Exposition by Max A Forsythe
A few years ago, the British Navy set sail with an expeditionary force on board for the southern tip of South America. The objective was to reconquer the islands taken away by the Argies. And so the short Falkland War was set in motion. The Argies felt confident; after all, the latest edition of Jane's Fighting Ships did not list an impossibly large British Navy. By the late seventies it had been a long time since Britannia ruled the waves. From the remnants of "empire" British ships rendezvoused at tiny little Ascension Island where flights of transport planes had been assembling supplies and specialists for the fleet at sea. Along the way, the empire forces practiced for combat and crewmen assembled the crated jump jets as a surprise for the Argentine Air Force and Navy.
Once the Brits arrived, the conflict was short lived. Try as hard as they might, the Argentine airmen could not catch the only aircraft carrier to have left Britain. Certainly, the small expendable frigates and destroyers were sunk and casualties were many. However, it wasn't until the war was over that a few obscure military magazines revealed how the Brits had pulled off this victory at the far edge of the southern Atlantic. The reason why the Argies could never outwit the carrier tactics was the fact that on the way down to the Falkland Islands, the British Air and Naval arms had been lengthened. The British Navy was not as short of ships as Jane's reported. It seems that along the way, carpenters had built a deck on top of a large oil tanker. The Jump Jets, as the Harriers were called, were uncrated and the air power of the Brits was doubled, they were able to fly not from just one ship, but also from the second.
And so, the leaders of Argentina underestimated the power of the rump empire which they challenged, and all of their plans came to naught. In a like way may the enemies of our God and King almost always underestimate His power and purpose, as we see in chapter fifty-nine before us. Let us be absolutely certain that we do not make the same mistake.
Our passage may be divided into four portions for our consideration. Verse one, which we have already considered, introduces the theme of this chapter, which is to establish and defend the Almighty power of our God in heaven and on this small planet, which He has considered beyond any merit to be found in its inhabitants. The second division of this chapter is to be found in verses two through eight, where we may learn why it is so easy to underestimate what God can and will do. Third, in verses nine through the first half of fifteen, attention is focused by Isaiah on the pitiful condition of all of these trapped in the darkness of their own minds. Finally, from the last half of fifteen through the end of the chapter, we are taught what the Lord indeed will accomplish for us in His own time and by His own power.
Let us turn now to our second portion, where we see the natural condition of mankind. It is a condition little understood in our time. It is a condition of sin which sets us apart from the God of heaven, a condition that hides the face of God from us, a condition that isolates us from God's hearing. This is rough going for much of the worldly today. These facts, too many would refuse to hear. It is a fact that Dr Martin Lloyd-Jones put plainly before his people in England: "If you do not accept this description of yourself apart from the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, there there is no need to argue about it, you are just not a Christian. If you resent all this you are not a Christian, you are not yet convinced and convicted of sin, and you are not a believer in Christ, though you may have thought you were. if you in any way object to this, you are automatically putting yourself outside the kingdom of God and the Christian faith. This description of man in sin is the simple truth, the horrible truth. That is what sin has brought us to. Thank God there is a way out of it. ... 'Oh wretched man that I am! [Paul noted] who shall deliver me ...? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord'."
It is a fact that we must confront as well. Shakespeare, in the memorable scene in Macbeth, has Lady Macbeth agonizing over the blood of a king with which she soiled her hands. "here's the smell of blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand." Even a king with the heart and name of David was not allowed to build the Lord's Temple because he had been a warrior king. But was it the blood of warfare that kept David from that task? We know that David caused the death of one of his own warriors so that he might gain the wife.
For ten years we had a teacher at our school who was the model of good behavior. He was quiet and competent, respected by everyone. He moved on to another job in the Lima area. This fall, we heard that he had been charged with trying to hire a hit man to make himself a widow. It was all unbelievable to us. Yet, he has confessed to planning such a desperate deed. As the old radio show in the thirties used to ask: "Who knows what secrets lurk in the hearts of man?" God knows! And the description of their horrid scurryings are well described here.
Our third portion will focus on man's appreciation of his desperate dilemma. Well does Isaiah appreciate where we would be apart from our God. This is a fit description of natural man. Here we may learn what the phrase total depravity really means. It always amazes me that the most ardent believers in evolution have such confidence in the primitive goodness of mankind. Two new movies dwell on such a supposed pristine condition. Both Nell and Mowgli, half a world apart would perpetuate such utter nonsense . An older, less popular movie, Lord of the Flies, would probably give us a better indication of human nature as described by Isaiah. Look at the bear image in verse eleven!
Yet, there is still a spark of conscience in very many within our culture, at least for now. I still pray for the young man who a few years ago had his girl friend worried. She pleaded with me to help him with his self image. She said he was constantly depressed and the guidance counselor told her to help him focus on a better image. To the shock of the class, I suggested the opposite course of action. And when I had a chance to talk with him I encouraged him to consider the truth of his conviction and seek the Gospel way out. Of course, the self image crowd went into high gear so that the devil wouldn't lose a disciple. But the young man in question became something of a philosopher, reading and searching for the truth of his condition. I pray that God will eventually find him and reveal Himself, as we would understand how things work from the next section.
In Isaiah's time, as well as our own, we may understand that the Lord looks on the human condition and is displeased. There was no justice, there wasn't any truth to be found by natural man. There was no one to intervene on our behalf. So in the great passage of verses sixteen and seventeen, He arms Himself and unexpectedly steps into battle for His own cause, which He has made ours as well. "His own arm worked salvation". Even Satan was surprised and defeated by God's providential plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. One Day, His enemies will feel His righteous wrath. And from the west and east, every knee shall bow and every heart confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And for the elect, there is the promise of redemption in that coming. "The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins".
For all of those who are brought to repentance by the arm of the Lord, there is the promised covenant that will be accomplished by God's Spirit. And by this Spirit and by the Word of the Lord will generations be saved. May we thank the God of heaven for this work within our hearts revealed to us by the word of His prophets and Apostles.
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
14 January 1995
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.