WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FROM THE LORD

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Listen to Me, My people; hear Me, My nation: Instruction will go out from Me; My justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily, My salvation is on the way, and My arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to Me and wait in hope for My arm.”

Isaiah 51:4-5

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The Israelites must have wondered what kind of future was ahead for them as they sat in exile waiting for the end of the seventy year sentence God had placed upon them for their disrespect, disregard, and blatant disobedience unto Him and His commandments, chief of which was idolatry and the worship of false gods. They had to wonder what they could expect from a God who they had angered and disappointed so much?

Would He show grace and mercy to them, returning them to His favor and restoring their hope?

Would He lead and guide them through the long rebuilding process that would follow their captivity?

Would He protect them as they would be vulnerable when starting to piece their city, their homes, and their lives back together?

Maybe we have the same kind of questions when we are going through a difficult time brought on by our own sinful mistakes and failures. For we are no less sinners today than the Old Testament Israelites who preceded us by more than 2,000 years, and we can and do place ourselves in places where the Lord does not favor, places that could trigger His consequences to come upon us.  

Well as we will see in our scriptures today, the Lord dispels any wondering as to how He would act, speaking concisely to His people as to what they could expect. Let’s look again at these verses now and then break down all the things the Lord tells Israel to look for from Him:

“Listen to Me, My people; hear Me, My nation: Instruction will go out from Me; My justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily, My salvation is on the way, and My arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to Me and wait in hope for My arm.”  Isaiah 51:4-5

1. His voice.

“Listen to Me, My people; hear Me, My nation.”

The Lord was not going to remain silent and have His people ponder what He would be doing. Rather, He would speak boldly and all the people needed to do is listen and hear Him.

Today, the Lord isn’t any less silent. He is always seeking to communicate with us but too often than not, we’re simply not listening to Him. Want to wonder what the Lord wants to do in your life and what He expects from you with it? Try listening to Him. You’ll always find Him speaking loud and clear.

2. His instruction.

“Instruction will go out from Me.”

When the Lord speaks, His words always have substance to them. He is ever seeking to direct us, guide us, and teach us through His word, will, and way. When we open our ears, hearts, and minds to Him, listening for His instruction, He will always deliver. It was true for the people of Israel and it’s true for us as well.

3. His justice.

“My justice will become a light to the nations. My arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to Me and wait in hope for My arm.”

God was, is, and will always be a perfectly just God. When we need justice to be done, we need only look to Him and know He is working out justice, not in our time but in His. Ultimately, His justice will lead to an ultimate judgment through His Son, Jesus Christ, who will one day return and place a verdict on all people. The guilty will face extinction along with the present earth and the heavens while those in Christ Jesus, the justified, will be taken away to live with Him and God the Father forever in a place where there will be a new heaven, earth, and Jerusalem. Until that day, we wait in hope just as the Israelites were asked to do once they return home. God’s justice would be a light unto them as it is us today.

4. His righteousness.

“My righteousness draws near speedily.”

When we are listening to the Lord and receiving His instruction, then we will experience His righteousness drawing near to us as He leads us in His ways and shows us the way to live right. This was something the Israelites had to relearn after they had fallen from God’s favor. Turning from Him had gotten them into their exiled circumstances. Only turning back to Him and His righteousness would get them back on the right track again.

The same applies to us today. If we fall away into sin, the only way back is to turn away from that sin, repent before the Lord, and seek His righteousness anew, resolving not to turn away again and repeat the mistakes of the past. When we seek Him and His righteousness, rest assured that He will respond and light your path toward the right ways to live, ways that are pleasing in His sight.

5. His salvation.

“My salvation is on the way.”

The Lord is a mighty Rescuer of His people in times of need. In the case of the Israelites, they were praying for an end to their captivity and needed the Lord’s salvation to do just that. God wanted them to know that salvation was on the way. Soon they would be freed and allowed to return to their homeland, to a fresh lease on life.

For us today, God remains the God who provides us salvation through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. All we need to do to receive this salvation is to place our belief and trust in Jesus as our Savior. That’s it. There isn’t any action called for that we might do to earn salvation. It is freely given to those who place their hope and trust in Christ. Through Him, salvation comes and gives us a new lease on life, a lease that has no expiration date.

His voice, His instruction, His justice, His righteousness, and His salvation.

Friends, this is what we can expect from the Lord. For His word assures it is so and His word has been, is, and will always be truth.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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