Isaiah 33:20 – Look Upon Zion
What is Zion? It is Jerusalem. It is the city of David. It is where the temple is. It is the place of the appointed feasts. God points the people to look to the place that speaks of good things yet to be accomplished.
Christ dwells amid His people. Paul talks about the fact that we are all living stones built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles, with Jesus Christ as the head cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-22), built up into the true spiritual temple of all times. We are the temple of God. The old temple, which was a picture of what was true and eternal had within it the holy place and the most holy place. In the most holy place there was the mercy seat where blood was shed once a year by the high priest to atone for the sin of the people. That all points to Jesus Christ, the great High Priest. That all points to Him as the perfect and sufficient sacrifice. He is the true lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world, as John the Baptist declares in John 1:29, 36.
God tells them to look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts. The Passover feast spoke of God’s true deliverance which would come. They looked back to the shedding of the blood of the lamb, the blood being put on the doorposts, and the angel of death passing over those houses that were covered by the blood. All this speaks of Christ and His blood shed, so that God passes over our sin because it’s already paid for, atoned for by the blood of Jesus Christ. Pentecost was the festival of first fruits. It is speaking of the coming of the Holy Spirit. He is the first fruits of all the blessings that we receive when we’re baptized. Now, it may not be at exactly that same time. It may be at a later time, as normally is the case with our covenant children. Or with adult converts, the Holy Spirit has come to them, and they have His presence officially and outwardly acknowledged and granted and sealed to them in their baptisms.
Zion is established in peace. This was spoken to the people in a time of fear and worry. But here is the promise – you shall see peace. And that’s exactly what happened. For after God destroyed the Assyrian attack and broke the power of Assyria, there was peace for a long while. But that is not all that God is saying. The entire city of David, the true Jerusalem, would be at peace, growing and thriving.
Questions
- What does the Temple tell us about Christ?
- What does God promise in this verse?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks for Christ’s death for His people.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.