We have focussed in the course of several Sundays on the Servant of the Lord, the Lord Jesus.
In four chapters in the book of Isaiah we have observed the four main aspects of this Servant. All the parts highlighted a different property of our Lord Jesus. The same aspects we also retrieved in the themes of the gospels.

Just summarizing shortly:

1. Chapter 42:1-9 tells about the Servant Who brings righteousness and justice and His gentle manner. This can be seen as the royal task of Jesus as described in the Gospel of Matthew.
2. Chapter 49:1-13 tells about His mission and spiritual success. Although a human being the Servant presents a holy attitude and perfect adherence to the will of God. This theme we find again in the Gospel of Luke, showing Jesus as the Son of Man.
3. Chapter 50:4-11 tells about the Servant’s obedience to God. The Gospel of John writes much about Jesus’ obedience to God as the Son of God.
4. Chapter 52:13-53:12 tells about the suffering and humiliation of the Servant. This aspect can be applied typically on a servant and we herewith identify the Gospel of Marc.

When reading the Gospels we should have these themes in our focus; it really helps us to understand better the framework of each Gospel. It is much easier to interpret the actions and the words of Jesus in the light of the typical Gospel themes.

Before reading chapter 54 let’s repeat the last verse with which we ended Is 53:12:
Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

I want to emphasize on the word “the spoils” that He will divide. What does this mean? After Jesus took our sins on His shoulders and bore the punishment that was reserved for us, He was highly exalted and given a Name above all names (Phil 2:9). This position is one that speaks of victory and triumph. And any winner of a battle has the right to usurp the spoil that is left of the battle.
In this case the spoil is speaking of the results of the Servant’s work. These results are a multitude of blessings. He will divide/distribute the heritages among those who are saved by Him. Those, for whom He made intercession, He will share in the fruits of His work.
We can apply the message on us as believers in the body of Christ because we are His people. We of course know that our salvation is the first fruit that we receive. Obtaining eternal life for those who believe was the first target of the Saviour’s work.
But also now, in today’s life, we share in the spoil that He acquired. And Is 54 is listing the blessings of that spoil. The spoil is described as the future glory for the people of Israel, Zion, but we can transmit freely all the contents on the present Church.

Read Is 54.

The last verse, verse 17, concludes the subject of this chapter. The chapter describes the heritage of the work of the Servant. In the frame of the context this promise is meant for Israel. All blessings as mentioned in this chapter are going to be reality when Jesus Christ will return and establish His Millennium Kingdom. But as stated before: any message in the book of Isaiah addressed to the people of God is applicable on us since we are His people too. We can adapt all the promises on the believers as well. The heritage of the Servant is ours in spiritual sense.
Verse 17 is actually saying that the presentation of the heritage to the people is a vindication from the Lord! It is not only saying that we just receive the heritage, but the receipt itself is a sign that tells us that we are rehabilitated by the Lord! We are fully worthy to take our new position as His children. And that gives us the right to fully appropriate and to fully enjoy all the blessings that He pours out over us.

What is the spoil or the heritage be made up of? Chapter 54 lists 6 parts of the heritage. We would perhaps not immediately think about such kind of heritage-aspects and therefore it is important to go through them one-by-one.

1. The first heritage as a result of the Servant’s work we find in verse 2, 3:
   Enlarging the place of our tent.
   The prophet is commanding Israel to prepare for the day when numerous inhabitants will require larger space to dwell. The same commandment is valid for us. We have to be prepared in joyful anticipation all the great things that the Lord is going to do in our life.
   This makes me remembering the prayer of Jabez that we find in 1 Chr 4:9,10.
   It is said that Jabez was received in pain by his mother. Probably his birth caused pain for the remainder of his life in figurative way. I can imagine that he was despised by his mother for example. Anyway in his distress he finally cries out to the Lord and dares to demand for blessings in his life and expansion of his territory. Verse 10 is saying that the Lord simply granted all his requests… We are mistaken when thinking that God would have done the same without Jabez’ prayer! The Lord wants to bless us and to reveal His plans for us, but only when we have the courage to ask for it concretely!
   This implies that the heritage of the Servant is only going to be materialized when we will ask for it.
   Read John 16:24.
   The believers’ joy will be related to answered prayer and a full supply of heavenly blessing for everything consistent with the purpose of the Lord in one’s life. Did we ever have the courage to ask or to inform the Lord about our deepest desires?
   Mal 3:10 says that if we try Him in obedience He will open the windows of heaven and pour out such a blessing that there is no room enough to receive it… Jabez understood a small part about God’s love and based on that he got what he asked for.
   It requires real dedication and not just words. God takes us very seriously when it concerns the glory of His name and His purpose in our lives.

2. The second heritage is mentioned in verse 4: Living without any fear.
   Israel had behaved herself in a very bad manner by committing adultery. It is clear that the book of Isaiah contains God’s lament over His people who were so easily worshipping idols and trusting on foreign nations.
   Still the Lord calls Himself her husband (vs. 5). It is purely grace that He wants to continue with Israel despite her faulty past; see Jer 3:14.
   Ps96:4: the Lord is to be feared above all gods
   Ps103:11: see how great is the love for those who fear Him
   Instead of fearing shame, humiliation and disgrace Israel is called to fear Him Who will love her to the fullest.
   Same message is for us: despite our sinful past when we struggled to run away from the Lord, He takes us now in His arms.
   And still when we might come to sin as believer He will compassionately get us back as the Parable of the Lost Sheep tells us.
   Rm 8:1 says that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
   Nothing can separate us from the love He has for us. Read Rm 8:37-39.
   Are we still living in fear as believers? Are there aspects in our life that is filling us with great terror? In Christ Jesus we will discover the love of God. He loved us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son.
   His love for us is not a reply of our love to Him. No, we were enemies and God-haters. We were not better than the idolatrous Israelites. But His love is fixed in Christ Jesus. His love for us is sealed with the blood of the Son of God.

3. Next part of the heritage in Christ is Enjoying the everlasting kindness of the Lord as we see in verse 5-10.
   The verses show that the Lord promises that He will never be angry with us and will never rebuke us, but will reveal His compassion on us.
   It is actually one step more then the previous point where we learned not to fear our Lord any longer. Here we read that instead He will offer kindness to us. Again: this is not based on our faithfulness but solely founded upon the blood of Jesus Christ. And that is consoling! Knowing ourselves we would easily fail and jeopardize the Lord’s kindness for us as Israel did.
   The Lord makes a comparison with His covenant with Noah: He has sworn that the waters would never cover the earth anymore. Although mountains might be shaken and hills removed; His covenant with us will stay steadfast. His compassion for us is unconditional and independent from our behaviour.

4. Heritage number four regards the riches that are offered to the one that God loves; see verse 11, 12.
   Instead of affliction the Lord now promises to Jerusalem that the fundaments, the battlements, the gates, and the walls will be built with all kind of precious stones.
   The fundament, the battlement, the gates and the walls represent our faith. Faith surrounds us and protects us. On the fundament of faith we stay firm. And the analogy with the precious stones in these verses points at the preciousness of our faith.
   Once more we have to conclude that it is not due to us that the walls are built-up with costly stones.
   We received faith as a gift according to Eph 2:8: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
   The letter to the Ephesians contains many times the word “riches”. Let us review these Spiritual riches quickly:
   Eph 1:7: In him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.
   Eph 1:18: I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.
   Eph 2:7: in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
   Eph 3:8: Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
   Eph 3:16: I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being.
   We do not get a real clue about the value of the riches by just reading these verses one time! We should contemplate the mentioned riches in isolation, praying for the help of the Holy Spirit for understanding the real value of the gift of faith.

5. To the Israelites is promised in Jer 31 that in the future time, when the heritage of the Servant is going to be materialized for Zion, the Lord will write His law in the minds and the hearts of the people. Instead of knowing and obeying the law in the Mosaic covenant, in the new covenant the Holy Spirit will reveal God’s commands directly in the hearts of the people.
   Is 54:13 similarly says that God will teach the children and that they will have peace.
   Applying this on us as believers I think that we can state that our children are blessed by their parents; in other words: Our children will know the Lord and have peace in their hearts.
   I’m not saying that because of the parents children will be saved automatically! I’m pointing on the fact that when our children are brought up in a Christian home they will know the Lord from an early age and they will experience peace in the family. At older age of course they need to make a decision them selves since everybody is responsible for his own salvation.
   It is a great blessing for children when they are educated in the fear of the Lord in their childhood and when they have parents who bring them into prayers continuously. And this is simply a consequence of the Servant’s work.

6. The last verses in Is 54 (vs. 14-17) tell us that no evil is to be feared.
   This does not mean that evil does not exist or will evade from us. No, in the contrary: we know that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Pt 5:8). For that reason the apostle Peter calls us to be self-controlled and to be alert.
   Also Paul says that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers.
   The Lord protects us against evil as He promised the Israelites, but only when we utilize another part of the heritage of the Servant: the armour of God. In order to stay firm when the attacks come we have to decide to utilise the armour offered to us. I say decide because the Lord wants us to play an active role against the enemy. We are not born with the armour; no we have to put it on. I strongly recommend reading the armour description in Eph 6:14-18.

Finally I want to focus on verse 1. The Lord is calling Israel a barren woman who still will have many descendents. Despite the physical impossibility of giving birth she will see the heritage mentioned in the following verses!
How is this possible? Do we understand this?
Well, we just have to look to our origin: by nature also we were not able to produce anything fruitful. All the six heritages that we went through are not going to be ours because of our performance! No, we are not able to bring forth anything positive.
It is just due to the work of the Servant. Likewise the Servant causes Zion’s joy He also is the One for us Who accomplished all the spiritual blessings. Again we have to admit humbly that it is all because of Him, our Saviour.
Let us together with Zion burst into song and shout for joy, thanking our Lord Who leaves us such a rich heritage.