Though the Mountain May be Removed, Isaiah 54:1-17

Though the Mountain May be Removed
Isaiah 54:1-17


By Pastor Brian
Fort Bend Community Church
ENCOUNTER Service
2013.12.01

Introduction

1. Isaiah 54:10 is one of the all time favorite of mine in the Bible. "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My loving kindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says the LORD who has compassion on you."

Mountains and hills are immovable objects. They are huge. But God has promised us that though the mountains may be removed from here to there, the hills may shake back and forth, my love for you will not be removed from you. And my covenant of peace will not be shaken. It is God's love song to us. Like a lover, God has promised us that He will not desert us nor leave us. This precious promise is the life-safer to us when we are lonely and disappointed in life.

2. It is written in beautiful Hebrew poetry. "The mountains" and "the hills" are parallel; "may be moved" and "may shake" are synonyms; "my loving kindness" and "my covenant of peace" are two God's greatest gifts; and "will not be removed" and "will not be shaken" are the repeating verbs from the first two lines.

What does this promise mean? How does this promise relate to us?

3. When I was a little kid, I learned this verse in a children song in Chinese. The song forever sticks to my mind. But there is a slight different in the children song when it is compared to the Bible. The song says "For the mountains may be removed, and the hills may shake. But my love for you never departs from you." The word, NEVER, does not appear in Isaiah 54:10 in the Bible.

"Never depart" means "never," never now, never in the past, and never in the future. But Isaiah 54:10 says, "My love will not depart from you." It is in the future tense, from now and never again in the future.

In fact, in the preceding verses, God said, "For a brief moment I deserted you," (v. 7) and "In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you" (v. 8). It did happen before. God admits that "I deserted you in the past for a moment. I did get angry with you. I did hid my face from. But from now on, I vow not to do it again. My love will not depart you" (v. 10). The promise of lasting love is for the people of God in suffering.

4. I don't know whether you have the experience of being abandoned before? How would you feel if you are deserted, left along, and abandoned? The need of safety is a human basic need. We all need protection and a sense of connection. The fear of abandonment is stressful and potentially devastating.

Kids need the protection and connectedness from their parents. Seniors are afraid of being left behind by their lifelong partner. What am I going to do if my spouse is gone before me? Many people suffer from some forms of abandonment issues, whether it is something they recognize or not. The insecurity associated with a fear of abandonment can ruin relationships, create distance between people and prevent an individual from living a normal life. 

5. The word, "abandon," is used here in Isaiah 54 twice. In verses 6 and 7, it is used to describe an abandoned wife. The husband is not coming back. He once was the closest and the most intimate one on the face of the earth. But now he is gone. He turns his face. He looks at you like a stranger. That is abandonment.

The prophet Zechariah uses the word to describe the flock deserted by their shepherd (Zech 11:17). The sheep without a shepherd is doomed to wandering without protection and guidance. The shepherd once was the care giver, leading them to still waters and quiet green pasture. But he has deserted the flock. That is the picture of abandonment. 

6. Have you experienced abandonment before?

When I was young, I was pretty "active" and "bad," always fought with my 4 siblings. Five boys with mostly 1.5 years apart. When I was eight years old, my parents decided to send me to boarding school in a nearby city, Macau. I was staying with the principal who was in charge of discipline. So I was not just sent to the principal office. I was living in the principal's home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for a whole year. I had a very strong sense of being deserted, being abandoned by my parents. I don't think that it was my parents' intention to abandon me. They just wanted me to get a good education, learn discipline and to be a good boy. But I felt bad. Why me? It was my fault that I came here. I missed home. I missed my parents. I missed my brothers. 

This was exactly how the Jews in captivity felt. Their nation was destroyed. Jerusalem was in ruin. They were in exile, thousands of miles away from home. They felt they were abandoned by God. But they also knew that it was their faults. God had warned them repeatedly of their idolatry and the consequences of their sins. But they did not listen. Now they were in captivity. They knew that they were deserted because of their sins.

Isaiah 40 to 55 is God's comforting words to His suffering people in Babylon. Isaiah 54:10, "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My loving kindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says the LORD who has compassion on you," is God's promise to His deserted people. It is God's promise to those who are going through the life of storms. If you are going through hard time, feeling that God has abandoned you, this passage is written for you.

7. This storm is no ordinary storm. It is the result of your sins against God. God has deserted you and turned His face away from you. There is no one to blame for your pains and suffering, but yourself.

Adam and Eve felt it. It was their willful disobedience that they were cast out of the Garden of Eden. The feeling of rejection and abandonment must be terrible.

Jacob had to leave home because he had lied to his father and his brother. When he left home, he was alone, deserted, and he never saw his parents again. How would he feel? It was nobody's fault but his.

When Naomi left her home in Bethlehem, she had a husband and two sons. After ten years in Moab, she returned to Bethlehem alone. Her husband and two sons all died in Moab. She said "Do not call me Naomi (sweet); call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?" (Ruth 1:20-21)

She felt that God was against her, abandoning her. God is like an immovable wall blocking her every path. Like the car collision test, she goes full speed and hits the wall. The air bags come out to her rib cage, the head splashes and her body crushes into the wall. Everything flies out of the windows. The kids at the back are compressed like a coke can in the microwave machine. That is how Naomi felt--the Almighty God was against her. Naomi might not have done anything wrong. But her feeling was the feeling of the Jews in exile--abandoned by God. But it was their faults.

8. Isaiah 54 is the message God spoke to His suffering people in exile. What do you think the message would be? What would God say to the people feeling abandoned by God and in shame? What would the mother say to the son who feels abandoned at the age of eight? What was the will of God for Jacob when he left home alone? What would God say to Adam and Eve when they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden?

9. Isaiah 54 is a love song. It forms a single unit with Isaiah 55. The two chapters are a response to the 4th servant song in Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Because of what the suffering servant has done, now God comforts His people and vows not to judge them again. 

In chapter 54, God comforts His suffering people and promises that He would not leave them again.
In chapter 55, God invites them to sing again and to have hope again.

Chapter 54 can also be divided into two parts: 1) God vows not to abandon His people again, 54:1-10; 2) God comforts them with words of love, 54:11-17.

I. God vows not to abandon us again, 54:1-10

1. God first addressed the people, calling them:

Verse 1:

• the barren one,
• the one who did not bear,
• those who have not been in labor
• the children of desolate

Verse 11:

• the afflicted one
• the one tossed by the storm
• the one not comforted 

The whole chapter is written to a female second personal pronoun, "you." Who is this woman?

2. The first audience of this passage was Israel in captivity, Zion in 54:3; 49:14-26; and 51:17-52:12. Zion in Hebrew is in singular female gender. The "the desolate one" without children (54:1) is the "desolate cities" in ruin (54:3). Israel was the barren one, the afflicted woman tossed by the storm without anyone to comfort her.

The second audience is us, the Gentiles in the New Testament. Paul quoted Isaiah 54 using the same language to describe the Gentile church. We were the barren one, living in shame and afflictions. Now God has comforted us in Jesus Christ. Isaiah indeed has hinted at the second audience. The transgressors would be saved and comforted because of the Suffering Servant of God (Isa 53:11-12; 52:14-15).

Lastly, this passage is also written to all of us who are abandoned, living alone, cared by no one, and going through the storms of live as if God has left us. This beautiful passage is written to you.

3. In verse 6, the prophet has used an outrageous and almost immoral expression to describe the feeling of Israel in captivity. "For the LORD has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off." The wife of youth is the one who goes through hard times and good times with you. Now you have abandoned her for a younger woman. The prophet Malachi says that it is a sin to do so. But now Isaiah uses the same expression on God. Israel felt like the wife God has married in youth. They went back a long way. God has made covenants with Abraham, Moses, and David that He was to Israel like a husband to his wife. For nearly one thousand years, Israel was "married" to God since the time of youth. But now God has abandoned them. Israel felt like a deserted wife and grieved when she was cast off.

God has done nothing wrong. But nonetheless, it was the feeling of Israel in captivity--the deserted wife of youth.

4. Look at God's promise to Israel, the deserted wife. He comforted her. "For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married."

God promised Israel, His suffering people, that her shame will be no more. Her future is bright. She will have more children than those who are married with husband. God will not desert them forever. Israel will return from exile. They will rebuild Jerusalem. That is God's promise to His people in exile.

5. Therefore Israel is to sing, to shout for joy, and to enlarge the place of their tents. Be prepared for God's blessings. He has promised that Zion will not be desolate again.

To the New Testament community of faith, we are "at one time Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands--remember that we were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus we who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." (Eph 2:11-13) Therefore we are to sing, to shout for joy and don't look back. Spread abroad to the right and to the left. Enlarge the place of our tent to receive the blessing from God.

Of course, enlarging the tent is a figure of speech. This is not a passage for church building project or for the mission conference. It is a promise given to the His suffering people in pains, feeling abandoned by their God because of their sins.

6. To those of us who are going through hard times and suffering, feeling abandoned by God because of our sins, this promise is for you. God says to you, "For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you." (Isa 54:7-8).

God has not done anything wrong to His people. It was the people who had sinned and suffered from the consequence. As a lover, God uses an apologetic tone to comfort His suffering people. "I had hidden my face from you, for a brief moment I deserted you, but I promise that it would not happen again. I will have compassion on you with EVERLASTING love." The heart of God is filled with compassion for His suffering people.

7. God uses Noah and the flood as an example. "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." (Isa 54:9) After the flood, God used the rainbow as the sign of His promise. He would not destroy the earth with the flood ever again. The flood was not God's fault. "The wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Gen 6:5) But almost apologetically, God made a vow not to do that again. The rainbow is a sign of God's EVERLASTING love for His people.

8. Last October I was in a mission trip to Xinjiang, China. I came to a face-to-face close encounter with the Muslim world and the Muslim culture. Out of 12 millions of Uyghur, there are only 2,000 Christians. I cried a lot during the 10-day trip. I met with missionaries and coworkers along the Silk Route. The work is hard. The soil is hard. Many die without seeing any fruit of their labor. I asked God, "Why is it so hard? Ain't you the merciful God and why didn't you do something?"

God answered me and showed me a glimpse of a rainbow when I passed through a lake called, "Sand Lake." A beautiful place along the Silk Route. It has been there for thousands of years. Barren without any human activity. Just like the ministry there.

But out of nowhere, in the absence of any rains, there was a rainbow showing up. I tried to capture it with my camera. Here is the picture I took.

In the appearance of the rainbow, God reminded me of His promise. His anger but for a moment. But His love is everlasting. He is till in control. He loves the world and He gave His only begotten Son. And in His Son, there is salvation to every one who believe in His Name. I was greatly comforted.

9. Then the great mountains in Xinjiang remind me of verse 10, "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My loving kindness will not be removed from you. And My covenant of peace will not be shaken." It is a love song. God speaking as the husband to the wife of His youth whom He has abandoned briefly for a moment, said, "My love will not be removed from you." There is no greater promise in the Old Testament than this, especially to those who are suffering and feeling hurt and abandoned.

10. "Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; and do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the LORD of hosts; and your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth." (Isa 54:4-5)

Shamed and humiliated by our sins, we are like the abandoned wife, looking dim and desolate. But just like fights between husband and wife, the one who first apologizes usually is not the one who is at fault. Out of love, God lays down His pride. Approaches the wife. Apologizes for her pains and shame. Not that He has done anything wrong, but it is love which makes the move, dries her tears, and promises it would not happen again.

11. Just like in any wedding, after the vows are made, there is the signature on the marriage certificate, a written promise to seal the vows. Here God signs on His promise with three signatures:

1) Says your God, verse 6.
2) Says the LORD, your redeemer, verse 8.
3) Says the LORD, who has compassion on you, verse 10.
Your husband is your Maker. His name is the LORD of hosts. Your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. He is also called the God of all the earth.

12. Do you see the very center of the heart of God? The Maker of the universe, the commander-in-chief of heavens and earth, our Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, and the God of all the earth has His heart bleeding for His suffering people. He has not done anything wrong. It is our fault that we are abandoned by the Holy God. But God comforts us like a loving husband to his suffering wife that this would never happen again. Listen to God's own vow: "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." Let God's heal your painful heart!



II. God comforts us with affirmation, Isa 54:11-17

1. In the Hebrew text, 11-14a has 4 lines, 14b-15 has 2 lines, and 16-17 has also 4 lines. It is written in beautiful parallel structure. Let us read verse 11 to 14:

2. Was Zion rebuilt by precious stones and gems? No. The city wall was rebuilt by limestone, thick and strong. What is the prophet taking about? Foundations with sapphires? Stones in antimony? Pinnacles of agate? Gates of carbuncles? All the wall of precious stones?

The passage has merged the rebuilding with another metaphor. We have to use our imagination to understand this figure of speech. In the first section from verse 1 to 10, God made a vow not to abandon Israel again. "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." But Israel was still crying even after the comforting words from God. God is like a husband now bringing the precious stones to comfort His wife to make her smile again.

1) Don't be sad, (11b-12)
2) Your children will have peace, (13)
3) You will be safe and not be terrorized again, (14)

3. Revelation 21 uses the same language from Isaiah 54 to describe the New Jerusalem. New Jerusalem is not a place. Rev. 21:2 says, "I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." The bride is the Church, waiting for the groom to appear. The bride of Christ is described with all the precious stones: "radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal" (Rev 21:11). "The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass." (Rev 21:18) "The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass." (Rev 21:19-21) Verse 9-10 clearly tells us that the holy city Jerusalem is the Bride, the wife of the Lamb, the Church. We, the people of God, are presented like a beautiful bride shining like a most rare jewel.

4. In both Isaiah and the Book of Revelation, the first audience was the suffering people of God. In history, they were broken and tossed among nations like an abandoned barren woman. The picture described in Isaiah 54 and 55 is hardly the reality. Israel was destroyed. Jerusalem lay ruined. The people were scattered, abandoned by God. But Israel is the servant of Yahweh. She is to glorify and to proclaim His holy name to the nations. In the eyes of God, Israel is His beloved wife. In His eyes, she is the most beautiful precious wife shinning like a most rare jewel. The Bride of Christ is the suffering community of God. The Church is not beautiful. It has all kind of problems. There are hurts, fights, and weaknesses. But it is still the love of His life. God is crazily in love with the Church. We are beautiful in God's eyes.

God loves us. He comforts us who are in pains suffered from abandonment because of our sins with a promise that He would never abandon us again. God makes this possible by sending His suffering Servant to pay the penalty for us. "He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isa 53:5-6)

We are hardly beautiful. We are sinners judged by the Holy God. But we are also His beautiful Bride, shining like the most rare jewel.

5. To the abandoned, what is the deepest hurt?

The hurt is the crush of our self-worth.

Why did my parents send me to boarding school and not anyone of my siblings? It must be me. I am the worst child. It must be my fault.

Why did he abandon me for another woman? Intellectually, I know it is his fault. He makes the wrong choice. He violates the vow he made. But deep down, we have doubt. It must be me. I am ugly. I am fat. I don't know how to cook. It is me. The crushing of our self-worth is the deepest hurt that I have seen among the people how feel that they are abandoned.

The abandoned Israel in exile must be feeling the same way. We are bad. We are nothing among the nations. With downcast face, they bow in shame.

6. But God said, "Don't be sad. Listen to me. You are the love of My life. I promise I would not abandon you forever. I love you with the ever lasting love. You are the most precious and beautiful woman."

Pains and suffering is God's tool to get us back to the right tract. Sometimes, pains is necessary. But His love never diminishes. He loves us with His ever lasting love. Cancers may be necessary. But God still loves us. Divorce may be necessary. But God will save us from all evils.

7. Verse 16 tells us, "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." It is God who created the weapons used to against us. God created light and He also created darkness. Good and bad are both under His control. Verse 17 goes on and says, "no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute 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." Ultimately God promises darkness will not prevail against you. The weapons are not going to destroy you. They are all tools used by God to draw us close to Him.

8. God says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."(Isa 55:16-17)

9. Therefore listen carefully to what God has said to us. "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."


Conclusion

1. Do you feel that life is very hard on you? Do you feel lonely crushed by disappointment and grief? Do you feel that God does not love you anymore? Or worse, do you feel that you are abandoned by God? In the midst of pains and judgment, do you feel you worth nothing?

2. Listen to the promise of God to His suffering people once again: "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."