Charles Spurgeon Commentary Isaiah 54:1

"Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith Jehovah." — Isaiah 54:1 (ASV)

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

This promise is made to the long-barren and desolate Gentile Church that may well sing, for God has visited her in mercy, and, today, her children are more numerous than those of the Jewish Church. We have waited, but we have been well repaid for our waiting, for we have a larger and richer blessing than God's ancient people ever enjoyed.

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

In this Western region, we do not fully understand all the misery felt by Eastern women who were childless; they were looked down upon and despised. Yet here God bids them sing.

And, dear friends, if you and I feel as if our hearts have become barren, so that we cannot think of God or raise our thoughts toward him as we would desire; if we feel that we have become useless, and for that reason our spirit is greatly depressed, let us heed this sweet, this charming exhortation from Jehovah: "Sing, O barren soul; break forth into singing, and cry aloud." For God can turn our barrenness into fruitfulness and make us rejoice exceedingly before him.

If we are now sighing and crying because we are not what we ought to be, or what we want to be, God can, in the richness of his grace, make us all that we desire. Therefore, let us begin to be joyful even before the miracle of mercy is accomplished; let us have unbounded faith in God and expect him to bless us, even while we are in our lowest state.

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child:

Sing, even though you are barren. Do not postpone your song until God's promise is fulfilled to you; but sing even while you are desolate and forlorn, and let faith pitch the key-note. Let me, therefore, urge any of you who are disconsolate and sad, to heed the words of the prophet, and even now begin to sing. Give to God songs in the night; imitate the nightingale, and sing though not a star is to be seen.

For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

After all, we who have the deepest sorrow have the highest joy, and if we are sometimes desolate, we need not wish to change with those who always keep the even tenor of their way. If we have great downs, we also have great ups; if the valleys are deep, blessed be God the hills are high, and the view from their summits is glorious.

Let us be thankful even if our lot is a hard one, if we are the Lord's, for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.