They will call them “The Holy People, Yahweh’s Redeemed”. You will be called “Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken”.
Parallel Translations
-
They will call them “The Holy People, Yahweh’s Redeemed”. You will be called “Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken”.
-
And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.
-
And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD; and thou shalt be called Sought out, a city not forsaken.
Cross-references (21)
Passages linked to Isaiah 62:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
- Deuteronomy 26:19 He will make you high above all nations that he has made, in praise, in name, and in honor; and that you may be a holy people to Yahweh your God, as he has spoken.
- Isaiah 62:4 You will not be called Forsaken any more, nor will your land be called Desolate any more; but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for Yahweh delights in you, and your land will be married.
- Deuteronomy 28:9 Yahweh will establish you for a holy people to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you shall keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and walk in his ways.
- Deuteronomy 7:6 For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. Yahweh your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
- Isaiah 35:9 No lion will be there, nor will any ravenous animal go up on it. They will not be found there; but the redeemed will walk there.
- Psalms 107:2 Let the redeemed by Yahweh say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
- Isaiah 42:16 I will bring the blind by a way that they don’t know. I will lead them in paths that they don’t know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. I will do these things, and I will not forsake them.
- Matthew 16:18 I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
- Hebrews 13:5 Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.”
- Isaiah 65:1 “I am inquired of by those who didn’t ask. I am found by those who didn’t seek me. I said, ‘See me, see me,’ to a nation that was not called by my name.
- Ezekiel 34:11-16 “ ‘For the Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so I will seek out my sheep. I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture; and their fold will be on the mountains of the height of Israel. There they will lie down in a good fold. They will feed on fat pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down,” says the Lord Yahweh. “I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will feed them in justice.” ’
- Matthew 18:10-13 See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost. “What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.
- Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
- Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
- John 4:23 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers.
- John 10:16 I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.
- 1 Peter 1:18-19 knowing that you were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from the useless way of life handed down from your fathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish or spot, the blood of Christ,
- Isaiah 60:21 Then your people will all be righteous. They will inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
- Luke 15:4-5 “Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
- Revelation 5:9 They sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (14 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain That is, one over whom God hath had a…
That is, one over whom God hath had a singular care to recover her when she was lost.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Isa 62:12 And they shall call them, The holy…
Isa 62:12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.
Ver. 12. And they shall call them the holy people.] Profane persons, therefore, and persecutors of holiness, are not to be reckoned among the people of the Lord. Are not all the Lord’s people holy? said those rebels; but that helped them not.
Read full note →
And thou shalt be called, Sought out.] Or, Much set by, contrary to that of Jer 30:17; "This is Zion that none seeketh after."
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain They shall call them, The holy people; or, they…
They shall call them, The holy people; or, they shall be called, or they shall be, a peculiar, separate people, Isa 4:3.
Sought out; or, one found that was lost: see Eze 34:16. Or, sought out, or for, or one in great esteem, one that the Gentiles should seek to join themselves withal, so as to be one church with her. That reproach should be wiped off from her, that this is Zion whom no man seeketh after, Jer 30:17. Or, cared. for, viz. by God, whom he hath out of infinite love gathered to himself.
Read full note →
A city not forsaken: see Isa 62:4. The meaning is, that thus they shall esteem the gospel church; she shall be accosted With such salutations as these are,
the holy people, the
redeemed of the Lord, & c.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And they shall call them the holy people,.... For…
And they shall call them the holy people,.... For whom the way is prepared, to whom the standard is lifted up, and the proclamation made, and who upon it are gathered in to Christ the Saviour, and to the church: these shall be called, by men that know them, have a spirit of discerning, and are capable of judging, "the holy people"; a people separated and set apart for God, for his service and glory; chosen to be a special people, above all the people of the earth; chosen through sanctification of the Spirit, and to holiness here and hereafter, and so sanctified by God the Father, as in Jde 1:1, and in consequence of it are made holy by the Spirit of God, in the effectual calling; they are not holy by nature, nor by their own power, but by the grace of God, who calls them with a holy calling, and to holiness, and implants principles of grace and holiness in them, so that they are truly and really so. This character respects the church and its members in the latter day, when everyone that remains in Jerusalem, and every pot and vessel there, shall be holiness to the Lord; yea, that shall be upon the bells of the horses, Isa 4:3,
the redeemed of the Lord; which character includes the blessing of redemption, from whence the denomination is, which is a blessing of a spiritual nature; the redemption of the soul from sin, Satan, the law, its curse, and condemnation, and from all enemies; a blessing early in the heart of God; contrived by his infinite wisdom; secured in the covenant of grace; wrought out by Christ; is a plenteous one, containing various blessings of grace in it, and, in its effects and consequences, of an eternal duration: this character is also expressive of Christ, as the author of the above blessing: these are not redeemed by themselves, nor by their friends, nor by men, nor by angels, but by the Lord; who, as man, is the near kinsman of his people, and has the right to redeem; as God, he is mighty and able to redeem them; and who by his precious blood has obtained redemption for them; so that he has a property in them, which is asserted in this character; they are not their own, nor any other's but his, a peculiar people, redeemed from among men, the special favourites of heaven; and who, in consequence of it, are called, and kept, and saved with an everlasting salvation:
Read full note →
and thou shalt be called, Sought out; thou, daughter of Zion; or the church of God, consisting of elect, redeemed, and called ones; such as are sought out of the ruins of the fall, among the men of the world, and dust of the earth; found in a very miserable condition, usually by means of the Gospel, and by Christ, who knows them well, where are, and what the time of finding them, and can by name, and does; all which is the fruit and effect of his love unto them; though this character may chiefly respect the notice that will be taken of the church in the latter day; whereas she has been Zion, whom no man seeks after, Jer 30:17, now she shall be sought and flocked unto by all nations, and by great personages, even by the kings and princes of the earth, Isa 2:2.
A city not forsaken; the city of the living God, of which saints are fellow citizens, consisting of many persons, in good and flourishing circumstances, and which shall not be forsaken of men, as it has been, Isa 60:15, but shall be filled with converts, both Jews and Gentiles; nor forsaken of God, but shall enjoy his gracious presence, and sensible communion with him in his ordinances; nor shall any of its true members be forsaken, or the work of grace in them; they shall none of them perish, but have everlasting life; so that here is a cluster of glorious doctrines, in their order and connection one with another: election in the first character; redemption in the second; effectual calling in the third; and final perseverance in the last.
Next: Isaiah Chapter 63
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 12. They shall call them] These characteristics seem…
Verse 12. They shall call them] These characteristics seem to be put in their inverted order. -
1. God will not forsake them.
Read full note →
2. They shall be sought out.
3. They shall be redeemed. And,
4. Be in consequence a holy people.
1. When God calls, it is a proof that he has not forsaken.
2. When he seeks, it is a proof he is waiting to be gracious.
3. When the atonement is exhibited, all things are then ready.
4. And when that is received, holiness of heart and life is then to be kept continually in view, as this is the genuine work of God's Spirit; and without holiness none shall see the Lord.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain And they shall call them - It shall be…
And they shall call them - It shall be the honorable and just name by which they shall be known, that they are a holy people, and that they are the redeemed of Yahweh. No name is so honorable as that; no one conveys so much that is elevated and ennobling as to say of one, ‘he is one whom Yahweh has redeemed from sin and death and hell by atoning blood.’ He who has a just sense of the import of this name, will desire no Other record to be made of his life - no other inscription on his tomb - than that he is one who has been redeemed by Yahweh.
And thou shalt be called - (See the notes at Isa 62:2).
Read full note →
Sought out - The city much sought after, or much desired - to wit, by converts who shall come from afar; by foreigners who shall come to do thee honor (see Isa 2:3; Isa 40:5-6, Isa 40:10-11; Isa 49:18-22). Or it may mean that Jerusalem would be a city sought out and desired by Yahweh; that is, no more forsaken by him. So Gesenius understands it.
A city not forsaken - No longer given up to the invasions of a foreign enemy, and abandoned to long desolation. The idea is, that the church and people of God would be the object of his kind protecting care henceforward, and would enjoy his continued smiles.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Sought out--Sought after and highly prized by Jehovah; answering…
Sought out--Sought after and highly prized by Jehovah; answering to "not forsaken" in the parallel clause; no longer abandoned, but loved; image from a wife (Isa 62:4; Jer 30:14).
Messiah, approaching Jerusalem after having avenged His people on His and their enemies, is represented under imagery taken from the destruction of "Edom," the type of the last and most bitter foes of God and His people (see Isa 34:5, &c.).
Read full note →
Next: Isaiah Chapter 63
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 12. Time is near when the Church, so extended…
12. Time is near when the Church, so extended and flourishing, shall be called by its generally accepted name.
The holy people —
Read full note →
the redeemed of the Lord — Yea, more. Reverting back to the mother-symbol thereof, namely, Jerusalem, thou shalt be called, Sought out — Derushah.
A city not forsaken — Ir-lo-neezebah. So Alexander translates; and the meaning is, Thou art the all-desired place; thou art no more in peril of invasion from old enemies, as was ancient Jerusalem. Henceforth thou art the Protected-of-Jehovah; and, blessed with his smiles, thou shalt be never forsaken more.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 12. Zion and its people shall then be recognised…
12. Zion and its people shall then be recognised in their true character by all.
The holy people] The priesthood of humanity; ch. Isa_61:6.
Read full note →
The redeemed of the Lord] ch. Isa_35:10 [Isa_51:10]; cf. Isa_48:20.
Sought out] i.e. “much sought after.” Cf. Jer_30:17, “This is Zion whom no man seeketh after.”
A city not forsaken] See Isa_62:4.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (12) The redeemed of the Lord.—Literally, ransomed, as in…
(12) The redeemed of the Lord.—Literally, ransomed, as in Isa_35:10; Isa_51:10.
Sought out . . .—i.e., a city which men would seek after to honour, and promote its welfare. (Comp. the opposite, “Zion, which no man seeketh after,” in Jer_30:17.)
Read full note →
A city not forsaken.—With special reference to the name “Azubah” in Isa_62:4. (Comp, the change of names in Hos_2:1.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain They shall call them; or, men shall call them,…
They shall call them; or, men shall call them, equivalent to "they shall be called." The holy people. The Persians in some degree recognized this character in the Israelites. (Ezr_1:2, 3 6:8-12:7:12-26) So did Alexander, according to Josephus. The Romans, on the contrary, regarded them as the votaries of a degrading superstition. Since the Roman conquest, they have been almost universally despised. Perhaps the prophecy may be considered to still await its complete fulfilment. Thou shalt be called. "Thou" refers to Zion or Jerusalem. She should be called Sought outi.e. a special object of God"s care and A city not forsaken the very opposite of her former name (ver. 4), which was "Forsaken." All the conditions of her former existence would be altered, nay, reversed, in the future.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Thou shalt be called, Sought out
Isa_62:12
Thou shalt be called, Sought out
Read full note →
Sought out
1.
The first meaning of our text is very clear. Here is a prophecy, that as Jerusalem, having been despoiled her beauty by her enemies, was for a long time forsaken and worthy to be called, A city which no man seeketh after, so, in a brighter day, her glory shall return, she shall be an attraction to all lands, and the joy of the whole earth; multitudes of willing pilgrims shall seek her out that they may behold her beauty. She shall be a city greatly set by and greatly sought out by those who love the hallowed spots where the mighty deeds of the Lord were wrought, and the arm of Jehovah made bare.
2. The text, doubtless, has a similar reference to the Church of God. During many centuries the Church of Christ was hidden--a thing obscure, despised, unknown, abhorred; she concealed herself in the catacombs; her followers were the poorest and most illiterate of men, proscribed by cruel laws, and hunted by ferocious foes Although the royal bride of Christ, and destined to be the ruler of nations, she made no figure in the worlds eye; she was but a little stone cut out of the mountain without hands. But the day is already come in which multitudes seek the Church of Christ. (C. H.Spurgeon.)
Am I sought out?
In a fuller and more spiritual sense the Church of God may well be called Sought out; and the like title may truthfully be applied to every single member of that dearly-loved and dearly-purchased family.
I. THE NATURAL CONDITION IMPLIED IN THE TITLE, SOUGHT OUT.
1. If the Church of God has been sought out, then it is clear enough that originally it was lost.
2. We were so lost that we did not seek the Lord.
3. As we had no thought of coming to God, so we never should have willed to return.
4. So far from seeking God, we did not desire Him to seek us.
5. Our being sought out, considering our condition, was one of the greatest wonders ever known or heard of. I have heard this expressed in words occasionally; when a man has come to join the Church, he has said to me,
If any one had told me six months ago that I should make a profession of being a follower of Christ, I would have knocked him down. And yet the thing did occur.
II. WE HAVE SURPASSING GRACE REVEALED. This grace lies in several particulars.
1. That they were sought out at all. It is very wonderful grace on the part of God that He should plan a way of salvation; but there is something more gracious than this generous summons. One would have supposed that after the invitation had been freely given and the preparation for the feast had been generously made, the Lord would leave men to come or not as they willed.
2. But this grace appears even more conspicuous if you consider the persons sought out. That any should be sought out is matchless grace, but that we should be sought is grace beyond degree.
3. Nor must I fail to bring to your recollection, that the surpassing grace of God is seen very clearly in that we were sought out. The word out conveys a mass of meaning. Men go and seek for a thing which is lost upon the floor of the house, but in such a case there is only seeking, not seeking out. The loss is more perplexing, and the search more persevering, when a thing is sought out. We were mingled with the mire; we were as when some precious piece of gold falls into the sewer, and men have to gather out and carefully inspect a heap of abominable filth, to turn it over, and over, and over, and continue to stir and rake, and search among the heap until the thing is found. Or, to use another figure, we were lost in a labyrinth; we wandered hither and thither, and when ministering mercy came after us, it did not find us at the first coming; it had to go to the right hand and to the left, and search hither and thither, and everywhere, to seek us out, for we were so desperately lost, and had got into such a strange position, that it did not seem possible that ever grace could come to us. And yet we were sought out! No gloom could hide us, no filthiness could conceal us, we were found. The lives of some of Gods people, if they could be written, would make you marvel. The romance of Divine grace is infinitely more interesting than the romance of imagination.
4. The grace of God is illustrious in the Divine Agent by whom we are sought out. It was not the minister; he might have sought thee year after year, and never have found thee. Thy tearful mother, with her many prayers, would have missed thee. Thine anxious father, with his yearning bowels of compassion, would never have discovered thee. Those providences, which like great nets were seeking to entangle thee, would all have been broken by thy strong dashings after evil. Who was it sought thee out? None other than Himself. The Great Shepherd could not trust His under-shepherds; He must Himself come, and oh! if it had not been for those eyes of omniscience, He never would have seen thee; He never would have read thy history and known thy ease: if it had not been for those arms of omnipotence, He never could have grasped thee; He never could have thrown thee on His shoulders and brought thee home rejoicing.
5. Remember that the glory of it is that we were sought out effectually. We are a people not sought out and then missed at the last.
III. THE DISTINGUISHING TITLE JUSTIFIED. How were we sought out?. Let us justify the name.
1. We are sought out in the eternal purposes and the work of Christ.
2. This seeking out, as far as we know it, began by gracious words of mercy. A godly mother told us the truth with weeping, a holy father set us a good example; we were sought out by that little Bible we were taught to read, and that hymn-book which was put into our hands. We were sought out when we were taken to the house of God. We were sought out while the preacher called the Sabbath-breaker, the hard-hearted, the hypocrite, the formalist, the abandoned, the profane. According to our case we felt that he was calling us, and the eyes of Jesus were looking on us, and His voice was bidding us repent and live.
3. Afflictions sought us out. The fever hunted us to the Cross. When the cholera came, it carried a great whip in its hand to flog us to the Saviour. We had serious losses, a decaying business, all which should have weaned us from the world. Our friends sickened; from their graves we heard the voice of invitation, Come unto Christ and live. We were disappointed in some of our fondest hopes, and our heart, riven for the time, yearned after a higher life and a deeper satisfaction.
4. Then came mysterious visitations. It was in the night season when all was still, we sat up in our bed, and solemn thoughts passed through us; the preachers words which we had heard years ago came back fresh as when we heard them for the first time; old texts of Scripture, the recollection of a mothers tears, all these came upon us. Or it was in the midst of business, and we did not know how it was, but suddenly a deep calm came over us.
5. But after all, these visitations, these providences, these preachings, and so on, would all have been nothing, if it had not been for the appointed time when the Holy Spirit came and sought us out.
IV. A SPECIAL DUTY INCUMBENT UPON THOSE WHO WEAR THE TITLE, SOUGHT OUT. If it be really so that you are such debtors to Divine seeking, ought you not to spend your whole lifetime in seeking others out? We are not to preach merely to those who come to listen. Let us hunt for souls by visitation. Where all other means fail, seek men by our prayers. As long as a man has one other man to pray for him, there is a hope of his salvation. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
A city not forsaken
A city not forsaken
1. A forsaken city! What a picture it presents. Streets once crowded with life, left desolate. Halls once ablaze with light--darkened. Every voice of music hushed, every dancer gone. No man of wisdom to advise. No soldier to defend. No peopled homes. No schools with children. No trade. No port. No active work for God or man. A city forsaken! Bereft, indeed!
2. But A city not forsaken! How different I with its crowded streets; its marts of trade; its palace of legislature; its courts of administration and justice; its glory of magnificent architecture; its busy river; its turrets ablaze with the glory of their gold; its towers of strength; its bulwarks of defence; its processions of royalty; its merchants; its scholars; its citizens, good, bad and indifferent; its sanctuaries; its slums; its manifold life and stir. Ay, verily, a city not forsaken is a place of interest and power; a place to live in; where the pulse beats; where men feel the blessings of community, and find the possibilities of success; where trade has its markets; where intellect is sharpened, and where extremes meet--the place of the temple, the arena, the theatre, the gymnasium, and the forum. (C. H. Kelly.)
The Church, a city not forsaken
The text is uttered respecting the Church of the Lord, and is true of every part of that Church. It is descriptive. It is historic. It is prophetic. (C. H. Kelly.)
The presence of God in His Church
If it was the delight of the ancient Jews to know that the Lord was in His temple in Jerusalem, it is also ours to know that He is with us.
1. His Church abounds in splendour; in numbers; in wealth; in structures. She is rich in schools and universities. Her sons are among the greatest scholars; the bravest soldiers; the most eloquent speakers. She is like the Kings daughter, arrayed in costly attire, and all beautiful within, having external adornment and internal excellence; but what of all that, if that were all? What if she were forsaken of God? If there were no shout of the King in the camp?
2. But there is the presence of God--the Father in His family; the Captain with His hosts; the King in His city.
3. Having this truth, how rich is the Church of God! It involves the heritage of power, wisdom, love.
4. We will rejoice because, having God in the city, the commonwealth is safe; truth will be victorious; vice will be curbed; crime will cease; ignorance will be instructed; men and women will be saved; children will be nurtured and trained aright; true spiritual religion, as contrasted with mere conventional Churchism, will prevail; the love of worldliness will give place to spirituality of life; there will be honesty instead of theft; truthfulness instead of lies; purity instead of wickedness holiness instead of mere professional Church membership. (C. H. Kelly.)
The Church, a city not forsaken by its own people
1. Its numbers are larger to-day than ever. They help to constitute its wealth, to make it full of power; they make its defence stronger than walls of brick and stone; mightier than ramparts. The fellowship of believers; the communion of saints; the brotherhood of Christians is very real. It is found in this city--this Church of God. It is illustrated in the lives of myriads who dedicate their intellect, their love, to it. Verily, this city is not forsaken. Its dwellings are peopled. Its population increases.
2. And more are coming. One day Henry Clay stood on a peak on the Aleghany Mountains, with arms folded, and as though looking into the distance far beyond. Some one said to the rapt thinker, Mr. Clay, what are you thinking about? He replied, I am listening to the ontramping of the feet of future generations of Americans. He knew they would come. So we. We rejoice in the millions of our city. But yet there is room. They come. They will continue to come. This is no forsaken spot. It never will be. Desolation does not belong to this Zion.
3. There are good reasons for its sons not forsaking it. In it they have found salvation. In it they have been made joyful. When they were pursued and troubled, it opened its gates to them, and gave them refuge and safety The walls which surround It can never be broken through by any foe; for God is the strength of those walls, and every citizen is absolutely safe. (C. H. Kelly.)
Backsliders
But have not any forsaken this city? The answer is, to their own sad sorrow, Yes! At this hour there are sheep that have strayed; prodigals that have wandered; backsliders that have fallen. They have forsaken purity; they have turned their backs on God. What has the City herald to proclaim to such? What is the message of the King? The proclamation is mercy; amnesty; full forgiveness. The message of the King is, Return. Will you come? The gates of the city are open: Will you enter? You have forsaken the Church; but God has not forsaken you. But, so far as you are concerned, the gates of the city will soon be closed. Take care that you are on the right side. One of our ministers said that one evening, after a days excursion, he and his party were about to enter an Eastern city. They saw a horseman approach at a gallop. Our friend asked, Why does he ride so fast? Because, said the guide, he knows that in a few moments it will be sunset, and the city gate will be closed; and, if he is not in before that, he will be too late, and must remain outside in the dark. It is nearly sunset with some of you who have forsaken the city; soon the gate will be closed; be quick and enter in! (C. H. Kelly.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain Isa_62:2; Isa_62:12. Thou shalt be called by a new…
THE NEW NAMH
Isa_62:2; Isa_62:12. Thou shalt be called by a new name. And they shall call them, &c.
Read full note →
According to the Hebrew idiom, the name which expresses the nature and character of a person is used as equivalent to that nature and character. The promises of these verses involve accordingly, far more than appears upon the surface.
I. The new name abolishes the old, In the prophetical writings Israel’s sins are very plainly described and very faithfully upbraided. The favoured people are called rebels and traitors, idolaters and spiritual adulterers. Upon their repentance, the old reproach is wiped away, and the old appellations are discarded. This is how Divine mercy treats all true penitents and believers. Former sins are forgotten, former rebukes are reversed, former sentences of condemnation are cancelled.
II. The new name expresses a new character. The Christian dispensation provides, by peculiar agencies and spiritual powers, for the renewal of the nature and the life of men (2Co_5:17). In accordance with the fact is the expression of the fact; in accordance with the new nature, the new birth, the new life, is the new name. They who were unholy become the holy people, because, from being the bondsmen of sin, they have become the redeemed of the Lord.
III. The new name is significant of a new state of favour and acceptance. Especially those upon whom the great change has passed are “the Lord’s,”—His possession and property, His beloved and honoured, for whom no privileges are too great and no dignities too eminent. The new name is His name who confers it, and who delights to deem and to call His beloved ones His own.”—The Homiletical Library, vol. ii. p. 153.
THE CITY OF GOD
(Anniversary Sermon.)
Isa_62:12. Thou shalt be called, A city not forsaken.
Travellers in the East have described the present desolate and deserted condition of what were once great and populous cities. But there is a city which has not been thus forsaken, which has survived the ravages of time, the City of God, the Church of Christ. He reads these chapters in a most imperfect light who sees nothing more in them than allusions to the earthly Jerusalem and the restoration of the Jews. Several appellations are given to the Church. The last of these designations, “A city not forsaken,” is fitted to suggest some suitable reflections on the present interesting occasion, when as a congregation we celebrate God’s loving-kindness exhibited in our past history. We are fulfilling the prediction of the text when we make it the burden of our song that God has not forsaken His Church, that in our ancestral Zion, as in other portions of the Church, the light of life has not been quenched but still burns brightly.
I. God’s presence in the Church. This should absorb every other consideration. We may reflect on the earnestness and fidelity of the watchmen who have successively occupied the walls of Zion; we may think of the generations departed who profited by their ministrations, but the thought of the Divine presence should above everything else fill us with gratitude (Psa_87:5-6). What is meant by the presence of Christ in the Church?
1. It is a real presence.
2. This presence is constant, uninterrupted.
3. This presence is perpetual. He is ever with His people in all the plenitude of His power, in all the freshness of His grace (Psa_48:14). Often indeed it has seemed as if the Saviour’s presence had been withdrawn from the Church (Isa_49:14; Isa_54:6-7; Isa_62:4; see pp. 342–345, 552).
II. The constitution of the Church. Jerusalem was a glorious city, the pride of every pious Jew, the yearly resort of the tribes. It was the centre of the nation’s religious life, the rallying-point of their religious affections. Such the Church of Christ ought to be to us. It is a society of men and women regulated by the laws of Jesus Christ, and it goes in Scripture under the figure of a city, because God is its Architect and Ruler. “The one Lawgiver in the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ, and its one statute-book is the Bible.” It exists for the mutual benefit of its members and the defence and propagation of the truth (1Ti_3:15). The Church, then, is a witness for Christ, wherein He displays the wonders of His redeeming grace. How distinguished the honour! how lofty the privileges! how great the obligations of those who are citizens of the spiritual Jerusalem!
III. There are special occasions when this designation of the Church may be appropriately considered, such as the beginning of a new pastorate, the revival of spiritual life, the removal of hindrances to Christian activity and the origination of some fresh enterprise. These call for thankful acknowledgment as evidences that the Church is not forsaken. And when a congregation takes the retrospect of its past history it may well cherish the same gratitude, and the reflection that it owes all to God will lead to humility and hopefulness. It is not our own effort, however strenuous, nor our own liberality, however large, that has made the Church what she is, but the presence of her King and Head.—William Guthrie, M.A.
THE SEEKING LOVE OF GOD
Isa_62:12. Thou shalt be called, Sought out.
Without violence we may use these words of every member of the Church of God. All His children may take for their name and distinction the words “Sought out.”
I. THE NATURAL CONDITION IMPLIED IN THIS TITLE.
1. The Church of God was originally lost.
2. So lost that we did not seek the Lord.
3. Nor should we have ever willed to return to Him.
4. We did not desire Him to seek us.
5. Our being sought out, considering our condition, was one of the greatest wonders ever known or heard of.
II. SURPASSING GRACE REVEALED. That they were sought out at all.
2. The persons sought out.
3. That we were sought OUT. The word “out” conveys a mass of meaning. We were mingled with the mire, &c.
4. That we were sought out Divinely—by God Himself.
5. Effectually.
III. THE DISTINGUISHING TITLE JUSTIFIED. How were we sought out?
1. In the eternal purpose and work of Christ.
2. By gracious words of mercy.
3. By afflictions.
4. By mysterious visitations.
5. By the Holy Spirit.
IV. THE SPECIAL DUTY INCUMBENT UPON THOSE WHO WEAR THIS TITLE. Seeking others out. The preaching of the Gospel is not the only means. Let us hunt for souls by—
1. Visitation. Take the Gospel to the people.
2. Your prayers.—C. H. Spurgeon: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Nos. 525, 526.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain Heb. "goel," Redemp. (Kinsman type). (See Scofield "Isa 59:20")
redeemed
Heb. "goel," Redemp. (Kinsman type). (See Scofield "Isa 59:20")
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.