Exposition by Max A Forsythe
Today we begin the last division of chapters in the Isaiah scrolls. These last nine chapters are the third part of what is called the Book of Consolation. The underlying theme of these last chapters has to do with the second and final coming of the Servant of the Lord. "This blessed hope", as the Puritans described the great day when all heaven will break loose, is set for a time that we know not with any certainty. Yes, there are and have been signs and seasons when it may appear likely that the Day is nearly upon us. Certainly, the Apostles and the early Christians expected the second coming to occur in their lifetime. The blessed hope encouraged and invigorated the early church towards unparalleled work and witness. In a mere three centuries most of the heavily populated areas of the world had been reached.
It is my understanding that a heightened expectation of Christ's coming has much importance in periods of revival and reformation. As we approach the turning of a new century and millennium to boot, there is and will be more than just a passing interest in the themes of the end times. During Operation Desert Shield, I counseled half a dozen people who were convinced that the battle of Armageddon was about to take place. In every case I laid before the worriers their need to commit their lives to Jesus Christ. I tried to assure them that if they placed their hope in Him, it didn't matter what happened to the world. The events and the chronology of the end times are as all times, in His hands. If we would be ready for His coming, we must be prepared in mind, heart and in our daily walk. It really doesn't matter if we memorize the details of any particular millennial viewpoint. The important thing is that we make ourselves as ready as we possibly can for the great day! And this concern of preparation is laid before us here in chapter fifty-eight.
As always, preparation begins with a call to repentance. Look at God's instructions there in verse one. "Shout it aloud [Isaiah], do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins." The Lord's messenger is to make clear to the people their present sins. This is indeed a challenge to all of those who would take on the vows of ordination. Clearly and succinctly we must point out the sinful nature of mankind, and even with particular individuals we need to lay before them the gross nature of their own actions. This is not a popular calling, which even our judges are falling down on. In my area, there has been one judge known for the keenness of his zeal in upholding the law for over thirty years. Teenagers have always been frightened at the prospect of appearing in his court. Unfortunately, he is a judge from another age, and his popularity is running down even as his age runs up. What was once considered firmness of character is now being described as senility. And unfortunately the judge has taken up the bottle more frequently than is wise. Oh, it is not popular to condemn or judge anyone anymore. After all, how people feel about themselves is more important than how they treat other people. What will happen to a culture that has lost its perspective in this matter?
Just this week at school, I was rearranging the chairs on the floor of my classroom. My CD player was on and an old hymn tune, "Nearer My God", was playing. One of the older neighboring teachers who was walking by, looked into the room and asked if I knew something about the future of our institution that he didn't know. When I looked confused, he reminded me of an old phrase about rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic before he ambled off to his own room. In our second verse, it would appear that very many in the Judea of Isaiah's time were doing something just as meaningful Yes, the observations of verse two seem to be very much on the mark, because the Hebrew text implies a crass expectation that God must honor their worship!
That type of expectation has always been more commonly associated with pagan religions who worship only to gain the attention of their gods and goddesses in the hopes of receiving a blessing. The truth of this attitude may be better appreciated as we consider verse three. See the callous attitude, "didn't you notice?", they would demand of the Most High God. We fasted, we humbled ourselves, now justify our pride in these actions. See what the Israelites have done? They have turned the true faith into just another ritualistic religion. Their daily lives are a better indication of where their hearts are as God observes in verse four. You want to be heard, He asks? It is not in the means of fasting that the Lord takes pleasure. No indeed, verse five instructs us. Instead, the ramifications of verse six must be demonstrated. Jeremiah reports that during one particular siege of the Holy City, the people let their Hebrew slaves go, only to reclaim them when the siege was lifted. Thereby they were able to be rid of their responsibility to feed their economic captives when it was inconvenient, and then reclaim them when times looked better.
This false religion is inconsistent with the expectations of the Lord God Almighty, as we continue to hear the instruction of God into verse seven. Not only are the captives to be freed, but they are to be cared for as well. Food, shelter and clothing are to be freely given. "Then", and only then does God promise that their "light will break forth like the dawn, and [their] healing will quickly appear; then [their] righteousness will go before [them]". Only when sincere and holy fasting and worship are offered will He answer the appeals of His people. This offer is reaffirmed through the end of verse ten.
In verse eleven the Lord gives His people a promise for the future. There is coming a time when the people will return to their city. Then they will be like a well-watered garden in the very presence of their God. Once again, the stately walls of Zion will be rebuilt. Isaiah indeed is looking into the glorious future of Israel, which was fulfilled literally in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, and also in a spiritual sense, with the coming of Christ and the establishment of the New Covenant Church.
Why is it that every time the Church is rebuilt, that eventually the true faith falls into the ruins of religion? Time after time throughout both Covenants, this has happened. A mere fifteen hundred years after the early church set the world on fire, the formalism of Rome and the empty phrases and chants of the Cathedrals had to be reformed anew. The Reformer's calling was very much like that of the prophets of the Old Covenant. Desperate times demanded disparate characters called with a Divine purpose on their hearts. Again, a mere four hundred and fifty years later, we are called upon to rebuild once again the foundations of the true faith.
Perhaps you have heard me tell you this before. Verse twelve here was a very special verse to my ancestors. And I believe I was allowed to travel to Europe and Edinburgh instead of Southeast Asia to discover the roots of my Lowland Clan. In a department store in Edinburgh town, I discovered the Forsyth Coat of Arms and purchased the several yards of family Tartan. The Coat of Arms had a motto engraved upon it which it took some time to decipher. You can see it there in the title of this meditation: "Instuaratur Ruinae". I was able to trace the Latin of that phrase to verse twelve of this fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah. For twenty years or more that motto, which translates "to rebuild what others destroy", has been my personal calling. This is my verse, that has led me through more spiritual conflict and troubles than I would have chosen. And you all here today are the fruits of God's election and calling through your own pilgrimage. Perhaps you have your own verse with very special meaning.
Whatever your personal experience, we have only to look around the last decade of this twentieth century to appreciate that there is an awful lot of spiritual rebuilding to be done. And like the ancient Judeans, we are called to be sincere in our fasting, in our worship and in the application of the faith once given to the Saints. In our closing two verses, the text takes a turn that is difficult to comprehend. Dr Young observes that the purpose of the insistence here is divine preparation for the exile period through which Israel must go in distant Babylon. There, by the waters of Babylon, Zion's sacred precincts will be a faded memory. The regular celebration of the Sabbath will be necessary to hold the faithful together during their political slavery to the great power of the world.
Well, unlike our ancestors who in many cases were hounded out of their homes to this new world, we are not ethnic exiles. And, even though we may claim forty-some years of political exile, the solutions to the problems of our day are to be found in the proclamation of the true faith. As the followers of Christ, we may proclaim our faith sincerely in our words, in our work and most of all in our commitment to put the desires of the Lord of Heaven first in our lives. It is said that the reason the work of the Reformers was so blessed was the fact that they sought first the Kingdom of Heaven and the Lord added additional blessings on top of that earnest commitment.
One of the last popular Christian historians, Arnold Toynbee, observed that the Reformers served as mid-wives for the added blessings of democracy and capitalism which could only thrive during the reestablishment of Biblical Christianity. Our new crop of conservative leaders would do well to pause and consider whether or not a responsible Republic can be recreated apart from an earnest commitment to doing the will of our Father in heaven. We know the answer, don't we? That is why, in the years of rebuilding ahead, we must put the will of the Father first and foremost if we would want to see a new reformation and revival. May we by His grace, mercy and providence realize our secondary hopes until the Lord returns.
Resources Used:
Ellis, Charles..
The Wells of Salvation.
Thomas, Derek..
Welwyn Commentary 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
08 January 1995
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.