Isaiah 62:6–7:
“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night
they will never keep silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest of yourselves; and give Him no rest until
He establishes and makes
Observation:
Isaiah wrote of the future of
all Israel,
but he wrote as well of us who are in Christ and have a glorious future when He
has returned to establish His rule and reign upon the earth. The nation will be
the envy of all the world, exalted as the center of attention of kings and
peoples everywhere. The land will be so illuminated by the light of God that
there will no longer be need of sun or moon. It is in the midst of such glory
that God said He sets watchmen.
Application: Three things are striking about this verse.
First, is what it does not say. I have always thought of watchmen as a
kind of spiritual security guard. The word does indeed contain the idea of one
who sounds the alarm in the face of approaching dangers: of mothers and fathers
training children so they might choose safe paths, or of the vigilant patriot
shining a lantern from an old church tower.
Yet there is in this verse a second, less-considered
dimension to the word. Watchmen are set in place by
God to remind Him what He has already spoken, what He has already
promised for the people. Watchmen are shown as taking no rest for themselves, and
as giving God no rest. This is a beautiful picture of a faithful intercessor,
praying well beyond personal comfort until the Master of the house has
responded.
Finally, I see no end to the role
of the watchmen. When I understand that the role is to remind God of His
promises, there is an everlasting, unending dimension to the assignment, for
His promises are eternal and without end. Considering all this I am struck by
how one-dimensional and limited has been my past understanding of my role as a
watchman: “Reef dead ahead! Move starboard twenty degrees! Whew! I‘m glad that
danger is passed.”
God calls His watchmen to much more. I have an ongoing
responsibility to remind Him of all He has promised for those He has placed in
my life. To do this requires that I focus first on Him, not on danger, to be so
centered on Him that fresh aspects of His divine personality and His limitless
commitment to give me more of Himself continually delight me.
Prayer: Father, I see how small has been my vision of You, and
how expansive are Your promises. Expand my vision, Lord. Let me never be
satisfied to merely sound the alarm but to persevere in the much bigger thing
You are doing in my heart and in the hearts of those I love.