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Chapter 12
Miscellaneous Verses: In this chapter and the next, we will look at some miscellaneous passages in the book of Isaiah that have not been previously covered. Isaiah 32:16-17 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, The "peace" and the "quietness and trust forever" are sublime blessings blanketing and enveloping God's people. This particular passage is talking either about the people of Judah after being delivered from Sennacherib's Assyrian army, or of the Jews after their return from Babylonian Captivity, or both. But by extension it is also talking about the kingdom of God and its inhabitants. In this particular aspect it isn't talking about the world in general. Evil exists. There is no peace with the world while evil exists. We acknowledge this in the title of one of our songs, "Soldiers of Christ, Arise". The song talks about putting our armor on. It is based upon a passage in Ephesians, chapter six:
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood,
but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of
wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
(Ephesians 6:11-13 [WEB])
The Apostle Peter also warns us:
Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But inside the kingdom, it is to be different. It is a "peaceable kingdom".
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, Where righteousness and only righteousness abounds, there is no violence against each other.
Where righteousness and only righteousness abounds, there is no backbiting or angry words or
underhanded plots or evil scheming. Where righteousness abounds, there is no mob rule. Where
righteousness abounds, peace abounds.And the influence of the peaceable kingdom can make a difference in the world around us.
And the effect of righteousness will be peace, The Bible frequently links together the concepts of righteousness and peace.
In Isaiah chapter sixty, God through Isaiah uses poetic language to describe the blessings that will come to God's people.
Instead of bronze I will bring gold, As in other places in the book, there may be several layers here with different levels of meaning. It may apply to the Jewish people when the Persians freed them from Babylonian oppression. But it has a greater fulfillment in the coming kingdom, the church; and it will have an even greater eventual fulfillment in the heavenly kingdom.
Unrighteousness brings conflict. Righteousness brings peace.
Other passages throughout the Bible link these two words:
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Stand therefore, having the belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace... [See also Hebrews 12:11; James 3:18.]
In the book of Hebrews, Melchizedek is pictured as foreshadowing Christ.
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. The Hebrew word "Melchizedek" means "king of righteousness". The word "Salem" means "peace". Melchizedek, who prefigured Christ, was the king of righteousness and the king of peace.
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. We are told that "the Lord is our righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16). We are also told that "he is our peace" (Ephesians 2:14).
The Hebrew word for "peace" is "shalom" (or, in perhaps its earlier forms, "Salim" or "Salem"). In addition to the absence of war or fighting, it also carries with it the meaning of completeness, prosperity, wholeness. In this world, to a certain extent righteousness tends to bring these things as its fruit. In the heavenly kingdom, the righteousness of Jesus Christ will bring these things in their completeness.
...fear not, for I am with you; The most important command in all of the Bible is to love God. The second most important is to love your neighbor. But neither of these is
the most frequent command in the Bible. The most common command by far, with at least 125 occurrences, is some variation of the command "Do not fear"
or "Don't be afraid" or "Take courage".
In the first chapter of the book of Joshua, the heart of God's message to Joshua before the Israelites enter the Promised Land is "be courageous".
"Be strong and courageous;...Only be strong and very courageous....Haven't I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid. Don't be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." After Joshua gives orders to the people, they respond saying that they will follow and obey Joshua like they did Moses. But they give Joshua a command:
"Only be strong and courageous." I want to mention several verses that deal with being brave, bold, and courageous:
The wicked flee when no one pursues; Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. The LORD is my light and my salvation; God is our refuge and strength, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." In the book of Revelation, there is a list of those types of people who will be cast into the lake of fire. First on the list are the cowardly. They are listed even before murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, and idolaters.
"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death." Is it troubling to hear that, if you live a life of cowardice, Hell is your destiny?
We need to have courage. We need to fear not. We need to not be afraid.
One of the definitions of a hero is someone who is scared to death but does what needs to be done anyway. It is someone who, in spite of the dangers, decides and trusts that the actions that need to be taken are the actions that are best. It is someone who, although nervous about the present, is confident about the future--that God is there for them beyond the danger.
Even if a situation is unnerving, trust in God.
Fear not. Don't be afraid.
Sometimes the cowardly have convictions that they simply refuse to act on when the situation warrants. They know what's right. They understand what's right. But they don't want to put themselves on the line and put themselves at risk, even when the time comes for their convictions to be put into action. Remember the words of Mordecai to Queen Esther:
"Who knows if you haven’t come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Sometimes the cowardly simply don't have faith in God. But regardless of the reason, cowardice can send one to Hell.
Some Christian songs, such as the song "Courageous" by the singing group Casting Crowns, or the song "Oceans" by Hillsong United, speak eloquently
about the subject of courage. We need to remember that, in the war between good and evil, there is no room for conscientious objectors. We
need to be determined to be on the front line in the battle, not hidden away somewhere in the bleachers. Each one of us needs to muster the courage to take
a stand. Each of us needs to have chosen in our heart a hill that, if necessary, we are willing to die on.
Can a woman forget her nursing child, The question about whether a woman could forget her nursing child seems at first to be almost a rhetorical question with an obvious answer: "No!" Yet the response is that the answer might not be "no", and it may be possible even for a nursing mother to forget her own child. But God says that, even if that is possible, that he will still not forget us. He says that he has written us on his hands. No, he doesn’t say that either. He has not written us on his hands. He has engraved us there. It’s not something that will be erased. It’s like a name that has been chiseled into rock or marble. It will be there forever.
In the New Testament, we read of another aspect of this. To a certain extent this idea is taken out of context, but not entirely. And the homiletics are still valid. Jesus died on the cross for us. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, stakes were driven through his hands leaving obvious marks. Those marks in a way represent his willingness to suffer the penalty that we should have suffered. In a way, we were engraved on his hands.
None of this absolves us from free choice or denies us the ability to reject his love. But even if we quit looking for God, he will not quit looking for us. He is like the father of the Prodigal Son, who knew when the son finally decided to come back home because he had been constantly watching the road hoping for his return.
In life we often have difficulties. Some days are better than others. Some years are better than others. We are sometimes forgotten in times of need by family or friends. But we can rest assured that God will not forget us. He cannot forget us. We are engraved on his hands.
"Come, everyone who thirsts, There is a well-known song in our books called "There's a Fountain Free". The songwriter was Mary Slade. I don't know if she drew from this verse or not. She more likely may have drawn from passages in the book of Revelation, but those passages have as their background this verse in Isaiah. (If you study the book of Revelation, you will hear a lot of echoes from the Old Testament prophets, particularly Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Daniel.)
And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment." The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let him who hears say, "Come." And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price. The song may have also drawn from a passage in Zechariah: God gives us a free gift. It is without price, without payment, without cost--at least for us. But, for God, there was a very dear price, a very dear cost in the death of his son.
God’s deliverance is a matter of grace. His gifts are beyond the ability of man to buy, but
are given freely without price. God may choose to reward man, but, if he does so, it is still of his own free grace, not because we have earned it.
"Come, everyone who thirsts, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Have you ever wondered, "Why?"
Are there things in life that you just can't understand?
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." There are some things that just aren't for us to know. We walk by faith, not by sight. Job didn't understand either. If he had been able to read the book of Job before all the things that befell him happened, he would have understood. But he was in the midst of the story. He didn't understand why he was being caused or being allowed to suffer. But the purpose of the book of Job is not to answer the question, "Why do people suffer?", but to give an example of faithfulness in the face of unexplainable suffering. It's purpose isn't necessarily to give us all the answers. It's purpose is to teach us how to behave when we don't know all the answers. God will take care of the "whys", and sometimes even the "hows" and the "whens". Have faith in him. Some things are simply best left in God's hands.
It's sometimes simply a matter of faith to trust that God has everything under control, and that he will bring all of human history to a glorious end for those who are his people. He has through human history given us reasons to have faith--sometimes when there seemed to be no possible answer.
The context of this passage in Isaiah seems to be a promise of return from Babylonian Captivity--something that would seem impossible. But God made it possible in ways beyond man's imagining.
In a broader context, he requires us to be perfect to gain Heaven and escape Hell. Yet none of us are perfect. When it appeared hopeless, when it seemed impossible, he send his son to pay our debt. God made it possible in a way beyond man's imagining.
Sometimes the answer is beyond us. But God has all the answers. Trust him.
For thus says the high and lofty One About once every few years, we rent a cabin in the mountains for a few days. It's nice to get away. But, if you live in Heaven, you really don't need to get away. It's perfect. And, if you are God, you're already everywhere anyway. But it seems that, if God had a summer house, it would be with the humble. They would be his house on the beach--his cabin in the mountains. God loves the humble, those who are contrite in heart. In the Bible, the term "humble" seems to primarily refer to an attitude, but also at times to refer to a condition. It seems in part to refer to those who have been humbled by life--whose condition may be one of pain or loss or struggle. In many, many places in the Bible, we see that God has a special place in his heart for the poor and downtrodden. In the ballgame of life, God roots for the underdog.
God has always been especially concerned for the poor. The Old Law made specific provisions for the poor. The Israelite people were told that,
when they harvested their crops, they were not to harvest to the very edge of the field. Nor were they to go back after they harvested and gather
up what was missed. All of these were to be left for the poor. Likewise owners of vineyards were not to strip their vines absolutely bare. Nor were
they to gather grapes that had fallen to the ground. These were to be left for the poor. (Leviticus 19:9-10; cf. 23:22)
The Law also mandated what is called a "Sabbath year". During the Sabbath year, fields were not to be planted or harvested, and orchards and vineyards were not to be harvested. But the poor were to be allowed to gather whatever came up on its own during that year. Also all debts were to be forgiven during the Sabbath year. (Exodus 23:10-11; Deuteronomy 15:1-2)
The Law also provided for what was called the Year of Jubilee. Every fiftieth year, all land was to be returned to its original owners, and all slaves were to be set free. As a side note, the inscription on the Liberty Bell is taken from Leviticus 25:10 (in which passage God's concern for the downtrodden is shown with the slaves being freed during the Year of Jubilee): "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." In the words from the song "O Holy Night", there might be seen somewhat of a reflection of God's heart toward the downtrodden:
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother, Throughout the pages of the Bible, we see God's concern for the poor. The Bible connects how one deals with the poor with one's relationship with God:
He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for his Maker, He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, Ignoring or oppressing the poor is singled out as intrinsically evil and not harmonizing with one of the fundamental qualities of God:
But if any one has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Isaiah says that, by caring for the poor and the hungry, our light will shine.
...if you pour yourself out for the hungry As mentioned in the opening chapter of this book, the book of Amos makes the case that, even though the northern kingdom of Israel was guilty of
idolatry and gross immorality, it seems that it was their oppression of the poor that most prompted God to end their kingdom forever. Among many
such condemnations in the book of Amos is the following: Although the prophet Ezekiel speaks of the well-known abominably and reprehensibly evil deeds of the people of Sodom, he does not do so without first
mentioning their inexcusable treatment of the poor:
Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor
and needy. The Gospel of Luke has been described as "The Gospel of the Outcast" because of its highlighting God's concern
for outcast groups such as Gentiles, lepers, the demon possessed, women, Samaritans, tax collectors, the blind, widows,
slaves, and many others. Written by the only Gentile author in the New Testament, the book's author (himself an outcast
in Jewish society) highlights as its central figures and heroes those ranging from Zaccheus (who was not only a hated tax
collector but a chief tax collector), to a "woman of the city, who was a sinner", to the "Good Samaritan", to a
demon-possessed man named Legion, to the Prodigal Son, to the Samaritan leper, and dozens of others from the ragged edge
of society. The book also emphasizes God's concern and love for the poor. Among the many examples is one in the "Sermon
on the Plain" in Luke chapter six. Instead of Jesus' comment from the "Sermon on the Mount", in which he had said, "Blessed
are the poor in spirit...", Jesus is recorded in Luke as saying simply, "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom
of God." (Luke 6:20b). It is in the book of Luke that we find the heroes of the age turned upside down in the
Parable of the Rich Fool, the Parable of the Rich Young Ruler, and the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
After the momentous decision mentioned in the book of Galatians of the partitioning of missionary efforts in the world to the Jews and the Gentiles
(with James, Cephas, and John going to the Jews, and Paul and Barnabas going to the Gentiles), there was only one additional stipulation given to Paul:
that he should remember the poor (Galatians 2:1,9-10).
Helping the poor is associated with those who will be delivered by God:
Blessed is he who considers the poor. Aiding the poor is one of the criteria for God upholding and honoring the reign of a king:
If a king judges the poor with equity Do you think you are a king [See also Psalms 72:1-2,4]
The prophet Isaiah foretold that one of the characteristics of the Messianic king would be that he would judge with righteousness and justice the cause of the poor and the meek:
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, According to Jesus, preaching to the poor was one of the key signs to know that he was the Messiah: The Bible often intentionally highlights notable examples of poor or lowly individuals, either to cast them in a positive light or to illustrate God's love for them. Among these are the widow who only had "two mites" (Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4), the blind beggar Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), the widow of Zarephath (I Kings 17:8-24), Gideon (Judges 6:15-16), the man born blind (John 9:1-41), Lazarus, full of sores, at the rich man's gate (Luke 16:19-31), the man with one little ewe lamb (II Samuel 12:1ff.), and others. Even some of those men of God who were later rich (such as King David) were raised up by God from humble origins (I Samuel 18:23).
One of our Christmas songs speaks of another group of the poor and lowly as well:
"The first Noel God cares about the poor and needy.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten, When the Apostles left all and followed Jesus, they became poor. They would lose their lives, in more than one way, for the kingdom. Even our Lord himself knew what it was like to be poor. He came into this world, not as a fabulously wealthy monarch, but on the ragged edge of life. His first house was probably a stable. His first bed was a food trough for livestock. Even later in life he would say,
"Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has no place to lay His head." He left the glory of Heaven to be one of the poor on our behalf.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor,
so that you through His poverty might become rich. God has also always been especially concerned about the oppressed, the downtrodden the brokenhearted, the suffering, and the weak. The Psalmist says
that God lifts up the downtrodden (Psalms 147:6a), is near to the brokenhearted (Psalms 34:18), and is a stronghold for the oppressed (Psalms 9:9a).
Among the titles given to God by the Psalmist are "father of the fatherless and protector of widows" (Psalms 68:5). [See also Psalms 146:7-9.]
In the book of Luke (The Gospel of the Outcast), Jesus gave unusual instructions about how to give a banquet:
He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your
kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed,
the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, the dividing line given in this parable between Heaven and Hell is how one treated the poor and oppressed and downtrodden and suffering.
We can be confident that he cares about us and understands our situation, because he lived our situation.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are,
yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. He feels and experiences our sufferings whenever we suffer:
In all their affliction he was afflicted; But he also experienced, not only our physical sufferings, but his own physical sufferings on our behalf:
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, God knows and cares about the downtrodden, the oppressed, the brokenhearted, the suffering, the weak, and the needy (Psalms 10:17-18; 69:32-33; 76:9). The Psalmist tells us that God is the savior and redeemer of the weak, the needy, the poor, and the oppressed, and that "precious is their blood in his sight" (Psalms 72:14b).
God has also always had a special place in his heart for the humble in spirit.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. But this is the man to whom I will look, For you have no delight in sacrifice; This all brings us back to Isaiah chapter 57:
For thus says the high and lofty One The humble are God's "cabin in the mountains".
Part One
(Engraved on His Hands)
and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
(Isaiah 32:16-17)
(I Peter 5:8 [BSB])
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
and the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall feed;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
(Isaiah 11:6-8 [RSV])
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
(Isaiah 32:17)
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.
(Isaiah 60:17)
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
(Psalms 85:10 [RSV])
Then your peace would have been like a river
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
(Isaiah 48:18)
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
(Matthew 5:9-10)
(Romans 14:17 [BLB])
(Ephesians 6:14-15 [NHEB])
(Hebrews 7:1-2)
(Hebrews 12:11)
(James 3:18)
Isaiah 41:10
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
(Isaiah 41:10)
(Joshua 1:6a,7a,9 [WEB])
(Joshua 1:18b [WEB])
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
(Proverbs 28:1 [WEB])
(II Corinthians 3:12 [BSB])
(I Corinthians 16:13 [RSV])
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
(Psalms 27:1)
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
(Psalms 46:1-3 [NIV])
(John 14:27)
I will not be afraid;
what can man do to me?"
(Hebrews 13:5-6 [RSV]; cf. Deuteronomy 31:8)
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
(Matthew 10:28-31 [BSB])
(Revelation 21:8 [RSV])
(Esther 4:14b [WEB])
Isaiah 49:15-16a
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands...
(Isaiah 49:15-16a)
Isaiah 55:1
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price."
(Isaiah 55:1)
(Revelation 21:6 [RSV])
(Revelation 22:17 [RSV])
(Zechariah 12:10; 13:1 [RSV])
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price."
(Isaiah 55:1)
Isaiah 55:8-9
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."
(Isaiah 55:8-9)
(Deuteronomy 29:29 [WEB]
)
Isaiah 57:15
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
"I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite."
(Isaiah 57:15 [RSV])
(I Peter 5:5b-7 [RSV])
(Leviticus 25:10,39-41,54b [RSV])
(Credit: William Zhang [cropped]; BY 2.0 Creative Commons License)
(Credit: Robert Swinney [cropped]; BY-SA 3.0 Creative Commons License)
And in His name all oppression shall cease
but he who is kind to the needy honors him.
(Proverbs 14:31 [WEB])
and he will repay him for his deed.
(Proverbs 19:17 [RSV])
(I John 3:17 [RSV])
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
(Isaiah 58:10)
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals--
those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
and turn aside the way of the afflicted...
(Amos 2:6-7a)
(Ezekiel 16:49)
The LORD will deliver him in the day of evil.
(Psalms 41:1 [WEB])
his throne will be established for ever.
(Proverbs 29:14 [RSV])
because you compete in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
and do justice and righteousness?
Then it was well with him.
He judged the cause of the poor and needy;
then it was well.
Is not this to know me?
says the LORD.
(Jeremiah 22:15-16)
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
…with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
(Isaiah 11:1,4a [RSV])
(Matthew 11:2-5; Luke 7:19-22)
the angels did say
was to certain poor shepherds
in fields where they lay."
nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
(Psalms 9:18 [WEB])
(Matthew 8:20 [BSB])
(II Corinthians 8:9 [BSB])
(Luke 14:12-14 [RSV])
(Matthew 25:34-40 [WEB])
(Hebrews 4:15-16)
(Isaiah 63:9a [WEB])
yet he opened not his mouth;
(Isaiah 53:7a [RSV])
(James 4:10 [BSB])
he that is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my word.
(Isaiah 66:2b [RSV])
if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
(Psalms 51:16-17 [NRSV])
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
"I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
(Isaiah 57:15 [RSV])
