God’s Unbreakable, Covenantal Love • 04.27.25
God’s Unbreakable, Covenantal Love
Isaiah 54:1-17
Savoring the outcome of the finished work of God’s Servant
- Rejoice in God’s provision for his people
- Grasp the centrality of God’s unbreakable, covenantal love
- Behold the beautiful outcome of God’s redemption plan
Manuscript:
Good morning, church family! (Introduce self, welcome guests; give thanks for the families dedicating their kiddos and exhort the church family to raise up the next generation to know and love Jesus!)
Dismiss 4th + 5th graders
Ushers + Bibles (Isaiah 54, page 730)
How often do you stop and think about the extravagant love of God? Does that happen very often in your week? Have you ever wondered, “How could God ever love and forgive someone like me?” Perhaps you can relate with the people of Judah who consistently have turned away from God to go their own way. Maybe you feel like you’re in your own exile, separated from God by your sin and wondering if things could ever change…
If this hits home for you at all, then I hope you’ll lock into the sermon today. I believe you are going to be very encouraged and helped by what we are studying in Isaiah 54. We are going to get an up-close look at God’s unbreakable, covenantal love and how he is able to express it towards men and women like you and me who are deeply flawed and in need of redemption! Today is our opportunity to stop and think deeply about the extravagant love of God, so let’s seek to enjoy every moment of it!
If you’re relatively new to our church, let me try to orient you with where we are at in our study of God’s Word. We have been working through the book of Isaiah since January of last year. Along the way we have seen and heard wonderful things about the grand redemption plan of God. Through Isaiah God has revealed that he is both the God who judges as well as the God who saves. We have also seen the dire consequences of exchanging worship of the One, True God for the false idols of the world around us. For the Israelites and Judeans, their repeated idolatry resulted in God sending Babylon to conquer them and take them into exile.
Thankfully, as we’ve also heard, God does not intend to leave them to languish in exile forever! He declared his plan to rescue and redeem them by sending Cyrus of Persia to conquer Babylon and set them free. And we know that this is exactly what happened in world history. After spending 70 years in exile, Cyrus conquered Babylon and set the captives free, allowing them to return to their homeland in Israel. That is awesome, and it highlights a consistent theme we have observed in Isaiah – what God promises, he brings to pass. He keeps his word! We ought to have great confidence in the promises of God!
Just two weeks ago, we had the privilege of studying the final Servant Song of Isaiah in chapters 52-53. There are four Servant songs, and each has depicted the Idealized Servant of God who would be sent to carry out God’s grand redemption plan. Each song has given us increasing details about the Servant, with Isaiah 53 being his clearest revelation in the Old Testament. He is the Messiah, the Innocent One who would come and suffer for his people’s sins so that they could be made righteous. If you couldn’t be present for that sermon on April 13th, I would highly recommend going back and listening to it, as it will help you make sense of everything else that is coming in this book and the rest of the Bible! Let me remind you of how it ended:
Isaiah 53:10–12 (ESV)
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
This is what Easter Sunday was all about! “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.” Isaiah, in his day, is foretelling of what the Suffering Servant would accomplish in the future to bring about God’s grand redemption plan. God’s plan is to make a people for himself who were “accounted righteous” (aka pure, innocent). The Servant would take their sin upon himself and, in return, give them his perfect righteousness. As we just celebrated with Holy Week, this is what Jesus accomplished ~700 years later.
At this point in his writings Isaiah’s focus is shifting more and more to the distant future. Today there will be more evidence of that as he speaks of realities that were not present when he wrote, nor present when his audience read his writings. God, through Isaiah, is holding out the hope of what is to come. This is consistent with how things began all the way back in chapter 2. Do you remember what was said there?
Isaiah 2:1–5 (ESV)
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.
Although the book began with a rebuke of the sinful behavior and nature of Israel/Judah in chapter 1, in chapter 2 Isaiah shares a vision of what was to be in the future… That God would establish his dwelling place on Mount Zion and that the nations would come to him to know him and walk in his ways.
Throughout Scripture, and especially the book of Isaiah, God has been revealing his grand plan of redemption, including the ultimate outcome of making a holy people for himself from every tongue, tribe, and nation who gather to know and worship Him. And two weeks ago, chapter 53 revealed it is ultimately the Servant’s finished work of making many counted righteous that makes this future outcome possible! And so, with that understanding, we are now ready to dive into chapter 54. Today we are…
Savoring the outcome of the finished work of God’s Servant
When I say savor, I mean like you would savor a perfectly cooked steak or favorite flavor of ice cream… You take it in. You enjoy it, not quickly (unless you’re a barbarian!), but slowly and thoroughly… You seek to gain the most delight out of it that you can. That’s what we want to do with the outcome of the finished work of God’s Servant… Let’s take it in and enjoy it together!
Isaiah 54:1–17 (ESV)
“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
break forth into singing and cry aloud,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
and your offspring will possess the nations
and will people the desolate cities.
4 “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;
be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5 For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
6 For the Lord has called you
like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
says your God.
7 For a brief moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
8 In overflowing anger for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the Lord, your Redeemer.
9 “This is like the days of Noah to me:
as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
and will not rebuke you.
10 For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
11 “O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
and lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will make your pinnacles of agate,
your gates of carbuncles,
and all your wall of precious stones.
13 All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the peace of your children.
14 In righteousness you shall be established;
you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15 If anyone stirs up strife,
it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
shall fall because of you.
16 Behold, I have created the smith
who blows the fire of coals
and produces a weapon for its purpose.
I have also created the ravager to destroy;
17 no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”
If you consider the invitation given by God in verse 1, the only way it would be appropriate or loving to call the barren and desolate one to sing aloud is if he intended to address the source of her sorrow. The only way he could tell her in verse 4 to fear not is if he intended to remove the reasons for her fear and shame. And that is exactly what he promises to do!
In this passage, God personifies his people as a barren woman to whom he will provide numerous spiritual offspring. Though they were greatly ashamed due to the consequences of their spiritual adultery and idolatry, he would not leave them desolate forever! He commands them to prepare for the redemptive work he will do. Using imagery they would have understood, he commands them to enlarge their tents and set them up for a large influx of offspring – they will spread out and bring life back to the desolate cities.
But how could this be? Why would those who previously were under the wrath of God now be treated so? He gives us the answer in verses 5-8.
Isaiah 54:5–8 (ESV)
5 For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
6 For the Lord has called you
like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
says your God.
7 For a brief moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
8 In overflowing anger for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the Lord, your Redeemer.
Though their sin had grieved God greatly and invited his just judgment, He is also their husband and Redeemer. He will not abandon them forever. His compassion and everlasting love drive his relationship with his people!
So, how does this truth invite us to savor in the outcome of the finished work of God’s Servant? We savor as we…
- Rejoice in God’s provision for his people
And there are many reasons to rejoice! They are the barren widow who has been desolate. Their pursuit of sin and selfishness had brought nothing but death and destruction to their cities and nation. What they believed would provide the good life gave them nothing but grief and separation from the God who made them and provided for them! The result of pursuing their own path had robbed them of all hope and brought them into situations that appeared to be the end of their people…
We can relate to that, can’t we? How many times in life have we pursued sin and selfishness only to find it brought nothing but death and destruction into our lives? We thought we were pursuing the good life, but truly it just drove a wedge into our relationship with God, taking us further from the source of life and all that is good! If you can relate to that, keep listening for reasons to rejoice.
Chapter 54 invites Judah to sing because they have great reasons to hope and expand their territory! They are reminded of their identity as the bride of their Maker. The Lord of hosts claims them. He is their Redeemer, the God of the whole earth, and he will let nothing get in the way of his love for them!
He has not left or forsaken them forever, despite their wickedness. In fact, he tells us in verse 6 that he has called them back to himself. The wife who had pushed her husband away due to her sin is lovingly brought back into his embrace in an expression of great compassion. *pause*
What powerful and beautiful imagery! It is far too easy to minimize the devastating effects of our sin – “It’s not that big of a deal. It doesn’t hurt anyone. No one has to know…” But God shatters those lies in this book. Our sin grieves him and pushes him away. It hinders our relationship with our Creator. We are meant to be his people, but sin does incredible damage to that relationship.
But God perseveres with his children. His adulterous children. His rebellious children. His unholy children. Though he has overflowing anger for a moment, he also has everlasting love or hesed that drives the relationship and makes his anger temporary.
For some of you, that word – hesed – may be vaguely familiar… We spoke about the hesed love of God in our series in Ruth back in 2022. Ironically, that series also spoke of the kinsman-redeemer (Boaz), which is the same term God applies to himself here. Pretty cool to see God continuing these themes!
Hesed – loyalty, steadfast love, kindness, faithfulness; The core idea of this term relates to loyalty within a relationship. (Lexham Theological Workbook)
Or here is the lengthier explanation that the website “GotQuestions.org” gave:
Many biblical words such as mercy, compassion, love, grace, and faithfulness relate to the Hebrew word hesed (חֶסֶד), but none of these completely summarize the concept. Hesed is not merely an emotion or feeling but involves action on behalf of someone who is in need. Hesed describes a sense of love and loyalty that inspires merciful and compassionate behavior toward another person.
Hesed, found some 250 times in the Old Testament, expresses an essential part of God’s character. When God appeared to Moses to give the Law a second time, He described Himself as “abounding in” or “filled with” hesed, which is translated “love and faithfulness,” “unfailing love,” “faithful love,” “steadfast love,” and “loyal love,” depending on the Bible version (Exodus 34:6–7). The core idea of this term communicates loyalty or faithfulness within a relationship. Thus, hesed is closely related to God’s covenant with His people, Israel. As it relates to the concept of love, hesed expresses God’s faithfulness to His people…
Hesed surpasses ordinary kindness and friendship. It is the inclination of the heart to show “amazing grace” to the one who is loved. Hesed runs deeper than social expectations, responsibilities, fluctuating emotions, or what is deserved or earned by the recipient. Hesed finds its home in committed, familial love, and it comes to life in actions.
God is a god of hesed – unbreakable, covenantal love (sermon title). Perhaps the most well-known use of ḥesed is found in Psalm 136, where the term is used 26 times as part of the refrain, “for his steadfast love (ḥesed) endures forever.”
My point is that because of the Servant’s redemptive work, people who were formerly wasting away due to their sin can rejoice because God has provided a future for them! Their sin and rebellion will not be the final word. There will be redemption and an influx of spiritual offspring into the people of God. Fear, reproach, and shame will fade in the face of God’s everlasting love and compassion! He is the kinsman-redeemer who will provide for his people.
This idea is driven home further in verses 9-10, which repeats the central idea of God’s hesed love but also introduces his unbreakable covenant of peace. Let’s read these verses again:
Isaiah 54:9–10 (ESV)
9 “This is like the days of Noah to me:
as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
and will not rebuke you.
10 For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
God compares his future work to his previous work in the days of Noah. Just as he swore to Noah by the rainbow that he would not flood the earth again, so now he is swearing to them that he will not be angry or rebuke them again. Though the mountains/hills may be shaken or removed, his hesed (steadfast love) and covenant of peace will never depart. These are eternal!
This is Good News for the future! At the time of Isaiah’s writing, God is speaking of a future work yet to occur. We know this because the history of Israel/Judah after the exile is still very tumultuous. Even after they go back to the Promised Land, they continue to face opposition from others and God still holds them accountable for their sin. They endure the 400 years of prophetic silence between the Old and New Testaments. They are conquered by Rome and endure oppression under foreign enemies. When Jesus comes on the scene to fulfill the grand redemption plan of God, they are still stuck in their sin. So, this writing in Isaiah must be referring to a far-off future, a time after the Servant’s work was complete.
It is incredibly important to remember that God is NOT a liar. He does not offer these words flippantly and forget about them later. These verses are introducing something of great importance as we seek to savor in the outcome of the finished work of God’s Servant. We must…
- Grasp the centrality of God’s unbreakable, covenantal love
The Bible repeatedly reveals that God is a God of promises! And he promises steadfast love to his people. What He promises, he fulfills. We’ve seen that many times just in the book of Isaiah alone.
So, when God promises his hesed love towards his people and unbreakable covenant of peace, he means it. These twin elements drive God’s actions and attitudes towards his people. And we need to understand that. It is essential to have a right view of God!
As humans we have a hard time understanding God’s unbreakable, covenantal love because we are so fickle in comparison. We struggle to fathom a kind of love that will never fail simply due to the nature of the One who promises it. Because God is faithful, his love is everlasting and steadfast. Even though his people are flawed and imperfect, God’s love will not fail because he is committed to keeping the covenant!
This chapter introduces the language of covenant that will continue to come up in the chapters ahead. A covenant is an agreement enacted between two parties in which one or both makes promises under oath to perform or refrain from certain actions stipulated in advance. (Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary) When God says that even though the mountains may depart and the hills be removed… but my covenant of peace shall not be removed, he means that what the Servant accomplishes will endure forever. This is possible through the Servant’s finished work:
Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
The Servant’s suffering in our place has established a new covenant with God that brings eternal peace between God and the people who are under the covenant. God has no wrath for those who have faith in the Servant because the Servant took the wrath upon himself!
If you were here on Good Friday, you heard this elaborated upon from our readings in A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent:
27 In saving me, God also justified me, and being justified through Christ, I have a peace with God that will endure forever.
28 In justifying me, God declared me innocent of my sins and pronounced me righteous with the very righteousness of Jesus.
29 God also allowed His future and present wrath against me to be completely propitiated by Jesus, who bore it upon Himself while on the cross.
30 Consequently, God now has only love, compassion, and deepest affection for me, and this love is without any admixture of wrath whatsoever.
This same truth is beautifully elaborated in the Bible in Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Romans 5:1–11 (ESV)
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Paul understood in greater detail the very things God was beginning to reveal through Isaiah. Peace with God is possible through faith in the Servant, Jesus Christ! That is how one can enter the covenant of peace with God – faith in Jesus! And it is an everlasting peace that cannot be taken away or fail because God has covenanted to it and His Servant’s finished work has guaranteed it!
This also fits beautifully with the prophecies about the Messianic child back in Isaiah 9:
Isaiah 9:6–7 (ESV)
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Do you see the centrality of God’s unbreakable, covenantal love? This was always the plan! God would provide for his people His Servant who would suffer in their place and make a way of salvation and peace with God. This is the basis for the covenant of peace that God now has with his people, and it is eternal and unbreakable!
But you must avail yourself of God’s provision in the Servant! This sweet savoring in his finished work is only possible for those who turn to him in faith. His finished work benefits those who have faith in him. In the following chapters, God will extend an invitation for the nations to avail themselves of his unbreakable, covenantal love through him. You’ll have to come back next week to hear more about that.
However, in the New Testament, Paul explains it this way in Romans 10:
Romans 10:9–13 (ESV)
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
This is the call for everyone, everywhere… Confess the truth about Jesus with your mouth and believe that truth in your inner man/woman. Avail yourself of God’s unbreakable, covenantal love through the Savior. This is God’s plan of redemption for the nations!
Speaking of the redemption plan, let’s go back to our original text and savor some more as we:
- Behold the beautiful outcome of God’s redemption plan
Look with me at verses 11-17 of Isaiah 54. God calls the one who was afflicted, storm-tossed, and not comforted to behold what he will do for her…
In verses 11-12 he promises her a place of security. The one who was previously overwhelmed by oppressors and destitute from her husband now has a beautiful city provided for her made from precious resources. The language highlights the care and effort that were put into providing security for his bride. But this security goes beyond mere physical protection, it is also spiritual.
Notice in verse 13 that he promises her children will receive discipleship. They shall be “taught by the LORD” – this is the same phrasing used for the Servant back in Isaiah 50:4 where he had the tongue of one who is taught (aka discipled). Now all the children will sit under the tutelage of the LORD and learn his will and ways. Again, this fits beautifully with the vision of Isaiah 2. This is the outcome God is directing the world towards – discipleship of the nations.
The fruit of such discipleship and security will be great peace (shalom). This is a rich word communicating peace, wholeness, and well-being. It pictures total, unbroken peace with God and one another that leads to a full and fruitful life.
Verse 14 reveals that they will be established in righteousness and far from oppression/fear. Savor this – those who were previously soiled by their sin will wear the white robes of the saints because they are forgiven and redeemed! They will not fear any who oppose them, for their God protects them.
God tells them that if anyone were to try to stand against them, it would not be of him and therefore it would fail. He is in control and gives victory to those he desires. And his declaration is, “no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.” This is the hope for his covenant people through faith in the Servant! As he says in the very last words of the chapter, “This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication (or righteousness) from me, declares the LORD.”
God’s people can rest securely in him and his provisions under the new covenant that has brought peace through the Servant. By the One Servant’s finished work, the many servants can benefit and inherit eternal life/righteousness from God!
What an incredible revelation to behold this morning. I pray that we do not grow tired of hearing about it week after week. The progressive revelation of God’s grand redemption plan in Isaiah is beautiful! First, he confronted the people with their sinful idolatry to bring them to the end of themselves. Then he has consistently called them back to their incomparably great God and Savior. And he continues to reveal more and more of the beauty of God’s redemption plan.
Please do not hear this message today and walk away unchanged.
- If your faith is not in the Servant, Jesus Christ, then the call for you is to confess your sin and need for him to redeem you!
- If your faith is not in Jesus, then you do not have peace with God. But you can have peace through Jesus! Why would you continue in rebellion against your Creator King?
- If your faith is in the Servant, then you have every reason to savor in the outcome of his finished work as you…
- Rejoice in God’s provision for his people (literally, break out into singing! And don’t stop – do this every single day! We are richly blessed! We are not receiving what we deserve!)
- Grasp the centrality of God’s unbreakable, covenantal love (continue to seek understanding of God’s hesed love and be in awe of it!)
- Behold the beautiful outcome of God’s redemption plan (consider the eternal security you have, the promise of being discipled as you follow him, the protection from enemies, and the certainty of hearing – “This one is innocent, covered by the blood of the lamb, join us in the marriage supper of the lamb!”
I’m taking that kind of language from the end of the Bible…
Revelation 19:6–9 (ESV)
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Oh, if only we would savor these realities each day. How different our lives would be. How purposeful and intentional we would live. How bold our witness would be. How unshakeable our joy would be in Him.
Church, let’s cling to these beautiful truths this week. May we live changed lives as we savor the outcome of the finished work of the Servant and await his return.
Let’s pray.
Pray