Isaiah 12:1
And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
In that day God's people will give thanks because His displeasure toward them has ended and He has brought them comfort. That day belongs to His promised gathering and restoring of His scattered remnant from across the earth. It comes when the root of Jesse stands as a banner for the peoples, the Gentiles turn to Him and His rest is glorious, and the Lord again recovers His remnant from every land and gathers the outcasts of Israel and Judah from the four corners of the earth. The praise confesses Him as salvation to be trusted without fear, as strength and song, and draws joy from that salvation like water from wells by calling on His name, telling His deeds among the peoples, and singing His excellent work throughout the earth. When sinners turn from evil, give heart and will to God, and through Jesus receive pardon and justification, His wrath against sin is lifted and His love and comfort fill the heart with gratitude and song.
The Day of Praise
In that day God's people will speak praise to the Lord, saying that though He was angry with them His anger is turned away and He has comforted them. That comfort belongs to the promised gathering and restoration of God's scattered remnant from across the earth. That day comes when the root of Jesse shall stand for an ensign of the people, the Gentiles shall seek to Him and His rest shall be glorious, and the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria and Egypt and Pathros and Cush and Elam and Shinar and Hamath and the islands of the sea, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
The praise confesses God as salvation to be trusted without fear, for the Lord Jehovah is strength and song and has become salvation. It draws on that salvation with joy as water drawn from wells, calling upon His name, declaring His doings among the people, making known that His name is exalted. It sings to the Lord for His excellent works made known in all the earth, and cries out and shouts as inhabitants of Zion because great is the Holy One of Israel in their midst.
The song is the instruction of the ransomed of the Lord traveling the royal path cast up for them to walk in, which is the best path and the safest way. It means to practice this praise and to see the Saviour as refuge and as shield on the right hand to defend from the arrows of Satan. When people turn from their evil ways, God's anger against them is turned away and He comforts them, giving them reason to praise Him.
Forgiveness Comfort and Life
The verse describes the forgiven heart praising God with gratitude because His anger against sin is turned away and He has given comfort. When a humble, contrite person comes to God through Jesus, receives faith in Christ, and is justified, Christ blots out sins and removes transgressions, and that forgiveness and love bring comfort and praise. When a person gives heart and will to God and seeks Him wholeheartedly, God forgives sins, and the heart can praise Him for that forgiveness and comfort.
Its promised words are fulfilled for God's people when they lay aside burdens God has not given them, receive Christ's righteousness, answer Christ's prayer, and serve the Lord humbly. No soul who trusts in Jesus is left to perish, and its words are the sinner's response to God's merciful call, declaring trust in the Lord that brings comfort because love has been shown and divine anger has been removed, ending in praise. It gives the words for a burdened sinner answering God's mercy: laying troubles and perplexities at His feet, trusting in the Lord, receiving comfort and peace in place of remorse for sin, praising Him because His anger is turned away, and rejoicing in God who gives victory.
It means drawing nearer and nearer to God with increased faith and firm reliance on the help He can give, refusing sadness and discouragement and revealing comfort and joy and strength to do the works of the Redeemer. It means relying on the One who gave His life so people would not perish but live forever, drawing by living faith on God's strength and power. Those who by faith lay firm hold on the heavenly provision receive the aid of the greatest powers in the universe to make complete their triumph over Satan and sin, becoming a help and a blessing to others as the work advances.
It is comfort for all times for one who trusts in Jesus as righteousness and is one with Christ, especially in weakness, infirmity and restlessness as a pilgrim and stranger with only a few more days before the heavenly home. Praising the Lord because His displeasure is removed means He brings comfort that warms the heart with His own sweet Spirit, revives the weak soul, sheds abroad the love of God in the heart by the Holy Ghost, and gives grace to be patient and trustful and to overcome restlessness while leaning the whole weight on Him, staying in confidence upon God and rolling all burdens upon Him unto salvation. It means comfort with peace and joy in His love as the Lord draws near, and its promise is a source of encouragement and refreshment. It was sent as a message of reassurance and gratitude after the believers' first Sabbath meeting, celebrating their sense of God's acceptance and comfort.