Isaiah 12

For Lent this year, my husband and I are giving up some of our TV time in order to read Scripture together. We decided to start by reading one to two chapters of Isaiah and one chapter of 1 Corinthians a night. Additionally, I am working my way through Joshua and the rest of the historical books of the Old Testament. The next several posts will cover various passages from our reading that stood out to me, and questions I had about different situations. (And I promise they won’t all be as long as this one!)

First up is Isaiah 12. This chapter stood out to me because everything that comes before it is pretty bleak and then there is this wonderful passage of praise and adoration. The first part of Isaiah is pretty depressing. Chapters 1-9 recount Israel’s continual sin and rebellion against God’s covenant as the reasons they are being sent into exile by Assyria’s hand. Chapter 10 tells of Assyria’s coming judgment and downfall. Even though they were God’s instrument of judgment against the Kingdom of Israel, He will still judge them. Finally, we get to Chapter 11 and we hear of a descendant of Jesse, King David’s father, who will be a righteous leader that will bring safety, security and holiness to the people. Throughout chapters 7-11, Isaiah appeals to the people to trust in God despite the dire circumstances because God was over the nations, even those threatening Israel.[1] Instead, as Scripture shows, Israel chose to trust in the nations around them for help, much to their detriment.

Then there comes Chapter 12:

¹In that day you will say:

“I will praise you, Lord.
    Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
    and you have comforted me.
² Surely God is my salvation;
    I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.”
³ With joy you will draw water
    from the wells of salvation.

⁴ In that day you will say:

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
    make known among the nations what he has done,
    and proclaim that his name is exalted.
⁵ Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
    let this be known to all the world.
⁶ Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
    for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

This is the conclusion to the first section of Isaiah. Israel was disgraced and would be exiled, but she would also be redeemed and brought back to her land. Chapter 12 speaks to a time after the exile, when the descendant of Jesse is ruling and there is, once again, holiness and righteousness among the people.

The people will be able to acknowledge: 1) what they did wrong; and 2) the forgiveness of God that redeemed them from their sin. God was angry, and for good reason, for about 600[2] years God had put up with the disobedience of His people: their lack of faith as they came into the land and disobedience in not driving out the Canaanites, the faithlessness during the time of the judges, their unholy desire for a king, the lack of faith and obedience on behalf of the king, the priests and the people, leading up to their final days as a broken, desperate, and unholy nation.

Verse 1 begins by acknowledging the God’s anger towards them. In acknowledging God’s anger, they acknowledge the reason for it: their own disobedience. God’s anger was just, and therefore the punishment is just. It is not revenge for a personal slight, which is why God is able to comfort after the sin has been punished.[3] Comfort in this circumstance means “removing a burdensome pressure from someone and helping them.”[4] Thus, rescuing and delivering them from their exiled state. The same God who exiled the people, also restored them. Just as parents reassures their child of their love for them after punishing bad behavior, so God comforts His people. God is a holy God, and He will do what it takes to make His people holy as well – even causing them to suffer. This is not to say that all suffering is caused by God, but that God using suffering as a tool to refine those who claim to be devoted to Him. During the hard times, praise and worship are the marks of mature faith that realizes God does not demand praise, worship, and glory for His own sake, but for ours.[5]

Verse 2 shows that even in the Old Testament there was the understanding that it was only with God’s help and strength that they could live, be holy, and be saved. God not only saves, but He is salvation Himself. It is part of what defines Him. Therefore, freedom and liberation, “is found in God or it is not found at all.” This verse foresees when the people of God finally grasp this truth.[6] Overcoming fear is not an easy thing. No one likes pain or suffering. No one. Yet, God is constantly forming us and using every good and bad situation to bring us closer to glory. It is only when we can get over our fear and trust God that we can see how great He is, and that He is completely trust worthy. As Paul reminds us, God’s “grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).” God’s strength is present when we are weakest, and He is glorified when we chose to trust Him despite our fears. “When we realize that we are at the end of our capabilities we leave the world and all our desires behind us and lean and trust in God.” [7]

Verse 3 begins to focus on God person and glory being known throughout the world. In the Middle East, water is a valuable commodity. The parched earth demands water to bring forth life. Likewise, the living water that God offers refreshes the dry and weary souls in bondage to sin. God is our salvation. He is the only one who can resuscitate and refresh us after we are freed from our slavery to sin.

Verses 4 and 5 refer to making God’s glory and reputation known throughout the world. The phrase, “proclaim his name” can also be translated, “call upon his name.” The idea of calling upon the name of the Lord should remind us of Abraham calling upon God’s name in Genesis 12:8 after entering the Promised Land.[8] This is an act of worship towards God because of His faithfulness to His promises, and His ability to deliver His people from disaster. These verses also show where the heart of the people are: they are not only worshipful of their great God, but also desire all the other nations to know Him and worship Him as well.

Finally, Verse 6 gives the greatest reassurance of all, that “the Holy One of Israel [is] among you.” Holiness is the one thing that identifies a deity as a deity. Angels and demons have power to do supernatural things in this world, but they are not gods. It is holiness that separates God from humanity,[9] and not just a perceived holiness that is defined based on humanity’s terms, but an actual, true, holiness that is unlike any other. This is the God we worship, that inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3), and has promised to never leave of forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8, Hebrews 13:5). Ultimately it is God’s holiness that allows Isaiah to believe that one day, their holy God will make His people holy and dwell among them. Then they will sing the above verses.

When things are rough, and we begin to lose hope, this chapter in Isaiah calls us back to worship because God has delivered us from worry, fear, and frustration. We are able to continue through these situations because we “draw water from the wells of salvation.” These wells will not run dry. This living water will sustain us and help us through because it is from God and of God, and He is our salvation, strength, and defense. When we are suffering we need to remember that God will ultimately deliver us, but He will also do what it takes to make us Holy and refine us so we look more and more like his Son, Jesus Christ. What we desire has a lot to do with how we suffer: do we desire the comforts of this world, or do we hunger and thirst for God? He is there, His presence is before us to comfort us and help us. Remember, comfort means removing a burden that caused distress and helping someone to breathe again:[10]

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

If we are too afraid of our situations and refuse to trust God, how can he comfort us? How can we praise and worship Him in the midst of our suffering?

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[1] John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 1-39, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1986), 291.

[2] I am assuming a “Low Date” for the time of the Exodus rather than a “High Date”. I am working with the assumption that the Exodus began around 1290 BC. Israel was exiled in 722 by the Assyrians.

[3] Oswalt, 292.

[4] Otto Kaiser, Isaiah 1-12, The Old Testament Library (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983), 271.

[5] Oswalt, 292.

[6] Ibid, 293.

[7] Kaiser, 272

[8] Oswalt, 295.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Kaiser, 271