Isaiah 49:21-23 – The Church of Jesus Christ is enlarging

We saw in verses 14-20 how instead of rejoicing over the promise of deliverance, the people of Zion were despondent. In their despondency, they felt that God had abandoned them and forgotten them. God then assured them that as a mother who would not forget her nursing baby neither would He forsake them. He assured them that He knew everything, for their lives and all that would happen to them were inscribed on the palms of His hands. God further reassured them that their walls would be restored, and people would stream into Zion. The population would increase till the children felt that the place was too cramped for them. This we surmise was referring to the church of Jesus Christ.     

In verses 21-23, not knowing that God was referring to the church, the doubt that the people of Zion had concerning the increase in her population was natural. For they would be in exile and many of their mothers would be made childless and many others were barren, how then could they have such an increase in population? God’s response to them was that He would bring in children from the Gentile nations to Zion. Foreign kings were seen here bearing  and bringing children to  Zion. So numerous would her population be that even Palestine would be too limited a place to contain the vast number of people who would stream into Zion. And those who trust the Lord would not be disappointed or put to shame but instead be shown the deepest of veneration and honor.

In these three verses we see the promise of an increase in the number of people in the church. Besides the increase, the church would also be triumphant. Honor to the Lord would also increase. All these could happen because God Himself would gloriously make it come to pass. As of now we are seeing the vast number of people streaming into the church. Since the Spirit fell upon the first century church on the Day of Pentecost, the number of believers in Christ has increased. The Holy Spirit is still working and the number streaming into God’s Kingdom in the church will continue to increase. Let us raise our trust in God and the expectation of what God is doing through us. May our prayer effort for the church be multiplied as we yield ourselves more fully to the work of expanding God’s Kingdom. For His promise is sure!