Christ’s Passionate Zeal for the Glory of His Bride

Isaiah 62:2-5

A key to the building of the heavenly Zion is the present glory of the church on earth. The immediate and partial fulfillment of this chapter is, of course, the restoration of the physical city of Jerusalem by the remnant from Babylon. But the small, rubble-filled city of Nehemiah and Ezra was hardly the final consummation of the vision of Isaiah 62. Rather, we must see the ever-increasing glory of the church of Christ as the fulfillment of verses 2-5. As the church grows both numerically and in holiness, nations will see her righteousness, and kings will be forced to acknowledge her glory. The nations and their kings will see the functioning of healthy local churches and see the transformation of their own citizens from darkness to light (v. 2), and they will be attracted to her King, Jesus. Thus will the glory of the spiritual Zion (even while in construction) be attractive to the elect from every nation who have not yet been converted. Zion will be populated more and more; she will no longer be deserted and her land will not be called desolate.

Key to this process is the commitment of the sons of Zion to her final glory. The same love Christ has for his bride, so must her sons have. In a difficult mixing of metaphors, verse 5 implies that the sons of Zion must marry her and delight over her as Jesus does. What this means is that, by the power of the Spirit (Acts 1:8), the church must be committed to evangelism and discipleship, driven on by the goal of the final consummation of the bride of Christ.

Isaiah 62:6-9

To this end, the Lord posts watchmen on Jerusalem’s walls. Their mission is one of intercession above all else: they are commanded to remind the Lord of Zion’s incompleteness, of her neediness, of the work yet to be done. They are to give themselves no rest and to give him no rest until God establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the whole earth (v. 7). This work of relentless intercession in the face of overwhelming opposition to the building of the church is one of the most difficult tasks ever entrusted to God’s people. God tests his people by this, for the glory of the church seems so dim, the enemies of the church seem so powerful, and the work seems so immense. Furthermore, every one of us is relentlessly committed to our own pleasures. For us to learn to give ourselves no rest until Zion is perfect in glory is an extreme work that will challenge every child of God until the day we die.

Thankfully, despite these overwhelming challenges, God has sworn with his right hand and strong arm to make Zion prosperous. Using the language of covenant blessings, he speaks of never giving to her enemies the grain and wine that belong to her.

Isaiah 62:10-12

The final section of this amazing chapter speaks of constructing a highway from the nations to Zion. The redeemed of the Lord are urgently commanded here to “go out, go out through the city gates.” The image is clearly borrowed from the experience the exiles would have in fleeing Babylon, the city of destruction. All the redeemed from every nation on earth will have essentially the same experience spiritually that the exiles would have physically: Rescued from evil “Babylon” (Satan’s world), they are commanded to flee it (Rev 18:4) so that they may journey to Zion along a prepared highway and populate her. But it is a highway that the redeemed are just as urgently commanded to build as to travel on (v. 10). Thus do previous generations of faithful Christians leave behind them a smooth highway for their spiritual descendants to travel on. They raise a banner for the peoples (v. 10) by the proclamation of the salvation that the Lord alone is working among the nations (v. 11). The end result is that God’s “Holy People, the Lord’s Redeemed,” will be overflowing in Zion, “A City Not Deserted,” cared for by almighty God (v. 12).

Plainly these images speak of the great worldwide work of the church in the Great Commission, preaching the gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected, making disciples who are being taught to obey everything the Lord has commanded (Matt 28:19-20).

Christ’s relentless passion for his bride’s perfection dominates this chapter and challenges every generation of Christians to join him. Jesus will never stop speaking his word into the hearts of his church, “cleansing her with the washing of water by the word . . . to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless” (Eph 5:26-27). The immediate application for us as members of his bride is to be holy ourselves (1 Pet 1:15). This text challenges us to love the Bridegroom with undivided love, to put away all idols and worldly affections. It also challenges us to be just as zealous for the holiness of other Christians, to be energetic in the work of the church. It calls on mature Christians to disciple younger believers, “bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Cor 7:1). This chapter should put within us a vision for the final perfection of the bride, a yearning to see her finally glorious in heaven.

This chapter also commands leaders (especially elders: Acts 20:28) to act as watchmen on the walls of Zion, overseeing the doctrinal and practical lives of the flock. Just as watchmen are awake all night because danger may come at anytime, so elders must keep careful watch at all times. And, clearly, Isaiah 62:6-7 calls on relentless intercession for the church’s final glory. This is perhaps the hardest work for any Christian, for we easily get weary in prayer.

Finally, as we’ve seen again and again in Isaiah, this chapter has a clear missionary thrust. We should be traveling on the highway to Zion as we are inviting others to travel with us and also making the highway as smooth as possible by the clear preaching of Christ and holy living in the pattern of Christ.