ISAIAH

Isaiah 12:1-6

quote:

"Then you will say on that day, 'I will give thanks to You, O LORD; For although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, And You comfort me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.' 3 Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation. 4 And in that day you will say, 'Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted.' 5 Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth. 6 Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."

The Israelites had burst into a song of praise at the time of their deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 15:1-19).

Exodus 15:1-2, 11, 13, 17-18
"Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said, I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea. 2 The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will extol Him. ... 11 "Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? ... 13 "In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation. ... 17 "You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established. 18 The LORD shall reign forever and ever."

In the future, the restored of Israel will again praise the Lord in song for His wonderful redemption. This Isaiah passage is an echo of the Exodus passage. The emphasis is upon a God who has not changed. God is my salvation! Jesus, the Lord Incarnate, has become salvation to us; so we trust in Him and have no reason to be afraid. The future sacrifice of Jesus is the "well" from which Israel draws life-giving water. The greatest deliverance of all is that of the Lord offering His only begotten Son for our sin.

Psalm 36:8-9
"They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. 9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light."

John 4:10
"Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

For the Israelites the idea of salvation was particularly associated with the Feast of Tabernacles. On the last day of the Feast, with great pomp and rejoicing, the Jews would ritually bring water in a golden pitcher from the Pool of Siloam, and pour it, mingled with wine, on the sacrifice on the altar. The pouring out of water alluded to the Holy Spirit and indicated repentance. This is perhaps the allusion in Jesus' words on "the last day of the feast" in John 7:37-38. (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary)

"Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"

In making this statement, Jesus made reference to three passages – Isaiah 44:3, 55:1, and 58:11.

"On that day" they will recognize Jesus as the Holy One of Israel and will joyfully receive salvation and sing this song.

Psalm 71:15-16
"My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And of Your salvation all day long; For I do not know the sum of them. 16 I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone."

It is indeed our privilege, our pleasure and our responsibility to "Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted." Together let us exalt His Name! For You O Lord are God above all the earth!

This song closes this section of Isaiah. Isaiah used four names to speak to Judah about God's plans for her. In "Immanuel" there was a message of hope because God would be in their midst, in "Maher-shalal-hash-baz" he gave a warning of judgment, in "Shear-jashub" he spoke a promise of mercy and with "Isaiah" he brought a song of rejoicing as they discovered that God is indeed the author of and the one who accomplishes their salvation!