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Pastor's Blog May 23, 2019
"The Courts of His Holiness"
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God seems to delight in using the word "holiness" to refer to most things associated with himself. In Isaiah 62:9, it is stated, "But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness" (KJV). What this verse is basically talking about is the fact that God's people will no longer find their enemies eating their grain and wine, but that Israel will instead get to enjoy the fruits of their labors; God will vindicate his people and they will no longer suffer at the hands of the nations. Isaiah 62:9 is part of the new creation vision that God is casting for Israel: their fortunes will be reversed, they will live securely in their own land, and the city of Jerusalem will be renewed with God's presence and a new beginning. But what is interesting is what God says will be the future of his people: they "shall drink it [the wine] in the courts of my holiness."
The place God is referring to is the sanctuary. The most immediate sanctuary that comes to mind is the temple in Jerusalem, which makes sense because this is how Isaiah's audience would have thought of sanctuary language in their day; given the new creation context, it might be a reference to the heavenly sanctuary or even a figurative way of talking about the presence of God with his people in the new earth. Whatever sanctuary is envisioned here, God's name for it is "the courts of my holiness."
God isn't simply promising a future for his people, where they are safe and cared for and live a life of joy and gladness. Instead, God is interested in sharing this life with his people - more specifically, God intends that the context in which his people will live these new joyful and happy lives will be holiness, which is another way to talk about us being present with and in the presence of God.
Sometimes we find God's holiness to be daunting, as if it is a sterile, cold, and clinical concept that judges more than liberates us. But Isaiah 62:9 shows us that it is an environment characterized by God's holiness that serves as the source of all the happiness, joy, and fulfillment that God is preparing for us in our lives and the new creation.
God Bless.
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
