His Word Today

^9” Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people. ¹⁰ Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. ¹¹ Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised you, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins. ¹² Will you restrain yourself at these things, O Lord? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?” (Isaiah 64:9–12)

Isaiah, in the context of praising God for His mercy (Isaiah 63:7-9) and for His faithfulness as in the days of old (Isaiah 63:10-14), offered a prayer of repentance on behalf of God’s people because of their desolate, spiritual condition. The prophet’s prayer also comprises all of chapter 64. The prayer is reminiscent of the Prophet Daniel, which also was on behalf of God’s people, Israel (Daniel 9).

In the midst of praying and acknowledging the LORD as the sovereign potter, and His created people as His clay, the Prophet Isaiah then pleads that God would hear his prayer, forgive Israel of their sin, and heal the land (see 2 Chronicles 7:14).

Isaiah is foretelling the condition of the land and the nation prior to its actuality. The prophet is not lamenting about what has happened to God’s people, temple and city, but rather what is going to happen in the future.

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “Through prophetic revelation Isaiah uttered these words many years before the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 586 B.C. Yet, he lamented over the fallen state as though it had already occurred. God’s people were in desperate straits and their prayers urgent and persistent: “How can you stand by when your people and your land are so barren?”

Israel’s unworthiness for God’s mercy is clear. The prophet’s appeal for forgiveness and restoration and reconciliation was based totally on God’s grace. This continues to this day.

Soli deo Gloria!

^8 “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

Isaiah, in the context of praising God for His mercy (Isaiah 63:7-9) and for His faithfulness as in the days of old (Isaiah 63:10-14), offered a prayer of repentance on behalf of God’s people because of their desolate, spiritual condition. The prophet’s prayer also comprises all of chapter 64. The prayer is reminiscent of the Prophet Daniel, which also was on behalf of God’s people, Israel (Daniel 9).

Of all the symbols, metaphors and similes in the Scriptures regarding the character of God, one of the most prominent is the image of God as the potter and His created people as clay which He controls, molds and shapes for His glory.

It is an image found in Isaiah 64:8 which says, ^“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” This same thought and doctrine is also found in Psalm 2:9; Isaiah 29:5-16; 30:14; 45:9; Jeremiah 18:1-6; Lamentations 4:1-2).

However, there are those who recoil at this image. Many believers within the church find the image of God as a potter and His people as clay, and its implications, offensive. The metaphor explicitly asserts the sovereignty and providence of God: not only over the physical universe but also with respect to the salvation of sinners.

Romans 9:19-24 says, “¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” ²⁰ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? ²² What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, ²³ in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— ²⁴ even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?”

The theological significance of the metaphor of God being the potter, and we being the clay, is that God is sovereign and completely in control of the destiny of everything and everyone. He alone rules over the future of all people. We exist to be molded and shaped by Him. It is not up to us to mold and shape God into a benevolent being we can control.

Notice the present active state of being verbs in Isaiah 64:8. The prophet acknowledged that he, and the people, are like clay and God is like the potter. This metaphor affirms not only the personal existence and inherent characteristics of created individuals and the creator God, but also how these characteristics relate to each other.

Created and individual people are not God. Additionally, God is not a created figment of someone’s imagination. We are the work of His hand, so to speak, and not the other way around. The LORD is sovereign, which means that created people are not. Therein lies the problem for many. They want to be the potter of their own clay-like existence. However, God will not relinquish either His position or His power.

How do you react to the doctrine of God being a sovereign potter and you being His clay, which He molds and shapes according to the good pleasure of His will (Ephesians 1:11)? Do you find peace and comfort, or agitation and anger? Take time today to repent of any self-exalting sin and affirm God’s absolute sovereign rule in your life. Affirm today that He is not only the potter, but your potter and you are His molded clay.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—²  as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! ³ When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. ⁴ From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. ⁵ You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? ⁶ We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. ⁷ There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.” (Isaiah 64:1-7)

Isaiah, in the context of praising God for His mercy (Isaiah 63:7-9) and for His faithfulness as in the days of old (Isaiah 63:10-14), offered a prayer of repentance on behalf of God’s people because of their desolate, spiritual condition. The prophet’s prayer also comprises all of chapter 64. The prayer is reminiscent of Daniel’s, which also was on behalf of God’s people, Israel (Daniel 9).

Have you every prayed and hoped that one day the LORD would descend from heaven and judge the wicked  once and for all and right all the wrongs which are being done. It’s hard not to when we witness the presence of evil ever growing in power, increasing in frequency, and intensifying in rage.

Isaiah expressed such sentiments. He prayed, ““Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—²  as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence!” (Isaiah 64:1-2).

Isaiah’s response to his own prayer (63:19) was a plea that God would burst forth and execute sudden vengeance on the enemies of God’s people (cf. Ps. 18:7–9; 144:5; Hab. 3:5–6). The prophet prayed that the LORD would reveal Himself as he did at Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:18; Judg. 5:5; Ps. 68:8; Heb. 12:18–20). As God’s name is glorified through his redemption of His chosen people (Isa. 63:14), it will also have widespread acknowledgement because of his judgment against Israel’s enemies (Ps. 99:1).

Isaiah continued in prayer and said, “³When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. ⁴ From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:3-4). One more, the prophet invoked the memory of Mt. Sinai (Deuteronomy 10:1-21). The Apostle Paul echoed Isaiah’s words in I Corinthians 2:9 when he said, “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Isaiah concluded this portion of his prayer by saying, “⁵ You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? ⁶ We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. ⁷ There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities” (Isaiah 64:5-7).

As was the case when Isaiah caught a vision of the LORD’s holiness (Isaiah’s 6:1-7), direct exposure to the awesome character of God brings the sinner to the realization of their need for justification (Acts 16:26-30). A justification which is not in any way due to the sinner’s inherent righteousness, but rather by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-26; Philippians 3:1-9) by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

The truth of the gospel then remains the truth of the gospel today. The righteous shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:16-17).

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

  

 

^15 “Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me. ¹⁶ For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name. ¹⁷ O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not?    Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. ¹⁸ Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary. ¹⁹ We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name.” (Isaiah 63:15–19)

Isaiah, in the context of his praising God for His mercy (Isaiah 63:7-9) and for His faithfulness as in the days of old (Isaiah 63:10-14), offered a prayer of repentance on behalf of God’s people because of its desolate, spiritual condition. The prophet’s prayer also comprises all of chapter 64. The prayer is reminiscent of Daniel’s, which also was on behalf of God’s people, Israel (Daniel 9).

Isiah began his prayer by asking a series of rhetorical questions of God. The prophet wanted to know if God had changed His mind regarding His chosen people. Isaiah wanted to know where God’s zeal and mighty power on behalf of His people. Was the LORD no longer compassionate and merciful?

Isaiah invoked the names of the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob. Much like the Pharisees and other religious leaders during Jesus’ day who presumed their national heritage endeared them to God (John 8), so too did the Jews of Isaiah’s day. Isaiah pleaded that God would forgive Israel of this besetting sin and redeem the nation as their heavenly Father.

Isaiah then prayed that God would not give up on His people. The sense of the prophet’s prayer is that the LORD had turned His people over to the natural consequences of their sin (Isaiah 6:9-10; Psalm 81:11-12; Hosea 4:1-17; Romans 1:18-32). The prophet wanted God to return to His people and remove the heathen conquerors from the Promised Land. He no longer wanted the people of God to be like other nations who did not know the LORD.

Dr. John Walvoord writes, “The remnant would beg God to look down on them and remember their plight in the same way He had remembered the distress of their forefathers in Egypt (cf. v. 9). They would long for a display of both His strength and His love. Though they had not been following in the tradition of Abraham or Israel (i.e., Jacob), God was still their Father (cf. 64:8) and Redeemer (41:14). Penitently the remnant would ask that God sovereignly return them, His servants, to Him, reminding Him that the temple (Your sanctuary) was destroyed (63:17–18). (This is one of many places in chaps. 40–66 which shows that Isaiah, living more than 100 years before the Babylonian Captivity, wrote prophetically to prepare that future generation of exiles for it.) Though the nation had belonged to God for centuries (from of old), it had been a long time since the people were in a proper relationship with God and His theocratic rule over them.”

Dr. R. C. Sproul concludes that, “God has always been the Father of His people (Exodus 4:22-23; Jeremiah 3:1-19). They are His children by adoption (Deuteronomy 32:1-6; Romans 8:15). They are rebellious children, and so might be disowned by earthly fathers such as Abraham or Jacob, but God will still be their father and their redeemer, buying them back from their self-inflicted bondage because of His grace and mercy.”

Isaiah’s prayer continues in chapter 64. The prophet pleaded that God would display His power as in days of old. We will examine the rest of his prayer tomorrow.

Soli deo Gloria!  

 

 

 

^10 “But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. ¹¹ Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit, ¹² who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name, ¹³ who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. ¹⁴ Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name.” (Isaiah 63:10–14)

A tragic response begins today’s text. In the aftermath of Isaiah’s wonderful narrative of the LORD’s mercy and salvation of His people (Isaiah 63:7-9), the prophet then shares the devastating response by God’s people to the person and work of the LORD: ^“But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit;” (Isaiah 63:10a).

To rebel means to be contentious, disobedient and rebellious to authority. The underlying reason for such rebellion is hostility towards the one who the individuals, and nations, rebel against. For Israel then, and for individuals today, this was an action against God which began at a particular point in time in the past but which also results in continuous behavior in the present.

Such hostility by God’s people towards God grieves God the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:30-32 says, “³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³² Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”  

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “God is grieved when his children refuse to change the old ways of sin for those righteous ways of the new life. It should be noted that such responses by the Holy Spirit indicate he is a person. His personhood is also indicated by personal pronouns (John 14:17; 16:13), his personal care of believers (John 14:16, 26; 15:26), his intellect (1 Cor. 2:11), feelings (Rom. 8:27), will (1 Cor. 12:11), speaking (Acts 13:2), convicting (John 16:8–11), interceding (Rom. 8:26), guiding (John 16:13), glorifying Christ (John 16:14), and serving God (Acts 16:6–7).”

Be forewarned. Isaiah indicated that when such hostility occurs by God’s people, God becomes their adversary: “…therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them” (Isaiah 63:10b). If we become hostile towards God, He may very well become hostile towards us. We must not presume upon the grace and mercy of God. He will “come to blows” as it were against His people who become His adversaries.

This is the truth with which the Prophet Habakkuk struggled (Habakkuk 1-2). He realized that God’s people were rebellious. He knew they deserved God’s wrath. However, Habakkuk 3:1-2 says, “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. ² O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.”  

Thankfully, there is grace within this text. It is God’s grace and mercy. “Then he remembered the days of old” (Isaiah 63:11a). The people have forgotten the person and work of God. They have become hostile towards Him. Yet, He still remembers and recalls the days of old.

It is here that the prophet recalled many of the highlights of God’s sovereign and providential care of His people in the past. “…of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit, ¹² who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name, ¹³ who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. ¹⁴ Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name.”

When we are tempted, tried and afflicted and therefore feel it appropriate to criticize God, or become disobediently hostile towards Him, it is wise for us to then remember the days of old. To recall the oh so many times God has led, delivered, healed, encouraged, provided, sustained, disciplined, loved, cared, and forgiven us. May we repent of the sin of rebelliousness and remember the One, True God of graciousness.

Soli deo Gloria!

^7” I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. ⁸ For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior. ⁹ In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.” (Isaiah 63:7-9)

Have you ever read a portion of Scripture, and then read it again? What portion of Scripture is it? Perhaps, you have read the particular portion of God’s Word you have in mind several times over the course of your life in Christ. However, all of a sudden upon recently reading the same portion, you are overwhelmed by its content and thrilled at its meaning. The words jump off the pages and resound within your soul. As I am writing this very paragraph, the Michael W. Smith composition Thy Word is playing on my computer. How appropriate. There are no coincidences.

The portion of Scripture I have in mind is Isaiah 63:7-9. I know I have it read it before. Countless timers, perhaps. However, upon reading it again in preparation for this devotional, the words resounded with clarity in my mind, emotions and will.

Isaiah recalled and remembered the steadfast love of the LORD. In so doing, he praised Yahweh for not only His graciousness, but also His goodness and compassion. All of these blessings are again according to the abundance of the LORD’s steadfast love.

The prophets exclaims that we are God’s people; children of righteousness and truth. We are God’s people because He chose to be our Savior. In all our afflictions, He too was afflicted. The phrase, the angel of His presence, is none other than a reference to the LORD Himself (Exodus 14:19; 23:20-23; 33:12-15; Numbers 20:16). The LORD remains so close to His children that He feels their afflictions as if they were His own (Exodus 3:1-2).

Isaiah concludes that the LORD has saved, has pitied, redeemed, lifted and carried His children. What was true in the context of the Old Testament covenant community of Israel, remains so in the New Testament covenant community of the church.

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “All the plurals in this verse imply that language is inadequate to recite all the goodness and undeserved mercies God has showered on the nation time after time because of his everlasting covenant with them. By his elective choice, they became his people and he their Savior (43:1, 3); this guarantees that they will not always be false, but someday true and faithful to God because of his sovereign election of them” (Eph. 1:3–4).”

Soli deo Gloria!

²  “Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? ³ “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. ⁴ For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come. ⁵ I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me. ⁶ I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.” Isaiah 63:2–6 (ESV)

The Prophet Isaiah described the LORD as warrior who was mighty to save in Isaiah 63:1. He then posed a question regarding the mighty warrior’s appearance. “Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress?” (Isaiah 63:2)

The mighty warrior’s clothing, which are spattered with blood, will appear red as if He had been in a winepress. The Hebrew word for “Red” is āḏōm. It is a wordplay on “Edom” (’ěḏôm). In Israel, a winepress was usually a shallow pit with a hole on the side leading out to a container. As individuals trampled on grapes in the press, the juice flowed through the hole into the container. Obviously some juice would also splatter on the individual’s clothes. The warrior’s garments were red from the blood of those he had judged. The imagery parallels Revelation 14:18–20 and 19:1-3.

Take note of the strong symbols and language of God’s wrath and judgment contained in vs. 3-6.

• I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me;
• I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel.
• For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come.
• I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me.
• I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

Dr. John Walvoord writes, “As the Lord will fight and defeat the nations (cf. 34:2) in the Battle of Armageddon (cf. Zech. 14:3; Rev. 16:16; 19:15–19), He will take vengeance on them (cf. Isa. 34:8; 35:4; 61:2) in His anger and wrath. God’s wrath is also pictured as being like a winepress in Revelation 14:19–20. Though that day will bring doom to the Lord’s enemies, it will mean deliverance (redemption and salvation, Isa. 63:4–5) for those of His covenant people who turn to Him.”

Dr. R. C. Sproul comments that, “The full redemption of God’s people necessarily includes judgment of His enemies, though the New Testament reveals that there is a chronological separation between the Messiah’s coming to bring salvation and His coming to bring judgment.”

People often speak of the LORD as a God of love (John 3:16; I John 4:7-11), and so He is. However, He is also the God of wrath (Romans 1:18) who will punish sin. Have you been delivered from God’s wrath by the substitutionary atonement provided solely by Jesus Christ? If so, rejoice. If not, repent and receive the imputed righteousness of Christ in place of your sinfulness.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

“Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” Isaiah 63:1 (ESV)

Isaiah 63 begins with a series of rhetorical questions as to the identity of a warrior. This image of a strong man of battle is also found in Isaiah 59:14-19. The warrior does not engage in a physical confrontation. Rather, it is a spiritual fight. The mighty warrior is none other than Yahweh. He is the source and subject of the watchmen’s good news to God’s people and the people of the nations.

The Prophet Isaiah wondered aloud who it was who would come from Edom. Edom was the region south of the Dead Sea, north of the Red Sea, east of the Rift Valley, and west into the Negev (Genesis 32:4; Judges 5:4). This mighty warrior would be coming from this wicked nation southeast of Israel that often opposed God’s people and therefore was under God’s wrath (Isaiah 34:5-9; Malachi 1:1-5). Edom represents the ungodly and proud heathen nations.

He would also be coming from Bozrah. Bozrah was a city of Edom (Genesis 36:33; 1 Chronicles 1:44; Jeremiah 49:13, 22; Amos 1:12).

He would be attired in crimsoned garments. His clothes would be a deep, vibrant red; glowing and brilliant. The reason the warrior’s garments will be crimson (Isa. 63:1) and red (v. 2) because they are stained with blood (v. 3) from slaughtering His enemies (the nations, vv. 3, 6) in Edom. Red is the sign of judgment.

This warrior will be splendid in his apparel. He will wear honored and respected raiment. He will also be one who marches in the greatness of His strength. He strides in a purposeful manner. He does so because His power and ability is abundant and plentiful. His robe of splendor signifies His power and glory as He will stride forward toward Israel to save (deliver) her (cf. Rom. 11:26).

Who is this mighty warrior? Yahweh identified the warrior as none other than Himself. He is the One who continually speaks righteously, with justice, honesty and holiness. He is the One who is mighty to save and deliver His people from the penalty, power and eventual presence of their sin and their enemies.

John Calvin writes, “The LORD comes forth with red garments in the view of His people, that they may know that He is their protector and avenger. For when the people were weighed down by innumerable evils which remained unpunished, a dangerous temptation might arise, as if these things happened by chance, or as if God did not care for His people, or chastised them too severely. If the Jews were punished for despising God, much more the Edomites, and other avowed enemies of the name of God, ought to have been punished.”

 Our LORD remains our mighty warrior. He alone is mighty to save.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

 

 

 

¹⁰ “Go through, go through the gates; prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway; clear it of stones; lift up a signal over the peoples. ¹¹ Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” ¹² And they shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.” (Isaiah 62:10–12)

God’s Word is comprehensive with God’s commandments. His orders are not confined to just ten (Exodus 20) or located in only the Old Testament (Ephesians 4-6). His commands are to be obeyed, especially by His covenant people (Joshua 1:1-9; Romans 1:5).

“Go through, go through the gates; prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway; clear it of stones; lift up a signal over the peoples” (Isaiah 62:10). This verse features a series of urgent commands from God. They focus upon the need for God’s people to be spiritually ready for the LORD’s coming. To lift a signal, or raise a banner, was a way of announcing something in the ancient world. Within this context, these commands announced to all nations that Yahweh was coming.

The LORD continually personifies salvation, or deliverance, of His people from their sin. His people are His exceedingly great reward. God’s people will possess several names and identifying titles.

First, they are called The Holy People. They are positionally, and experientially, to be holy, set apart from sin, as God is holy (Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:1-2; 20:7, 26; 21:8; I Peter 1:15-16).

Second, God’s people are The Redeemed of the LORD. These are they who the LORD has purchased through the kinsmen redeemer, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:14-18).

Third, they are the Sought Out. They are the ones who the LORD sought out with care (Matthew 18:11; Luke 19:10).

Finally, God’s people are A City Not Forsaken. God’s people are those who He will never abandon (Hebrews 13:5).

What was true for God’s people in the historical past, is also true in the historical present and will be in the future. The LORD is coming soon and His people are to be ready.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

^“6 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, ⁷ and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth. ⁸ The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink your wine for which you have labored; ⁹ but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.” (Isaiah 62:6–9)

The ultimate salvation God brings to all of His people, glorification, is preceded by justification and then sanctification. While glorification is salvation from the very presence of sin, justification is God’s initial salvation from the penalty of sin. Justification is then followed by sanctification, which is progressive salvation from the power of sin.

Isaiah 62:6-9 is a description of sanctification for the people of God who lived in Israel during the 8^th century B.C. It contains a message of hope from God to His covenant community.

^“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest.” The LORD promised His people that He had established His own unique watchmen on the walls of the city. Rather than military watchmen or lookouts, these watchmen were God’s prophets who He charged with watching over the spiritual condition of His people. The watchmen gave warnings to God’s people concerning lurking enemies, both from without and within. God promised to continually provide His spokesmen to strengthen and encourage His people.

^“And give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.” The watchmen were not only to preach to God’s people, they also prayed to the One, True God of the people. Their prayers were for the LORD to establish Israel, or Jerusalem, and make it an object of praise to the LORD.

Dr. John Walvoord writes, “In the ancient world watchmen were stationed on city walls (often in towers) to watch for any approaching enemy. While on guard they were never to sleep. Righteous Israelites, like watchmen, were to be alert on Jerusalem’s behalf. They were to give themselves and God (Him) no rest till He establishes Jerusalem, that is, they were constantly to ask God that the city become the praise of the earth, so blessed by God that people everywhere would extol her (cf. 60:15; 61:11).”

^8 “The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink your wine for which you have labored; ⁹ but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.”

God promised that once He established His eternal kingdom, Jerusalem would never be dominated again by ungodly and foreign powers. This is a solemn oath established by God’s sovereign power. .

Dr. Walvoord explains further that, “The “watchmen” were to hold God to His promises, knowing that is what He desires. God’s people should pray for things even when they know God has promised them. Jesus made this clear when He taught His disciples to pray that the kingdom will come (Matt. 6:10). When Jerusalem is restored, it will never again fall to its enemies (Isa. 62:8–9). God has assured it by oath (sworn by His right hand) and by His power (arm).”

God still has His watchmen watching over His people. They are pastor/teachers.

I Peter 5:1-5 says, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. ⁵ Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Hebrews 13:7 & 17 says, “⁷ Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. ¹⁷ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

Thank you LORD for your watchmen. Take time today to thank your pastor for His faithful service.

Soli deo Gloria!