Exposition by Max A Forsythe
A long time ago, a new couple moved to the village where I had my first calling. They came twice, I visited, and they admitted that they liked the people, but they noted that only a few changes were needed to bring our worship into the twentieth century. The change that they had in mind was to use artwork to enhance the worship. In their old church in New York they had learned to focus their attention on a picture instead of listening to words. They felt that if we meditated on a work of Christian art each week, we would be in vogue and “with it”, as they used to say.
Again, I received a mailing from a music company that provides overhead projections of hymns to focus on the wall, thus saving the cost of hymnbooks. This particular company was in the practice of printing the words on top of beautiful slides. One gushing testimony admitted that never before had the singer been so inspired to sing her best with the beautiful scene unfolding before here verse by verse. I didn’t read too far; I was afraid that they might be selling a slide text of the Old and New Testaments as well. Lets not say that too loudly; someone just might think there was some money in it. A few years ago, after being overwhelmed with the Church Planting literature and process, I was thinking of writing a book where an evangelist used the most modern technology to by pass the need for local pastors. I was thinking of calling the fiction: McChurch. I resisted the temptation, because I thought someone might actually try to set up the satellite and video system to pull it off!
How often in the past have members of the Old and New Covenant Churches attempted to mold the Church of Christ in their own image and for their own purposes? That temptation is so terribly strong. Every church and congregation has its own-man made traditions, which very often get in the way of the gospel message once given to the saints. I well remember the most important lesson about such things from an old farmer elder. I do not think the wisdom was his own, but it is entirely logical. He said that when it came to theology and doctrine we should use the KISS methodology. KISS, he said, was an acronym which meant: “Keep it simple, stupid!”.
I realized the importance of that down-home wisdom when I was working with another pastor in rural Iowa. There the pastor had added a red rose to the Baptismal rite to demonstrate the all-encompassing love of God in Christ, who accepted us as we were. I watched him dip a rose into the bowl of water and slap it in the air over the little baby in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It was all I could do to keep from breaking out laughing. Weeks later he let me in on his agenda to slowly wean God’s people from the mindless myths invented by St Paul and all of the others who were in reality the real heretics. From that point on I resolved to hold as close to the word as I possibly could, so that no one could ever “admire” my theological inventiveness.
Call me a heretic if you will; very much of the modern church would, and some even have. But I do not think that the revealed gospel contained in the pages of both testaments can ever be improved upon. A simple passage with a simple message is before us today. Centuries before the coming of Jesus Christ, the gospel message is given in outline form. In verses one through eight we find the gracious creating and choosing of God’s elect. In verses twenty-one through twenty-three we find the merciful forgiveness that God plans for His own people. What can be simpler than that? The gospel message is really not all that complicated. God creates, God chooses and through Jesus Christ He forgives.
What can the objects of such a plan do but imitate the injunction of Isaiah in the last verse to “sing for joy” and “shout aloud”, for the Lord has redeemed His people. I remember reading about the conversion experience of one William Forsythe in the lowlands of Scotland during the troubled times when the keepers of the Covenant were in hiding and on the run. There, described in an old book, he reports the utter joy of being redeemed. It was out on the moors while he was watching the sheep that he was saved! William reported that in the joy of the moment he leaped and jumped and did cart wheels amidst the heather. That’s pretty serious stuff for a dour Scotsman!
Could we but feel half the joy in our calling, we could be content with the simple message that God has been revealing since the time of Adam. Let us look closer at this simple gospel of grace.
See the opening address in verse one. “But now listen, O Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen.” Remember how Abraham was called away from his pagan home to another, better place within the providence of God. Then there was Isaac instead of Ishmael, Jacob instead of Esau, Joseph and Judah, David and all the rest of the Old Covenant saints. Then there were chosen the twelve disciples, the five hundred, then the three thousand and even Paul.
Down through the centuries how do their faithful students proclaim the gospel? In the self same words of choosing: election and call. Thus the gospel message has echoed down through the ages, only to be ignored by the heretics, the wicked and perverse. The worldly today would slap a class action suit against the God of Creation if they could haul Him into court!
Its not fair, the worldly whine! If you think all of the civil rights discrimination over color, sex and orientation are noisy, overbearing and crude, just imagine the great WHINE IN that could be made against he God of heaven in this regard. Why, Esau was a wimp; he only cried when he realized what he could have had and rejected. All the lawyers and judges in eternity could spend another eternity preparing their case instead of bowing their knees and admitting that God is a God who can do as He pleases.
For those who have heard the gospel call, Isaiah tells us: “This is what the Lord says - he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you”. Here is the one who, more than our fathers and mothers, had the certain hand to cause us to be. You see, in the complex act of fertilization things can and often do go wrong. It is estimated that only one third of the conceptions actually find the womb and so go on to develop, grow and be born. In each of our cases that process, under the care of the Almighty, was finished. Perhaps less perfectly than we sometimes think, but by His grace we are here. Our bodies may be frail, so even may be our minds. But if we by grace are His, we are safe and secure! “Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen”. The word Jeshurun here is obscure in meaning. Dr Young believes that in comparison to Jacob, Jeshurun may be a more honorable form of the root word in Jacob.
In verse three the Creator Lord tells us that, just like He pours rain water on dry and thirsty land, so will He pour out His Spirit on our children, offspring and descendants. In different ways will they identify themselves as belonging to the Lord. Just as we use the words Methodists, Baptists, Disciples and Presbyterians, so may we see several ways in which people honor their calling. In the British Army the assorted regiments all have their tribal identity, even while belonging to one Army. In the same way may we describe the universal Church, which contains all of the elect from every tribe and nation. This is what the Lord of these denominational tribes says: “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.” Once again this God of ours is less than egalitarian. He who created the heavens, the earth and all that exists denies that there are or ever were any other gods.
Oh my, the article I read last week about how the major media have decided to identify “people of faith” as any generic religion that believes in some god form, is far off the mark, isn’t it? I doubt seriously that they would comprehend this all-exclusive statement. Instead, they would probably demand a more all-inclusive concept! I am the only way and the truth, declared Jesus centuries after Isaiah penned this revelation. They killed Him for that, you know, and how dare His followers in this century affirm the wisdom of both Father and Son. Yet, here it is. What shall we make of this? If we are elect, than we must agree. Apart from Him, there is no God. In these verses God challenges any god form to step forward and declare it by prophesying the future. We know from history that none other form has been revealed.
So well may we accept the revealed word and be comforted that, as His witnesses, we have nothing to fear in this life or the next. There is no other Rock, I know not one! In comparison to the worldly idolaters, we are called in the last portion of this chapter to “Remember these things, O Jacob”. Here we see repeated the same themes found in the opening verse. However, verse twenty-two declares for us the great mercy of our Creator God.
Even though, like all mankind we have followed theological idols of our own creation, the fact that God has chosen us means that He will not forget us. Us never, but thank God that in the words of this verse, He has forgotten our sins. Our offenses and sins have been swept away as so much moisture in the air. The clouds of sin which we have raised are dissipated as so much morning mist. I remember spending a night in a motel on vacation once. I had a fever of some sort. During the night that fever caused a cold sweat and I was having nightmares as well. Suddenly the fire alarm over the head of the bed went off. The motel office called to see if we had been smoking in a non-smoking room. The best that I could figure was either the idling engine just outside the door to the room or the aura of my fever set it off. I went with the idling engine, we opened the door and aired the room out and the invisible cloud dissipated and after a shower, just to make sure, I was able to get back to sleep.
God is more forgiving than a smoke detector, of course, and for His elect, He has a simple command. “Return to me, for I have redeemed you." The word redeemed here has a deeper meaning of being purchased. We know what Isaiah could only see dimly - that Jesus Christ paid the purchase price for our very own sins. And at the end of the age, when all of the alarms go off and the trumpets sound, even though we have lived in a polluted world and may still have sinful fevers, God will take us to be with Himself forever. May we count our election, calling and salvation a special blessing. “Sing for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel.” May we show the Gospel and Glory of Jesus Christ now and always. Amen.
Resources Used:
Ellis, Charles..
The Wells of Salvation.
Thomas, Derek..
Welwyn Commentery Series: God Delivers.
Young, Edward J.
The Book of Isaiah.
Youngblood, Ronald F. The Book of Isaiah: An
Introductory Commentary.
The Holy Bible.
New International Version (1984 Edition)
NOTE: I am not able to automatically
recommend any future editions.
Christ Covenant Reformed (Presbyterian Church in America) -
Box 13926 - Columbus, OH 43213
(c) 2001
04 September 1994
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.