Isaiah 41:1-16 “Keep silence before Me, O coastlands, and let the people renew their strength! Let them come near, then let them speak; let us come near together for judgment. “Who raised up one from the east? Who in righteousness called him to His feet? Who gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? Who gave them as the dust to his sword, as driven stubble to his bow? Who pursued them, and passed safely by the way that he had not gone with his feet?
Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord, am the first; and with the last I am He.’” The coastlands saw it and feared, the ends of the earth were afraid; they drew near and came. Everyone helped his neighbor, and said to his brother, “Be of good courage!” So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith; he who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil, saying, “It is ready for the soldering;” then he fastened it with pegs, that it might not totter.
“But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
“Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; they shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them—Those who contended with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing.
For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ “Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the Lord and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. “Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills like chaff. You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; you shall rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the Holy One of Israel.”
Matthew 1:18-21 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, (meaning Savior) for He will save His people from their sins.”
Poor Israel! After making a glorious beginning as a country under King David and King Solomon, things rapidly went downhill, spiritually and otherwise. Solomon started the mess by refusing to follow God’s commandments for kings recorded in the Mosaic Law. Solomon married hundreds of pagan women who demanded their shrines and practices, leaving a spiritual stain on Jerusalem and the rest of the nation. Then Rehoboam, Solomon’s weak son, attempted to hold power by imposing harsh demands on people who were already over-burdened. Rehoboam’s folly resulted in the Northern Kingdom of Israel splitting away; however, Jeroboam, the first ruler of Israel, established his own pagan religion, trying to prevent his citizens from traveling to Jerusalem to worship. Things steadily became worse in both countries.
Here God is reminding His people that He is the One who establishes rulers and who removes them, that conquerors can only succeed when He aids them. No matter how many idols men create or how ornate they are, those idols are worthless before the power of the One True Living God. But God is also holding out hope to Israel, for God promises to send a Redeemer, a Savior. When Redeemer comes, he will deliver Israel and the Israelites will “rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the Holy One of Israel.”
For centuries, the Jews awaited the coming of Messiah, expecting him to be an all-powerful military ruler who would crush all the nations around them. But the Jews failed to realize the they themselves had problems no military commander could solve, for they were sinners in need of a Savior. When Jesus began his ministry, religious authorities were hopeful, but rapidly became disenchanted when Jesus obviously showed no interest in sweeping away the Roman Empire to establish his own kingdom.
What those leaders failed to realize was that God would use the pax Romana, the Roman peace, and the common languages available (Latin and Greek) to spread the good news of the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire. The excellent Roman roads and the strong Roman administrative structure enabled the first Christians to travel throughout the Empire with relative speed and safety. For those who were Roman citizens, there was an additional measure of protection, for they could not be flogged or jailed without a proper trial. Paul took advantage of this fact on more than one occasion.
One of the fascinating things about Biblical prophecy is that it can operate at many levels. Consider the tiny size of the State of Israel when compared with the many nations included in the Arab world. Israel’s rise to nationhood was little short of miraculous to begin with, and Israel has continued to survive and thrive despite intense bombardments, persecution, and unprovoked attacks.
What is the future of Israel? Will Israel eventually fulfill the political prophecies of Isaiah 41? Only God knows and only time will tell. But one thing is sure: Messiah has come and has laid down his life as the ultimate blood sacrifice for the sins of the entire world. The term “Gospel” means “good news.” All of us are sinners in need of a Savior and all of us need a Messiah. Today, let us worship the Holy One, the Redeemer of Israel-and of us-and make Him the Lord of our hearts and lives.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are sinners who cannot free ourselves from our wrong-doing. Thank You for shedding Your blood as the sacrifice for our sins. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
1 O come, O come, Immanuel, and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
2 O come, O Wisdom from on high, who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show and teach us in its ways to go. Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
3 O come, O come, great Lord of might, who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law in cloud and majesty and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
4 O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem, unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save, and give them victory o’er the grave. Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
5 O come, O Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road and bar the way to death’s abode. Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star, and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the nightand turn our darkness into light. Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
7 O come, O King of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease and be yourself our King of Peace. Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment