Isaiah 54:9

Many, many places in the Bible make it very clear that the soul of the believer is eternally secure in the hands of Jesus. For example, the Bible says in Isaiah 54:9-10, “For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.” God was very angry with the world in the days of Noah, but the point is that God did not stay angry. As a matter of fact God promised that He would never again destroy life in that way. That promise is reflected in every rainbow that we see. God always keeps His promises. In the same way God has promised that whoever receives His mercy through Christ will never lose the mercy of God. You cannot get any greater security than that. “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.”

The Bible says in Isaiah 54:11-15, “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.” In these verses we are shown the contrast between the current circumstances of the Israelites compared to the promises about the future that the Lord gives. At the moment when these verses were written, the Jewish people were “afflicted,” “tossed with tempest,” and “not comforted.” Evidently because of what is said in Isaiah 54:13 about their children, the Israelites also had some serious problems and concerns in regards to their children. Of course, being the people of God, they had enemies. Isaiah 54:14 speaks of “oppression,” “fear,” “terror,” and speaks of those who “gather together against thee.”

And so we see that the people of God in the days of Isaiah had some very, very difficult issues facing them: in some ways even more difficult than what we are facing today. But God is greater than all of our circumstances, and He loves those who believe in the name of Jesus Christ. God promises that there is still hope. The children will still be “taught of the Lord.” Every believer will be established “in righteousness.” And the enemies of God’s people will meet their appointed end. As it says in Isaiah 54:15, “whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.” There is a bright future ahead because God has promised it to happen.

Concerning the enemies of the people of God, the Lord says in Isaiah 54:16-17, “Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” Everything that exists has received its existence from God. This includes living as well as non-living things. Every power that exists was established by God and is being continually used by Him. Jesus is in control of every person and He is in control of all events: even the smallest of details. Of course, the Lord has a special purpose and care for each one of His children. Therefore, if you believe in Jesus with saving faith, then you have this promise of God’s continuous care being enacted every moment of every day in your life. That is the emphasis that God is making in Isaiah 54:17 when He says, “This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” Even though we are sinful based upon our own actions, because of Christ; God views us as individuals who possess “righteousness.”

The promise that is given in Isaiah 54:17 has a lot to do with what is going to happen to the enemies of God’s children. It promises, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.” Whether someone does something against you or says something against you, God promises that you will gain the victory. This is one of the reasons that Christians should not take vengeance on others. Jesus is in control. He is going to protect you in His way and in His time. Christians must live by faith in this promise, and wait upon the Lord. God has His own purposes in how He handles things, and we must trust Him. We must not take matters into our own hands. Romans 12:19 says “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

Isaiah chapter 55 starts off by reminding us exactly how anyone can enter into all the benefits that are offered from. This is possible because of the death of Christ on the cross of Calvary. It says in Isaiah 55:1-3, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” Of course, no one can become saved through their own efforts. No one will get to heaven because of how good they are. Salvation is free. Forgiveness of sins is free. That is, it is free to sinners who repent and receive it. Jesus paid the price for sin. Jesus paid the price of giving His body and soul for the sins of the world. There is no more price to be paid, and there is no more work to accomplish. Jesus paid it all. That is why He is called “the Redeemer.”

To redeem means to pay the price for something. This is a very important Bible truth to understand. Believing that salvation is by faith in Christ is the difference between false Christianity and true Christianity. That is why so many passages in the New Testament are given to the subject of salvation by faith and not by works. The entire book of Romans has this subject as its theme. That is what the gospel of Christ is all about. You cannot save yourself. You cannot earn heaven through your own efforts. You will never be given heaven as a reward for what you have done. But you can gain heaven and you can gain righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. For example, referring to two different passages in the Old Testament, the Bible says in Romans 4:1-8, “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” And it says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

The believer is eternally secure in Christ because salvation is by faith alone and not by works. And of course, the believer is eternally secure in Christ because of the great promises that God has made on this subject. As we have seen, these promises can be found in the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament. The promise given in Isaiah 55:3 is beautifully stated. It says, “I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” Notice the word “sure” in this verse. Notice that it is an “everlasting” covenant. Of course, “everlasting” refers to forever. It never ends. Nothing can make it end, because it is everlasting. It lasts forever. Notice also that the covenant was established by God and not by man. The emphasis is on what God will do, and not what man will do. The Lord promises, “I will make an everlasting covenant with you.”

A covenant is a testament. A covenant is a contract. God describes His covenant as “the sure mercies of David.” Mercy is wonderful. Mercy means that God does not give you what you deserve. But the “sure mercies” refer to mercy that goes even beyond that basic definition of mercy. The fact that God calls this “sure mercies” is a reminder this mercy will not be lost or taken away for any reason. When God made a covenant with David, it was a covenant without conditions. We cannot lose with a covenant like that. David said in Second Samuel 23:5, “Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.” Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and you also will receive the “sure” mercies: meaning that you will be a part of the everlasting covenant.

The Bible says in Isaiah 55:4-6, “Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” Isaiah 55:6 is a great verse for explaining an important truth on how any person can enter into the everlasting covenant with God and all of its benefits including “the sure mercies of David.” It is truly a matter of what do you want. If you want to know Jesus Christ as Savior, then seek Him. Jesus Himself said, “Seek and ye shall find.” This is the same message that is given in Isaiah 55:1. It says, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.”

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