Isaiah 62:11
The Lord has made proclamation
to the ends of the earth:
“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your Savior comes!
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 62:6-12
We have another proclamation in Isaiah 62:11. This proclamation is announced to Israel that Jesus is coming. He is their Savior. And he is bringing his reward with him. Yes his recompense accompanies him.
Recompense is an interesting word here. Jesus is bringing it with him when he comes back again for Israel. The Hebrew word for “recompense” is pᵉʽullâ which describes the wages due for work done. It can also describe God’s just payment for what you deserve. For example:
“The wages (pᵉʽullâ) of the righteous is life,
but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.” (Prov 10:16).
“A wicked person earns deceptive wages (pᵉʽullâ),
but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward” (Prov 11:18).
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
and defied me on the hills,
I will measure into their laps
the full payment (pᵉʽullâ) for their former deeds” (Isa 65:7).
So given that Israel hasn’t been the most obedient people, if Jesus is bringing recompense with him, then we might think that Jesus would be bringing what is due to Israel – more punishment. But that is not the case. He is bringing a reward to Israel. How can Israel be due a reward? Because they will put their faith in the Savior and be forgiven:
“Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
‘Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality’” (Rom 9:27-28).
This remnant will be saved and Jesus will come back to deliver to them their reward. And then we are told their reward:
“They will be called the Holy People,
the Redeemed of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After,
the City No Longer Deserted” (Isa 62:12).
Israel has suffered enough. They will be known as the City No Longer Deserted. The other name that strikes me is “Sought After.” Yes we want to be called “Holy People” and “Redeemed of the Lord.” But “Sought After” just has an attractive ring to it. Those other names reflect our new status alongside our Jewish brethren. But “Sought After” reflects God’s love for us. We are sought after by Almighty God:
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
It was Jesus’ mission to seek after us. And in the end, we will be called “Sought After” because God fulfills His promises.
Christ in the Old Testament 
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