An Unbreakable Promise of Uncompromising Love
THE COVENANT OF PEACE
Isaiah 53 takes us into the depths of God’s love - that he’d crush his Son for us. But right on its heels, Isaiah 54 confronts us in the depths of our doubts that this is truly God’s heart. Because we know we don't deserve this love. We see ourselves in the people of Judah, portrayed in this chapter as an estranged wife. Separated and sent away on account of her compromise and unfaithfulness. With no children to show of her union. She’s empty. She’s ashamed. She can produce no reason as to why God should take her back. To one such as this, and to sinners just like us, the prophet declares that God's words of comfort are no empty words, but a sacred and solemn oath he'd never fail to keep. Amazingly, to the very one who'd broken her vows, he makes an unbreakable promise of uncompromising love. What Isaiah calls the "covenant of peace," (54:10) - a new and better covenant that God's people could never break. One that would be sealed by the very blood of the Suffering Servant when he gave his life upon the cross (Mt 26:28; 1 Cor 11:25; Heb 8:6-12). We rest in the good news that God does not love us because we are lovely, but because he is so gloriously loving. We don't deserve it, but it's better this way. Because if we can't earn it, we can't lose it.