Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Jesus is of the House of Jacob. Jesus is the Holy One of Israel. Jesus is the Lord King of Israel. Jesus is the Creator of Israel. Jesus is the Servant of God. Jesus is the Chosen One. Jesus is the First and Last. Jesus is the Lord of Hosts. Jesus is the One who has the Holy Spirit living inside Him permanently. Jesus is all these things. And all of today’s chapters are about God declaring to His children – and the rest of the world – both who Jesus is and what Jesus will do. He is creating in the hearts of men the eager expectation that would be needed for the cooperation of humanity in the arrival of Jesus hundreds of years in the future (around 5 to 1 B.C.).

The Servant of the Lord would come with gentleness and mercy, healing the bruised and not judging them (John 3:16-18). He would be victorious, not defeated or sabotaged (John 10:18). Salvation would come, and it would come to all people (Jew first and then the Gentile). The Lord would be His NAME and the glory of the Father would be given to no one else. The whole world is encouraged to break into praise and thanksgiving from the most populated areas to the most deserted coasts. This would be the long promised help of God for all people. This was the peace that would come. The blind (spiritually in context) would see. All would acknowledge Him as Lord – clearly the second coming when Jesus will bring the held back judgment. God spoke of the obstinate disobedience of His children. Their refusal to follow the Law. Their refusal to leave idols alone. That so few of them (the promised remnant) would repent and hold to a true worship of Yahweh. That the rest, including Jerusalem, would face severe judgment for their insistent refusals to ignore even His corrections.

But still a Redeemer would come. He would come to buy back Israel. To buy back Jerusalem. To buy back the lost. That He would be with them whether they were walking in fire, wading through rivers, crossing oceans, or wherever. The Holy One of Israel, the Saviour, gave as ransom and made them precious. He has loved them and is with them and WILL BE with them. He would gather them from the ends of the Earth (we have seen part of this already with the creation of a modern state of Israel) and bring them to His Holy City. All the nations would witness this and call it true. He would proclaim them His witnesses and there would be no foreign gods among them. No idols. For their sake He would do this and no one could stop Him. The Lord, the Holy One, the Creator of Israel, their King, He would make a way through the sea and in His power and might accomplish it. He would do a new thing in a new way. God was pleading with His children NOT TO REBEL. To listen to the promised future and hold to that promise. Hold to what would be possible with people who truly worshipped God and trusted in their Saviour. Their sins would be blotted out. They would be acquitted. If they would hold true, they would be Blessed. If not, they would have to endure the curse.

Israel, formed from the womb, His chosen people. They would spring up like grass. They would identify as the Lord’s. They would acknowledge their Redeemer, the First and Last. The ONE TRUE GOD. Because of this, the Lord points out AGAIN the foolishness of idolatry. Mortals creating snares for mortals and calling them greater than their makers. It is stupidity gone to seed. The Lord didn’t close their eyes to reality. They hardened their hearts and took hold of this themselves and were refusing to let go. He warned them of their foolishness. He warned them of their danger. He reminded them Israel was not forgotten. He remembered them. He was redeeming them. Judah would be restored. It would be inhabited again. It would raise crops again. The world would see it and recognize the hand of the Lord. Even Cyrus (not alive yet) would see the truth and tell them to rebuild their Temple. He would declare the foundation was to be laid.

Summary

Key Players: God, Jesus, Isaiah

Key Verse(s): Isaiah 42:1-9, 18-22; 43:1-7, 16-21; 44:1-5, 24-28