9 “For [e]this is like the days of Noah to Me,
When I swore that the waters of Noah
Would not [f]flood the earth again;
So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
Nor will I rebuke you.
10 “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
Says the Lord who has compassion on you.11 “O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,
Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
And your foundations I will lay in [g]sapphires.
12 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of [h]rubies,
And your gates of [i]crystal,
And your entire [j]wall of precious stones.
13 “All your sons will be [k]taught of the Lord;
And the well-being of your sons will be great.
14 “In righteousness you will be established;
You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear;
And from terror, for it will not come near you.
15 “If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me.
Whoever assails you will fall because of you.
16 “Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals
And brings out a weapon for its work;
And I have created the destroyer to ruin.
17 “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper;
And every tongue that [l]accuses you in judgment you will condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.
As we move into the second half of the chapter, we see God using a pretty drastic comparison, “This is like the days of Noah…” Well, what does God mean by that? Does He mean that the people were so wicked that He might have sent another flood, had He not promised Noah otherwise? We see the overt answer as we keep reading, that God likens the promise to what He swore to Noah. That is, God flooded the earth once, and no more. Now, God was sending His people into exile, and then no more.
Yet as we continue reading, it seems this passage may still refer to future times. For certainly, Jerusalem has never had battlements of rubies, foundations of sapphires, or gates of crystal. However, this sounds very much like the picture of the new Jerusalem that God showed Ezekiel, and which is mentioned also in Revelation (very briefly).
So what then, is all of this only for the far future? Maybe, in so far as ever seeing a city like that described. Although, it may not be as “far off” as we think. However, there are some things yet that speak of God’s character and our trust in Him that we can glean from this passage. In verse 10 especially, we see three important truths. Interestingly, it seems they may all be fulfilled in the life of Jesus, and extended by Him beyond the nation of Israel.
First, God will not remove His lovingkindness from you. Jesus gave us a similar promise when He said (John 10:27-28), “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” So who is the target of this promise of lovingkindness? It is those who hear God’s voice and follow Him.
We next see “My covenant of peace will not be shaken…” and this is certainly not something we can ascribe to the Jewish nation. But it is probable that if we think of earthly peace, we miss the mark just as much as those who expected the Messiah to be other than that in Isaiah 53. Here again, Jesus said, “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”
We’ll come back to that, but God finishes that sentence with, “the Lord who has compassion on you.” And how much compassion did He have? So much that we see in John 3 that God sent His one and only son, so that we might have eternal life if we believe in Him. This isn’t just bare intellectual belief, as James made it clear that even demons believe, and shudder.
So all these promises are for those who believe and who do the works that God has put before them. That is, those who put their faith in God and obey Him. Which takes us back to this peace that can overcome our troubled hearts and fears. In v. 14, God says that we will not fear nor will terror come near us.
There are still scary things in this world, but when we allow God’s peace to rule and reign in our hearts, they cannot touch us. We are to “fear” God alone, and that’s a good place to put our focus, for His lovingkindness endures forever, His peace passes understanding, and He has compassion on us. More than just platitudes, these are the realities of who God is, but our response isn’t automatic.
Rather, we must choose to believe who God truly is, and put that belief and faith into action as James encouraged us. We may not live in the utopia promised by this passage, but we do have the very presence of God in our lives, and that is something we must not take for granted. He is ever present, ready to help us in our time of need.
And boy do we need Him! When you feel overwhelmed, take the time to remember that God is with you–and if you haven’t chosen Him yet, God is waiting for you even now. Walk in His way, with God as your guide, and fear not the world, for He has overcome it all already.