This chapter reveals the desire of Jehovah to restore Israel. This restoration will take place in the millennium (Matt. 19:28; Acts 3:21).

The situation of Jerusalem in the restoration will be so pleasant that it will be wonderful both in the sight of the remnant of Israel and in the sight of Jehovah.

This is a word encouraging the children of Israel to be strong and bold and to finish the work of rebuilding God’s house. God wanted His people to see that His interest, desire, and burden were to finish the building of the temple as the center of His interests on earth. Likewise, God’s burden in this age is to gain a people to know His heart, to realize His desire, and to be one with Him to build up the Body of Christ.

In the restoration the Gentiles will come to Israel to entreat the favor, the grace, of Jehovah, and the children of Israel will be priests to them (vv. 20-23; Isa. 2:2-3; 61:6). After the Jews are saved at the Lord’s coming back (Zech. 12:10; Rom. 11:26-27), they will become the priests to teach all the repentant nations. By that time the entire nation of Israel will be a priesthood, thus fulfilling God’s original intention expressed in Exo. 19:6. They will teach the Gentiles, the nations, to know God’s way and God’s person, and they will teach them to worship and serve God. As priests, they will bring the nations into the presence of God that they may be enlightened, corrected, and favored with all the riches of God. The prophecy in vv. 20-23 was an encouraging word spoken to the children of Israel. See note Isa. 2:3².

In the millennium God will reverse the judgment on Babel (Gen. 11:7-9) and deal with the problem caused by the different languages among the nations. What happened at Pentecost (Acts 2:4-11) is a prefigure of what will take place during the age of the millennial kingdom.