“Enlarge the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.”

Introduction

Earlier chapters of Isaiah up to 52 refer to the sorry state of Israel and Judah. Although God had given them the Law through Moses, that led to pride rather than humble obedience, their hearts were hardened against the Lord, and they stubbornly resisted His authority. Judgement was about to befall Judah, with exile and hardship.

But then chapter 53 looks to the promise of a future time with the theme of the suffering servant, who would bear our sins and take on himself the death that was ours, and justify us before God, and we see this promise was fulfilled in Jesus. Our verse follows on from that chapter with the response we need to make, for it changes who we are and how we are to live.

When we look at our broken, sinful world, that obstinately resists the Lord, it’s natural to fear where this world is going, and to feel like closing our doors and taking refuge in our church or home with people who are united in faith, as we try to be obedient to God without being mocked.

But this verse, and those that follow, instruct us to do something else.

Enlarge the place of your tent

This command has different layers of meaning, including:

Prepare for growth – in family, and in fellowship with faithful believers;

Prepare for new arrangements in our relation to the Lord – instead of pride in the Law, under the New Covenant we need humility in our inability to live by the Law, and thankfulness to Jesus who has fulfilled the Law for us;

A call to live in freedom – to grow and flourish in the freedom from slavery to sin Jesus gives us. Verses 3 and 4 say, “Break forth” from the fear, confusion, and shame that binds us in sin to a desolate and barren life;

To boldly trust – (verses 5, 10 and 14) – for God is our maker and our redeemer, his kindness and mercy will never fail, and he establishes us in righteousness through Jesus, so we are called to live in that righteousness;

To open up our outlook and vision –  to be ready to see all that God is calling us to understand and to do, instead of the limited set of rules and doctrines we may like to think is all that is needed. Jesus as the suffering servant changes our ideas about who God is, and who we are called to be as his redeemed children. Obedience to God through Jesus is not restrictive, it’s about being open and ready to see the amazing things He is calling us to do, and being willing to follow His lead, trusting in His strength and wisdom and not our own;

To open our hearts – the tent encloses one’s immediate family, it marked the limits of who we owe our limited human love. But when we experience God’s unconditional love, we are moved to extend His love to all his children, even as God loved us while we were sinners;

Stretch out the curtains, Do not spare, Lengthen your cords

These phrases repeat the meaning of the first line, but they also emphasize it’s hugely expansive nature, which fits with verse 3 talking of Jesus bringing in the gentiles.

Strengthen your stakes

We need to be well grounded in faith and understanding, not tossed about by the winds of change and passing fads and ideologies. God’s Word, and His truth, beauty, and goodness, are absolute and unchanging; they are not relative with place or time, or subjective according to our fickle feelings.

Personal Response

In my experience, if I try to devise my plans and adhere strictly to them, that tends to restrict me to a mediocre outcome. But when I allow room for God’s intervention, amazing things happen. When I follow God’s leading, each day can become fully occupied and more purposeful than ever before.

Thanks be to God.