- Isaiah 62 (Contemporary English Version)
- Jerusalem, I will speak up for your good. I will never be silent till you are safe and secure, sparkling like a flame.
- Your great victory will be seen by every nation and king; the LORD will even give you a new name.
- You will be a glorious crown, a royal headband, for the LORD your God.
- Your name will no longer be "Deserted and Childless," but "Happily Married." You will please the LORD; your country will be his bride.
- Your people will take the land, just as a young man takes a bride. The LORD will be pleased because of you, just as a husband is pleased with his bride.
- Jerusalem, on your walls I have stationed guards, whose duty it is to speak out day and night, without resting. They must remind the LORD
- and not let him rest till he makes Jerusalem strong and famous everywhere.
- The LORD has given his word and made this promise: "Never again will I give to your enemies the grain and grapes for which you struggled.
- As surely as you harvest your grain and grapes, you will eat your bread with thankful hearts, and you will drink your wine in my temple."
- People of Jerusalem, open your gates! Repair the road to the city and clear it of stones; raise a banner to help the nations find their way.
- Here is what the LORD has said for all the earth to hear: "Soon I will come to save the city of Zion, and to reward you.
- Then you will be called, 'The LORD's Own People, The Ones He Rescued!' Your city will be known as a good place to live and a city full of people."
Israel is encouraged not to give the Lord rest, praying that "He establishes and makes her Jerusalem the praise of the earth." God has made it known that this is what He wants, but He encourages Israel to pray for it anyway. Why is that? Several reasons are possible. For one, Prayer is a great compliment to God, demonstrating our trust in Him as the solution to what we pray for. Also, prayer indicates our agreement with God regarding our prayer concern. Furthermore, we show in prayer the degree to which we desire the thing for which we pray. God's great desire is for Israel to experience the fulfillment of the covenant between them and the blessings that come with it. But if Israel never petitions God to make it happen, she shows no reciprocal desire for the covenant fulfillment.
When the covenant is fulfilled, the prime indicator will be Israel's righteousness. It will shine "like a bright light" for all nations to see and Israel will no longer be desolate and deserted, but will be the Lord's delight. At that time, the Lord will no longer give Israel's produce to her enemies, but she will enjoy the fruit of her labor and praise the Lord for this blessing.
Isaiah urgences Israel to prepare for the Lord's coming. Though he speaks of preparing the way and building up the highway, the preparation is spiritual. "Clear away the stones," removing the obstacles in their lives that hinder the Lord's coming, and "build up the highway," making strong their observance of His teaching.
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