Isaiah 54:7-10
Take a moment and concentrate on the words of this passage. Remember the placement of the text, conveniently nestled in behind the horrific and promising 53rd chapter, which describe what Jesus went through on the cross. Now, God is speaking to us in light of what His Son has just paid for at Calvary, and the implications are staggering and telling of what God’s New Covenant is all about.
This passage is a promise from God to His people. He told us to “Sing” in the first verse of the chapter, and then promised us that we would have more children (fruit). We are told to enlarge our tents in verse 2 and then guaranteed that we will break forth on the right hand and the left (verse 3). “Fear not” is the command of verse 4, and our “Maker is our husband” is given to us in verse 5.
When we arrive at verse 7, we are given the blessed assurance that any forsaking of God’s people that occurred prior to Calvary was “for a small moment”. God’s anger was “a little wrath”, but now “with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:8). God is now speaking to us in gentle terms, and calling Himself ‘Redeemer’. That 53rd chapter must have really made a difference!
The time of God’s anger and wrath against man and sin has been expired in Jesus at the cross. Just to solidify this assurance, God tells us that He will no longer be angry with us or rebuke us; and this promise is as iron-clad as the one that He made to Noah regarding flooding the earth. When Noah landed the ark, God made him a promise, sealed with the sign of the rainbow that He would never cover the whole earth over with water again. When God sees the rainbow, He is reminded of His covenant. Regarding His wrath against man, God views the cross with as much intensity as He does that rainbow.
We are now under a “covenant of peace” (Isaiah 54:10), which will never be removed from us. Due to Christ paying for our peace, we have perfect peace in Christ. God now deals with us based upon our acceptance or rejection of the finished work of Jesus. This is why no one goes to hell for sins that they have committed, but rather for rejecting the light of Jesus Christ (John 3:17, 18). God is operating under a covenant of peace that signifies that the war is over between God and sin. Jesus has conquered all, and if we are in His love, we too are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).
Just how serious is this rainbow business when it comes to reminding God of His covenant? When John had his revelation of Jesus Christ, he saw into heaven and witnessed God sitting on the throne. He saw, “a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald” (Revelation 4:3). There is no need for a rainbow in heaven after all of that time to remind God not to flood the earth; but it does stand as a shining reminder that God is now operating under a covenant of peace. Notice that there is an emerald or green glow about the rainbow. Green is the color of freshness, or newborn. In God’s eyes, the covenant of peace is perpetually young and fresh!
Take a deep breath and relax…God is not mad.
