Hephzibah, My Delight is in Her Text: Isaiah 62:1-5
Introduction: The War Over Your Name
We live in an age of frantic and desperate self-naming. Our culture is obsessed with identity, but it is an identity built on the shifting sands of personal feeling, sexual inclination, and political grievance. Modern man believes that he can speak his own reality into existence. He says, "I am this," or "I am that," and demands that the rest of the world ratify his self-creation. But this is a fool's errand, a house of cards built in a hurricane. An identity that you must constantly shore up with pronouns and protests is not an identity at all; it is a performance. It is a sign of profound insecurity, not liberation. It is the old sin of the garden, "ye shall be as gods," whispered into the ears of a generation that has forgotten who the true God is.
The world wants to name you. The devil wants to name you. Your own sinful flesh wants to name you. And the names they give are always labels of bondage: Forsaken, Desolate, Victim, Addict, Failure. These names are accusations, and they carry the weight of the curse.
Into this cacophony of accusation and self-justification, the Word of God cuts through with absolute authority. The God who names the stars, the God who spoke light into existence, is the only one with the authority to name His people. And His act of naming is not a mere description; it is a creative, transformative, and powerful declaration. When God gives a new name, He bestows a new reality. This passage in Isaiah is a glorious promise of this divine renaming. It is a prophecy about the restoration of Israel, yes, but it finds its ultimate fulfillment in the Church of Jesus Christ, the new Jerusalem. God is telling us what He is determined to do for His people, and what He is determined to call us.
This is not a quiet, sentimental wish. This is the declaration of a determined, vocal, and passionate God. He will not be silent until His purposes for His people are gloriously and publicly fulfilled. He is engaged in a great work of cosmic restoration, and the centerpiece of that restoration is His bride, the Church. He is taking a people who were called Forsaken and Desolate, and He is renaming them, "My Delight is in Her."
The Text
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a torch that is burning. The nations will see your righteousness, And all kings your glory; And you will be called by a new name Which the mouth of Yahweh will designate. You will also be a crown of glory in the hand of Yahweh, And a turban of royalty in the hand of your God. 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 Yahweh takes pleasure in you, And to Him your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, So your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you.
(Isaiah 62:1-5 LSB)
God's Unsilenceable Resolve (v. 1)
The chapter opens with a declaration of divine determination. The speaker here is the Messiah, the great advocate for His people.
"For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a torch that is burning." (Isaiah 62:1)
This is the voice of our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, who ever lives to make intercession for us. This is not a passive, detached deity. This is a God who is passionately committed to the cause of His people, designated here as Zion and Jerusalem. He refuses to be silent. He refuses to rest. He is a divine advocate who will not cease His pleading and His working until the case is won and the verdict is made public.
And what is the goal of this divine activity? It is the public vindication of His people. He will work "until her righteousness goes forth like brightness." This is not primarily about our personal, internal piety. This is about our public standing before God and the world. It is our justification, our right standing, shining forth like the dawn. It is about God proving to the watching cosmos that His people are in the right because they are His.
And her salvation is to be "like a torch that is burning." This is not a flickering candle hidden under a bushel. It is a blazing torch, held high in the darkness, undeniable and brilliant. God's intention for His church is not for her to be a cowering, hidden remnant, but a glorious, visible, and triumphant city on a hill. This is a promise that the gospel will have a visible, history-altering effect. God is speaking, and He will continue to speak and work until the righteousness and salvation of His Church are as obvious as the sun in the sky.
A New Name and a New Glory (v. 2-3)
The result of God's work is a global witness and a new identity, bestowed by God Himself.
"The nations will see your righteousness, And all kings your glory; And you will be called by a new name Which the mouth of Yahweh will designate. You will also be a crown of glory in the hand of Yahweh, And a turban of royalty in the hand of your God." (Isaiah 62:2-3 LSB)
The vindication of the Church is not a private affair. "The nations will see... and all kings your glory." This is a profoundly postmillennial promise. The work of Christ through the gospel will be so effective in history that the political and cultural leaders of the world will be forced to recognize the glory of Christ in His people. This is not a picture of the church being raptured out of a failed world, but of the church being so glorified in the world that the world cannot help but see it.
And at the heart of this transformation is a new identity. "You will be called by a new name." In Scripture, a name is not a mere label; it defines the essence and destiny of a thing. Think of Abram becoming Abraham, or Jacob becoming Israel. A new name from God means a new nature and a new future. And notice the source of this name: "Which the mouth of Yahweh will designate." We do not name ourselves. Our identity is not a matter of self-discovery or self-expression. It is a matter of divine revelation. God tells us who we are, and His word makes it so. He is the Creator; He has the naming rights.
Verse 3 gives us a stunning picture of what this new identity means. The Church will be "a crown of glory in the hand of Yahweh." We are not just a project God is working on; we are His trophy. We are the emblem of His victory, the beautiful crown that He holds up as a display of His own majesty and power. We are a "turban of royalty," signifying our status as a kingdom of priests. And where are we? We are held securely "in the hand of your God." This speaks of both our immense value to Him and our absolute security in Him. He treasures us, and He protects us.
From Forsaken to Married (v. 4)
Here the prophet contrasts the old names of shame with the new names of covenantal love.
"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 Yahweh takes pleasure in you, And to Him your land will be married." (Isaiah 62:4 LSB)
The old names were "Forsaken" (Azubah) and "Desolate" (Shemamah). This was the condition of Israel in exile, abandoned and barren because of her sin. This is the condition of every man and woman outside of Christ. This is what the world and the devil name us, and what our own guilty consciences whisper to us.
But God intervenes with a creative speech-act. He gives two new names. The people will be called "My delight is in her" (Hephzibah). This is breathtaking. God does not merely tolerate His people. He does not grudgingly accept us. He delights in us. He takes pleasure in us. This is the language of passionate, joyful affection. The land itself is renamed "Married" (Beulah). The curse of barrenness and desolation is replaced by the blessing of a fruitful, covenantal union. The land and the people are brought together into a secure and productive relationship with God.
The reason for this change is found in God's own character: "For Yahweh takes pleasure in you." Our new status is not based on our loveliness, but on His love. It is not based on our performance, but on His pleasure. The entire basis for our new identity rests on the free, sovereign, and joyful grace of God.
The Joy of the Divine Bridegroom (v. 5)
The chapter culminates in one of the most beautiful pictures of God's love in all of Scripture, the joy of a wedding day.
"For as a young man marries a virgin, So your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you." (Isaiah 62:5 LSB)
The first clause, "So your sons will marry you," speaks of the restored covenant community. The people who inhabit Zion will cherish her, commit to her, and cultivate her as a young man cherishes his bride. It is a picture of a loyal, devoted, and fruitful church, where the members love the body of Christ.
But the ultimate reality is the second clause. The love of the people for the church is just a reflection of a much greater love. "And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you." This is the heart of the gospel. The relationship between God and His people is a marriage. And God's disposition toward His bride is not one of stern duty, but of exuberant joy. Think of the face of a groom when he sees his bride coming down the aisle. That is how God feels about His people, redeemed in His Son.
This is not a stoic, philosophical deity. This is a God who rejoices, who celebrates, who sings over His people (Zeph. 3:17). Our salvation is His joy. Our glory is His delight. This is the ultimate answer to the accusations of the devil and the insecurities of our own hearts. The God of the universe rejoices over us.
Conclusion: Living in Your New Name
This entire chapter is a promise that finds its yes and amen in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who would not keep silent, crying out from the cross, "It is finished!" to secure our righteousness. He is the one who now intercedes for us at the Father's right hand. Through faith in Him, we have been given the new name. We are no longer Forsaken, but Hephzibah. We are no longer Desolate, but Beulah.
We are the Bride of Christ, and our Bridegroom rejoices over us. This is the foundational truth of your identity as a Christian. Therefore, you must refuse the old names. When sin, or the world, or the devil tries to label you Forsaken, you must reject that lie and answer with the truth of God's Word: "No, my name is Hephzibah. His delight is in me." When you feel useless and barren, you must reject the name Desolate and claim your new name: "No, I am Beulah, married to the Lord, and He will make me fruitful."
Your identity is not something you invent, but something you receive. It was designated for you by the mouth of Yahweh and purchased for you by the blood of His Son. Your name is Christian. You are a crown of glory in His hand. And He, your God, rejoices over you with all the joy of a bridegroom on his wedding day. Live like it.