Wednesday 06/22/22
Series: Thru the Bible
Message: The Deliverance I give is Permanent
Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:19:47 — 139.8MB)
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The Deliverance I give is Permanent
As the prophecies of Isaiah continue, they become more and more dual referenced, only as we approach the end of the book of his prophecies they are actually more focused upon the future covenant cut and ratified in the blood of Messiah, the light of the gospel, the permanence of that deliverance and the bringing in of the Gentiles than it is about their temporal deliverances from earthly enemies.
Isaiah 51:1-23,
“(1) Listen to Me, you who pursue godliness, who seek the LORD! Look at the rock from which you were chiseled, at the quarry from which you were dug!
(2) Look at Abraham, your father, and Sarah, who gave you birth. When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, but I blessed him and gave him numerous descendants.”
Under the New Covenant we are encouraged to do the same. Consider those who have gone before us, who ran well, who through total reliance upon God obtained a good report and whose lives serve as an ongoing witness to the blessed state of those who believe.
Heb. 12:1-3, “(1) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, (2) keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for Him He endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God. (3) Think of Him Who endured such opposition against Himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.”
Both encouragements are for inspiring and fanning the flames of hope.
“(3) Certainly the LORD will console Zion; He will console all her ruins. He will make her wilderness like Eden, her arid rift valley like the Garden of the LORD. Happiness and joy will be restored to her, thanksgiving and the sound of music.
(4) Pay attention to Me, My people!
Listen to Me, My people!For I will issue a decree, I will make My justice a light to the nations.
(5) I am ready to vindicate, I am ready to deliver, I will establish justice among the nations.
This reference of Messiah and Israel being a light to the nations has already occurred twice…
Isaiah 42:6, “I, the LORD, officially commission You; I take hold of Your hand. I protect You and make You a covenant mediator for people, and a light to the nations,”
Isaiah 49:6, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be My Servant, to reestablish the tribes of Jacob, and restore the remnant of Israel? I will make You a light to the nations, so you can bring My deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”
The coastlands wait patiently for Me; they wait in anticipation for the revelation of My power.
“(6) Look up at the sky! Look at the earth below! For the sky will dissipate like smoke, and the earth will wear out like clothes; its residents will die like gnats.
But the deliverance I give is permanent; the vindication I provide will not disappear.”
The only deliverance which is permanent is the spiritual deliverance offered under the New Covenant which eventuates even in our permanent physical deliverance!
“(7) Listen to Me, you who know what is right, you people who are aware of My law! Don’t be afraid of the insults of men; don’t be discouraged because of their abuse! (8) For a moth will eat away at them like clothes; a clothes moth will devour them like wool. But the vindication I provide will be permanent; the deliverance I give will last.”
This is an ongoing warning and encouragement – do not let earthly things and people dissuade you or intimidate you off of your course!
God now calls upon Jesus – the Living Word to come and do His redeeming work. Jesus – the Holy One – the One Who is to crush the serpent, who split the Red Sea, Who gave Leviathan to the Israelites as food in the wilderness…
“(9) Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the LORD! Wake up as in former times, as in antiquity!
Did you not smash the Proud One?
Did you not wound the sea monster?
(10) Did you not dry up the sea, the waters of the great deep?
Did you not make a path through the depths of the sea, so those delivered from bondage could cross over?(11) Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return; they will enter Zion with a happy shout. Unending joy will crown them, happiness and joy will overwhelm them; grief and suffering will disappear.
(12) “I, I am the One Who consoles you. Why are you afraid of mortal men, of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass?
(13) Why do you forget the LORD, Who made you, Who stretched out the sky and founded the earth?
Why do you constantly tremble all day long at the anger of the oppressor, when he makes plans to destroy?
Where is the anger of the oppressor?”
“(14) The one who suffers will soon be released; he will not die in prison, he will not go hungry.
(15) I am the LORD your God, Who churns up the sea so that its waves surge. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is His name!
(16) I commission You as My spokesman; I cover You with the palm of My hand, to establish the sky and to found the earth, to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
Now God calls upon His covenant people Israel to snap out of their intoxication in judgment in preparation of their deliverance. He is calling them to prepare, make ready and BE ready for Messiah’s arrival!
“(17) Wake up! Wake up! Get up, O Jerusalem! You drank from the cup the LORD passed to you, which was full of His anger! You drained dry the goblet full of intoxicating wine. (18) There was no one to lead her among all the children she bore; there was no one to take her by the hand among all the children she raised.
(19) These double disasters confronted you. But who feels sorry for you?
Destruction and devastation, famine and sword. But who consoles you?
(20) Your children faint; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a snare. They are left in a stupor by the LORD’s anger, by the battle cry of your God.
(21) So listen to this, oppressed one, who is drunk, but not from wine! (22) This is what your Sovereign LORD, even your God Who judges His people says:
“Look, I have removed from your hand the cup of intoxicating wine, the goblet full of My anger. You will no longer have to drink it. (23) I will put it into the hand of your tormentors who said to you,
‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’
You made your back like the ground, and like the street for those who walked over you.”
Isaiah 52:1-15,
“(1) Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful clothes, O Jerusalem, holy city!For uncircumcised and unclean pagans will no longer invade you.
(2) Shake off the dirt! Get up, captive Jerusalem! Take off the iron chains around your neck, O captive daughter Zion! (3) For this is what the LORD says:
“You were sold for nothing, and you will not be redeemed for money.”
(4) For this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
“In the beginning My people went to live temporarily in Egypt; Assyria oppressed them for no good reason. (5) And now, what do we have here?” says the LORD.
“Indeed My people have been carried away for nothing, those who rule over them taunt,” says the LORD, “and My name is constantly slandered all day long. (6) For this reason My people will know My name, for this reason they will know at that time that I am the One Who says, ‘Here I am.’”
“(7) How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains the feet of a Messenger Who announces peace, a Messenger Who brings good news, Who announces deliverance, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Paul references this passage in Romans 10:15, saying, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!”
Like the Angels who told the shepherds that what was given to Israel that night was a Savior Who in Himself was the message of Good News!
“(8) Listen, your watchmen shout; in unison they shout for joy, for they see with their very own eyes the LORD’s return to Zion.
(9) In unison give a joyful shout, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the LORD consoles His people; He protects Jerusalem.
(10) The LORD reveals His royal power in the sight of all the nations; the entire earth sees our God deliver.”
“(11) Leave! Leave! Get out of there! Don’t touch anything unclean! Get out of it! Stay pure, you who carry the LORD’s holy items!
(12) Yet do not depart quickly or leave in a panic. For the LORD goes before you; the God of Israel is your rear guard.”
Again Paul references this passage in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18,
“(14) Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness? (15) And what agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? (16) And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols?
For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said,
“I will live in them and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
(17) Therefore “come out from their midst, and be separate,” says the Lord, “and touch no unclean thing, and I will welcome you, (18) and I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” says the All-Powerful Lord.”
Isaiah 52…
“(13) “Look, My servant will succeed! He will be elevated, lifted high, and greatly exalted – (14) (just as many were horrified by the sight of You) He was so disfigured He no longer looked like a man; His form was so marred He no longer looked human – (15) so now He will startle many nations. Kings will be shocked by His exaltation, for they will witness something unannounced to them, and they will understand something they had not heard about.”
Between these verses and those we are about to read we receive an even clearer picture of the suffering and death of Messiah than we even have in the gospels.
His body was more marred than any man by the flogging, the beatings, the crucifixion and more than anything else – by the sins of the world being placed upon Him IN HIS FLESH. He bore this for you and me!
God now predicts how unbelieving Israel will not see their day of deliverance or recognize their Messiah when He comes.
Isaiah 53:1-12,
“(1) Who would have believed what we just heard?
When was the LORD’s power revealed through Him?
(2) He sprouted up like a twig before God, like a root out of parched soil; He had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should want to follow Him.”
Consider these words.
Who has believed our report is the way Paul recalls these words in Romans 10.
Jesus is said to be a sprouted twig shooting up out of parched and dry ground.
What ground? The ground of Israel. The people we read earlier were quarried from people like faithful Abraham and Sarah!
He would NOT be what they were expecting! What is this but a warning to NOT have preconceived ideas?
Jesus was not the conquering King-hero they imagined.
He was not of noble birth, He was not a natural warrior, He was not even born in a note-worthy town or birthed in a normal home.
All of these things however were predicted in one way or another through the Old Testament prophets!
As we read last week, God is truly a God Who hides Himself, but He does not hide well. The point of His hiding is that He cannot be found by those who are not seeking Him, but those who are seeking Him will find Him. He is the proverbial man with the lamb shade on his head in a corner, and every child who lovingly seeks to find – will find He is not hard to seek.
Let’s read the words of Paul here in this and the previous context.
Romans 10:1-21,
“(1) Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites is for their salvation.
(2) For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth. (3) For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
(4) For Christ is the end of the law, FOR righteousness to everyone who believes.
(5) For Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law:
“The one who does these things will live by them.”
(6) But the righteousness that is by faith says:
“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) (7) or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
(8) But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we preach), (9) because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
(10) For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation.
(11) For the scripture says, “Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” [Isa. 28:16]
(12) For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, Who richly blesses all who call on Him. (13) For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (14) How are they to call on One they have not believed in?
And how are they to believe in One they have not heard of?
And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them?
(15) And how are they to preach unless they are sent?As it is written, “How timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news.”
As I’ve said many times, language is such a beautiful thing. It is both cryptic and revealing at the same moment. The words “how beautiful are the feet” are here translated as “how timely the arrival”.
Both are true and that – for the same reasons.
The reason it is beautiful is because it is timely.
Jesus came at a pivotal time in human history when even pagan nations were longing for a transcendent peace which could not be given by rulers, military power or laws – but had to be inward. In that geography of the heart which cannot be touched or spoiled by external conditions. This was even attested to in literature, plays, philosophies and poems of that time.
It was into a world such as this that Jesus was born!
“(16) But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says,
“Lord, who has believed our report?” [Isa. 53:1]
(17) Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.
(18) But I ask, have they not heard?
Yes, they have: Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.
(19) But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand?
First Moses says,
“I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger.”(20) And Isaiah is even bold enough to say,
“I was found by those who did not seek Me; I became well known to those who did not ask for Me.”(21) But about Israel he says, “All day long I held out My hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!” [Isa. 65:1,2]
Isaiah 53…
“(3) He was despised and rejected by people, One Who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from Him; He was despised, and we considered Him insignificant.
(4) But He lifted up our illnesses, He carried our pain; even though we thought He was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something He had done.
(5) He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; He endured punishment that made us well; because of His wounds we have been healed.
(6) All of us had wandered off like sheep; each of us had strayed off on his own path, but the LORD caused the sin of all of us to attack Him.
(7) He was treated harshly and afflicted, but He did not even open His mouth.
Like a Lamb led to the slaughtering block, like a sheep silent before her shearers, He did not even open His mouth.
(8) He was led away after an unjust trial – but who even cared?
Indeed, He was cut off from the land of the living; because of the rebellion of His Own people He was wounded.
(9) They intended to bury Him with criminals, but He ended up in a rich man’s tomb, because He had committed no violent deeds, nor had He spoken deceitfully.
(10) Though the LORD desired to crush Him and make Him ill, once restitution is made, He will see descendants and enjoy long life, and the LORD’s purpose will be accomplished through Him.
(11) Having suffered, He will reflect on His work, He will be satisfied when He understands what He has done.
“My servant will acquit many, for He carried their sins. (12) So I will assign Him a portion with the multitudes, He will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, because He willingly submitted to death and was numbered with the rebels, when He lifted up the sin of many and intervened on behalf of the rebels.”
Isaiah 54:1-17,
“Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth!
Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate one are more numerous than the children of the married woman,” says the LORD.
(2) Make your tent larger, stretch your tent curtains farther out! Spare no effort, lengthen your ropes, and pound your stakes deep. (3) For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your children will conquer nations and will resettle desolate cities.
(4) Don’t be afraid, for you will not be put to shame!
Don’t be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated!You will forget about the shame you experienced in your youth; you will no longer remember the disgrace of your abandonment.
(5) For your husband is the One Who made you – the LORD of Heaven’s Armies is His name.
He is your Protector, the Holy One of Israel.
He is called “God of the entire earth.”
(6) “Indeed, the LORD will call you back like a wife who has been abandoned and suffers from depression, like a young wife when she has been rejected,” says your God.(7) “For a short time I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather you.
(8) In a burst of anger I rejected you momentarily, but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,” says your protector, the LORD.
(9) “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time, when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood would never again cover the earth.
In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you. (10) Even if the mountains are removed and the hills displaced, My devotion will not be removed from you, nor will My covenant of friendship be displaced,” says the LORD, the One Who has compassion on you.
(11) “O afflicted one, driven away, and unconsoled! Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony and I lay your foundation with lapis lazuli.
(12) I will make your pinnacles out of gems, your gates out of beryl, and your outer wall out of beautiful stones.
(13) All your children will be followers of the LORD, and your children will enjoy great prosperity.
(14) You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. You will not experience oppression; indeed, you will not be afraid. You will not be terrified, for nothing frightening will come near you.
(15) If anyone dares to challenge you, it will not be My doing!
Whoever tries to challenge you will be defeated.
(16) Look, I create the craftsman, who fans the coals into a fire and forges a weapon. I create the destroyer so he might devastate.
(17) No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed; you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you. This is what the LORD will do for His servants – I will vindicate them,” says the LORD.’
Isaiah 55:1-13,
“Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water!
You who have no money, come! Buy and eat!
Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without cost!
(2) Why pay money for something that will not nourish you?
Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy?Listen carefully to Me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food!
(3) Pay attention and come to Me! Listen, so you can live!
Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David.
(4) Look, I made him a witness to nations, a ruler and commander of nations.”
(5) Look, you will summon nations you did not previously know; nations that did not previously know you will run to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for He bestows honor on you.
(6) Seek the LORD while He makes Himself available; call to Him while He is nearby!
(7) The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle and sinful people their plans. They should return to the LORD, and He will show mercy to them, and to their God, for He will freely forgive them.
(8) “Indeed, My plans are not like your plans, and My deeds are not like your deeds,” says the LORD, (9) “for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so My deeds are superior to your deeds and My plans superior to your plans.
(10) The rain and snow fall from the sky and do not return, but instead water the earth and make it produce and yield crops, and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat.
(11) In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to Me, having accomplished nothing.
No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend.”
(12) Indeed you will go out with joy; you will be led along in peace; the mountains and hills will give a joyful shout before you, and all the trees in the field will clap their hands.
(13) Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes, firs will grow in place of nettles; they will be a monument to the LORD, a permanent reminder that will remain.”
Isaiah 56:1-12,
“(1) This is what the LORD says,
“Promote justice! Do what is right! For I am ready to deliver you; I am ready to vindicate you openly.(2) The people who do this will be blessed, the people who commit themselves to obedience, who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, who refrain from doing anything that is wrong.
(3) No foreigner who becomes a follower of the LORD should say,
‘The LORD will certainly exclude Me from His people.’The eunuch should not say, ‘Look, I am like a dried-up tree.’”
(4) For this is what the LORD says: “For the eunuchs who observe My Sabbaths and choose what pleases Me and are faithful to My covenant, (5) I will set up within My temple and My walls a monument that will be better than sons and daughters. I will set up a permanent monument for them that will remain.
(6) As for foreigners who become followers of the LORD and serve Him, who love the name of the LORD and want to be His servants – all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, and who are faithful to My covenant – (7) I will bring them to My holy mountain; I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to Me. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.”
(8) The Sovereign LORD says this, the One Who gathers the dispersed of Israel:
“I will still gather them up.”(9) All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour, all you wild animals in the forest!
“(10) All their watchmen are blind, they are unaware. All of them are like mute dogs, unable to bark. They pant, lie down, and love to snooze. (11) The dogs have big appetites; they are never full. They are shepherds who have no understanding; they all go their own way, each one looking for monetary gain.
(12) Each one says, ‘Come on, I’ll get some wine! Let’s guzzle some beer! Tomorrow will be just like today! We’ll have everything we want!’”
These “watchmen” are the spiritual leaders – priests, scribes, pharisees and prophets of Israel. They were like sentinels on the wall, watching for news of attack or of victory.
They should have been ready, as we read earlier, knowing the signs of His coming and familiar with what to watch for…but not only were they blind, they were greedy for gain. They were envious of Messiah as if in competition with Him. They were hungry for the sheep who belonged to Him!
Oh if only their blindness had been accompanied with being mute. They may have saved themselves and those who heard them from further deception!
…and this is where it comes home to roost. Today, we as His priests are the watchman. We again wait and watch for His return and that which makes us ready is the oil in our lamps.
Blessings!
