The Word Made Fresh
1On that day you will praise the LORD and say,
“I give thanks to you, LORD, for even when you were angry with me,
you turned your anger away and comforted me.
2God is my sure salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid,
for the LORD God is my strength and my might,
and has become my rescuer.”
3You will draw your water from the wells of salvation.
4And on that very day you will proclaim:
“Give thanks to the LORD. Call on the Lord’s name.
Tell forth all God’s actions among the nations.
Make the proclamation and lift up the LORD’s name.
5“Sing praise to the LORD who has done glorious things,
and this should be proclaimed around the whole world.
6Shout loudly, and sing for joy, you royalty of Zion,
for the Holy One of Israel is with you!”
Commentary
1-6: This chapter reads more like a psalm of thanksgiving than a prophetic utterance. Given the description in the previous chapter about the future God envisions for Jerusalem, Isaiah imagines that at last the people will erupt in spontaneous gratitude and praise to God, a gratitude so complete that every punishment and affliction they suffered along the way will have been justified, and an attitude of praise that was missing in years past when God first claimed them as his people.
Takeaway
God’s love is relentless. We cannot make God stop loving us. God will punish us for our waywardness, but God is always ready and willing to take us back if we truly repent and turn ourselves around.