Isaiah 17:6 says, Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the Lord God of Israel. Isaiah said that even though most of the people of Israel would be killed, a remnant of faithful people would remain. Though there have been times in history and there may come a day once more when only a few, a remnant, of God’s people remain, He also always has a few loyal to Him, and if we are a follower of Christ, we will always be a part of His kingdom, no matter how small we may be in numbers.
Verse seven adds, At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. When this day came, those who were a part of the remnant would look to God, their Maker and Sustainer, and have respect for Him, the Holy One of Israel. They will remain faithful to Him, even if they may question where He is during all their suffering. We as Christians may at times wonder where God is if we are suffering in life, but we must remain faithful to Him, maybe even more so during these times.
Verse eight continues, And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images. When this day came, the people would no longer look to idols for anything. They would look to God alone. Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we must look to God alone for our strength and guidance. All false gods must be eliminated from our lives.
Verse nine states, In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation. Isaiah continues to tell the people of Israel of their upcoming destruction at the hands of Assyria. Everything would be destroyed except for a few on the uppermost branches, the remnant that were faithful to God. Matthew Henry says that at one time, when the people of Israel were conquering the promised land by their faith in and obedience to God that a thousand of their enemies fled from one Israelite, now a thousand Israelites would flee from one enemy since they no longer had the protection of God due to their disobedience to Him. We as followers of Christ have spiritual victory over all the forces of evil in the world today as long as we remain faithful to Him, but if we begin to turn away from His word, we lose that protection. The things we do outside the will of God as Christians will one day be left just as desolate as the cities of Israel were to be in that day. Though once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord we are forever saved, we may be left spiritually desolate in this old world if we are not obedient to His word.
Verse ten adds, Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: Isaiah then reminded them that God said this was happening because of their disobedience and not because God had failed them. If we are ever in a position where it seems that God has abandoned us as followers of Christ, we need to see if we have allowed sin of some kind back into our lives, because we can be certain that God will never abandon us.
Verse eleven continues, In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow. Isaiah said they would plant their crops but they would never reap them. This was done to make the country look good and fruitful, but it was done outside the will of God. We may do things in the church today to make it look good and productive, but if anything is done outside the will of God under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, it will never be of any value. We as Christians are not called on to make ourselves look good to the world, or even to other Christians, but to bring glory to God.
Verse twelve says, Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! Isaiah was referring to the armies that had swept into Judah sounding like a roaring sea as they swept over the people there. There are still armies today who sweep into countries with a lot of noise and destructive power, and many times Christians are caught up in that destruction. Still, we do not need to cower in fear, because we are the victors spiritually forever because of our faith in Jesus Christ.
Verse thirteen adds, The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. As I just stated, no matter how powerful our enemies in this life may be, there is coming a day when God will rebuke them, and they will be chased away like chafe in the wind. Isaiah was referring to Sennacherib and Rabshakeh at this time, whose own fears led their forces to flee in fear, but I believe it also refers to the judgment of God on all His enemies one day. Chafe was either blown away or burned, and those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord will one day be swept away into the everlasting fires of hell.
Verse fourteen continues, And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us. It was at night that the angel of the Lord struck fear into the Assyrian army and led to their fleeing in fear. That evening, they had been a strong and powerful army, but by morning they were no more. God didn’t need an army of His people to defeat their enemies, but He did it by His power alone. If we have put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, the moment we did so, all our spiritual enemies were swept away, and it was not because of our own strength and abilities. Through the power of Jesus Christ alone, when He claimed victory over sin and death on the cross are we saved. Salvation can never be based on anything less than our faith in this fact.
No comments:
Post a Comment