In that day…
God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to Jerusalem. The nation of Judah. The two tribes plus a few that made up the Southern Kingdom. (The nation of Israel had split after King Solomon’s reign.)
The word was that God would severely punish Israel and Judah for their adultery – their choosing to worship other gods. But He wanted them to have hope, to know that it wasn’t going to be forever.
There would be many benefits to being found a follower of the One True and Living God, and these words wrap that part of the prophecy up.
Israel (used from here on to describe the whole of God’s chosen people) suffered indignities, wars against them, exile and enslavement to other nations, near-annihilation, over and over…. and that was well before modern times! Here God is saying that when that day comes, He will no longer send that horrific kind of judgment on His people. That in the day when He restores Jerusalem to the glory He planned for her at the beginning, He won’t be bringing nations against them in attack.
He declares that despite the weapons a nation might bring against His people, they won’t work. They won’t provide any of the devastation intended by their use. Not even accusations, threats and boasts will work. Those will be utterly destroyed by Truth.
Now, does this apply to us? I’m no theologian, so I’m not going to say definitively yes or no, but here’s my musings on it: These words were spoken and written to God’s holy people, chosen people, Israel.
We who are believers, whether of Jewish or Gentile descent, have been grafted/adopted into that family of God’s holy and chosen people (Romans 8:15,23).
Makes sense to me that these words are true for believers today. We must understand that they are not meant for those who don’t have a salvation relationship with God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. It is only those who believe Jesus and accept Him who have the right to be His children (John 1:12).
Peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition are our heritage as servants of the Most High. That is, the people in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced. In other words, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the vindication, the justification, the Lord provides us after the time when we’ve suffered at the hands of the enemy of our souls.
The time is coming, my friend, when those who say they believe will be sifted from those who do believe. Those who believe will enjoy these benefits while those who don’t truly believe will not. This belief is not one-and-done. It’s a faith that walks itself out every day, growing us into the likeness of the Risen One.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
