Stretch Out the Curtains of Your Dwellings

By Dan & Brenda Cathcart

The video version is available at: https://youtu.be/KoPFVBgNN38

The scripture reading is from Isaiah 54:1-10

During these last few Sabbaths, called the Sabbaths of comfort, we have been reading many of the passages that God gave to Isaiah to bring comfort to His people in their exile. Chapters 42 through 53 focus on the coming of the servant of the LORD who would be the redeemer of His people and bring justice to the Gentiles. Last week’s haftarah, Isaiah 51:12 through 52:12, depicts the servant of the LORD as the redeemer who brings the exiles back to the land in triumph.  This week’s haftarah picks up in chapter 54 with a message of hope and jubilation based on the completion of the work of the servant of the LORD. Strikingly missing from the haftarah readings about the servant is the description of the servant and how He accomplishes His task which Isaiah relates beginning in the verse right after the previous haftarah and continues through chapter 53. The passage concludes that it is this Servant of the LORD who bears the sin of many.

Isaiah 53:11-12 NKJV 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

God’s righteous servant justifies many. Who does He justify? Is it just the Jewish people or are others included in this justification? What is the result of the labor of this servant? Isaiah begins to describe the results of His labor in our haftarah reading this week.

Isaiah 54 opens with the expression of great joy from the woman who had been barren.

Isaiah 54:1 NKJV 1 "Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman," says the LORD.

The barren woman will be so happy that she can’t help but break forth into singing! She is so excited that she will bear, not just one child, but many children—More children than the woman who is married. Who are the barren and the married woman? There are three very different opinions about these women. One position is that the barren woman is depopulated Jerusalem and the Judeans exiled to Babylon. Her offspring are those Judeans who return to Jerusalem after the seventy years of exile and repopulate the cities. In this interpretation the married woman with lots of offspring are the cities of the heathens which seem to continue on without judgment. This explanation seems to be one that Isaiah’s original audience would understand and embrace. In this explanation, those whom the servant of the LORD justifies are just the Jews.

In a second explanation, the understanding of the first woman is the same, but the married woman is Israel before the exile. In this interpretation, it could be said that Israel after the exile would become greater and more numerous than Israel before the exile. In the short term this did not happen. Israel after the Babylonian captivity never reached the grandeur of David and Solomon’s reigns. However, if we look at these two women as Israel before and after the coming of Yeshua, the servant of the LORD, Israel after Yeshua’s coming, will be much greater than Israel before His coming. This idea leads into the third interpretation which is the most common one held by commentators including Matthew Henry and Matthew Poole. This interpretation is that the Gentiles are the barren woman. Before the coming of Yeshua, they are desolate having no husband or offspring.  Afterwards, they bear a great many spiritual offspring to God. The married woman represents Israel who, also, bore offspring but not as many. They are represented by the remnant of the faithful in every generation.

These last two interpretations are encompassed in Paul’s quotation of this verse in his letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 4:26-27 NKJV 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written: "Rejoice, O barren, You who do not bear! Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children Than she who has a husband."

Jerusalem is the mother of both Jew and Gentile believer. The offspring of Jerusalem after Yeshua’s coming is more numerous than the offspring of the Jerusalem born in bondage to sin. The offspring of the Gentile who once was barren, as far as fruit for God, now bears more than the Jewish nation among whom only the remnant bear fruit.

As Isaiah continues, he reinforces the idea that the barren woman refers to the Gentiles and the married woman refers to Israel by declaring that the descendants of Israel will inherit the nations. All of the children, Jew and Gentile alike, are to be brought into the tent. In fact, the tent will need to be enlarged!

Isaiah 54:2-3 NKJV 2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. 3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited.

The place of Israel’s tent is Jerusalem and, more generally, the land that God promised to give to Abraham. Even at the time of Abraham, God said He would enlarge the borders of the Promised Land to include both Egypt and Assyria!

Genesis 15:18 NKJV 18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates-

Moses refers to this promise three times, first in Exodus in relation to the faithful observance of God’s pilgrimage feast days.

Exodus 34:23-24 NKJV 23 "Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the LORD God of Israel. 24 "For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year.

Moses returns to the topic of the enlargement of Israel’s borders in Deuteronomy 12:20 in reference to where the children of Israel can slaughter animals to eat if they live far away from the place where God would place His name. Finally, in Deuteronomy 19:8, Moses explains that the number of the cities of refuge will increase based on the expansion of the land.

Isaiah prophesies about this inclusion of Egypt and Assyria into the Promised Land.

Isaiah 19:23-25 NKJV 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria-a blessing in the midst of the land, 25 whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, "Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance."

Paul tells us that the Gentile believers, who were once barren and desolate, are included in this covenant of promise.

Ephesians 2:11-13 NKJV 11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-- 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

This promise to include the Gentiles goes back to the prophecies about Noah’s sons. Shem is the line to whom Yeshua would be born. He establishes the tent. Japheth will be enlarged and brought into Shem’s tent.

Genesis 9:26-27 NKJV 26 And he said: "Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant. 27 May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant."

Isaiah goes on to declare that Israel’s past idolatries and unfaithfulness will be forgotten. He refers to Israel symbolically as a widow.

Isaiah 54:4 NKJV 4 "Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.

In English, a widow is a once married woman whose husband has died. However, the concept of a widow is broader than that in the Hebrew culture. A widow is a woman whose husband is not present to take care of her and, thus, her care falls to the greater community under the command to take care of the widow and the orphan. A widow, then, includes a woman living apart from her husband. First Fruits of Zion in Torah Club Volume 3: The Haftarah comments about the woman whose husband has left her.

“Herein, then lies her shame and humiliation. If her husband had left her (a cause for shame all in itself) she would be extremely vulnerable and at the mercy of the Israelite society around her for her care.”[i]

While Israel was in exile, she no longer lived in the “tent” of her husband. She lived out from under the protective covering of her husband; and, thus, was vulnerable to the enemies around her. Moses prophesied about that day saying that God would turn His face away from Israel.

Deuteronomy 31:17-18 NKJV 17 "Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, 'Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?' 18 "And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.

However, God would not turn His face away forever. Israel’s exile was temporary. Although they were living apart from Him, God was still, and is still, Israel’s husband.

Isaiah 54:5 NKJV 5 For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.

God reminds Israel of His relationship to them by referring to six names or titles by which they know Him. The first is that of their Maker. Moses explained how God “made” them.

Deuteronomy 32:10-12 NKJV 10 "He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. 11 As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, 12 So the LORD alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him.

Moses goes on to explain how Jeshurun, the upright one God made, would forsake Him.

Deuteronomy 32:15 NKJV 15 "But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

By using this title of Maker, Isaiah is referring back to this time in the wilderness when God first chose Israel as His people. He reminds them of their special relationship with God.

Isaiah 44:2-3 NKJV 2 Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: 'Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;

The second title is that of husband. Just like a husband enters into a covenant agreement to care for his wife, so, too God is in covenant with Israel and cares for her. The third name, LORD of hosts, reveals God’s power over the Babylonians among whom they lived in exile. The next three names all tie together. God is the Redeemer, the Holy One in Israel, and the God of the whole Earth. We usually see God referring to Himself as the God of Israel. In this passage, God refers to Himself as the God of the whole Earth. Now that the Gentiles are joined to Him as well, God is truly the Redeemer, the Holy One in Israel and the God of the whole Earth.

Isaiah assures Israel that they still belong to Him; that the covenant God made with them at Mt. Sinai is still in force!

Isaiah 54:6-8 NKJV 6 For the LORD has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused," Says your God. 7 "For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you. 8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you," Says the LORD, your Redeemer.

God contrasts their time of exile with His mercy and kindness. Their time of exile was for only a moment. The word “moment” is the Hebrew word “reh’-gah,” number 7281 in Strong’s Concordance meaning a wink of an eye. God turned His face away from Israel for only a wink of an eye. In contrast, He has great mercy on them and everlasting kindness.

The words “mercy” and “kindness” are covenant words. The word “mercy” in verse seven is the Hebrew word “rach’am,” number 7356 in Strong’s Concordance meaning compassion, tender love, or the womb. The word “mercy” in verse eight is “raw-kham’,” number 7355, the root word of the word used in verse seven. Raw-kham’ means to fondle, love, or have compassion. The word “kindness” is the Hebrew word “chesed,” number 2617 in Strong’s Concordance meaning kindness or favor. It comes from the Hebrew word “chasad,” number 2616 meaning to bow the neck as courtesy to an equal. Chesed frequently refers to God’s covenant loyalty. The New King James Study Bible explains about the uses of these two words in this passage.

“Great mercies speaks of the affections of God in nurturing, maternal terms. Kindness may also be translated “loyal love.” I will have mercy: that is, “I will love you as only a mother can love.”[ii]

This passage concludes with an emphasis of the enduring promise of God’s everlasting kindness or “loyal love.” Isaiah refers to two covenants.

Isaiah 54:9-10 NKJV 9 "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. 10 For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

God equates the covenant He made with Noah and all living creatures with His covenant of peace. In the time of the flood, water covered the whole earth and the mountains and hills were all thrown down and tossed up again. The whole geography of the earth changed in this cataclysmic event. Afterwards, God promised that He would no longer destroy the earth in a flood.

Genesis 9:11 NKJV 11 "Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."

Although God may again remove the mountains and hills, He will not destroy the earth with a flood, nor will He remove His covenant of peace from them. This seems to promise that Jerusalem would not be destroyed again. However, we know that Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in seventy CE when the temple was destroyed, and again in 135 CE when all the Jews were exiled from the land. We can only conclude that we are still waiting for this prophecy to be fulfilled.

What is this covenant of peace? The first mention of a covenant of peace is the covenant God made with the priest Phineas when Phineas was zealous for God’s name and removed idolatry from the camp of Israel. As a result of Phineas’ zeal for God, God made an everlasting covenant of peace with him.

Numbers 25:12-13 NKJV 12 "Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; 13 'and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.'"

Ezekiel describes a covenant of peace that God will make with the nation of Israel when God’s servant David is established as the true shepherd over Israel.

Ezekiel 37:24-26 NKJV 24 "David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. 25 "Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children's children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. 26 "Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.

The covenant of peace establishes that God’s holy presence would dwell with them permanently. In this situation, there is no room for idolatry or harlotry. We all must be zealous for the sanctity of the camp.

The servant of the LORD is the son of David who will rule as a shepherd king. He is also the shepherd servant Isaiah described in chapters 42 through 53. He is the one who justifies many. He not only justifies the remnant of the Jewish population; he justifies those of the Gentiles who believe in him. The result of His labors is an enlarged tent housing both Jew and Gentile. It is a community of believers living together under God’s covenant of peace. For both Jew and Gentile, acceptance into the community comes through receiving the atoning work of Yeshua.

Study Questions:

1. Discuss the connection of this teaching to the Torah Portion Ki Tetze, Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19.

2. What is the significance of the “tent”? Where else does the Bible refer to people dwelling in a tent or tents?

3. Chapters 42-53 in Isaiah are about the suffering servant. What is the role of the suffering servant in relation to the Gentiles?

4. How does God view the barren woman in scripture? What are some examples?

5. What light does this teaching shed on how God views the widow? What are some examples?

6. What new insight did you gain from this teaching? How do you respond to this new insight? How will you realign your life based on this new understanding?

Bonus Question: In Jewish literature Sarah’s tent was seen to be a model of hospitality. How does this idea compare with Isaiah’s description of stretching out the curtains of your dwellings?

© 2019 Moed Ministries International. All Rights Reserved.

---

[i] Torah Club Volume 3: The Haftarah. First Fruits of Zion, Inc. ©1999. Page 761.

[ii] New King James Study Bible. Thomas Nelson. ©1997, 2007. Page 1125