, committed to that, then it can be. The Lord never commits Himself to anything that is impossible of realisation. That is our hope.
Very well, then. The Lord is really after something like that. Get into line with it: something that is a delight to the Lord.
Notice what follows is really an explanation of that: “Thy land shall be married.” Literally, the words here mean “taken over.” You do not always think of marriage like that—sometimes being taken over! But it is exactly what we mean.
When something has fallen on evil days and is not doing very well—a business perhaps, or property fallen into depreciation—it is under bad management, or no management at all. Then we say, “It has been taken over.”
It has been taken over by another person, another company, or another manager. The whole thing, by being taken over, is changed. It becomes fruitful where it was unfruitful, prosperous where it was not prosperous. The whole complexion is changed because it is taken over.
“Thy land shall be taken over.” That is good. A new idea of marriage, is it not? Taken over. Brought under the Lord’s hand—taken over. “That is Mine.”
That is what the Lord is set upon: to take us over and change the whole prospect, outlook, and situation by attaching us to Himself. “Thy land shall be married”—Beulah.
“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day nor night.” “I have set watchmen upon thy walls.” What does that mean? What are the watchmen there for?
They are there in jealous safeguarding of this thing from any encroachment or breaking in of foreign elements—evil elements. The watchmen are vigilant and jealous because they are so jealous for this thing that it shall not in any way be interfered with.
Oh, dear friends, this is a challenge to us. If the Lord’s burden is to become our burden, if we are to be drawn into His concern, if we are really to be with Him in this matter, all these things have got to become our concern as they are His—every one of them.
We have got to get to this position: there is a jealous vigilance against the encroachment and breaking in of any disruptive element.
Instead of being vigilant and jealous watchmen upon the walls, we are so often those who let the thing in. Criticism—criticism—and all that kind of thing.
Instead of being like these watchmen, at the first sign—at the first sign—of anything that is going to hurt this testimony, we ought to say, “Now look here, none of that. Hands off. Lips off.”
Instead of that, we so often just let it be, almost become a party to it. Oh, that this jealousy of the Lord for His vital testimony might so enter into our bones that we are jealous watchmen—poised and alert to detect anything that is going to injure that testimony, and to smite it forthwith.
That is a very important issue from this context that ought to come to us. There is a real message from the Lord: “I have set watchmen.” You are watchmen set by the Lord upon the walls of Zion—day and night, alert, poised.
“I am not going to allow anything that will damage this testimony of the Lord, this that is so precious to the Lord.” Oh, God, make us faithful watchmen—vigilant watchmen, jealous watchmen.
“Ye that are the Lord’s remembrancers, take ye no rest, and give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
The Lord’s remembrancers—what is that? You have got to know, first of all, what the Lord wants before you can remind Him of it. You have got to be intelligent. You have got to know before you can bring anything to the Lord and say, “Oh Lord, remember.” You have got to know what to remind Him of.
Then, “Take no rest; give Him no rest.” This is God’s intentions, God’s purposes, God’s will, known by us and made a matter of constant prayer, constant intercession.
It is keeping things right up to date: “Now, Lord, You have said this is what You want. You have said this is what You are going to have. You have made this promise. You have committed Yourself to this. Now, Lord, You allow me to hold You to it.”
The Lord wants people like that.
Now, I have given you the message, but summing it all up, it amounts to this: the Lord wants a people who share with Him this tremendous concern for a vessel in this earth which rightly represents Him—a real testimony to the Lord.
Oh, how I long for that day when this thing would be the real burden of intercession. We have our prayer meetings, and thank God for them. There is much prayer, and we praise Him for a praying people.
But in our prayer gatherings—and no doubt in yours as in other places—you have a lot of matters put before you for prayer: somebody, some people, specific needs, temporary burdens here and there, some piece of work. It is right to pray about them; we must.
But, oh, we long to hear the people of God, sometimes over and above these details, going right out with a passionate concern for a vessel of testimony in this earth—a people called God’s glory, a vessel, a lamp that burneth.
It is not that matters about our personal connections are unimportant. Connections with pieces of work and people here and there must not be neglected. We must be faithful in all these things and places and persons. Yes, pray for them.
But having done that and included that, give us a vision larger than the fragments and the parts: this whole great thing of God outside our particular interests, connections, and institutions—God having something in the earth.
A people answering to His heart; a people in right condition, in good health; a people concerning whom the world will say, “They are God’s people. They have got something. They count for something.”
Will you take that as the message of this conference, ultimately? Ask the Lord to lay His burden upon your heart. Show you that this is His concern. It is the Lord speaking, you see.
The Lord is not going to do it independently of His people, of His servants, and their intercessions. The Lord begins and says, “I will not be silent. I will not rest.” He ends by saying, “Ye that are the Lord’s remembrancers, take ye no rest, and give Him no rest.”
It begins with Him; it ends with us, in that sense. “I will not rest. Do not you rest. I will not be silent. Do not you be silent.” It is impressive, is it not?
The Lord takes the initiative. The Lord commits Himself to this. Before He is through, He brings us in and says, “See?”
Lord, lay this Thy own burden really upon us. Do try to remember this word, will you? Every fragment of it is really important: spiritual righteousness; spiritual health; reputation; influence and testimony; spiritual preciousness and value to the Lord.
Herein are truth, honour, glory, and fruitfulness, because we have been taken over by the Lord. Jealous watchmanship to stand with the Lord’s interests and that which is precious to Him; to guard it; and to bear this burden in constant intercession, giving Him no rest.
The Lord says of Himself, “I will not rest until,” and then He says, “Do not you rest until.” Shall we sing?