“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.” Isaiah 62:6-7 ESV
Reflection: what is your role in the building of the new Jerusalem?
We learn from the focus verses today, that the Lord is actively building the new Jerusalem, stone upon stone, until it is completed. It is not a physical city, but it is nonetheless a city, where the Lord God will dwell. We read also about this city in the New Testament, such as in the book of Revelation. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” Revelation 21:1-3 ESV
A city made up of God’s people, the bride of Christ.
We also learn from the focus verses today that the Lord put “watchmen” on the walls of this city, indicating either someone in the spiritual realm, or possibly key figures in the church like the prophets, continually watching over the building of the city, the spiritual battle going on in establishing this holy city. The battle for every stone, every soul. And it says of these watchmen “shall never be silent”, so this is still going on today. And then we see a second callout, to “You who put the Lord in remembrance”, which would be all of God’s people. So what is the Lord telling us to do? He says “take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.” Isaiah 62:7b ESV. He is saying that we are to plead with Him, in prayer, continually, until He completes this city. It is a beautiful dependency between the heart of the Lord and the heart of His people. The heart for the lost sheep.
We see this heart on full display through Jesus, “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”” Matthew 9:35-38 ESV
It is a very similar, parallel message to the words by the Lord through Isaiah. And, we can also see the same heart through Paul’s writings to the churches. “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 ESV
Let’s not confuse this idea of “no rest”, laboring within the kingdom of Jesus Christ, with our complete and full rest in the works of Christ for our salvation. Our labor in the kingdom continues, pleading with the Lord, to “give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.” Isaiah 62:7b ESV. We can do this wherever we are, bowing our heads, pleading for the people around us that they all will come to the knowledge of truth. One stone at a time.
