No. 53. >> Isaiah 62:1 through 5 speaks of the marriage of Israel. How can we understand this in light of the church? >>DR. DANIEL L. GARD: Well, again, as we have done before, let's read the text. For Zion's sake, I will not keep silent. For Jerusalem's sake, I will not remain quiet. Until her righteousness shines out like the dawn. Her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will see your righteousness and all kings your glory. You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand. A royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will you be called deserted or name your land desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah and your land Beulah. For the Lord will take delight in you. And your land will be married. As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. As Isaiah spoke to a nation, a nation that was facing deaf station, he foresaw what the land would be like. And indeed, we know historically that after the Babylonians did, in fact, capture Jerusalem, they did lay the land desolate. And as we've seen before from places like Psalm 137, there was this great agony on the part of those who were taken into exile. And remember that these words, too, though they come very late in Isaiah's ministry were spoken long before the Babylonian exile. And long before the return. And to these people then his own generation and that generation of Israel that would be in captivity, Isaiah speaks not just of the present or of the immediate future. But of the far future. And he speaks to them in terms which they can understand. For Israel their existence was largely tied up with their identity with the land. And thus, when Isaiah speaks about the future, he speaks about their land will eventually be called deserted and desolate. But later Isaiah says that land will be called Beulah. That's a beautiful name, Beulah. It's one that used to be given a lot of times to girls. In fact, my grandmother was a Beulah. It's a very unusual name today. But it's a word that means married. And here Isaiah tells the people that the Lord will take delight in you and your land will be married. Thus, the name Beulah. And he presents God himself as rejoicing over this land and this people as a bridegroom, in Verse 5, rejoices over his bride. So will your God rejoice over you. This is a theme that is picked up in the New Testament. Especially in the description of God and his relationship to his people in the church. Christ as the bridegroom. The church as the bride. It is right and proper, I believe, to refer always to the church as a she. Because that's how the Bible refers to the church. Instead of an it. The church is not an it. The church is the bride of Christ. And thus, deserves the personification that comes with that pronoun she. God has declared this church to be the holy spotless bride of his own Son. In fact, all human marriage is supposed to reflect that relationship. There's a great text in Ephesians 5 which hopefully you're familiar with. You'll hopefully also use it in premarital counselling as an example in which Paul talks about the relationship of husband and wife. And he says some things to the wives that frankly, the grooms that are sitting in your study preparing for marriage are quite happy to hear. About things like obey your husbands. Well, Paul goes on after talking to the wives and now turns to the husband and lays the heavy burden on the husband and says that this is an image really of Christ and the church. And that husbands: Love your wives even as Christ loved his bride and laid down his life for her. I always like to ask a groom: What would you be willing to do for your bride? Would you be willing to give your life that she might live? I've yet to have a groom say no. Every single one will say yes. And that's a good answer. But the fact is, as I remind them, there's probably never going to be a time when you actually have to make that kind of decision. It's not very likely somebody is going to hold a gun to one of you and say: If you don't die, I'm going to kill your wife. That's not going to happen. And if you are willing to do that for your wife, to lay down your wife, then how about considering the rest of the things that come up in life. The minor things. The small things. Putting her first. In doing that, your wife will respond to you. Because God has placed this wonderful mechanism. At least in my observation. And I'm not a psychology or sociologist. But in my observation a wonderful response mechanism particularly in Christian women. But the important point for Paul is this is really to be a picture of the relationship between right and his church. So each Christian marriage, with all of its imperfections, yes, but still as a Christian marriage is to show forth that in a physical visible way of the relationship between our Lord and his bride, the church. And that image that the New Testament draws on is very subtlely rooted in text like this from Isaiah. That God has declared his people to be his bride. And that there is a commitment. This kind of commitment that we all wish we could see in our own marriages and the marriages of others. But the perfect marriage. Where God is -- sends his Son. And his Son redeems his own bride. And this then in Isaiah is Isaiah looking into that future and seeing this glorious relationship then between God and his people as one of a marriage. And a perfect marriage.