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Answer
In Isaiah 54:11–17, the prophet Isaiah delivers a message from God about the restoration of Jerusalem after its destruction by the Babylonians. The people would be in chaos and confusion, but the Lord promises a future day when the city will be more glorious than ever. God’s people will return to their land and live there without fear of further devastation: “‘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” (verse 17, NKJV).
By stating that “no weapon formed against you shall prosper,” God assures the people of Jerusalem that no enemy will succeed in creating effective weapons against them. The term “prosper” here means “succeed.” The preceding verse provides context: “See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc” «Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. », (Isaiah 54:16). In essence, God is in control. He fashioned the one who forges the weapons, ensuring that any weapons wielded by Israel’s enemies would be ineffective against them. This pledge will find its ultimate realization in the millennial kingdom of Christ (see Isaiah 51).
The pledge to Israel is frequently extended to God’s children today as we confront spiritual adversaries. Regardless of the devil’s schemes against us, they will ultimately fail because God is the supreme ruler of our fate. He equips us with the shield of faith, “with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” «above all, takingThe shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the wicked.” (Ephesians 6:16). The Good News Translation interprets Isaiah 54:17 as follows: “But no weapon will be able to harm you; you will have a response for all who accuse you. I will defend my servants and give them victory. The LORD has spoken.”
The main message the Lord intends to convey in this passage is that God is our salvation. Even in the face of adversity—when we feel defeated and overwhelmed by our enemies—we can rely on and not be afraid: “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even if the earth trembles and mountains topple into the depths of the sea; even if the seas roar and rage, and the mountains quake with their surging.” (Psalm 46:1-3;GNB). Even if our cities are in ruins, a deadly disease ravages the world, the economy falters, and we lose our jobs, the Lord Almighty is with us, and He will deliver us: “God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” (Psalm 46:5-7;GNB).
A weapon is anything intended to cause harm. In 2 Corinthians 10:4, the apostle Paul informs us that we have been equipped to battle against our adversary, but our weapons are not ordinary weapons: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” Often, the enemy attacks us with spiritual strongholds of confusion, depression, anger, anxiety, fear, temptation, and loneliness. However, the Lord has given us His Word as our sword and faith as our shield.(Proverbs 30:5; Hebrews 4:12), and we have His spiritual armor to protect us (Ephesians 6:10-18).
God is in command. He controls both those who make weapons and those who use them. The battle is not ours, but the Lord’s (2 Chronicles 20:15; 1 Samuel 17:47). He has already won the contest. Through Jesus Christ, He has defeated the final enemy, who is death, and purchased for us eternal life (2 Timothy 1:10; see also Isaiah 25:8; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 1:18). The Lord will protect and uphold His children, no matter what we face, and help us through to the final victory «Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. », (Isaiah 41:10). As God’s people, we can be confident in the Lord’s ultimate triumph over every enemy. In Isaiah’s time, as in all of history, and in the future in its fullest sense, every child of God can say, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper!”
