What does Isaiah 12:2 mean?
Isaiah is delivering a promise to God's people. The day will come when the offspring of Jesse, Jesus the Son of God, will establish His kingdom on earth from His throne in Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:10). He tells them that on that day, they will thank the Lord for turning His anger from them . At this time the Lord will comfort them (Isaiah 12:1).The prophet continues that God's people will in essence sing the words God has wanted to hear from them all along. They will sing that God is their salvation and their source of trust. They don't need to be afraid, the Lord is their source of stability, safety, and power.
These words have always been true for those who belong to God. However, Israelites have proven time and again that they did not believe them. They have looked for salvation and strength and song in other gods, even themselves. In fact, all people fall into that temptation at times.
Why, then, when the Lord returns, will those who belong to Him finally be able to mean the words of this verse? It is because they will recognize that the Lord's anger toward their sin has been satisfied. The suffering of the Messiah Himself, the one who will then sit on the throne as king fulfilled the price. This happened when Jesus died for the sins of humanity on the cross.
Isaiah later describes this act of sacrifice and substitution, which came in what was then Israel's future and is now our past:
"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:4–6)
It's no wonder that Israel, and all in the world, who come to God through faith in Jesus will proclaim the words of Isaiah 12 to the Lord.
