Ever before Him...

Isaiah 49:16
"See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me."

In Exodus 28:9-12, God commands the priests to inscribe the names of the 12 tribes on the stones of their breastplates so that He may be reminded of His people by name. Yet, even when Israel had strayed from God and the priests were unable to enter into His presence because of captivity or destruction of the Temple, Israel was always before the Lord. Their names are engraved on the palms of His hands. Their walls, His Holy City, Jerusalem mapped out on the palms of His hands.
I love the imagery of this declaration. When I think of the palms I think of strength, control, protection, even intimacy. It is with the palms that we carry things. It is with the palm that we gather things together. The palms cover and protect. The palms comfort and caress in love and affection. This is God's relationship with His people.
Perhaps my favorite image that comes to mind when I think about Israel being engraved on the palms of the Hands of God is the nail scars on the hands of Jesus who bore their sin and paid their penalty at the cross. This verse is not symbolic but literal and tangibly displayed at Calvary, the upper room and in eternity. It is in the hands of Christ that everything has been placed (John 3:35) since only through His sacrifice is all creation redeemed. And it is our names that are written in the book of life and will be acknowledged before the Father at the end of time (Revelation 3:5) that we may enjoy eternity with Him.

My challenge today is this; do I value the name of God as highly as He values mine? Is His name ever before me? Is His name written on my hands, my heart, my every action? Do I declare that I belong to Him as much as He does?

Father - teach me to revere Your name. Let my life proclaim Your greatness and demonstrate Your presence. May Your name be lifted up in me. Amen.

The Name of the Lord...

Isaiah 48:9-11
For My name’s sake I will defer My anger,
And for My praise I will restrain it from you,
So that I do not cut you off.
Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it;
For how should My name be profaned?
And I will not give My glory to another.

God's name is more than a title or tag or reference.
His name is Holy; so Holy that the Jews did not say it or write it.
His name is so powerful that at the name of Jesus the demons shutter and flee, the nations bow and all creation shouts (James 2:19, Phil. 2:10, Psa. 19:1 Psa. 100).
His name is so gracious and merciful that only His name can save (Acts 4:12).
Everything He does... He does for His name sake... for His glory.
And He is worthy of this... His name is worthy to be lifted up.

His name is...

ELOHIM......Genesis 1:1, Psalm 19:1

meaning "God", a reference to God's power and might.

ADONAI......Malachi 1:6

meaning "Lord", a reference to the Lordship of God.

JEHOVAH--YAHWEH.....Genesis 2:4

a reference to God's divine salvation.

JEHOVAH-MACCADDESHEM.......Exodus 31:13

meaning "The Lord thy sanctifier"

JEHOVAH-ROHI......Psalm 23:1

meaning "The Lord my shepherd"

JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH.......Ezekiel 48:35

meaning "The Lord who is present"

JEHOVAH-RAPHA.........Exodus 15:26

meaning "The Lord our healer"

JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU......Jeremiah 23:6

meaning "The Lord our righteousness"

JEHOVAH-JIREH.........Genesis 22:13-14

meaning "The Lord will provide"

JEHOVAH-NISSI.........Exodus 17:15

meaning "The Lord our banner"

JEHOVAH-SHALOM........Judges 6:24

meaning "The Lord is peace"

JEHOVAH-SABBAOTH......Isaiah 6:1-3

meaning "The Lord of Hosts"

JEHOVAH-GMOLAH........Jeremiah 51:6

meaning "The God of Recompense"

EL-ELYON..............Genesis 14:17-20,Isaiah 14:13-14

meaning "The most high God

EL-ROI................Genesis 16:13

meaning "The strong one who sees"

EL-SHADDAI............Genesis 17:1,Psalm 91:1

meaning "The God of the mountains or God Almighty"

EL-OLAM...............Isaiah 40:28-31

meaning "The everlasting God"

He is..

• ABBA.............................Romans 8:15
• ADVOCATE.........................I John 2:1 (kjv)
• ALMIGHTY.........................Genesis 17:1
• ALPHA............................Revelation 22:13
• AMEN.............................Revelation 3:14
• ANCIENT OF DAYS..................Daniel 7:9
• ANOINTED ONE.....................Psalm 2:2
• APOSTLE..........................Hebrews 3:1
• ARM OF THE LORD..................Isaiah 53:1
• AUTHOR OF LIFE...................Acts 3:15
• AUTHOR OF OUR FAITH..............Hebrews 12:2

• BEGINNING.........................Revelation 21:6
• BLESSED & HOLY RULER..............1 Timothy 6:15
• BRANCH............................Jeremiah 33:15
• BREAD OF GOD......................John 6:33
• BREAD OF LIFE.....................John 6:35
• BRIDEGROOM........................Isaiah 62:56
• BRIGHT MORNING STAR...............Revelation 22:16

• CHIEF SHEPHERD.....................1 Peter 5:4
• CHOSEN ONE.........................Isaiah 42:1
• CHRIST.............................Matthew 22:42
• CHRIST OF GOD......................Luke 9:20
• CHRIST THE LORD....................Luke 2:11
• CHRIST, SON OF LIVING GOD..........Matthew 16:16
• COMFORTER..........................John 14:26(kjv)
• COMMANDER..........................Isaiah 55:4
• CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL...............Luke 2:25
• CONSUMING FIRE......................Deut. 4:24, Heb. 12:29
• CORNERSTONE.........................Isaiah 28:16
• COUNSELOR...........................Isaiah 9:6
• CREATOR.............................1 Peter 4:19

• DELIVERER..............................Romans 11:26
• DESIRED OF ALL NATIONS.................Haggai 2:7
• DOOR...................................John 10:7(kjv)

• END....................................Revelation 21:6
• ETERNAL GOD............................Deut. 33:27
• EVERLASTING FATHER.....................Isaiah 9:6

• FAITHFUL & TRUE........................Revelation 19:11
• FAITHFUL WITNESS.......................Revelation 1:5
• FATHER.................................Matthew 6:9
• FIRSTBORN (3)........................................Rom.8:29,Rev.1:5,Col.1:15
• FIRSTFRUITS............................1 Cor.15:20-23
• FOUNDATION.............................1 Cor. 3:11
• FRIEND OF TAX COLLECTORS & SINNERS.....Matthew 11:19

• GENTLE WHISPER.........................1 Kings 19:12
• GIFT OF GOD............................John 4:10
• GLORY OF THE LORD......................Isaiah 40:5
• GOD....................................Genesis 1:1
• GOD ALMIGHTY...........................Genesis 17:1
• GOD OVER ALL...........................Romans 9:5
• GOD WHO SEES ME........................Genesis 16:13
• GOOD SHEPHERD..........................John 10:11
• GREAT HIGH PRIEST......................Hebrews 4:14
• GREAT SHEPHERD.........................Hebrews 13:20
• GUIDE..................................Psalm 48:14

• HEAD OF THE BODY.......................Colossians 1:18
• HEAD OF THE CHURCH.....................Ephesians 5:23
• HEIR OF ALL THINGS.....................Hebrews 1:2
• HIGH PRIEST............................Hebrews 3:1
• HIGH PRIEST FOREVER....................Hebrews 6:20
• HOLY ONE...............................Acts 2:27
• HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL.....................Isaiah 49:7
• HOLY SPIRIT............................John 15:26
• HOPE...................................Titus 2:13
• HORN OF SALVATION......................Luke 1:69

• I AM....................................Exodus 3:14, John 8:58
• IMAGE OF GOD............................2 Cor. 4:4
• IMAGE OF HIS PERSON.....................Hebrews 1:3 (kjv)
• IMMANUEL................................Isaiah 7:14

• JEALOUS..............................Exodus 34:14 (kjv)
• JEHOVAH..............................Psalm 83:18 (kjv)
• JESUS................................Matthew 1:21
• JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD................Romans 6:23
• JUDGE................................Isaiah 33:22, Acts 10:42

• KING.................................Zechariah 9:9
• KING ETERNAL.........................1 Timothy 1:17
• KING OF KINGS........................1 Timothy 6:15
• KING OF THE AGES.....................Revelation 15:3

• LAMB OF GOD...........................John 1:29
• LAST ADAM.............................1 Cor. 15:45
• LAWGIVER..............................Isaiah 33:22
• LEADER................................Isaiah 55:4
• LIFE..................................John 14:6
• LIGHT OF THE WORLD....................John 8:12
• LIKE AN EAGLE.........................Deut. 32:11
• LILY OF THE VALLEYS...................Song 2:1
• LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH............Revelation 5:5
• LIVING STONE..........................1 Peter 2:4
• LIVING WATER..........................John 4:10
• LORD..................................John 13:13
• LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.....................Revelation 15:3
• LORD JESUS CHRIST.....................1 Cor. 15:57
• LORD OF ALL...........................Acts 10:36
• LORD OF GLORY ........................1 Cor. 2:8
• LORD OF HOSTS.........................Haggai 1:5
• LORD OF LORDS.........................1 Tim. 6:15
• LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS..............Jeremiah 23:6
• LOVE.................................1 John 4:8

• MAN OF SORROWS.........................Isaiah 53:3
• MASTER..................................Luke 5:5
• MEDIATOR................................1 Timothy 2:5
• MERCIFUL GOD............................Jeremiah 3:12
• MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT................Malachi 3:1
• MESSIAH................................. John 4:25
• MIGHTY GOD...............................Isaiah 9:6
• MIGHTY ONE...............................Isaiah 60:16

• NAZARENE.................................Matthew 2:23

• OFFSPRING OF DAVID.......................Revelation 22:16
• OMEGA....................................Revelation 22:13
• ONLY BEGOTTEN SON........................John 1:18(kjv)
• OUR PASSOVER LAMB........................1 Cor. 5:7
• OUR PEACE................................Ephesians 2:14

• POTTER...................................Isaiah 64:8
• POWER OF GOD.............................1 Cor. 1:24
• PRINCE OF PEACE..........................Isaiah 9:6
• PROPHET..................................Acts 3:22
• PURIFIER.................................Malachi 3:3

• RABBONI (TEACHER)........................John 20:16
• RADIANCE OF GOD'S GLORY..................Heb.1:3
• REDEEMER.................................Job 19:25
• REFINER'S FIRE...........................Malachi 3:2
• RESURRECTION.............................John 11:25
• RIGHTEOUS ONE............................1 John 2:1
• ROCK.....................................1 Cor.10:4
• ROOT OF DAVID............................Rev. 22:16
• ROSE OF SHARON...........................Song 2:1
• RULER OF GOD'S CREATION..................Rev. 3:14
• RULER OVER KINGS OF EARTH................Rev 1:5
• RULER OVER ISRAEL........................Micah 5:2

• SAVIOR...................................Luke 2:11
• SCEPTER OUT OF ISRAEL....................Numbers 24:17
• SEED.....................................Genesis 3:15
• SERVANT..................................Isaiah 42:1
• SHEPHERD OF OUR SOULS....................1Peter 2:25
• SHIELD...................................Genesis 15:1
• SON OF DAVID.............................Matthew 1:1
• SON OF GOD...............................Matthew 27:54
• SON OF MAN...............................Matthew 8:20
• SON OF THE MOST HIGH.....................Luke 1:32
• SOURCE...................................Hebrews 5:9
• SPIRIT OF GOD............................Genesis 1:2
• STAR OUT OF JACOB........................Numbers 24:17
• STONE....................................1 Peter 2:8
• SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.....................Malachi 4:2

• TEACHER...................................John 13:13
• TRUE LIGHT................................John 1:9
• TRUE WITNESS..............................Revelation 3:14
• TRUTH.....................................John 14:6

• VINE......................................John 15:5

• WAY........................................John 14:6
• WISDOM OF GOD..............................1 Cor. 1:24
• WITNESS....................................Isaiah 55:4
• WONDERFUL..................................Isaiah 9:6
• WORD.......................................John 1:1
• WORD OF GOD................................Revelation 19:13

None like God...

Isaiah 46:5
"To whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?

- God

I once heard it said that God created us in His image and we returned the favor.
Far too often we think of God in human terms, with human conditions and limitations. Too often we liken Him to earthly relationships and experiences. Parents, family, friends, society, the church or other significant people in our lives let us down so our esteem of God is let down as well... as if God is bound and dependent to the experiences of this life.
He is "God and there is no other (Isa. 45:5, 14, 21)."
To think of God through human experiences and earthly terms leads us away from prayer (He's not listening) away from worship (He's not involved) away from Holy Spirit dependence (He's too busy) away from listening for Him to speak (He's not interested).
We cannot allow our mortal experiences shape our understanding of our immortal God. To think of God as less than He is... is to have a God less than He is.
Instead, we must discipline ourselves to pray, worship, trust and listen even when it doesn't make earthly sense. We must remind ourselves of the divinity of God, His "unearthlyness." We must meditate on His attributes and dwell on His Word that we might be guided back to His Truth, away from our earthly impressions.

You are God and there is no other.
Amen.

Our Faithful/Forgetful God...

Isaiah 44:21-22
“ Remember these, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!
I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,
And like a cloud, your sins.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

How merciful! How patient! How gracious!
That God would choose to forget our sins so that He might remember us!
This forgetfulness did not come as easily for God as it does for us.
It is not as if our sin faded away with time like a dull memory or was misplaced like an annoying bill. His forgetfulness came at a high price, the life of His Son. It was a sacrificial work, active and intentional, not passive, circumstantial or accidental. It is His sacrificial forgetfulness that enables Him to remember His people and look upon them as Holy, beloved and belonging to God. How merciful! How patient! How gracious!

Lord I am humbled by your mercy and the lengths You have gone to remember me. Teach me to remember You each moment that I might also forget my sin, abandon my transgressions and live my life as You will me to; holy, beloved and belonging to You. Amen

what kind of offering are you?...

Isaiah 43:22-25

²² "Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob,
you have not wearied yourselves for me, O Israel.

²³ You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,
nor honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with grain offerings
nor wearied you with demands for incense.

²⁴ You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me,
or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied me with your offenses.

²⁵ "I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more.

Our lives are a perpetual offering unto God. We will either offer up a sweet aroma of sacrifice and obedience or become the stench of sin and rebellion. We will either live intentionally, offering up to God our time, talent, treasures and attention or we will ignore His Word, His presence, His will and His calling.

Lord, make me always mindful of Your calling on my life. Let my life be a sweet smelling offering of sacrifice and obedience to You. Strengthen me and discipline me to obey and sacrifice that I may be a sweet smelling aroma to You. Amen.

"Mine"

Isaiah 43:1
But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.

What a beautiful passage about God's desire to have an intimate relationship with those He has redeemed! God did not set forth a generic calling for universal salvation. His calling was intentional, specific, intimate and personal.
The words used here in Hebrew are the same used in Genesis when God created man in His own image (Gen. 1:26-27) and formed Adam from the dust of the earth (Gen. 2:7). There in Genesis, the creation and formation of man was very different than anything else because God took lengths to make it personal. He created man in His image, breathed His breath of life into his nostrils (Gen. 2:7), formed his body with not only His words but His own hands! Just as mankind is set apart from all of creation, Israel was set apart from all of mankind.

And so that Israel notices such a difference, the Lord calls them by name. This verse actually declares that the name the Lord uses when He calls Israel is "mine." Think about that! When God considers the nations and peoples of the earth He thinks... "there's Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, China, America... Mine."

I believe the same holds true for the church and followers of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:4-14). He has not initiated a generic plan of redemption nor extended a universal salvation. His calling is specific, personal and intimate. And those whom He elects He gives the right to be called "children of God" (John 1:12). To those who overcome He gives a new name (Rev. 2:17) and God's own name is written on him (Rev. 14:1).

I am God's. He knows my name and has called me by His name. I am created in His image and recreated in the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ. Daily He is forming me and conforming me to His will. His breath and His Spirit are in me. His eyes and His hands are upon me. I am God's. What is there that I should fear? I am God's. Amen!

Divine Justice

Isaiah 42:1
"Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him
and he will bring justice to the nations.

I wonder what Israel had in mind as they first heard this prophesy? When we think of justice we often think of the bad guys getting what's coming to them and the good guys finally getting what's been kept from them. I imagine the thought of the Messiah bringing justice put a smile on their face of Israel as they imagined something similar.
So that Israel fully understands God's vision of justice, Isaiah continues with this theme of divine justice throughout this chapter.

Isaiah 42:3-4
A bruised reed He will not break,
and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.
In faithfulness He will bring forth justice;

He will not falter or be discouraged
till He establishes justice on earth.
In His law the islands will put their hope."

Throughout Scripture, God contrasts Israel as the land and the gentiles as the sea. The Philistines lived by the way of the sea and were enemies of God and His people. Israel was defined by waters on each side, the Mediterranean on the West and the Jordan river on the East. In Revelation, the angel of chapter 7 is commanded, "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God (3)."

I wonder how Israel's view of Messiah's justice changed when they heard that the Islands would put their hope in Him? What could these islands be but gentiles who would come to believe in Jehovah and come to submit to His law? How was this possible? How is this just?

Isaiah 42:6-7 continues this thought...

"I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness;
I will take hold of Your hand.
I will keep You and will make You
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,

to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness."

These verses are not about Israel but about the Messiah. He will be called in righteousness. There is no righteousness to be found in Israel but the Messiah would be without sin and be found worthy to take the hand of God on behalf of Israel. He would not simply be the bearer or author of a new covenant, He would be a new covenant. This new covenant would not be for Israel alone but for the gentiles as well. While the imagery of blind captives trapped in dungeons of darkness must have conjured up thoughts of captivity for the Jews, it was really God's promise to the gentiles. This must have sent Israel scratching their heads at best and perhaps even angry.

So Isaiah continues to make sure that Israel understands the full extent of divine justice.

(16) "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake them."

As His creation, formed in His image and reflecting His glory, God promises not to forsake the gentiles. This is an extension of His theme of justice, yet not the justice that Israel imagined. They (Israel) were not God's special object of mercy and grace. They were not His only subject of patience and deliverance. Israel was simply God's chosen tool to demonstrate and deliver justice to the nations. Jesus would be "the atoning sacrifice for our (Israel's) sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2)." It is only right and just that God extend salvation to all of His creation. In other words, divine justice is far more about the giver of justice than the subject of this justice.

So what is my image of justice? Is it wrapped up in my identity, my experience and my prejudice or is it wholly about God, His character and His standard? Does my vision of justice indistinguishably mix with mercy and grace regardless of the subject? Do I seek to exercise this version of justice?

Lord, take away my prejudice. Make me an agent of Your justice. May I too be a light to blind eyes. May I too deliver a message of deliverance for those trapped in darkness. May I too be filled with compassion and passion for those who are lost. May I know divine justice and make it known. Amen.

Isaiah 40:27-31

Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?

²⁸ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

I know this is a commonly known verse but the truths here are priceless.
God is not lost, weak, ignorant or blind... yet we tend to be.
When we are lost, weak, ignorant or blind, He shows up.
When we hope in the LORD, we are renewed, strengthened.

Deep truths from trials

Isaiah 38:17
Indeed it was for my own peace
That I had great bitterness;
But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption,
For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

This is Hezekiah's prayer and song of praise after his brush with deathly illness. In it, Hezekiah identifies some deep truths about our world, our condition and our God. First, suffering is a part of life and a part that brings life. We cannot know the benefit of peace unless we know the bitterness of war. Second, we are at war with God, enemies separated by our sin and deserving death (Rom. 5:10). Finally, it was only God's love that compelled Him to deliver Hezekiah's soul from the grave and restore him to the land of the living. It is His love that causes Him to cast our sins behind him and patiently wait for our repentance and return. It is His love that sent Him to the cross to not simply ignore our sin for a season but pay for it for eternity. It was His love that caused Him to take up our infirmities and pay for our iniquities. By His wounds we are truly healed (Isaiah 53:3-5).

It was Hezekiah's physical illness that led him to understand his spiritual illness and to recognize the love and grace of God. What do the trials of my life lead to? Do I allow trials to reduce me to depression or increase my faith? Do I accept the fleeting realities of this world or do I persist to the spiritual truths beyond it? Do I pity myself or praise Him?

Lord, keep my eyes open in trials to see You and Your truth. Amen.

That the World may Know...

Isaiah 37:20
Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God.

How often have I prayed for my own kingdom, that it would stand for my own sake? My prayers of protection and preservation are more often about maintaining my own comfort level or promoting myself.
Here, Hezekiah prays that his kingdom might be protected and preserved for God's sake and the sake of the other kingdoms of the earth... including the kingdom that opposed him. His prayer wasn't about maintaining a standard of living or comfort levels. We know from the remainder of the chapter and following that this siege on Jerusalem didn't end quickly; perhaps up to 3 years later (37:30). Hezekiah's prayer was not about personal preservation or protection but solely about proclaiming God's glory.
What if my prayers were more about preserving God's kingdom and promoting His name than my own? What if my prayers were to be a tool God uses to proclaim His power and presence in this world regardless of the position it put me in? Would I be willing to be God's tool? Would I be willing to endure such trials? Would I be willing to pray for such trials?

Lord, let my life proclaim Your presence and power in this world. Teach me to pray for such opportunity. Help me lay aside self preservation and self promotion. Let my life's trials demonstrate that Your grace is sufficient for me and that Your power is made perfect in my weakness (2 Cor 12:9). Amen.

The Highway of Holiness

Isaiah 35

Joy of the Redeemed

¹ The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, ² it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.

³ Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;

⁴ say to those with fearful hearts,
"Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you."

⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

⁶ Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.

⁷ The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

⁸ And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it;
it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it.

⁹ No lion will be there,
nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,

¹⁰ and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

For the Jew who was faithful to return to Jerusalem for the three high holy days, this promise of a "highway called holiness" where there was safe passage, smooth ground and joy would have been very meaningful. Jerusalem is the city of promise and the place of God's presence. His blessings are tied to this place and being in the city was significant.

And so that there was no excuse for not coming, God promised healing (5-6). There would be no reason to pursue holiness and return to the presence of the Lord. With His own blood He has ransomed and called home His people to experience everlasting joy and gladness.

What a gracious God we have; who has removed all excuses, all obstacles and all opposition by His blood so that we may experience everlasting joy and gladness in His presence!