The Justice and Mercy of God
The Justice and Mercy of God.
Isaiah 21-25
“O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.”
Chapters 13-24 recorded a series of devastating judgments of God against the sins of the nations surrounding Israel. The message was clear: If a nation abandons God and embraces sin, it will face the consequence of God’s judgment. However, in chapters 24-25, we see the movement's climax in the prophecies. Instead of the judgment of God leading to anger towards God, it is to lead to the praise of God. We often praise God for his love, grace, and mercy, but how many times do we sing the praise of his judgment and his justice? We embrace a God of grace but deny God’s justice and holiness that brings severe judgment upon sin. Yet the anthem of praise recorded in chapter 24 begins with the praise of God for his judgment upon the nations that reject him. In 24:15, people are called upon to glorify God and praise him because he has brought judgment upon the enemies of God’s people. We can rejoice, for God is all-powerful and will have victory over evil in the end. In a world of injustice, when evil seems to be winning the day, and sin is promoted, we can have joy that there will come a time when God will establish righteousness.
In chapter 25, the focus shifts from the judgment of the nations that abandon God to the salvation and blessing God gives to those who embrace him. Not only will God judge sin, but he will also prepare a lavish banquet for all his people. Verse 8 provides us with hope in a broken world. The struggles and sorrows we face in the present will give way to a time of joy and blessing. When God returns, he will bring a final defeat of sin and its consequences. Death will be removed. Death was never God’s intent. Instead, it was a consequence of our rejection of his offer of life. We see in these verses the hint that sin and its judgment will be removed. The depth of his compassion is further evident in his willingness to remove all tears. This includes the tears we shed when people die, but it also includes all tears that come when we face the troubles of life in a broken world. No matter what causes us distress, sickness, loneliness, rejection, adversity, or any other crisis, God will lovingly wipe our tears away and remove all our sorrow and replace it with a banquet of Joy. This is the hope that we have longed for and desired in a broken world. Therefore, we can rejoice and be glad in his salvation in the present (vs 9). Our future promise gives us present hope and joy amid our present struggles. Isaiah does not say, “We will rejoice and be glad.” Instead, in light of our future salvation, he exhorts us to rejoice and be glad in the present because we have the promise and assurance of our salvation. The victory is already guaranteed; therefore, we can have joy in the present, even in the midst of life's struggles. It is our awareness of the future that gives us perspective in the present. Our hope is not found in the present, in the political arena, in the efforts of man. Our hope is found in God and his future redemption. No matter what we face in life, no matter how overwhelming the turmoil in the world, we can rejoice because God remains sovereign and his plan is being achieved. He will come again to the world to restore his righteousness. Spend time today reflecting on what we have in the future, and then give thanks to God for the assurance that he will one day come and personally, lovingly wipe our tears away and restore his kingdom on earth.
Isaiah 21-25
“O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.”
Chapters 13-24 recorded a series of devastating judgments of God against the sins of the nations surrounding Israel. The message was clear: If a nation abandons God and embraces sin, it will face the consequence of God’s judgment. However, in chapters 24-25, we see the movement's climax in the prophecies. Instead of the judgment of God leading to anger towards God, it is to lead to the praise of God. We often praise God for his love, grace, and mercy, but how many times do we sing the praise of his judgment and his justice? We embrace a God of grace but deny God’s justice and holiness that brings severe judgment upon sin. Yet the anthem of praise recorded in chapter 24 begins with the praise of God for his judgment upon the nations that reject him. In 24:15, people are called upon to glorify God and praise him because he has brought judgment upon the enemies of God’s people. We can rejoice, for God is all-powerful and will have victory over evil in the end. In a world of injustice, when evil seems to be winning the day, and sin is promoted, we can have joy that there will come a time when God will establish righteousness.
In chapter 25, the focus shifts from the judgment of the nations that abandon God to the salvation and blessing God gives to those who embrace him. Not only will God judge sin, but he will also prepare a lavish banquet for all his people. Verse 8 provides us with hope in a broken world. The struggles and sorrows we face in the present will give way to a time of joy and blessing. When God returns, he will bring a final defeat of sin and its consequences. Death will be removed. Death was never God’s intent. Instead, it was a consequence of our rejection of his offer of life. We see in these verses the hint that sin and its judgment will be removed. The depth of his compassion is further evident in his willingness to remove all tears. This includes the tears we shed when people die, but it also includes all tears that come when we face the troubles of life in a broken world. No matter what causes us distress, sickness, loneliness, rejection, adversity, or any other crisis, God will lovingly wipe our tears away and remove all our sorrow and replace it with a banquet of Joy. This is the hope that we have longed for and desired in a broken world. Therefore, we can rejoice and be glad in his salvation in the present (vs 9). Our future promise gives us present hope and joy amid our present struggles. Isaiah does not say, “We will rejoice and be glad.” Instead, in light of our future salvation, he exhorts us to rejoice and be glad in the present because we have the promise and assurance of our salvation. The victory is already guaranteed; therefore, we can have joy in the present, even in the midst of life's struggles. It is our awareness of the future that gives us perspective in the present. Our hope is not found in the present, in the political arena, in the efforts of man. Our hope is found in God and his future redemption. No matter what we face in life, no matter how overwhelming the turmoil in the world, we can rejoice because God remains sovereign and his plan is being achieved. He will come again to the world to restore his righteousness. Spend time today reflecting on what we have in the future, and then give thanks to God for the assurance that he will one day come and personally, lovingly wipe our tears away and restore his kingdom on earth.
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February
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