Isaiah 54:17

September 5, 2023

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.”

The prophet Isaiah was one of the most influential prophets in the entirety of the Word of God. He is considered a major prophet because of the length of the book that bears his name. The book of Isaiah is filled with prophecies of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to the people of Israel. He also gave them words of encouragement in times of trouble.

This powerful Scripture is Isaiah’s words given to him by the Holy Spirit explaining to God’s people about weapons being formed. The continued oppression that they had been facing was becoming discouraging and overwhelming. Isaiah is bringing words of comfort and peace along with direction.

God was advising them and us today that we should expect those weapons to form because the enemy’s main goal is to kill, steal, and destroy, John 10:10. We should never find it strange that we come under demonic attack the moment that we become believers of Jesus Christ. It is not called spiritual warfare for no reason. We are up against a very powerful adversary that comes against the Kingdom of our God every chance that he gets.

However, the promise of God to the nation of Israel then and us still today is that those weapons will not prosper. Isaiah also mentions several Bible verses of God’s promises right before this passage that I’m highlighting out of Isaiah.

For example:

Isaiah 54:4 “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.”

Isaiah 54:10 “For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.”

Isaiah 54:13 “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”

Isaiah 54:14 “In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.”

Every one of these promises out of God’s Word is found in verses of Scripture right before God’s promises in Isaiah 54:17. The protection of God was a guarantee to His people. The problem was that tribulations and trials that they were facing were causing them to have doubt in their hearts. How many of us deal with those same struggles today?

It is one thing to say that you trust the Lord with all of your heart when everything in your life is going exactly as you want it to. What about when you’re being hit by storm after storm with no end in sight? Do you still trust and believe that God is Who He says He is and that His Word is the absolute Truth? Those are the questions that you need to ask yourself.

Let’s take a deeper look into the verse of Scripture out of Isaiah 54:17. The word “weapon” used is the Hebrew word “kᵊlî” which means: utensil, implement, apparatus, and vessel used for hunting or war. In other words God is saying to you that every weapon that the devil tries to use against you to hunt you down to destroy you, God says it will not prosper!

Another important aspect of this particular verse of Scripture is the words “shall prosper” which is the Hebrew word “ṣālēaḥ” which means: to advance or to prosper. So what the Lord was saying was that despite the enemy attempting to establish those fiery arrows against His people, they were not going to advance or succeed. Israel’s enemies were coming against them consistently and this word that Isaiah delivered to them was exactly what they needed to give them strength to continue moving forward despite adversity.

This is the same message that the Lord is giving us still today. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will hold up a standard against him, Isaiah 59:19. This promise, the promises found in Isaiah 54:17, and so many other amazing promises that God gives us are found throughout the entire Bible. We have to get to a place where we can study to show ourselves approved so that we can have a clear understanding of God’s Word and His assurances.

There are additional words that are important out of this passage of Scripture out of the book of Isaiah. The first one is the word “tongue” which is the Hebrew word “lāšôn” which means: an organ of speech both good and bad. A lot of people underestimate this tiny but deadly member of the body. One thing that we want to put into perspective is the fact that life and death is in the power of your tongue, Proverbs 18:21.

God knew that the words a person spoke had the power to change an entire circumstance. So, He wanted to teach His people how to fight back against the insulting threatening tongues that were coming against them. The words “you shall condemn” is the Hebrew word “rāšaʿ” which means to condemn as guilty (in ethical or religious relations). So God was telling them that they had the right to speak up in opposition to those that were unjustly persecuting them.

The problem was that they still didn’t know who they were and Whom they belonged to. How many of us still today struggle with not knowing our identity in Christ. This is one of the most powerful and necessary things for us to have a full understanding of. When you know that you are a son or daughter of the Lord of hosts, the High Priest, and the King of all Kings nothing will stand in your way.

Isaiah then goes on to explain to them what their inheritance actually meant. He states, “This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.” The words “the heritage” used here is the Hebrew word “naḥălâ” which means: portion of share assigned by God. Think of that! The Lord is saying to them and to us that He assigned a portion of share to every single one of those that are His.

When you can get a hold of that promise there is nothing that the gates of hell can come at you with. You will understand that as a child of God you have God’s protection and the Lord’s power backing you up 100%. In order for you to stand in the assurances of God you have to know what they are. That is going to require you reading God’s Word, studying it, and applying it to your daily life.

The other part that I want to take a closer look at is when the prophet explains “servants of the Lord” the word “servants” used there is the Hebrew word “ʿeḇeḏ” which means: servants, worshipers of God. So, what we can conclude from Isaiah is that God’s servants are those that worship Him and Him alone. This promise is not for everyone.

A lot of Christians say that they love the Lord with all of their heart but their hearts are far from Him. He is very clear about what He thinks about a lukewarm Christian Revelation 3:16 reveals, “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” He wants you to be on fire for Him worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth, John 4:24.

The final point that I want to dissect is when Isaiah states, “and their righteousness is from Me” the words “and their righteousness” is the Hebrew word “ṣᵊḏāqâ” which means: righteousness (as vindicated), justification, and the salvation of God. So in other words we need to realize the fact that we are vindicated and justified because of the righteousness of God and not anything that we did.

Isaiah 64:6 explains what our righteousness is in the eyes of God when he states “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags…” Now let’s take a look at what the Word of God has to say about where our righteousness comes from 2 Corinthians 5:21 details “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

The message that Isaiah is giving to God’s people is that as long as you stand in the Lord’s righteousness, remaining in the shadow of the Almighty, knowing who you are and Whom you belong to: no weapon will be formed against you, no tongue can rise against you in judgment, and you will have the right to extinguish every fiery arrow and word that the devil and his demonic kingdom throws against you!

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

Who is the Prophet Isaiah

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent

Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds

What are Spiritual Strongholds?