As we concluded yesterday's study we found the Lord cautioning the people of Isaiah's nation not to seek help in the places where the pagan nations seek help. They are to seek help from Him. They are to remain faithful to Him, having nothing to do with idols. In time He will defeat their every enemy---including sin, death, and Satan himself.
"All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all." (Isaiah 41:11-12) The Lord has already allowed many nations and regimes, which were the enemies of the Jewish people, to fall. He will continue to keep the promise He made to Abraham that anyone who curses his descendants will be cursed and that anyone who blesses his descendants will be blessed. (Genesis 12:3)
This does not mean that everything the descendants of Abraham have done has been good. On the pages of the Bible we find many of them falling into the same snares of sin that confront us today. On the pages of the Bible we even find a number of them falling into idolatry and bowing down to idols. So the Lord doesn't mean He is protecting them based on their own righteousness. But what He does means is that He is merciful and is faithful to His word and what it does mean is that there will always be people from among Abraham's descendants who remain faithful to the Lord and are blessed by Him in return.
The Lord has made many beautiful promises to the descendants of Abraham and to the Gentiles who accept the Lord as their God. Though we fail to lead perfect lives, this doesn't negate the mercy of God. This doesn't void His promise that if we place our faith in Him we will be redeemed from our sins. We make mistakes but, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) Our salvation is not by works but by faith. Our salvation depends on the Lord's ability to purify us, not on our ability to purify ourselves.
How will the descendants of Abraham be delivered from their enemies? How will anyone on the earth be delivered from their sins? By the power of the Lord, who says this: "For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.'" (Isaiah 41:13)
Thanks be to our God who loves us too much to leave us without any remedy for sin! Thanks be to our God who does for us what we cannot do for ourselves! I am so glad that my salvation doesn't depend on my ability to perfectly keep the laws of a holy God, for I cannot do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment