Reading… and Thinking

The ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
     everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
     and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

— Isaiah 51:11 (NIV)

In the immediate context, the “ransomed of the Lord” are the remnant of Israel, those who return to the Lord and are rescued by Him. They have been cast out of the land and taken into captivity, but the Lord buys them back (the meaning of “ransom”), brings them back to their land, and gives it to them for an everlasting possession.

There are important principles contained in all of this. The irrevocable nature of the covenant with Abraham is reinforced. (See Romans 11:25-29 for New Testament confirmation.) The fact that Israel will be redeemed forever, that they will have everlasting joy with no more sorrow, means that eternal life has been given, and that the flesh—the source of sorrow—has been conquered forever. In other words, sin and death have been overcome. And, the fact that this glorious eternal future is set in the land of promise teaches us about God’s Kingdom on the earth.

When viewed in this way, we can see that this prophecy extends beyond natural Israel. God’s whole purpose and work with mankind is involved!

The reference to ransom, or redeeming, reminds us that this terminology is used extensively in the New Testament about the work of Jesus Christ. Are there two redemptions? Not at all. It is through Christ that the Father accomplishes the promised redemption. Christ’s conquest of sin and death is effective for all who are faithful, from any nation.

So there is another application of this prophecy in Isaiah. Those who are descendants of Abraham by faith will join the faithful remnant of natural Israel in this joyful entry into Zion. The land has been promised not only to the Jews; by God’s grace the promise is extended to all the faithful. (See Galatians 3 for an exposition of this key teaching.)

We will return to Zion with singing. Everlasting joy will be on our heads. Gladness and joy will forever displace our sorrow and sighing. What a glorious future is set before us! This is the vision that must influence us every day of our lives. We must lay aside everything that doesn’t fit into this vision, and fix our sights on the only goal that is worth striving for.