The Prophecy of Isaiah – Lesson 56

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Today we study Chapter 66. This is the last chapter and the last of the summary section of Isaiah. We continue from Chapter 65 with the Lord speaking.

 

Isaiah 66:1-2

Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

These verses come right after a flash forward to the end times. The verses have a particular fit in the context of God revealing that He will make a new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17). It isn't just going to take a new temple dedication or new temple to restore things to their proper relationships. It is going to take God moving forth in a new creation. God is calling on the men of Isaiah's day (and for us) to realize the severity of the situation. We are redeemed from a life of rebellion against God. In Ephesians 2:1-3 God states that you, the redeemed "were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." You were (and all that don't know God are) guilty of treason against God. Of course we consider our "self" rule to be our right. We have no justification for that attitude but it flows from our sin nature. We were comfortable in our sin nature so long that, in general, it is hard to hear God saying that we were dead, and following the prince of the power of the air, and that we were sons of disobedience. Wayne Grudem says that, "God's holiness means that He is separated from sin and devoted to seeking His own honor." The first part of that definition is almost self evident and flows from almost anyone's idea of "holy". The second part should be terrifying. It should be terrifying because it will be worked out and expressed by an omniscient and omnipotent God. Our God of infinite perfections in all His ways will not leave sin unpunished. He will not leave it alone in your life, church, nation, or planet. He will seek His own honor because it is the perfect and righteous thing to do. God's mercy and love keep Him from removing all sin immediately and destroying all men in the process. When we know that God is going to deal with sin and don't tremble it is because we have forgotten how deep our sin nature runs. When Isaiah thought that he was a dead man and shouted at the revelation of God's holiness (Isaiah 6:5) it wasn't simply because of the separateness of God's holiness but he also had a sudden knowledge that our God is a consuming fire and a fear that he would find out firsthand about that fire (Isaiah 33:14).

 

Isaiah 66:3-4

"He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig's blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations; I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them, because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight."

All the ritual sacrifices become an offence when they come from those who seek their own ways, delight in things that God has forbidden, and ignore God's Word. Israel had a problem with incorporating false religions into their lives (Ezekiel 8). In these verses Isaiah pairs the permissible with the impermissible. When your heart is divided it is separated from our Holy God. You can't stand divided in the presence of God. Even stuff can divide our hearts and separate us from God (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). In the context here with Isaiah wrapping up I think we need to prepare for another series of verses with prophetic telescoping of time.

 

Isaiah 66:5

Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his word: "Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my name's sake have said, 'Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy'; but it is they who shall be put to shame.

Ahaz and Hezekiah were likely in Isaiah's mind when he was inspired to write this verse. Isaiah would have had many who expressed the attitude that God should show up and fulfill what they wanted Him to do. They would have ridiculed Isaiah as naïve and unaware of the political situation. But flash forward and consider this prophecy in the light of Christ. He was despised and rejected by men. He heard the "If you are the Son of God …" introduction from the tempter (Matthew 4:3) and from men to begin their sinful responses to His light (Matthew 27:43). And yet Jesus knew that their lack of love for Him was to their shame (John 8:42).

 

Isaiah 66:6

"The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the LORD, rendering recompense to his enemies!

This sounds like a prophecy of the events recorded in Matthew 27:51-54 "And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many." This would have caused an uproar and a sound in the temple. The curtain was ripped in two from top to bottom and God's presence departed from the temple.

 

Then we see the fulfillment of God's presence coming to dwell in the hearts of believers through the Holy Spirit making one nation of many different nations (Acts 2). What a tremendous fulfillment of promise. I think the following describe the outpouring of God's Spirit in Acts chapter 2 in the first of many revivals.

 

Isaiah 66:7-14

"Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?" says the LORD; "shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?" says your God. "Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance." For thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the LORD shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.

I know that some apply this Scripture to the nation Israel. The continued existence of that nation is remarkable and I pray for revival there before the end times. However, it seems to me to be far more natural to the context to see this verse fulfilled in the Body of Christ as the Holy Spirit was poured out on the earth. We came into existence quickly by the power of God through the Holy Spirit. We are called the Holy Nation and God calls us Israel and Jerusalem. The picture of milk points forward to new believers who need spiritual milk to grow and get it from the Church (1 Corinthians 3:2; Hebrews 5:12-13; 1 Peter 2:2). Peter saw 3000 come into the Kingdom in one day. But God's judgment was also on the way for the earthly city.

 

Isaiah 66:15-17

"For behold, the LORD will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire will the LORD enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the LORD shall be many. "Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig's flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the LORD.

After Pentecost in the mid-thirties AD about 35 years later a terrible judgment came upon the earthly city Jerusalem in 70 AD. The Jewish historian Josephus said that he hesitated to mention it because it seemed too strange to believe but many had told him that they saw and heard chariots in the air over Jerusalem in those days. It was a horrible time and the earthly temple was destroyed for what I think was the last time and never to be rebuilt again. The events in the first century drove the Church out from the Holy Land into other nations and eventually the world.

 

Isaiah 66:18-21

"For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the LORD.

And so He has built His Church from all nations. In hindsight we can understand the "bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord" since we know that God is grafting us in and making from all nations offspring for Abraham. Well if Isaiah is going to touch on the events surrounding the crucifixion, Pentecost, and the spread of the Church worldwide you know he must end with a look down through time to the final judgment.

 

Isaiah 66:22-24

"For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD. "And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."

So once again we touch on eschatology. Your personal view of the end times, to be consistent with Scripture, must include a remade heavens and earth along with our eternal life in worship of Him. In culmination, God's holiness has removed all sin. Judgment is also coming. God will be glorified either by a man as God's grace is poured out or in judgment on men. Hell and judgment aren't popular these days but they must also be included in your eschatology to be consistent with the Word. Hell will serve eternally to magnify the work of God that saved us by His grace and His mercy. We will never get over being thankful for our Salvation. Nunc dimittis.

The Prophecy of Isaiah – Lesson 55

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Today, we continue in Chapter 64 and keep in mind that we are in the summary section of Isaiah. Isaiah opens Chapter 64 with prayer and intercession for his nation.

Isaiah 64:1-4

Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence— 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! When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 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.

God had shown His power before and Isaiah's "Oh" in verse 1 has both an "Oh if only you would" and an "Oh if only you had" meaning. Motyer says, "We too who are so often baffled by the way the Lord runs the world can identify with the spirit which wonders why he has acted in some other way – why he has not done something to check evil, change circumstances and people, rescue his own – rather than, as it appears, doing nothing!" p. 519.

Of course we know that He all things are under His control and our ignorance is a stone that we fall on. We appropriate, by faith, the promise that God, "acts for those who wait for Him". That sort of waiting is patient, confident, and expectant. That sort of waiting is the normal Christian life. God calls on us (wait is in the imperfect tense) to have this as a habitual attitude. Think of the faithful servant who pays attention to his master to receive all that the master has for him and to give faithful service in all that the master calls him to do. That is a picture of waiting on God.

Isaiah 64:5-7

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? 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. 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.

Just like Romans 3:10-18 we find that none of us spontaneously call upon God's name, or take hold of Him, or seek Him. If God continually hides His face then we melt in the hand of our sin. When we neglect God in worship ("calls upon your name") and/or as our source of strength ("rouses himself to take hold of you") we find ourselves on dangerous ground even as Christians. The consequence is horrible for the unsaved if they ignore God and He ignores them because, in the end, God is glorified in judgment upon them. God will either be glorified by each man or He will be glorified in His judgment of that man.

Antony Flew died on April 8^th. The New York Times titled his obituary "Antony Flew, Philosopher and Ex-Atheist, Dies at 87". They said that when he decided that God probably did exist in 2004 the result was that he "dismayed the unbelieving faithful". In 2007 he co-wrote a book titled, "There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind". Christian apologists rejoiced at his comments and the "unbelieving faithful" rejected his arguments. Since they rejected Aristotle it only seems fair that they would reject Mr. Flew. I can say without any reasonable doubt that Antony Flew was smarter than anyone in this room. Based on what his friends and enemy's say about him, I would also suggest that he was more fair minded than anyone in this room. And yet, Scripture teaches that Mr. Flew (based on all we can know) is not going to be with the Church in the afterlife. He never believed in an afterlife and he said, "I want to be dead when I'm dead and that's an end to it. I don't want an unending life. I don't want anything without end." Mr. Flew doesn't get to decide that. I'm afraid that he is now in his 10^th day of eternity without any atonement for his sins. So we are not as smart as him or as fair minded as him but most if not all of us in this room are washed in the Blood of the Lamb. You had better be amazed by God's sovereign saving grace this morning and call upon His name and rouse yourself to take hold of Him.

Isaiah 64:8-12

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

Isaiah continues in intercessory prayer. I think the picture of the clay being beaten down by the potter in preparation for some other work is amazing here. The judgment is a preparation for forming a new people. We often have a happy picture of the potter making new things and forget the beating of the clay to mix it and remove air pockets so that the clay would be uniform and ready for becoming something useful. Isaiah is crying out that the preparation of the clay has gone on long enough and asks for God to end the punishment and speak. God speaks but it is not a word of comfort.

Isaiah 65:1-7

I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, "Here am I, here am I," to a nation that was not called by my name. I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks; who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat pig's flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels; who say, "Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you." These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day. Behold, it is written before me: "I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their bosom both your iniquities and your fathers' iniquities together, says the LORD; because they made offerings on the mountains and insulted me on the hills, I will measure into their bosom payment for their former deeds."

Read the history of what was going on in these days. It was a dark time with pagan practices permeating Judah and Jerusalem. We've discussed syncretism before in which God's people combine the practices of the religions and philosophies that surround them. This is something that we still do. It takes time and grows slowly and that is why looking back to the reformation and to the first century is so important. We tend to measure ourselves by the last generation and that is a very poor way to hold a straight line. Deviations just magnify with time and the first century Jerusalem was in this reprobate status (Romans 10:21) with the exception of those whom God saved. 

Isaiah 65:8-10

Thus says the LORD: "As the new wine is found in the cluster, and they say, 'Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,' so I will do for my servants' sake, and not destroy them all. I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, and from Judah possessors of my mountains; my chosen shall possess it, and my servants shall dwell there. Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for my people who have sought me.

So even in the winepress of His judgment, God will keep a people. God brings forth those who have sought Him. He continues to honor the unconditional covenant He made with Abraham and David. And of course you are a chosen people. You are the children of Abraham by adoption but that confers your status as children of Abraham more surely than your earthly heritage does. Once again remember that we'll see some of Isaiah that is his day, some that is Nehemiah's day, some Christ's day, and some the end times. Also remember that it will occur without warning. That is the hazard of talking with God who is transcendent. 

Isaiah 65:11-16

But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter, because, when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in." Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame; behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart and shall wail for breaking of spirit. You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse, and the Lord GOD will put you to death, but his servants he will call by another name. So that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my eyes.

God is going to come for a purified Church. He gives us food and drink, makes us rejoice and sing, gives us a new name, and causes us to look to Him for all our needs. In your spiritual life, He gives you communion, a rejoicing heart, the name Christian, and a reliance on Him for your righteousness. Your sins are forgotten and hidden from His eyes. So there you are again taking communion with a new name with your sins forgiven in 700 BC.

Isaiah 65:17-25

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain," says the LORD.

I went over this verse when I was discussing eschatology on Sunday nights. It seems to indicate that your eschatology must allow for a millennium in which Christ rules but has not yet judged the world since sinners are there but radical changes have occurred. This causes the most trouble for those of a premillennial view and you are all supposed to hold that view. However, most haven't really dealt with it in their minds. This is obviously not heaven (death, sinners, and babies are present) but, just as obviously, this has not yet occurred. Isaiah has jumped thousands of years to give us a view of an incredible time on earth. In these chapters Isaiah asked God if He would keep silent and He said no but judgment would come, a people with a new name would come, and someday His rule would radically change the way things work "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now (Romans 8:19-22). Amen.

The Prophecy of Isaiah – Lesson 54

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Today, we continue in Chapter 62 and need to keep in mind what God did in the Church. God is building us together as a Temple for worship in Zion. The Old Testament saints are not separate from us. The Old Testament saints are part of us.

 

Isaiah 62:1-4

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married.

We need to remember that we have come to Zion and are now part of Zion by God's mercy and Grace. We will make up Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2) some day as the Bride of the Lamb. Righteousness is ours. Salvation is ours. We are called by a new name because God did something that was surprising. We find these things in the New Testament. One place we see it is in Hebrews.

 

Hebrews 12:22-24

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

We are truly blessed. Our salvation is far greater than we know. Scripture gives this as a finished work. Even now, in a sense, we enjoy this heavenly position and because of the righteousness of Christ we can enter in to this without fear of judgment. Another important verse explaining this is found in Peter.

 

1 Peter 2:4-10

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

You yourself, if you are a Christian, are selected and placed within the spiritual house that God is building for the purpose of worshiping Him. Regardless of your race according to the flesh, your race is God's Chosen Race. As we think of the Church, our entire holy nation is a royal priesthood. We are possessed by God for a purpose. Our purpose is to glorify Him for calling us out of darkness into His light. John the Baptizer prophetically spoke of those who followed Christ as the bride (John 3:29) and the Book of Revelation fills out the idea (Revelation 21:2, 9; Revelation 22:17).

 

Isaiah 62: 5-7

For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. 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, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.

We see this prophecy fulfilled explicitly in the Apostle Paul with regard to the Church when he (acting as a watchman) is correcting the theology of the Corinthians and he says, "For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:2). When we see a passion for service and scripture in our youth then we need to remember to thank God and, in prayer, give Him not rest until He establishes Jerusalem (Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven).

 

Isaiah 62:8-9

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; 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."

I think the question you must ask here is, "Is this an Old Testament foreshadowing of communion?" We see spiritual fulfillment of many of the associated verses. The warnings against an unworthy participation in the Lord's Supper in the New Testament (especially bringing disharmony to communion; 1 Corinthians 11:27-32) seem consistent with God's provision for protecting the produce from enemies here. It seems we should at least say it is consistent with communion. The grain would then be the bread and the wine would be the cup of communion and there is no room for the unsaved at communion and even a Christian is warned to be sure and "discern" the Body of Christ (display a harmony in the Body) in communion. God is the one who is fencing the table of His provision in this case. He will give our grain and wine to us and not to anyone else.

 

Isaiah 62:10-12

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. 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." And they shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken

This is consistent with numerous New Testament Scriptures referring to the Church. Most of this we've just discussed in the verses from Hebrews 12 and 1 Peter 2. We know we are the heavenly Zion, we enter in by the gate which is Jesus (John 10:7-9), we are the Holy Nation, once we were not a people but now we are God's people so we are redeemed. God will never forsake His heavenly Zion nor His building there. We are sought out and not seekers except as driven by the Holy Spirit (Luke 19:10; Romans 3:11). People seek (Matthew 7:7-8) but they seek as sheep looking for the sheepfold under the ministry of the Shepherd as a vast quantity of Old Testament and New Scripture indicates.

 

Isaiah 63:1-6

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." Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? "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."

Judgment is coming. Edom means red and Bozrah means vintage referring to a winepress. We saw that Jesus stopped at the comma in 61:1-3. Someday the final judgment will occur and give meaning to the word justice. Without God throne, justice is an empty word that describes an imaginary concept. One striking motif in these verses is that the Anointed One is working out both salvation and judgment by Himself. The hearts of men failed utterly (Romans 3) apart from the Holy Spirit. God will either be glorified in your life or upon you in judgment. His justice is perfect. You want Grace and mercy. In the end, we will glorify Him even for His judgment of sinners.

 

From the following verse to the end of the book of Isaiah we find remembrance and prayer for what God has done and will do for His people.

 

Isaiah 63:7-9

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. For he said, "Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely." And he became their Savior. 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.

These verses set of a period of remembering God's faithfulness to His people and even in their judgment in Egypt God was there and He heard them crying out and redeemed them. He didn't redeem because of their nature. He redeemed because of His promises to Abraham and David based in mercy and Grace.

 

Isaiah 63:10-14

But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. 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, 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, who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. 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.

God was faithful to keep a people even when judgment was required. Isaiah is calling for God to manifest Himself again like He did before to guide and dwell in the midst of His people.

 

Isaiah 63:15-17

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. 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. 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. Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary. We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name.

The struggle for Isaiah is why he is dwelling faithfully in an unfaithful land. He cries out to God for His intervention in the life of His nation. Israel doesn't listen to Isaiah and turn from their error. He also knows that God in His mercy could turn Israel around but He doesn't. We often can't understand why God shows mercy in some cases and not in others. However, remember that mercy is never required. By definition mercy is delivered as an act of undeserved favor or blessing. They can never claim that God was unfair. They can only claim that He was just. Our sovereign God can make us (as an unsaved people or nation) wander from His ways simply by removing His hand of correction and harden our hearts so that we never think twice.

 

We, as Christians enjoy a special position in which God will discipline us as a father to correct us. We may not think that conviction of sin is pleasant or His discipline is pleasant but the product is the preservation of my soul for heaven. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

 

The Prophecy of Isaiah – Lesson 53

Audio

Today, as we begin in chapter 60, God keeps telescoping time so be aware that we will be jumping in some verses from Isaiah's day (about 700 BC) to Jesus day (about 33 AD) to the end of time at least thousands of years after Isaiah.

 

Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you. Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut, that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious. Isaiah 60:10-13

These verses point to a restoration and we did see that in the time of Nehemiah. The verses also indicate a time of blessing like the reign of David or Solomon. Remember the reference to Tarshish just last week because of the shipping trade. In these verses the security of the nation is shown by the open gates. Like Solomon's day, the nations bring their wealth and their best products for the temple. God's foot rest is an expanding concept in Scripture. First, it is the Ark of the Covenant (Psalm 132:7; 1 Chronicles 28:2). Secondly, it is the Temple (Ezekiel 43:7). Thirdly, it is the entire world (Isaiah 66:1). Here the Isaiah focus is on the Temple first but then in Jesus' day there is a focus on his actual feet in the actual Temple that was prepared between Nehemiah's day and Jesus' day. Then as God pulls the Church out of all nations and races of mankind we have the earth as His footstool.

 

The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Isaiah 60:14-16

Now we are beginning a jump to the end times. I don't want to belittle the restoration that has occurred but we have yet to see this fully worked out in the nation Israel prior to Jesus or the Church post Jesus. So in the kingdom age, regardless of your millennial persuasion, there will be no constant fighting between Israel and other nations. On the contrary the relationship will be intimate and God will be uniformly acknowledged as Savior and Redeemer.

 

Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. Isaiah 60:17-20

This is clearly an end times or eschatological verse that begins poetically by describing how God will raise the level of blessing so that only metals are used in building. No stones or wood will be used in building. In Isaiah's day, this is a very blessed and wealthy way to go. They are driven and motivated by peace and righteousness. No violence or destruction is present. They wall of protection is Salvation. The gates of commerce are Praise. No sun or moon is present but only God and the light of His glory. So this is another partial picture of the millennial rule of Christ over His Church.

 

Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it. Isaiah 60:21-22

This continues the millennial blessings and seems to indicate that no unbelievers will be present or at least no tares will be growing with the wheat. In any case it is all God's work that He will be glorified and He promises to do it in the right time.

 

Now sometimes Jesus will help us out and tell us specifically when a prophecy is fulfilled. I'm going to stop at a comma on verse 2 of Chapter 61. It will likely be the only time I stop in the middle of a verse in this approximately 1 year study of Isaiah. But I'm stopping because Christ stopped.

 

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, Isaiah 61:1-2a

After His 40 day fast Jesus started His ministry and He read these verses in Nazareth, sat down, and then said "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in you hearing." We know for sure when this one was fulfilled. However, notice that it came right after a portion that telescoped to the end of time. That is typical but at least we have Christ's own words telling us when this one was fulfilled.

 

Note that Jesus stopped in mid-verse. Now this comma is a long comma. Many people say that this is a 2000+ year comma but I think it may be best to think of it as a 40 year comma. I think you'll likely decide based on your millennial view.

 

… and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. Isaiah 61:2b-3

I think that the context fits better with an interpretation of a 40 year comma. The "day of vengeance of our God" would then indicate the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Then the following verses describe the establishment of the Church. Jesus stopped where He did on purpose because it wasn't yet the day of vengeance or for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that would come after His resurrection (after Easter). We can see that God did plant oaks of righteousness for us in the early Church so that those pastorates, and we after them, have enjoyed the gifts of beauty, gladness, praise, and righteousness. I think that we clearly see the way in which the establishment of the Church was comfort to those who mourn in Zion. They didn't expect the resurrection and they were hiding in an upper room even after the resurrection. It was Pentecost (May 23, 2010 this year) when the Holy Spirit empowered us as a body to accomplish the works that God has called us to do.

 

They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; but you shall be called the priests of the LORD; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. Isaiah 61:4-6

The Church rapidly began to be a group of strangers and foreigners who were being blest and built up spiritually into the dwelling place of God. We are priests and ministers by God's calling and power and the wealth and glory of the nations are their people and we call them into the Kingdom.

 

Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed. Isaiah 61:7-9

God's work on the Cross frees us from shame and we have a double portion don't we. Our sins are forgiven and His righteousness imputed to us. We learn to rejoice in our lot and then in our eternal land we'll have a double portion and everlasting joy. God loves justice and without Him it has no meaning on this planet. God's covenant with us is everlasting and we have the confidence that we'll be kept safe through to eternity and not fall away. As the Church we are to be a light on a hill. From age to age the nations will be able to look on the true church and acknowledge that we are the offspring of Abraham and that God has blessed us.

 

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations. Isaiah 61:10-11

What else could we say than this for Easter Sunday? Blessed be the Holy One of God. He has looked on our condition and given us a crown on our head instead of the ashes that should be there. He has made us a Holy Nation, a Royal Priesthood. God has caused us to sprout up in His imputed righteousness and praise to come out of our mouths by His power in Spirit and in truth. He is risen. He is risen indeed.

The Prophecy of Isaiah – Lesson 52

Audio

Today in chapter 59 God gives some specific reasons that He will not intervene or stop the Babylonian captivity.

 

Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Isaiah 59:1-2

It is never a lack of ability or awareness in our omnipotent and omniscient God that makes it appear from our point of view that He doesn't care or can't hear us. We don't want to assume that all trials are associated with a sin driven separation between us and God. Some trials, like those of Job, we simply can't understand. However, for us, the Church, and our nation it makes sense to ask God and if He shows you sin to ask for mercy and forgiveness in prayer. In this context God give specific examples of sin through Isaiah's prophecy.

 

For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness. No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.

Isaiah 59:3-4

The sin identified here is very well known to us. The law is used for personal gain and motivation is driven by lust and pride rather than by a desire for justice worked out with a fear of God and humility. Isaiah compares the spread of this attitude in their court system to harboring snake eggs and dressing yourself in spider webs.

 

They hatch adders' eggs; they weave the spider's web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched. Their webs will not serve as clothing; men will not cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace. Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among those in full vigor we are like dead men.

Isaiah 59:5-10

I wish this didn't seem so relevant to my time and place in history. I wish I could just look at this in the context of Israel in 700 BC. I wish I didn't worry that God will need to apologize to Israel of 700 BC if He doesn't judge us soon. We have the Statue of Justice as a symbol in many courts. For the last 500 years or so she has typically been blindfolded to symbolize an impartial judge with a sword in one hand and scales in the other. But we've selected a image of a pagan goddess (Justitia or the Greek Dikē) and giving someone a sword and a balance while they're blindfolded may lead to darkness, gloom, groping like blind, and stumbling in the daytime. God loves justice and when those in positions of authority abuse their position then God takes notice. We can pray for our nation and make sure that we act in a righteous manner.

 

We all growl like bears; we moan and moan like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: transgressing, and denying the LORD, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.

Isaiah 59:11-15

The condition of our nation should move us to pray but mostly it just moves us to complain. If we want justice and salvation then it can come from only one place. No man will ever provide it apart from the mercy and grace of God. Here we have transgressing against God, denying the Lord what is His, turning back from following God, speaking against government, and lying. God will put a limit to injustice and sin and we can trust Him in all situations. Christians in the first century had much more difficult times than us. They taught a respect for authority because they knew the biblical truth that there is no authority except that authority that is under God. Even Nero couldn't get outside the hedges that God set. God was going to use the Roman Empire to judge Jerusalem long after the Babylonian captivity but God was going to save and build His Church in a new way with an indwelling Holy Spirit.

 

He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment. So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives. "And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression," declares the LORD. "And as for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD: "My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring," says the LORD, "from this time forth and forevermore."

Isaiah 59:16-21

God brought salvation when no one could be the intercessor between God and man. Christ was perfectly righteous and zealous for God's law. God established a new covenant that has continued 2000 years as the Holy Spirit has built and kept the Church and those who are Abrahams children according to faith have been kept in the Church confessing the Word.

 

The vengeance for clothing addresses the atonement in which our sins were paid for and God's just punishment was paid as well as the judgment of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans in 70 AD shortly after Christ's work. The beauty here is found in the work of God in establishing the Church made up of all those who are born again.

 

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

Isaiah 60:1-5

We do have multiple ways to see fulfillment in many places. I don't want to pass over the partial fulfillment in the reconstruction of the Temple prior to Jesus' day. However, think of how beautifully this was fulfilled in Pentecost and in the Church age as all sorts of people have been brought into the Body of Christ. Sometimes the fulfillments just seem to jump out at us. We wait for Christ to be revealed in all His glory but think about the wise men who brought gifts to Christ and the shepherds when you hear the following verses.

 

A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will beautify my beautiful house.

Isaiah 60:6-7

Gentiles will make acceptable offerings and in fact will become acceptable offerings. God glorifies Christ as the Temple incarnate as all races and nations are called to worship Him.

 

Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows? For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful.

Isaiah 60:8-9

I love it that Isaiah mentioned Tarshish because it reminds me of how God used Saul of Tarshish. Think of how God used Saul who became Paul as a ship to bring the sons and daughters of Abraham from afar along with all they have as living sacrifices before God.

 

As we think of our praise and worship of Christ on Palm Sunday, we can remember and rejoice that our worship is acceptable because of the name of the Lord our God and because of the Holy One of Israel. The work on the Cross makes you beautiful. Apart from that glorious work we should be struck dead after uttering the first two words of the Lord's Prayer. We get to pray "Our Father" and not be guilty of blasphemy on top of all our other sins because of that perfect work on the Cross that took the righteous and just punishment for our sin. We are now clothed in the righteousness of Christ and that makes us beautiful.

The Prophecy of Isaiah – Lesson 51

Audio

Today we continue in chapter 58. One thing I didn't want to leave unsaid about verses 1-3 is that we must never approach God in that way. I ran into an example this week of a child who had been raised in the church and was active in the church but as an adult lost his job. He prayed and believed that he got no answer and therefore has declared himself an atheist. Trials reveal the heart and this person, despite all earlier appearances, was using God as a lucky rabbit's foot. He was willing to serve God as long as it worked. God condemns this sort of approach. There is the way that seems right to a man but then God shows where the heart of man fails and misleads. First of all we need to confess that this is a common attitude in service to God and repent from this when God shows it to us in our hearts. Secondly, when we see a man's sin nature show up like this (for example, a person who gave ever appearance of loving God who then declared himself an atheist) then we need to make sure we are more amazed by Grace than the fallen nature of man. What I mean by that is that you should not be amazed that someone's sin nature leads them astray after pretending to be a believer. You should be amazed that the Holy Spirit keeps you from falling away.

 

Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?

Isaiah 58:4-5

God says that the only thing produced by their fast is quarrels and fighting. Think of a bunch of folks who are only fasting to satisfy a selfish desire and living together with low blood sugar. It is just a question of the first punch. The fasting had become ritualized and was expected to result in a product. They worked under the assumption that bowing plus sackcloth and ashes would get them what they wanted. God said they only got quarreling as a result of low blood sugar. Their voices never got past the ceiling.

 

"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Isaiah 58:6-7

When we fast God's way then He wants our hearts and actions to be lined up. Our compassion and our surrender to God's agape love should be the driver of the fast.

 

We are to use the resources from our self sacrifice (the fast) to stand against social injustice, feed the hungry, house the homeless, cloth the naked, and not forget to bless our own families. We are supposed to do this without looking like we are fasting. Of course all of this, can only be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus speaks about heart attitude in times of fasting and the proximity of His teaching on where you store up treasure is no accident.

 

"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:16-21

So you set yourself aside temporarily to bless others. We are in "Lent" as we approach Easter and this has traditionally been a period in which Christians fast. So you may take some of your resources and give them up to bless someone else.

 

Find a way to use the reduced resources to draw you into closer fellowship with God and move the value of those resources to people who need them. Ask God and see if He has some ideas.

 

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.' If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.

Isaiah 58:8-12

God says over and over that you must allow the Holy Spirit to make you selfless and repent from being selfish. However, we don't want to hear that and effectively stop our ears. We say "yeah but" thing so fast we can't hear what God wants us to do.

 

Keep in mind that this isn't a method. It is the right way to submit yourself a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1). God says that it is reasonable (in light of His grace and mercy) to put aside what you want and use the value of those "wants" to bless others. And when you give up a meal, or a new "something", or cut corners in some other way, then you haven't done anything praiseworthy.

 

You have simply done what a servant should do for his master. Pre-Lenten celebrations like Mardi Gras vividly show that any fast that follows is false and pointless. Jesus told us how we should approach our duties as servants. It is an attitude you need to have.

 

"Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at table'? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.' "

Luke 17:7-10

When we give up what is ours and to someone else then we've only done our duty before God. We have done nothing meritorious. We are Gods servants and He calls us to be servants to others. God will set us as a light on a hill if we obey. In a land that loves darkness we may not be loved but we will be part of God's movement and see revival.

 

Our obedience doesn't manipulate God into blessing us. That was the very error that God criticized in the first part of Isaiah 58. God blesses us because of His grace and mercy. God makes special demands on our time.

 

"If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Isaiah 58:13-14

God tells us to watch our step on the Sabbath. In other words, be careful and think about your activities. The Sabbath is not normally a fasting day but a feasting day. You don't seek your own pleasure or live without considering God's demands on your day of rest. You seek God, you seek to be pleasing to Him in a special way, and you focus on Scripture.

 

The real feast of the Sabbath is in the heritage of God's promises and covenants to the Old Testament saints. We find ourselves in these covenants as we live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

 

I realize that dealing seriously with an observation of a day of rest is an alien concept in our society. We could certainly say more about the move from Saturday to Sunday as well. However, keeping a day holy to God is not ritual law or legalism. If you make it legalism then you'll be back at the beginning of Isaiah 58 wasting your time.

 

I'd like to simply say you need the day to focus on the things of God and rest. That is true enough. If I could simply convince you that you'll be healthier and happier then maybe you'd consider working to observe this rest from your labors to focus on God. However, the problem we have is that you'll be ignoring a command of our Holy God.

 

When you pray the Lord's Prayer you have been saying "hallowed be Thy name". We each need to take a serious look at God's commands that are related to hallowing His name. If we are going to ignore a holy day within the week then we should stop referring to the 10 commandments since we only see 9.