1And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. 2Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 3Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Verses 1 and 4 of this chapter again use the phrase “in that day.” Thus, the fulfillment of the prophecies in this chapter is yet in the future, in the day of the LORD. The words, “thou shalt say” are addressed to the nation of Israel. A great change is prophesied. God was angry with Israel, but His anger will end. In the future, Israel will no longer be afraid of attack by other nations. Israel will experience the joy of salvation.
The word “salvation” occurs three times in verses 2 and 3; these are the first three of 19 occurrences of this word in the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 49:5-6, God addresses His Servant, who will “bring Jacob again to Him.” In verse 3 of that chapter, Israel is called God’s servant. Thus, the Servant in verse 5 is one who will act as Israel’s representative. In verse 6, God says to this Servant, “It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”
God’s salvation for Israel and for the other nations is a Person. He is the Person who was spoken of in Isaiah 11:10: “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” The Person who is God’s salvation is a root of Jesse who will stand for an ensign of the nations of the world.
What did Isaiah mean by “salvation”? How would God’s anger be turned away? How would the Judge become the Savior? In the face of the world’s sin and rebellion against Himself, God described Himself as a warrior: “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke” (Isaiah 59:17). This verse says that God put on “an helmet of salvation upon his head.” God’s thoughts are never corrupted. He wears on His head His own decidedness to bring salvation. His decisions, whether to judge or to spare, are made in determination that righteousness prevail. The purging away of evil and establishment of righteousness is salvation. God’s anger can only be turned away when righteousness prevails. “Salvation” for an individual or for a nation implies the impartation of righteousness. When that righteousness is received, there will come deliverance from judgment. In the context of Isaiah 12:1-3, God will no longer allow other nations to harm Israel.
In Isaiah 51:6, God said, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.” The effect of God’s salvation is righteousness.
The same truth is clearly stated in Isaiah 62:1-2:
“For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.”
The Root of Jesse, the Lord Jesus Christ, stands today as an ensign to Israel and to the other nations, offering a way of justification from sin. Those who respond to God’s offer need not to be afraid of His just anger against them because Christ bore that anger in their place. This salvation is progressively revealed in the book of Isaiah and in the rest of the Scriptures. At Christ’s return, He will stand as an ensign to gather the saved of the other nations and the believing remnant of Israel from around the whole earth (Isaiah 11:12).
The salvation that God gives is described as a place of “wells” (or “springs”). It is not just an event that believers look back upon. It is the source of refreshing and quenching of thirst that we run to with joy at all times.
4And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. 5Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. 6Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
Verse 4 again reminds us that the time frame of these verses is the future day of the LORD. Verses 1-3 spoke of God’s salvation. Verses 4-6 speak of the testimony of His people. Both during the millennial reign of Christ, and today, those who can say that the LORD “is become my salvation” (verse 2) are to praise Him, invoke His Name, tell the peoples (the Hebrew word is in the plural) of the world what He has done, remind everyone that His name is exalted, and sing to Him. Those who live in Jerusalem in that day will have a special reason to cry out with joy: the Holy One of Israel, who will be in their midst, is great. God will never abandon Israel. Rather, by judgment and by redemption, He will impart righteousness to the nation. God will ever be “the Holy One of Israel.”
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.