| << | Contents | >> |
Articles 2021-2023
The way of the righteous is smooth (Hebrew, MESHAR – uprightness); O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.
The way of the righteous is more than just upright, or straight, or smooth; it is uprightness itself. Uprightness is the gauge whereby we can evaluate actions and attitudes that people say are upright. When the world says certain actions are appropriate and proper, all we have to do is look at uprightness itself to evaluate their thoughts.
Of course, God Himself and His written word provide the gauge by which all human decisions concerning morality must be evaluated. But since the world does not know Him and mostly does not read His word, He places the way of His people before them to be an expression of His uprightness. But since we all fall short of His glory it is then only through our heart attitudes of humility and repentance that He can reveal His uprightness to a fallen world. This means, however, that the gauge that the world sees is in flux because the Church is in a state of constant transformation. Yet that continual change itself reveals that the God of perfect holiness is not an unforgiving tyrant, but a Father who is full of mercy toward those who still need great adjustment but who are willing to humble themselves before Him.
Again, God’s intent is that His uprightness made known through an imperfect people would reveal to a fallen world the mercy and the ongoing revelation of His salvation to all who would listen. And so, the second part Isaiah’s prophetic prayer above is the plea for God to indeed bring adjustment to the path of His people.
Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You eagerly; Your name, even Your memory, is the desire of our souls.
The righteous walk on the road of God’s judgments. The path we have taken is defined by His interventions bringing us correction when and where we need it. That is how we were initially born of the Spirit. He passed judgment on our lives and then revealed His great mercy by releasing the grace to repent. I remember how when I returned to the Lord in the 1970s, my thought was that I did not want His judgments but His blessings. I remember teachers even promoting that type of thinking. But then one day I discovered in Psalm 19 that God’s judgments are to be more desired than fine gold, that by them His servants are warned, and that in keeping them there is great reward.
And as the above verse in Isaiah indicates, it is because of His faithfulness in bringing to us His judgments that we then long for Him all the more. The more He gives us grace to repent for wrong thoughts and actions, the more He comes into clarity in our hearts which then causes us to see our need to then change even more. And His motivation in this process is that we might then gain more of Him in our lives, even as Paul stated in his letter to the Philippians that his desire was to gain Christ (Philippians 3:8). And so, our goal is the increase of the manifest presence of the Lord Himself in our lives individually, in our families, and in our corporate gatherings.
At night my soul longs for You, indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently; for when the earth (Hebrew, ERETS) experiences Your judgments the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
The above word ERETS is also often translated “the land”. The only way the world will ever learn righteousness is when God’s people, the people of the land, the people discovering their spiritual inheritance in this life embrace the judgments of God.
Speaking of the land as something greater than physical bordered ground in the Middle East is not to in any way diminish God’s explicit promise to Israel of the land of Canaan. But the subject of the Promised Land also reveals a truth with worldwide implications. Though God promised Canaan to Abraham and to his seed, yet Paul saw coming global fulfillment. For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith (Romans 4:13 NKJV). Paul saw God’s promise to Abraham and to his seed as being greater than the inheritance of Canaan; he would be the heir of the world. And since the spiritual seed of Abraham is Christ and all who belong to Christ (Galatians 3:16, 29), we see the battle lying before us.
That battle came into clarity when Jesus arose from the grave and then said that since all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him, we were to go and disciple the nations. Two thousand years later, that task still seems overwhelming. The darkness is so entrenched and pervasive. And yet, our greatest danger is that too many among us might sound like the ten spies and not the two (Numbers 13:26 - 14:21). The task can seem greater than the One who called us to it.
Today, the people of the land are those discovering their inheritance in Christ in every nation of the world (including Israel). But we have to fight for it. Many in past generations of believers thought of heaven as their promised land and then wrote songs about how they would “cross the Jordan” when they died. But heaven is not full of spiritual enemies, and like in Joshua’s day, the Promised Land before us today is full of enemies to be defeated. Daily we face spirits of lust, greed, malice, pride, racism, and etc.
Though the wicked is shown favor, he does not learn righteousness; he deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, and does not perceive the majesty of the LORD.
The wicked in this verse were those among God’s people dealing unjustly in the land of uprightness. They did not fear Him and they could not perceive His majesty. In our own day, let us not be those who fail to see Him as the Judge of all, the One bringing His judgments to bear on our lives. If we only see Him as one who affirms us and our choices, we will fail to perceive the glory of His majesty, the perfection of His holiness, His absolute hatred of pride, His grief over injustice, and His sadness over our doubts. Apart from embracing His judgments, we will never comprehend His glory. And the task before us will seem too great.
Isaiah goes on to tell of how God would punish the enemies of His people. And then speaking in the past tense of yet future events, He promised to enlarge the borders of their land (Isaiah 26:13 - 15). The Book of Acts gives us the beginning of the fulfillment of that promise. But Israel herself would also come to the place where she would realize her inability to bring salvation to the earth.
As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth, she writhes and cries out in her labor pains, thus were we before You, O LORD. We were pregnant, we writhed in labor, we gave birth, as it seems, only to wind. We could not accomplish deliverance (Hebrew, YESHUAH – salvation) for the earth, nor were inhabitants of the world born.
And yet, as Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22). Here was Israel’s calling; here is her calling. God has not rescinded it. And though salvation has been fulfilled in the coming of Jesus the Messiah, Israel still has an important part to play in revealing it to the world. The Bible speaks of a time when Israel’s reconciliation will be “life from the dead” for the nations (Romans 11:15).
So, in Isaiah’s day He called His people to come into the hidden place of secret intimacy with Him because His indignation and judgments would have to run their course (Isaiah 26:20 - 21). Over the next centuries as Babylon, then Greece, and finally Rome ruled that part of the world, there were those who responded to His call. Just a few examples were Daniel, Ezekiel, Zacharias and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5 - 6), Simeon (Luke 2:25), Anna (Luke 2:36 - 37) and John the baptizer (Luke 3:2). Obviously, there were many more.
And God’s salvation (YESHUAH) was revealed in and then out from Israel. At Calvary the power of sin was broken, Satan was unmasked and became a fleeing serpent, and from that point on his doom was sealed; the dragon would perish.
In that day the LORD will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, with His fierce and great and mighty sword, even Leviathan the twisted serpent; and He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.
Finally, the wine that God had always sought from His planted vineyard would now begin to be realized among the nations (Isaiah 5, John 15).
In that day, “A vineyard of wine, sing of it!”
And the Lord would protect His vineyard and send forth His call for the nations to come into peace with Him (Isaiah 27:3 - 5). Then Isaiah prophesied a world–changing event that today still lies in our future.
In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout, and they will fill the whole world with fruit.
Jesus’ statement that salvation is of the Jews still resounds over present day Israel and offers hope to the nations. Here is why Satan is so antisemitic. What God intends for the Jewish people is that they would come into a place of massive effectiveness in His culminating war against spiritual darkness. When Israel, the dry bones of Ezekiel’s vision, finally stand on their feet filled with the Spirit, the breath of God, the prophet sees them as an exceedingly great army (Ezekiel 37:10).
Today the largely Gentile Church of the Lord Jesus Christ has an Israel–shaped hole. We will only be able to go so far in God’s great war against spiritual darkness without her. But when the fullness of what He intends among us apart from Israel comes in from Heaven’s sovereignty and initiatives (Romans 11:25 - 26), Israel will then finally come into her irrevocable calling and bring a completeness yet lacking in God’s army. And our King will arise in His final great onslaught(s) against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places. And Isaiah’s prophetic word above will be fulfilled. Jacob (Israel in her fallen condition) will take root in God, Israel (having received her change of name) will blossom, sprout, and will fill the whole world with fruit. How exciting does that sound? How cool is that?
Donald Rumble – September 2022
Search Comments
This page has been visited 0054 times.
| << | Contents | >> |
10 per page