Isaiah 12:6 The Song of the Redeemed
Finally, Isaiah transitions again:
Shout and sing for joy,
O daughter of Zion,
For great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah returns to address an individual, but this time he addresses a woman a daughter of Zion. (Actually inhabitant, but in feminine form.) The balance of the poem is perfect. He addresses individuals and the community, and he addresses man and woman, the entirety of the remnant saved. The qualities, characteristics, and tasks of the saved are for all.
(7) Our correct response is to proclaim and sing because God is with us!
Two more Leitmotifs jump out at me here that I wish we had time to explore. Briefly, in naming Zion, Isaiah is referencing the city of God that is more than just a physical place. The theme of two cities, Zion and Babylon are played with to speak of the community with God (the saved, the remnant) and the civilization without God. This Leitmotif reaches a crescendo in chapter 24, the “Song of the City of Meaninglessness.” Literally, the “Qiryat Tohu” as in “Tohu Wavohu” from Genesis 1:2. More than chaos, as it is often translated, human civilization without God is meaningless.
The other is the other name of God we see here in Verse 6 “The Holy One of Israel. This name occurs 25 times here in Isaiah and only 7 more times in the Old Testament. It would be worth exploring what Isaiah (and God through Isaiah) has to say about His character here.
In conclusion:
The message here in the song of the redeemed remnant is for all of us—to be compassionate, fearless in trust, strong, and joyful—to tell the story and to proclaim the name of Jesus…
Because Jesus is in our midst.
Now, I am not advocating here that we take the approach that some churches I know do. Instead of clearly sharing the message, they argue we should just hold public praise services that will draw people to God. I think we need to be prepared to communicate the reason for our hope to the world. However, I also don’t think that message should be a dry, rehearsed, sales pitch. We DO need to proof of concept with our lives and our joyful proclamation of the best news anyone will ever here.
-If we are the saved people of God, who have God in our midst…
-If we are the forgiven who know how to forgive…
-If we are the ones who trust in God and are not shaken by the fearful unknowns of the world…
-If we are strong in the power of God…
-If we are joyful in the good news of the Gospel…
-It ought to be evident.
We may not always FEEL like it. But we don’t have to feel like it. We need to live it. If you don’t feel like it, “fake it” until you do. That is too crass perhaps. Isaiah might instead say, sing it, and shout it, and proclaim it, until your feelings match your reality.
Sing it to the world.
Shout it at the world.
Proclaim it before the world.
Until your feelings match your spiritual reality.
Sing it to yourself!
Shout it at yourself!
Proclaim it, preach it to yourself!
Until your feelings match the truth!
Shout and sing for joy,
O daughter of Zion,
For great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah returns to address an individual, but this time he addresses a woman a daughter of Zion. (Actually inhabitant, but in feminine form.) The balance of the poem is perfect. He addresses individuals and the community, and he addresses man and woman, the entirety of the remnant saved. The qualities, characteristics, and tasks of the saved are for all.
(7) Our correct response is to proclaim and sing because God is with us!
Two more Leitmotifs jump out at me here that I wish we had time to explore. Briefly, in naming Zion, Isaiah is referencing the city of God that is more than just a physical place. The theme of two cities, Zion and Babylon are played with to speak of the community with God (the saved, the remnant) and the civilization without God. This Leitmotif reaches a crescendo in chapter 24, the “Song of the City of Meaninglessness.” Literally, the “Qiryat Tohu” as in “Tohu Wavohu” from Genesis 1:2. More than chaos, as it is often translated, human civilization without God is meaningless.
The other is the other name of God we see here in Verse 6 “The Holy One of Israel. This name occurs 25 times here in Isaiah and only 7 more times in the Old Testament. It would be worth exploring what Isaiah (and God through Isaiah) has to say about His character here.
In conclusion:
The message here in the song of the redeemed remnant is for all of us—to be compassionate, fearless in trust, strong, and joyful—to tell the story and to proclaim the name of Jesus…
Because Jesus is in our midst.
Now, I am not advocating here that we take the approach that some churches I know do. Instead of clearly sharing the message, they argue we should just hold public praise services that will draw people to God. I think we need to be prepared to communicate the reason for our hope to the world. However, I also don’t think that message should be a dry, rehearsed, sales pitch. We DO need to proof of concept with our lives and our joyful proclamation of the best news anyone will ever here.
-If we are the saved people of God, who have God in our midst…
-If we are the forgiven who know how to forgive…
-If we are the ones who trust in God and are not shaken by the fearful unknowns of the world…
-If we are strong in the power of God…
-If we are joyful in the good news of the Gospel…
-It ought to be evident.
We may not always FEEL like it. But we don’t have to feel like it. We need to live it. If you don’t feel like it, “fake it” until you do. That is too crass perhaps. Isaiah might instead say, sing it, and shout it, and proclaim it, until your feelings match your reality.
Sing it to the world.
Shout it at the world.
Proclaim it before the world.
Until your feelings match your spiritual reality.
Sing it to yourself!
Shout it at yourself!
Proclaim it, preach it to yourself!
Until your feelings match the truth!
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