“You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
And a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”

Isaiah 62:3

When I think about God’s radical love to clothe us in His glory, I’m awe-struck at the thought of it. Enchanted by it… Then swept up in it… His love is beautiful.

The book of Isaiah echoes the affections of a God who takes a broken and cursed people and makes them whole. Beautiful. Radiant. I can’t help but wonder, why does He choose to love so extravagantly? I’m so thankful He does… For this is what God says of us… that we are His beloved people. Over and over again throughout scripture. He shares His own beauty and godliness with us.

In Isaiah 62:3 God declares in expressing His extravagant love that we will be “a royal diadem in His hand.”

This is quite significant and I want to look more at what this means particularly in us being set in His hand and also what this term royal diadem signifies.

A diadem is “a jeweled crown or headband worn as a symbol of sovereignty.”

When I researched this I realized this word contains more significance than just a description of a jewel. At first I pictured it as a singluar gem in the hands of God. But it a diadem is a crown with many jewels laid into it that one wears because of their royalty and authority to reign over something.

This gives incredible profundity to this text.

Because this is what God Himself directly speaks over His people’s identity: a diadem in His hand. ❤️

We were created to adorn the Lord like a crown of gems and precious jewels adorn a King.

It’s such a beautiful, real picture of what we mean to God.

Digging deeper, I’m struck by this phrase “in His hand…”.

It doesn’t say “on His head” like a crown normally would be placed. It says “in His hand.” To be on the head is to be out of sight and would mean we are simply to adorn Him ornamentally and not be close to Him intimately. But to be in the hand is a more intimate proximity.  We can interact with him if we are in His hand. To be held is to be loved and comforted. Known. God wants to hold us close and be in a love relationship with us.

He says we are a glimmering crown of jewels in His hand and therefore He is constantly aware of us and in relationship with us.

Also, a crown of many jewels signifies the unity of all of His people glimmering together in this crown that rests in His hand. Every person’s unique beauties altogether shine and bring Him delight. And since we are in His hand, He can see us flourishing in our design, bringing Him love and reflecting His own beauty.

Additionally, God’s hands are symbolic of power. The term “my righteous right hand” is used in this book of Isaiah as a saving mechanism:

“I will uphold you by My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

“I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

Isaiah 41:13

The right hand is where righteousness and rescue flow from.

God’s right hand upholds us (Isaiah 41:10).

Our right hand is the hand God grabs when saving us (Isaiah 41:13).

This is so powerful I’m getting goosebumps… Before this text in chapter 62, our hand is not described as “righteous.” It’s just described as a “right hand.” Only God’s hand is described as righteous. But after God saves us, He now says that we are not just righteous but that we are a “royal crown laden with jewels possessing authority” IN HIS VERY HAND. Whoa…

We go from being just a hand to being a royal crown of authority and beauty in His hand (diadem).

This is incredibly significant because earlier in Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah sees God and falls saying “I am a man of unclean lips…” (Isaiah 6:5) and would not look upon God. Much less touch Him…

To touch a king would be not permitted.

A king is usually not permitted to be touched by anyone beneath Him. God’s holiness is too all-surpassing to approach.

Yet now… by the end of the book of Isaiah, God Himself tells us that we won’t just be able to come near Him… but we will be given intimate access to Him to rest in His very hand.

God is the God who comes close to us and imparts His glorious identity into us.

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

Ephesians 2:13

That is the essence of salvation… we go from being dead and separated from God to alive and dazzling with Him… alongside Him. Ruling with Him. In His hand. Which means that He has ultimate authority for He is the hand holding us, so we bring Him honor as we reign with Him just as the crown brings honor to one’s head.

We who used to be unable to touch Him out of dishonor, now bring honor to God resting in His hand.

We bring beauty to God, just as jewels bring beauty to the one wearing them.

It’s important to point out the contrast of God’s love and Israel’s debauchery in this text as a whole, to better understand the magnitude of what’s being imparted. It reveals the pureness of God’s love and choice to make what’s cursed a royal diadem.

In the book of Isaiah, God spends many chapters laying out the sins of Israel and how they have forsaken their God.

God is angry and broken hearted… because the Ones He created and is in love with are turning away from Him to love other things besides Him. His anger is not rooted in hatred but in heartbreak. Therefore, love underlies it all.

By the end of Isaiah, God’s tone begins to shift. God says,

“It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,”
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;
But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”
And your land, “Married”;
For the Lord delights in you,
And to Him your land will be married.” Isaiah 62:4

God decided on His own that despite Israel’s debauchery, He would still love them.

He always did and He always will. 🤍
He never stopped loving them.

The contrast of God’s pure emotions reveals His authenticity in His love.

It’s sacrificial love.

It’s real love.

To know God is purely grieved at sin and that understandably it deserves utter annihilation… and then to see Him be so tender toward Israel after all of that, shows the magnitude and the genuineness of His love.

Love is highlighted as genuine by the grace given for what seems unlovable.

Love reveals that nothing is unlovable to the lover.

The lover loves regardless.

Therefore, to God, we are not unlovable. To God… nothing can stop Him from loving His own. ♥️ And what He says goes.

Did you know you are beautiful to God?

You are radiant.

You are not just ordinary.

You are captivating.

You are God’s splendor.

You are God’s joy.

You are the most extravagant wonder of all God created.

We become everything He is because of His own love and desire to make us like Him.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin  for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:21

Therefore, God says that we will be “a royal diadem in His hand” because that was His choice to do that. He wanted to… He likes to forgive and cleanse and impart glory and purity and make us dazzle like Him. ✨🤍

We adorn God with beauty as His diadem.

We make God beautiful because of being close to Him.

Because He designed for us to bring this beauty to Him.

splendor shining all around

You didn’t hide me at the sound

of Your voice

You made me glimmer

in Your hand

it was Your joy

to have me close

When we think about the significance of being in the Lord’s hand as Isaiah 62:3 describes, it reminds me of what is means to wear a jewel or ring on one’s hand.

To have a jewel on one’s hand from someone signifies love.

Engagement rings, wedding rings, diamonds, jewels… it all signifies worth and value towards you from the one who gave it.

It’s a symbol of love, honor, glory and beauty that lets everyone know you are taken by someone special in your life. When I think about being a diadem in the Lord’s hand, it makes me feel special. That I am His and He likes that I am.

Did you know that you are that diamond on God’s hand?

Did you know He delights in displaying that He is taken… by you…?

He wears you like an engagement ring… a royal diadem in His hand… and He displays that diadem to all to how much He loves you… excited and elated that you would be His.

Jesus delights in us being like a jeweled crown in His hand.

Because He loves us.

It would be understandable for us to say that God is a royal diadem in our hand, because HE is the jewel. He is the beautiful One. He is the majestic one. He is the most radiant being in the universe.

But for God to say that WE will be a royal diadem in HIS hand… that is outlandish. It’s fascinating. It’s extravagant. It’s passionate love. It’s tear provoking honestly. To know that’s how much God loves me. And how much He loves you. It’s completely… beautiful. ❤️

God is the extravant lover and it teaches us how in return.

The God who adorns you with His own beauty experiences this glory in a reciprocal manner, where He also radiates from the beauty of you that He created.

Being loved by God provokes our heart to love Him radically in return. It’s a satisfying mutual relationship.

In John chapter 12, Mary brings the best she has to Jesus in reciprocity after seeing how much He loved her.

And what she brought was honestly outrageous and yet so captivatingly lovely.

Her expensive dowry… her alabaster jar of pure nard that would have served as her financial means if she married… She empties it on Jesus.  She wanted to be His bride… She wanted to be His love. And she made it known to Him in front of everyone in the room. A public display of love, unashamed and completely pure.

Mary felt taken care of in the hands of Jesus enough to give away her provision, because she knew He possessed more.

She knew He was the Messiah, the ones the prophet Isaiah and other prophets spoke about. She would have known what He promised and what He was capable of. She was confident of that.

This is the kind of love we experience with God when we know we are “a royal diadem in His hand.”

When we know our heavenly identity, we can live from a place of confidence and rest. And soak in His love… remember who you are to God. A beautiful diadem in His hand. ❤️ Cherised. Empowered to share in His glory forever as He beloved. Held closely in the hands of the God who delights that You are His.

your hands Oh Lord

are my delight

for goodness finds me here

 

Your beauty shines

in Heaven’s skies

and i will be like

the One who holds me

 

“But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

1 John 3:2