Part 1

Nikki Derouin

Isaiah was speaking to a Jewish audience that was failing to live in accordance to the Law they were under. Not only were they missing the mark, they were consciously transgressing God's will. Isaiah warned his people of God's judgment:

Consistent with His nature, God assured protection to the faithful remnant:

As He continued to show the distinction between the righteous and unrighteous, God put forth His plan for the future:

Historically, the first fulfillment of this verse was in the restoration of the city of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple after the Babylonian Captivity. This physical fulfillment does not in any way detract from a greater spiritual significance; in fact it enhances it, especially when we realize how much this would have meant to the Jewish people. Jerusalem was the spiritual and social core of their existence. Jerusalem was their heaven and earth. To be deprived of this was devastating for the Jewish people, but to have their home restored and their place of worship rebuilt would have brought the greatest joy to the faithful remnant. They would have rejoiced in what God had done and they would not have looked back on the 'former' punishments and life they had lived. They recognized their sins and shortcoming, they remembered the covenant of their God, they repented of their lack of faith in God, and they did not look back on the unfaithful life they had led. Instead they looked ahead with great joy to the blessings God promised them.