God’s Passionate Love for His People • 06.22.25
God’s Passionate Love for His People
Isaiah 62
God’s passionate love fuels his commitment to making his people righteous.
- God is Committed to Zion’s Righteousness
- God’s People Must Respond Righteously
Manuscript:
Good morning church family! Praise the Lord for the work that he is doing in the lives of students on UNI’s campus. As we’ll see in our text today, God is committed to working out the salvation of his people, and he has commissioned us to make way for others to know and respond to the good news of his salvation. I’m thankful for Caleb and Olivia and the ways that they are exemplifying this through their ministry.
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jordan, and I serve as one of the pastors here at Harvest. I am thankful for the opportunity to preach the word this morning, but before we dive into that:
Dismiss 4th + 5th graders
Ushers + Bible (Isaiah 62; page 738)
We’ve been working our way through the book of Isaiah since the beginning of 2024, and it’s crazy to think that we are nearing the end. I don’t know about you, but I have been especially encouraged and excited by the truth in the past couple of chapters. In this section of Isaiah, we are looking ahead at what is to come for all of God’s people in the end. The past couple of chapters have been filled with joyful anticipation of what life will be like in the New Jerusalem, or Zion, where God’s people will gather and worship him forever. For the original audience, this could seem almost too good to be true. So, in chapter 61, and continued through chapter 62 this morning, they are assured of God’s faithful promises of salvation and redemption and how all of this will come to fruition in due time. With that, I invite you to follow along with me as I read all of chapter 62.
Isaiah 62:1–12 (ESV)
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
2 The nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.
3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.
6 On your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night
they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
take no rest,
7 and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it a praise in the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
“I will not again give your grain
to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink your wine
for which you have labored;
9 but those who garner it shall eat it
and praise the Lord,
and those who gather it shall drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.”
10 Go through, go through the gates;
prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway;
clear it of stones;
lift up a signal over the peoples.
11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion,
“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.”
12 And they shall be called The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
and you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
*Pray
As we continue through the end of the book of Isaiah, we are given a glimpse of the beauty of the New Jerusalem, Zion, and the people that inhabit this city. This was written long before Jerusalem is overtaken by Babylon. So, you can imagine, that when this inevitably happens, the people of God will need assurance that God’s promised salvation and redemption will come. This is especially important in light of the charges throughout previous chapters that while they receive their due punishment, God remains silent. But this will not last… God offers hope-filled reminders that he loves his people, and for the sake of their salvation and righteousness, he will speak up. That’s why this morning we are gathering from this text what we learn about God’s Passionate Love for His People. And specifically, we will see that it is this passionate love of God that fuels his commitment to making his people righteous.
Isaiah 62:1
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
God’s passionate love for his people is first made evident in this passage through his commitment to making Zion righteous.
- God is Committed to Zion’s Righteousness
Righteousness pertains to character and behavior that is right. In other words, character and behavior that meets God’s perfect standard. This is what is required to have a right relationship with God. Living by this standard has been a struggle for God’s people all along. And in chapter 59 the absence of justice and righteousness in them is reflected through a darkness and gloom that covers them. But here, God assures that this gloomy nation will indeed one day burn brightly with righteousness.
How will this be possible? How will a wicked, rebellious people be transformed into a holy and righteous nation? It is because God himself is committed to making it happen! God loves his people so much so that he himself will intervene and make them the righteous nation they are called to be. This righteousness that goes forth as “brightness” is the glory of God radiating through them! And it is not something that they will have achieved on their own but solely made possible through God’s salvation!
And did you catch who God said he will do this for? It is “For Zion’s sake” that he will not keep silent, and for “Jerusalem’s sake” that he will not be quiet. God is not solely delivering Jerusalem for himself, for the sake of his reputation, but also for the love of his people.
And they can rest assured that this righteousness and salvation, while not yet realized at the time of this writing, belongs to them (hence the possessive “her” righteousness and “her salvation”) because God promises to secure it for them. We know that this is ultimately made possible through the work of the Anointed Servant that we heard from last week in chapter 61. It is by the blood of Jesus Christ that sins can be washed away, and sinners can be saved and made righteous!
This is good news for all of God’s people! Not just for the original audience, but for the church as a whole, including us! God is committed to saving and purifying his church. And one day, we will all be perfectly righteous, radiating the glory of God in the New Jerusalem!
Doesn’t that make you want to rejoice this morning? If your faith and trust is in Christ, then you are living evidence of God’s loving commitment to save you and refine you until the day when he returns to make you perfectly righteous.
For those who don’t know the Lord, let this be a reminder of the salvation that awaits you! A right relationship with God is not something that we can achieve on our own. All of us fall short of that standard. But through his promised salvation, realized in Jesus Christ, God has made a way for you to be forgiven for your sins and made righteous. A righteousness that shines in contrast to a darkened world.
As we read on, God’s passionate love for his people is made evident in the way that he puts their righteousness on display for all to see.
a. He Will Put Zion’s Righteousness on Display
Picking up in verse 2, “The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory.” This once forsaken nation and desolate city will beam with the light of God’s glory radiating through them. And as a result, all the surrounding nations and kings will see this light and refer to Zion by a new name (more on that in a bit!).
The radiance of Zion’s righteousness and glory will stand in contrast to the faint, temporary glory of other nations and kings. Whereas kings are typically known for wearing extravagant crowns, they will see the glory of Zion radiating as a “crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord.” And a “royal diadem in the hand of your God.” A crown/diadem is associated with royalty, and the people of God here serve as a crown of beauty demonstrating the fruit of his kingship over their lives.
Notice how this crown/diadem isn’t being worn on the head as you would expect, but it is being held in the hand of God. Scholars debate the meaning of the crown being held in the hand, and I believe John Oswalt’s interpretation helps to bring clarity and beauty to our understanding of it:
“The people of God, Zion/Jerusalem, are in his hand, i.e., in his care and under his control. But they are not in his hand as slaves or lumps of wood or stone. They are there as a priceless possession, a thing of delight, honor, and beauty. God is not restoring them to himself grudgingly or mechanically; he does so as one would a piece of precious jewelry. Zion does not need to fear that God will forget his promises concerning her; she is his dearest possession.”
God will put forth every effort to transform Zion into a work of beauty, and he delights to show off this work that he has done by putting them on display for all to see! Like a sculptor presenting a priceless work of art that they have spent countless hours chiseling away stone to uncover, so shall God delight to hold high on display the crown of beauty that he has made Zion. And this beautiful transformation that God has brought about and put on display for all to see, will be symbolized by new names, as we will read in verses 4–5.
Isaiah 62:4–5
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.
As we see here, this radical transformation that will take place in the people and land of Zion, will be symbolized by new names that reflect their new identity.
b. He Will Symbolize Her New Identity with a New Name
In our contemporary culture, we don’t always think about names in the same way that they did in the Bible. In the Ancient Near East, name and identity were intimately associated. We can see that throughout many examples in Scripture of God changing the condition and character of someone and representing that change by giving them a new name (i.e. Jacob to Israel, Abram to Abraham, etc.). And for Zion, a radical transformation will take place for both the people (it’s inhabitants) and the land itself.
No more will they be called “Forsaken” because they will no longer be overtaken by enemies and seemingly forsaken by God. Instead, it will be evident for all to see that God is with them and has not forsaken them. He is committed to bringing them salvation and redemption because they are his people that he delights in. Thus, their new name will be “My Delight is In Her.” And no more will their land be called “Desolate,” like a deserted nation overtaken by enemies. Instead, the city of God, the New Jerusalem will be inhabited and called “Married.”
Why would the land be called “Married?” If we look to verse 5 it elaborates with a metaphor: “For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you.” In other words, when a young man marries a woman, he “possesses” her… she now belongs to him, and he belongs to her. In the same way, the sons of Zion will “marry” or “belong to” the land. No more will the land lie desolate and empty, but God will make it a fruitful land inhabited by his people! And it seems that the reason why the author chose to use the word “Married” is to emphasize relationship and belonging. This makes sense as the metaphor continues by explaining the delight that God has in his people: “and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”
These new names and metaphors communicate beautiful truths about the new identity that God will give to Zion! An identity of his delight and commitment to them. While there is a long road ahead before their salvation and redemption are fully realized, they can rest in this new identity and trust that God will see it through. He has not forgotten them. He will not standby forever. Because they are his bride! His bride whom he rejoices over with honeymoon joy. His bride whom he is committed to protecting and preserving and presenting as beautiful. And they can live in light of this promised identity as they look forward to when it will be fully realized in the new Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:2
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
This radiant city that God has made new, will be filled with the people of God, his church, that includes you and me! We are the bride of Christ, preparing for the wedding day when we are united with him (as we sang about earlier)! And as his bride, he rejoices over us with honeymoon joy.
For those of you who find yourself with a skewed view of God’s holiness, imagining that he is constantly looking down on you in disappointment… take this to heart: this passage reminds us that God is DELIGHTED in you and REJOICES over you! Our holy God, the Creator of the universe who is vast beyond all measure, more perfect and beautiful than anything we could ever imagine rejoices over us, sinners! And this is made possible because of the work that he has done in us to make us loveable.
God delights in us not because we are inherently delightful, but because the radiance of his Anointed Servant shines through us! Jesus Christ became sin who knew no sin that we might become his righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). If your faith is in Christ, then when God looks at you, he rejoices over you with honeymoon joy because he sees his Son. We are righteous in his eyes because of what Christ has done. And that is the identity that we should strive to live by!
What would your life look like this week if you lived knowing that God is delighted in you? That God rejoices over you? That he is committed to preserving you unto the end? And that he symbolizes all of these wonderful truths by giving us a new identity in Christ.
Names are powerful. We all know that, because over the course of our lives we are called many different names. Some are terms of endearment, that remind us that we are loved and valued. Others are degrading are harmful, intended to cause us to believe lies. What we must learn is that our God in heaven is the one who made us, and there is no other name that we must latch our identity onto other than the name that he gives us. This is spelled out beautifully in a worship song that I heard a few years ago:
“And if He has redeemed me, I am not my own
The measure of my worth is His love alone
He declares my standing, and He declares my state
So I will know myself by the name He gave”
What are the names that God gives you?
Beloved. Chosen. His child. Blessed. Sinner? Yes, but also Forgiven. Redeemed. Being made Righteous.
Names matter. As God’s people, if we want to radiate his righteousness, we must live according to the new identity in Christ that he has proclaimed over us. And we can rest in this new identity as he spends a lifetime shaping us into it. The Apostle Paul captures this loving commitment Christ has toward his bride by exhorting husbands to follow in his example:
Ephesians 5:25–27
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
In our culture, the groom typically doesn’t have anything to do with helping the bride get ready for her wedding ceremony. In fact, it’s tradition that the groom doesn’t even see the bride until the ceremony! But with Christ, he is involved in every aspect of preparing us and making us spotless so that we will be radiant on the day when we are united with him. Because that is the identity that he has secured for us, and his loving commitment to us will ensure that it comes about.
As for Zion, God assures them that their newfound, righteous identity will be granted to them through zealous efforts he gives to make it happen.
c. He Will Give Zealous Efforts for Zion’s Righteousness
Isaiah 62:6–7
6 On your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night
they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
take no rest,
7 and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it a praise in the earth.
Scholars debate whether these watchmen are prophets like that in Ezekiel 3:17–19, or angelic beings like those mentioned in Daniel 4:13. I believe the first option is most compelling, but either way, here is the point: God has enlisted these watchmen to assist in establishing and preserving Jerusalem. And the primary way that they do this is through constant, intercessory prayer!
God commissions these watchmen to pray for the establishment and preservation of Jerusalem– not just once, but constantly! “Taking no rest.” And he commissions them to continue doing this until he has accomplished that which he said he would do– establishing Jerusalem and making it a praise in the earth.
Isn’t this amazing?! God’s passionate love fuels his commitment to saving and redeeming his people, and one of the ways that he does this is through answering the prayers of his people that his kingdom would come!
This is especially exciting in light of Missions Month here at Harvest! Each week as we have heard from our various missionary partners, we have been given specific ways to pray for them and their ministry to the lost. We get to serve as watchmen who are eager to pray for the Lord to continue his work in calling people from every tribe, nation, and tongue until the day when he returns and establishes the New Jerusalem.
And we also get to serve as watchmen by helping protect and preserve one another. Through carrying each other’s burdens and helping one another grow in holiness.
Are you thankful that God loves you enough to put people in your path who pray for salvation and holiness? Does this reflect your prayer life? Do you find yourself zealously pleading before the Lord for friends and family and coworkers who do not yet know him? Or have you grown weary, and given up?
Let this also serve as a warning for those of us who are elders in the church. In the same way that God placed watchmen over the people of Jerusalem, he has entrusted us with the task of watching out for his church.
Until the day that Christ returns, our God will continue to actively call people to himself, and he has commissioned us as his followers to keep watch, to pray, and to share the good news with them!
And no matter what, we know that God’s promises will come true. He will establish Jerusalem and make it a praise in the earth. We are assured of this by what the next verse says: it’s because the Lord swears by it. And we know that God has the authority to make that kind of promise because he is the one with the mighty arm of salvation that is Jesus Christ! All of God’s promises are yes and amen in Jesus. Because of his finished work, we have seen God’s power and have faith that he will do everything that he has said that he will do!
That includes making Zion prosperous. This promised salvation involves covenant blessings– No longer will their grain be given to their enemies for food or their wine be given to foreigners to drink, but instead, they will share in the fruits of their labor. As nations are drawn to the beauty of Zion, “foreigners will no longer invade and destroy them, but will become part of the community in which love and peace reign.”
God will use every resource to zealously pursue his bride for their salvation and sanctification. There will be a time when Jerusalem is overtaken by Babylon and will suffer in exile. Enemy nations will invade and destroy, but even that is a part of God’s loving plan to refine them. To purify them and to make them into what he called them to be in the first place. And for us, living in light of the cross of Jesus, we can rest assured that any trouble that comes our way is not evidence that God has forsaken us, but evidence that he loves us enough to allow situations that produce the kind of righteous character that he purchased for us with his own blood!
So where do we go from here? God has painted such a hopeful picture of what’s to come for his people in the end. And now he moves them to action.
- God’s People Must Respond Righteously
Not only am I fortunate to be able to preach on such a wonderfully hopeful passage of Scripture this morning, but I am also fortunate that Isaiah has included his own applications in these final verses, so it won’t be hard to walk away with some tangible action steps 😊
Let’s read these final verses once more and then briefly spend some time unpacking them.
Isaiah 62:10–12
10 Go through, go through the gates;
prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway;
clear it of stones;
lift up a signal over the peoples.
11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion,
“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.”
12 And they shall be called The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
and you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
In light of God’s sure salvation, we are left with three primary takeaways: 1) walk the road of salvation that has been secured for us, 2) help clear the path for others to follow, 3) behold God’s promised salvation. Firstly, God’s people must respond righteously…
a. By walking the road of salvation
Isaiah’s message is clear and urgent through this double imperative: “Go through, go through the gates…” Some scholars suggest that this could be a reminder for Judah post-exile AND for the New Jerusalem. When God saves them from Babylon – they must walk through the gates of Babylon and journey back to Jerusalem.
But as we’ve seen, ultimately this is pointing towards something far greater. One day, all of God’s people will gather to worship him in the New Jerusalem. Until that time, the path of salvation has been laid out for them to follow. But it’s up to his people to respond!
The vision that God has given Zion of their new identity is meant to motivate them to action! The same is true for us today. This path of righteousness that has been paved for you, walk it! Don’t stand around and do nothing, but go through the gates! Walk in God’s ways. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling (as Paul has described it). As God’s people, we are precious and holy in his eyes because of Christ’s righteousness that has been purchased and applied to us, but that does not negate the fact that we must journey on and grow in our practice of that righteousness until the day when he returns again.
Imagine yourself 6 months to a year from now, having been more saturated in the word. Having spent more time on your knees in prayer. Having cried out to the Lord in times of anxiousness or despair rather than scrolling on your phone, turning on the TV, or indulging in sin. Walk the path of righteousness that God has laid out for you. We also must respond…
b. By helping clear the path for others to follow
God’s people must “prepare the way…” and here is the double imperative again added for urgency, “build up, build up the highway; clear it of stones; lift up a signal.” As God’s people, filled with hope for God’s sure salvation, they should be eager to make it as easy as possible for others to be aware of and respond to this invitation. They should live in light of the righteousness that he will secure for them. And they should also be eager to proclaim the good news of this salvation by “lifting up a signal.”
The same goes for the church today! If you have been saved and redeemed by Jesus Christ, then you must live in light of that salvation and proclaim it to others! In doing so, we help clear the path for others to walk the road of salvation.
Does this reflect the way that you have been living? While God alone is able and will save those who are his, he has commissioned us to be the hands and feet of Christ that speak truth and live it out. We can either help “clear the path” or treat this life like Mario Kart, pushing others aside and tossing banana peels and turtle shells that will trip them up? (😊). Be a path-clearer, not a path-blocker.
There are many ways to do this. Do we practice what we preach, showing others that God’s ways truly are best? Or are we living no differently than the world? If so, why should they ever feel compelled to change? Do we display the fruits of the Spirit in our daily interactions? Or do our thoughts and behaviors leave behind a bitter taste, giving a false impression of Christ? Do we stand for truth, or do we affirm and bow to whatever our culture says is right, rather than representing our God, the Lord over all. Do others see our lives revolving around the glory of the Lord, or something else? We can either be clearing the path or adding obstacles to it.
And we must also “lift up a signal,” proclaiming the salvation that God freely offers! Are you eager to share the hope of the gospel with those around you? Are you willing to be the one to shift the conversation towards a spiritual direction, no matter how awkward it may feel at first. There are ways to talk about the Lord that are not unnecessarily abrasive and rude, but do we really want to stand before the Lord one day and say, “I was going to witness to so and so, but I just didn’t see a natural opportunity to interject.”?
Finally, God’s people must respond righteously…
c. By beholding God’s Promised Salvation
Walking the path of righteousness and calling others to follow is made easiest when our eyes are set on what’s to come: “Behold, the Lord has proclaimed…” “Behold, your salvation comes…” “behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” Remember, this is written before Jerusalem is overtaken by Babylon. God knows that when his people are overcome and taken into exile, they will be tempted to doubt his promises. So, he encourages them to keep their eyes set on the future. He has proclaimed to the ends of the earth that salvation is coming! And it is coming in the person and work of the Suffering Servant, Jesus Christ, who purchased with his own blood a people for himself, spotless and holy.
And here again, we see this transformation symbolized by new names. They shall be called “The Holy People” because HE has made them that way through his redemption. They are the “Redeemed of the Lord.” The ones that are no longer forsaken, but instead “Sought Out” by their Savior. He has sought them out because they are his reward, and recompense:
1 Peter 2:9–10
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Church, this is our identity, and this is where all of God’s people are headed. God passionately loves his people. And his passionate love is made evident through his commitment to our righteousness. Let’s live in light of the identity that he has given us and pursue that righteousness zealously. And let’s be a people that are eager to share the good news of what God has done for us through Christ, calling others to follow.
And in light of what Christ has done for us, I’m going to ask Pastor Nick to come forward and lead us in celebrating the Lord’s Table.