Isaiah 54:13-15 (ESV)

 All your children shall be taught by the LORD,

and great shall be the peace of your children.

In righteousness you shall be established;

you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;

and from terror, for it shall not come near you.

If anyone stirs up strife,

it is not from me;

whoever stirs up strife with you

shall fall because of you.

This is an interesting chapter because of the protection and blessing it promises to Israel. The writer of Hebrews quotes God’s words in Joshua, “I will never leave you” (Heb 13:5). Those five simple words reflect the message of Isaiah 54. God says to Israel, “For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you” (Is 54:7). The promise of God is that his people will never be abandoned. It is one thing to be abandoned. It is another thing to be loved. God goes on to say in the next verse, “‘In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,’ says the LORD, your Redeemer” (Is 54:8). God says he will not only never abandon his people, but that he will overwhelmingly love them.

I’m not sure that the promises of this chapter have yet been completely fulfilled. Perhaps it is a promise to be fully experienced in the Millennium. At any rate, there are some aspects of it that we can certainly claim as believers. The Apostle Paul quotes from this chapter in Galatians 4 to make the point that as believers we are children of Abraham and Sarah. We are children of freedom, not children of slavery. In Genesis 12, Abraham was promised many descendants. God said that he would make Abraham a great nation and bless all the nations of the earth through him. That promise is being fulfilled through the gospel today.

I believe that these promises in Isaiah 54 will be experienced literally in the Jewish people in the millennium. I also believe that they are being experienced now in the church. He says, “All your children shall be taught by the Lord” (Is 54:13). Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (Jn 14:26). Isaiah promised, “Great shall be the peace of your children” (Is 54:13). Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (Jn 14:27). Isaiah promised, “In righteousness you shall be established;

you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear” (Is 54:14). Jesus said in John 14:1, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” Twenty seven verses later he said it again, “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn 14:27). The promises of Isaiah 54 parallel the promises of John 14. It is the abiding presence of Jesus that guarantees peace and protection even in the face of opposition.

Israel was facing devastation and deportation. God promised peace and protection. As believers in Jesus Christ, whatever the world threatens us with, we can know the peace and protection of the abiding presence of Christ in our lives. We may feel abandoned. We may feel alone. We may feel rejected. But God is saying, “Don’t be afraid. Peace! You are my child and I am here in the darkness. I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. Don’t be afraid.”