The splendor of God for Israel
His Splendor on Display
The Lord puts His splendor (glory) on display when He brings Jacob back to Him and gathers Israel to Himself. (Isaiah 49:5) He then says, “He will make them a light to the gentiles, that His salvation may go to the ends of the earth.” (vs-6)
The word here translated glory is “Hadar” it means majesty, grandeur, glory, or splendor.
When we see Hashem bringing the sons of Jacob back home, we are to see His glorious splendor on display. Can you see the splendor when you look at Israel today?
The Promise of His Splendor
Isaiah 49 describes what it looks like when He brings the sons of Jacob home to Israel:
“This is what the sovereign Lord says, I will bring your sons and daughter’s home. The captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you and save your children. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your savior, your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” (verses 25-26).
Hashem desires that all the nations will see His glory when He brings the scattered tribes of Jacob back home to Israel and rescues them from their captors.
The Comfort of His Splendor
God’s splendor is seen in His Compassion for the Jewish people. Even the earth gets excited and reacts when God begins to move to comfort and restore the Jewish people. Hashem describes how the entire earth will be restored because of what He does for Israel:
“And in the day of salvation, I have helped you; I will preserve you and give you as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth.” (verse 8). “Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth, for the Lord comforts His people and will have compassion on his afflicted one.” (vs-13).
God wants us to see His splendor when we see His Restoration of the Jewish people. He wants His work of redemption to cause us to see His Glory when His people stand in covenant with Him.
The Surety of His Splendor
Hashem assures His people He will not forget them using the tender language of a mother and child:
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely, they forgot, Yet I will not forget you. See (Israel), I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your sons shall make haste; Your destroyers and those who laid you waste shall go away from you. Lift up your eyes (Israel), look around and see; All these (nations) gather together and come to you. You shall surely clothe yourselves with them (these nations) as an ornament.” (verses 14-18).
I cannot help but think of the war in Gaza when reading this promise, “Your destroyers and those who laid you waste shall go away from you. All the nations will gather and come to you.” All of this promise is being fulfilled before our eyes.
(source: JNS)
Hashem desires for us to see “His glorious splendor” in how He intervenes for His people Israel. He wants to assure us that even in times when it looks like the enemies of Israel will destroy them, He will not forget Israel. He will intervene! Lift up your eyes and observe. Can you see the glorious splendor of God? He assures His people Israel that He will lift up His hand. He will do this in front of all the nations to set a standard of restoration for Israel that all nations will respond to this standard:
“Behold, l lift My hand in an oath to the nations and set up My standard for the peoples; They shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders; Kings shall be your foster fathers, and queens your nursing mothers. They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (verses 22-23).
This divine interruption causes His splendor to be seen in all the nations. He promises to lift up a standard or a banner of restoration for Israel. In battle, a standard is lifted up on a pole to rally the troops and assure them that their commander is in their midst. It reminds them of what they are fighting for. It is reassuring that God Himself will lift up this “standard on restoration” for all to see! As you picture this lifting up of a banner, can you see the splendor of God?
Hashem promises to lift up his hand in an oath to the nations to set up His standard. What is the meaning here of “Oath?” As in our day at a court, the witness raises his hand and swears an oath to tell the truth. God is lifting up His hand to make an oath that He will keep His word. One of the actions the Lord will take as a part of this oath is that “He will save your children.”
The captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from thefierce; I will contend with those who contend with you and save your children. (Isaiah 49:25). This oath will be fulfilled.
Isaiah 49:26 says “all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am Your Savior, and Your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
The whole world will get a revelation of who the God of Israel is when He keeps His promise, and then they will see His splendor! They will see the Mighty One of Jacob!” This is the same name used of God in Genesis 49:24 which means “EL Shaddai” or God Almighty. The emphasis is on His might to fulfill His promises. He is able to watch over His Word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12). The Word He sends forth does not return void but fulfills the purpose for which it is sent. (Isaiah 55:11). As He is mighty, so His Word is mighty. When He fulfills His Word, there is a release of who He is to the nations. We then see the surety of His faithfulness which shows forth His glorious splendor in all the earth!
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