Isaiah 62:12

The Bible says in Isaiah 62:12, “And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.” The benefits of being a believer in the Lord are many, both now and in eternity. Believers are called “holy people.” The word “holy” means the same thing as the word “saint.” We are called holy because we have freely been given righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. The word “redeemed” means “purchased.” Believers have been purchased by the blood of Christ. We belong to Him, and therefore He cares about us. He has made many promises to us. He calls us “a city not forsaken” because Jesus will never forsake us. If you believe in Him, He is your constant companion, guide, and friend. That is an unconditional promise: it is not dependent upon what you do or do not do.

Of course, sadly not everyone will get saved, and not everyone will enjoy the eternal benefits of salvation. For those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as Savior, Jesus will become their Judge. The Bible says in Isaiah 63:1-4, “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.” These verses in Isaiah chapter 63 are talking about the Second Coming of Christ. Immediately we are told about His “dyed garments.” Then we are told in Isaiah 63:2 that Jesus is “red in thine apparel.”

The Lord says in Isaiah 63:3, “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.” The first time that Jesus came, He came as the Son of Man, humble, surrendered to the will of the Father. Wicked men did to Jesus whatsoever they would. They tortured and killed the innocent Son of God. But Jesus rose from the dead, and when He returns, He will turn the tables. He will bring judgment. Instead of coming as a Savior, He will come as a Judge. There will be a great battle at the Return of Christ, and Jesus will slaughter the enemies of God. The Bible speaks of this same event in Revelation 19:11-21, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”

The Bible says in Isaiah 63:5-6, “And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.” Only the Lord Jesus Christ can bring salvation. No one else is qualified to be Savior. John saw Jesus and John said, “Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world.” Only Jesus could do that because only Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God, without sin. Think of all the people who have lived on the earth: billions. And yet all have sinned. None were capable of winning the victory: none but Christ. One would think there would be someone who would help, but no, the Lord must do it alone. The same is true concerning the vengeance and the judgment that must come upon this earth. No human being is qualified to judge others. Jesus knows all things. Jesus is just and true in all that He does. He alone is qualified to judge, and He will judge. When the time is right, the greatest judgment that this world has ever seen will come against it like a fury. Matthew 24:51 says, “There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” No wonder that He reminds us in Romans 12:19, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

We are told about the faithfulness of the Lord to His believers in the next several verses. The Bible says in Isaiah 63:7-9, “I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” The lovingkindness of God is mentioned twice. The “great goodness” of God and “his mercies” are also mentioned. If you are a believer, God is always with you to help you and to provide for you. That is why in Isaiah 63:9 we are told, “the angel of his presence saved them.” The phrase at the end of Isaiah 62:9 is important to notice. It says, “he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” This presents a picture not only of God guiding the way, but also of God doing everything, and the believer doing nothing. We are just along for the ride. And it is a great ride through life, with marvelous good things happening to us all along the way because Jesus is good to His children.

Isaiah 63:8 makes a direct connection between being honest and being saved. God says, “Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.” To become saved by Christ, a person must confess his or her sins. And to confess his or her sins, a person must be honest about one’s own sinfulness. It says in Romans 10:13, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Be honest about this truth, turn to Jesus in confession of sin, and Jesus will become your Savior too.

The story of what happened to the Israelites unfortunately is a story that has been repeated many times over in the lives of believers. Sometimes someone gets converted to Christ, and starts walking with the Lord; but something happens along the way and they turn aside. Their heart becomes hardened to the things of the Lord. Of course, the Lord must chastise His children in order to teach us, and in order to call us back to His way. Those chastisements can be hard to bear. It is much better to confess your sins quickly and turn to the Lord quickly, and you will enjoy fellowship with the Lord much more consistently and you will avoid those chastisements. As it says in First Corinthians 11:31-32, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” But the Israelites did not learn to quickly confess their sins. They stayed out of fellowship with the Lord, and thus it says in Isaiah 63:10, “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.” Turning away from God becomes rebellion even in the hearts of believers, when those believers are not walking with Christ. When we sin, we “vex” the Holy Spirit because He is holy. If we do not confess those sins, we must be chastised because God is Judge even of His believers.

But because of what Jesus did for us and because He loves us so very much with His great eternal love that never ends, He cannot be angry with us forever. And so the Bible says in Isaiah 63:11-14, “Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.” Notice the phrase, “he remembered.” God does not forget His promises or His purposes. No matter how weak and sinful and failing His people become, God will not forget. He will carry through with His plans. It says in Psalms 94:14, “For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.” And the Bible also says in Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

In Isaiah 63:12 we are reminded of how the Lord delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt. It says, “That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?” It is important to notice that the Lord used Moses. God used a man to lead them. It is also important to notice the phrase used in Isaiah 63:11 that calls Moses “the shepherd of his flock.” In the New Testament the word “pastor” means “shepherd.” God considers His people to be a group of people who are like sheep, needing a shepherd. Jesus is the Great Shepherd, but He also selects a human being to do the work of a shepherd under His authority. That is how He used Moses. Sometimes human beings look at the man, and give the man glory. But that is not God’s will. Isaiah speaks of the Lord and says in Isaiah 63:11 that the Lord delivered Israel in order “to make himself an everlasting name.” To those who understand the work of the Spirit, and the person of Christ, everything should be done for His namesake. It will be that way at the judgment and in heaven forever.

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