Isaiah 54 is the source of a phrase we use often in the church: stakes! Why in the world are we organized into stakes in the Church? There is actually a beautiful and rich Israelite history behind this. It has to do with the idea of a “kinsman” and the way in which a tribal leader would make room for his growing family. Let’s dive in!

In ancient Israel the idea of a kinsman was very important. The kinsman in a family was the oldest male member, and he had a responsibility to support, love, avenge wrongful deaths, buy back family land that had been sold, or even buy back family members if they had been sold into slavery. The kinsman was, in fact, the family’s redeemer. But the cool thing is, this same protection could also be made available to people outside of the family through a covenant. A kinsman could bring someone under his protection and that person would then be kin-by-covenant. (Source 1 and Source 2) In fact, the kinsman was referred to in Hebrew as the גואל “go’el” which can also be translated as “redeemer.” (Source)

Okay, now let’s get to the part about tents. If a kinsman (or tribal leader) lived in a tent and his family grew too large for it, he wouldn’t necessarily build a second tent. He’d actually be more likely to ENLARGE his current tent by adding another section to it.(Source) So when Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 54:2 to “Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes” it means more than “Let’s get a bigger tent!” It means “Let’s welcome as many people into a kinsman-redeemer relationship with Jesus as possible. Everyone join the family. And establish those (local wards and) stakes securely to keep us all safely under the Savior-kinsman’s care!”