Isaiah · chapter 54 of 66
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Isaiah 54 calls the barren woman, a picture of Jerusalem, to sing and tells her to enlarge her tent because she will have many children. The Lord, her Maker and husband, promises that with everlasting love he gathers her after a brief abandonment, that his covenant of peace will not be removed and that no weapon formed against her will prosper.
Isaiah 54 follows the fourth Servant song (52:13 to 53:12) and shows the fruit of his work: a restored community that sings. It is the first chapter after that song and gathers its results in a picture of renewal for Jerusalem, compared to a barren and forsaken woman who again has children and a husband.
The chapter begins with a command to rejoice: sing, barren one who has not borne; break forth into singing, for the children of the desolate will be more than those of the married. She is to enlarge the place of her tent, stretch out the curtains, lengthen her cords and strengthen her stakes, because she will spread to the right and to the left and her offspring will possess nations and inhabit desolate cities.
Verses 4 through 8 speak to her fear. Do not fear, you will not be put to shame; you will forget the shame of your youth and the reproach of your widowhood. Your husband is your Maker, the Lord of hosts is his name; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of the whole earth. The Lord has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth who is cast off. For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you.
Verses 9 and 10 recall the waters of Noah: as I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth, so I have sworn not to be angry with you or rebuke you. Though the mountains depart and the hills be removed, my steadfast love will not depart from you, nor will my covenant of peace be removed. Verses 11 through 17 describe the afflicted city, storm-tossed and not comforted, which will be rebuilt with precious stones: sapphires, rubies, crystal and jewels. All her children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace. She will be established in righteousness, far from oppression and terror. If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from the Lord. No weapon formed against you will succeed, and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The barren woman is told to enlarge her tent, stretch out the curtains and strengthen her stakes. It is an act of faith: preparing for growth before seeing it, because God's promise is greater than what can be seen.
The Lord acknowledges a brief moment of anger and of hiding his face, but promises compassion with everlasting love. His anger is temporary; his love is lasting.
Though the mountains move and the hills shake, the Lord's love will not depart and his covenant of peace will not be removed. The steadiness of God's love exceeds that of creation itself.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: The barren woman who has not borne a child. — Isaiah 54:1
Answer: Enlarge the place, stretch out the curtains, lengthen the cords and strengthen the stakes. — Isaiah 54:2
Answer: Her Maker, the Lord of hosts, whose Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. — Isaiah 54:5
Answer: It was a brief moment, and he gathers her with great compassion and everlasting love. — Isaiah 54:7-8
Answer: To the waters of Noah, which would never again cover the earth. — Isaiah 54:9
Answer: The Lord himself, and great will be their peace. — Isaiah 54:13
Isaiah 54 speaks to anyone who feels barren: without fruit, without a future, without hope of growth. The Lord does not ask that circumstances change before singing, but that we sing and enlarge the tent by faith. In a small group you can ask which area of life or ministry needs that act of faith.
The chapter also comforts someone who carries shame from the past. The Lord acknowledges the desertion and calls it brief compared with everlasting love. And the promise of the covenant of peace reminds us that God's love does not depend on the mountains staying firm. For a youth class, Isaiah 54:17 is an invitation to trust in God's protection without turning it into a promise of a life without problems.
Isaiah 54 presents a restored community, loved with everlasting love and protected by the covenant of peace. Chapter 55 extends that invitation to all who are thirsty: come to the waters, buy without money.
Paul quotes verse 1 in Galatians 4:27 in the middle of an argument about Sarah and Hagar, to show that the children of promise are more than those of slavery. He sees in the singing barren woman a picture of the Jerusalem above and of believers born by God's promise.
It is a promise that those who rise against God's people will not succeed in destroying them, because their vindication comes from the Lord. It does not promise that believers will not suffer, and the book's context shows that the people went through exile and pain. The promise rests on God's faithfulness, not on the absence of attacks.