Isaiah 62:4-5 - “No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.”

In this chapter of the prophet Isaiah, we find one of the most encouraging sections of the Bible. If we figure in the desolation and the calamity that had fallen on the people of God, these prophetic utterances are truly beacons of hope. Israel is to get new names: no longer called deserted and desolate while in the immediate, the city is deserted and the hope of a nation desolate; Hephzibah (My delight is in her) while the leaders of the nation know this calamity is the judgment of the Lord; Beulah (Married) while all are taken to exile. Verse 4 ends with the promise of the Lord’s delight and eventual marriage, signifying ultimate union.

The concept of marriage is used in the OT to depict the relationship between the Lord and His people and we are given the sense of how a young man marries a young woman illustrates how the Lord will marry his people. Perhaps we are to understand the zeal in which the Lord will be faithful to His people as we can picture young couples in love. Also, the Lord will rejoice over us as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

The Lord is zealous and rejoices over us the church.

Prayer: Let us ask for the Lord’s zeal to quicken our own hearts to respond to the Spirit. And also, for us to respond by living in the reality of His rejoicing over us.

Song: “How Great is Our God” by Chris Tomlin
https://youtu.be/KBD18rsVJHk

-MK