Isaiah 59:20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.

21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.

18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.

20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

MEMORY VERSE: They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. —Psalm 125:1

CENTRAL THOUGHT: Through the blood of the everlasting covenant in Christ our Redeemer, we can be cleansed from all sin and be made a glorious Church without spot before God unto which God can be glorified to bring precious souls to find refuge and salvation.

LESSON BACKGROUND

Chapter 59 of Isaiah is a description of the sinful and degraded state that mankind had sunk to. The need for an intercessor and means for salvation came up before God. There was no other one to fill this place but the “arm of the Lord,” which was Jesus Christ. The last two verses of this chapter are the first part of our lesson today. It is a definite prophecy of the Savior and His gracious covenant of His Word and Spirit to be administered in the New Testament plan for redemption. The Redeemer shall come to Zion; Zion is addressed in verse 21 and in all of chapter 60, where perfect fulfillment is found in the New Testament Church.

In chapter 60 the Church is called to arise from fear, unbelief, and all other hindering causes to shine out the glory that is rising upon her through Christ, her Redeemer. With the world in such gross darkness, her light will be outstanding. Her gates are to open wide to receive the souls who are being brought to her through the workings of the Spirit.

In Christ, the brass will be replaced with pure gold. Brass is inferior to gold, but can be polished and made to resemble gold. So human talent and wisdom can be polished to look like the real thing, but in the Church of God we will have gold instead of brass. Iron will be replaced with silver, a much more precious metal, although iron can also be polished or plated to look like silver. Brass will replace wood, and iron will replace stone.

In the true Church of God, the values are corrected and the rightful riches are restored. The leaders and officers of the Church are filled with peace and righteousness. The walls are salvation and the gates are praise. It is interesting to compare this chapter with the 21st chapter of Revelation in John’s description of the New Jerusalem.

—Bro. Leslie Busbee

QUESTIONS

1. Where is the Redeemer to come, and to whom will He come?
2. What is the covenant that the Lord promised to make, according to Isaiah 59:21?
3. Why is Zion commanded to arise and shine?
4. In what kind of condition is the earth?
5. What will happen when the glory of the Lord is seen upon the Church?

6. For what or whom are her gates to open?
7. What will they call her?
8. What will her walls be called?
9. How can we let the gates of praise be opened?
10. Why will we not need the light of the sun or the moon?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

Several hundred years before the Church was put in working order, the prophet Isaiah was given a clear picture of her glory. Her gates of praise, her walls of salvation, the glory of God shining down on her from heaven, and all the other beautiful aspects of her glory is brought out in our lesson. All this is possible through Christ, our Redeemer, and the virtue of His wonderful, everlasting covenant.

Let us remember that this is the married wife, and not the desolate woman, the harlot. We must not resort to human ways and means to bring in converts. Let us press close to our Husband and be filled with His glory and His precious Holy Spirit. Let us put on the Lord Jesus and receive the mind of Christ. The children will come. He will bring them to us. Unless we abide in Him we can do nothing.

[Note: The thought of the desolate woman being the harlot, or Babylon, who converts souls by ungodly means is not quite consistent with Galatians 4:27, where the barren, desolate woman is compared by the Apostle to be the true Jerusalem, who is the mother of us all; who had been spiritually desolate and barren as a literal, earthly city, but as the city of God and the bride of Christ, is no longer barren, but having souls, both Jews and Gentiles, born into her. Please note this discrepancy to your class and clarify the true definition. Thank you-Editor]

Oh, how beautiful for situation is the Church! Consider how the Church has been the joy of many generations! When a soul is spiritually made alive in Christ and united with her Husband, then she lives in close communion with Him. Jesus works through the members of His body, the Church, to bring forth children and fruit. As we rejoice in Him and let our light shine through the opened gates of praise, people are going to see that there is something different about us. There is no violence, as the members of the Church love each other and pray one for another. The light of God is continually shining upon us, and we are constantly walking in that light. The days of our mourning are ended. Our souls are happy, redeemed. and free.

“Oh, blessed truth that broke our bands! in it we now rejoice, While in the holy Church of God we hear our Savior’s voice; And gladly to His blessed will submissive we shall be,
And from the yokes of Babel’s lords from henceforth we are free!”

—Bro. Leslie Busbee

REFLECTIONS

Before He built it, He envisioned it. It would indeed be a glorious church, a splendid structure—the habitation of God built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone.

To lay the groundwork of faith, the prophets would get just a glimpse of its glory. The apostles would set the framework with the glorious gospel of Christ and those who would believe would be privileged to experience the glory of his holiness.

It would be built with lively stones fitly framed together ever increasing and rising into a holy temple. It would be perfect, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Situated at the top of Mount Zion, the perfection of its beauty would shine forth to all the world and to every generation following. It would last, not just through time, but throughout eternity as well. It would endure forever.

He knew the cost. To get the highest level of quality He would have to pay the premium price. There would be no shortcuts, no substitutes, no bargains. The only way to obtain the level of glory He intended was to demand perfection. He was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and to pay the ultimate price for it.

Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

He rejects that which is defective or inferior because that is not what He paid for. He willingly paid the highest cost. He has every right to demand the highest standard.

—Bro. Darrell Johnson