Page 18 - TORCH Magazine #23 - July 2023

The Lord delights in Zion
If you heard a sermon on marriage, it is unlikely the preacher would mention marriage in the context
born of that land, to live in that land and ultimately fulfil His plan for salvation in that land. When Christ returns to earth
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of God’s love for the land of Israel. Yet, the prophet Isaiah speaks of God’s love for the land of Israel in exactly that manner.
In Isaiah 62:4, we read: “It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”; But you will be called,
“My delight is in her,” And your land, “Married”; For the Lord delights in you, And to Him your land will be married.”
So attached is God to the land of Israel that it will be “married” to Him. There are numerous Bible verses that depict God’s desire for the land of
Israel to become a place for His glory
on earth and for His people to dwell in the land God gave them. It is difficult to comprehend how some Christians fail to grasp the importance God places on this.
Israel is the stage on which the major stories of the Bible have played out.
It did not happen that way at random,
it was because this was God’s plan all along. Abraham and his descendants gained God’s favour and as a reward gave the land He loves to the people He loves. God desired for His Son to be
He will return to that land.
Isaiah also makes a comparison with
marriage when speaking of the Jewish people’s love for the land God gave them. In the next verse we read that the same desire for the land is stirred up in the hearts of the Jewish people.
Isaiah 62:5 says: “As a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you. As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride, so your God will rejoice over you.”
We see the love the Jewish people have for their land as we witness their dwelling in Israel today. God has also embedded in Christians a deep love for the land and her people because those who love the Lord also love the things God loves. The Lord “delights” in the land and the people “rejoice” over the land.
God’s plan for Israel was not simply for the Jewish people to dwell there and have a home. Israel is the stage for the major events of the Bible, past, present and future. Ultimately, Israel was chosen as the place where God will be glorified. This is why the Lord delights in Zion.