e hënë, 15 shtator 2008

Isaiah 54:1-3

Passage: Isaiah 54:1-3
1 "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.

Journal: This is a message of encouragement for Judah as she faces the coming enslavement by Babylon. That is, some day the new Israel, the spiritual Israel, will spring forth from a remnant and spread to the far corners of the earth. The enslavement to Babylon is tantamount to the enslavement to sin. Yet, the desolation will not be permanent, for Christ has remedied the bondage and has secured the freedom of His brothers and sisters. God is our refuge, and spreads forth as our perfect and complete canopy. His faithfulness allows us to "lengthen [our] cords and strengthen [our] stakes."