SUNDAY WEB SITE | 1997
Isaiah is not alone among the prophets in portraying our relationship to God in images of covenantal love. Hosea’s Yhwh will “betroth you to myself forever, with tenderness.” Ezekiel spins a marvelous tale of courtship, betrayal, and redemptive pardon to explain the history of God’s commitment to Israel. But Isaiah goes beyond the others. He presents an outright celebration of nuptials: God’s relation to Israel, to us, is an undying covenant of love and fidelity. “You shall be called ‘My Delight,’ your land, ‘Espoused.’ For the Lord delights in you, and makes your land his spouse. As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you. As a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you.”