Week 10: Redemptions


Isaiah 1:27 English Standard Version (ESV)

27 Zion shall be redeemed by justice,
and those in her who repent, by righteousness.



Zion, Jerusalem, The City of David, and, as God in the previous verse calls the city in the time to come, City of Righteousness, and the Faithful City. God, through Isaiah, has used the verses from 1:21-25 to show how wicked and evil the city has become. Then with verse 26 he shows us a picture of Jerusalem restored to not only its former glory, but a future glory that is totally dependent on Him and His will. The next five verses from 27-31 are almost a mirrored reflection of 21-25, but instead of showing how far the city has fallen from God, these show how the restoration will happen.

Isaiah is saying here that the redemption the city needs comes through justice. There is a beautiful picture here. We, as Christians have been redeemed through Christ, who is our justification. Through Him we are being brought to wholeness, or holiness, and I believe what is being said here is that when the city turns itself back not only to God, but comes to see and accept Jesus for who He truly is, then shall come the true redemption, the fullness of what God intended for Jerusalem.

And taking it to the level of the individual, he shows that their redemption will come out of righteousness, but only when they are being led to repentance. In other words, when they begin to see themselves as unrighteous, which only happens when they see what righteousness looks like, (seeing Christ at His return possibly?), and cry out in repentance because of this, God will respond with redemption for His people, which will go hand in hand with His redemption of the city.

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