Thursday: “You Comforted Me”
Isa: 12:1-6
Isaiah 12 is a short psalm (song) of praise to God for His merciful and powerful comfort. The psalm, put in the mouth of a member of the restored remnant, compares the promised deliverance to that of the Hebrews in the Exodus from Egypt (see Isa: 11:16); it is like the song of Moses and the Israelites when they were saved from Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea (see Exodus 15).
Compare this song in Isaiah 12 to Revelation 15:2-4, the song of Moses and of the Lamb. What are they both praising God for?
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Isaiah 12:2 comes close to identifying the coming Deliverer as Jesus. It says that “God is my salvation” and “he has become my salvation” (NRSV). The name Jesus means “The Lord is Salvation” (compare Matt: 1:21).
What is the significance of the idea, contained in the name of Jesus, that the Lord is salvation?
Not only does the Lord bestow salvation (Isa: 12:2); He Himself is salvation. The Presence of the Holy One of Israel in our midst (Isa: 12:6) is everything to us. God is with us! Not only did Jesus do miracles; He “became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14, NRSV, emphasis supplied). Not only did He bear our sins on the cross; He became sin for us (2 Cor: 5:21). Not only does He make peace; He is our peace (Eph: 2:14).
No wonder “the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples” (Isa: 11:10, NRSV). When He is lifted up on the cross, He draws all people to Himself ( John 12.32-33)! A remnant shall return to the “mighty God” (Isa: 10:21, NRSV), who is the Child born for us, the “Prince of Peace” (Isa: 9:6)!
| Dwell more on this idea that Jesus is our salvation. Read Romans 3:24. It says that redemption is in Jesus; redemption is something that happened in Him, and it is through God’s grace and mercy that we can have an eternal share in that redemption, as well. In other words, that redemption that was in Him can become ours by faith, and not by works, because no works we do are good enough to redeem us. Only the works that Christ did, which He credits to us by faith, can bring redemption. How does this truth give you hope and assurance of salvation, especially when you feel overwhelmed by your own sense of unworthiness? |
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Sometimes we get carried away by the music when we sing hymns or Gospel songs and pay scant attention to the words. There are two problems. Sometimes the words are pretty meaningless. They are simply a combination of spiritual sounding words without a lot of meaning. And at other times, the words are deeply meaningful, and we sing them without taking on board the real intent of the composer.
Today we are looking at Isaiah 12, which is a Psalm, and we have the opportunity to think about the words. (Maybe after we have worked out the meaning someone might like to compose some music to go with it.)
I don't claim to be a theological analyst but here is my, hopefully, practical, understanding of this passage.
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Wonderful comment Maurice.
I like very much your practical understanding of the passage. It makes it clear. I needed that.
My pastor has a scripture song for part of this hymn.
https://youtu.be/6e9IzcdFpeE
Thank you!
Still meditating on what Maurice said yesterday about the importance of Christian service, the verse that most resonates with me today is:
On the grounds of our local high school there is a natural mineral spring. Someone built a gorgeous Russian-style gazebo over it in 1892, complete with onion dome and filagree archways all around. It's all that remains of an extensive health resort and water bottling plant from that time. I love watching the water bubble up. No matter when I visit, I can count on this constant activity from deep in the earth. It feels life-giving and purifying just watching it (the pool is screened over so I can't try any).
Jesus talks about Himself as "Living Water" (John 4:10; Jer 2:13; Jer 17:13). Jesus is the sparkling water in us. Salvation is something active, alive and moving; not a stagnant reservoir. God's inflow to us is our outflow to others. If we bottle up heavenly blessings for our own self-esteem and comfort, our testimony starts to have an off-putting odor.
The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name. Exod 15:3
You Comforted Me”
My writing for Wednesday is also appropriate for Thursday. I did not realized what was being asked in Thursday study.
There are certain portions of the bible that brings comfort to me. The promises found in the psalms, the proverbs, etc. There are certain hymns that also bring comfort to me, e.g #100. Great is thy faithfulness. What a friend we have in Jesus, I found a friend oh such a friend.
After 400 hundred yrs the very thought of God was erased from the heart of the Israelites because the Egyptians held them in captivity and bondage as slaves. After the miraculous rescue from their enemies and crossing over the red sea. Moses and the people rejoiced as told in Exod 15:1-22. Because of the mighty power of God to save his people from their enemies.
The Lord is salvation. He brought himself as salvation to save us from our sins.
This battle will be over one of these days. The remnant will rejoice and will sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Rev 15:1-4.
Jesus is everything to us. There’s not on thing we need for peace, strength, righteousness, transformation or victory that isn’t found in Him. He is our hope and comfort.
Nanci - always love to read your words of truth comprised to fit into a nutshell! 🙂
I love that part of the lesson where it says we can have an "eternal share of that redemption." God, Thou art merciful and gracious!
Matthew 1:11 says, "He shall save His people." Who are His people? I do believe the rich and the poor have equal opertunity to enter his fold, because salvation can not be bought. The Bible makes it clear all who enter into His love. All who are willing to be made willing, all who reciprocate His love for us, have been gifted eternal life. Wait a minute John you say. But you must be born of spirit and water. John 3:3. Yes,I do believe that reciprocating His love includes being born again of the Spirit and water.
He has every right to discard us, But He didn't. Again He is faithful, let us choose to be faithful to Him. Romans 3:3.
Even though God knew that the nation of Israel, directed by their leadership, would eventually reach a level of apostasy that included turning to foreign kings for protection and sacrificing there own children to the gods of that foreign king, He still rescued them from Egypt and set them up as a nation because He promised He would.
It is the mystery of iniquity juxtaposed against God’s mercy that He would choose to save them anyway. I can only assume that without a nation like Israel for God to demonstrate to the world how His gov’t works well when followed by His people, how He protects them against a all odds and false gods and how He administers justice even on His own people, the world would have ended up like the antediluvian world before the flood. Except for a very few, everyone would be completely evil all the time.
Thanks be to God for Him to set up a people that from time to time showed how things can work and also through whom He can, again and again, demonstrate His mercy culminating the gift of life to all in Jesus, “The Lord our Salvation”.
What I find amazing is that the LORD describes future events in terms of language and events of His people's past, like He describes His people's return from captivity in Babylon as their Exodus from Egypt. We find the same thing in Revelation, using previous experiences to describe the future.
Jesus used literal everyday events to help people understand spiritual concepts, maybe this is how we can start a conversation with secular people. For example how does a vaccine keep you from getting sick? How does Jesus sacrifice give us eternal life?
Righteousness is Life – unrighteousness is death! In man, God does not have ‘partners’, He has ‘children’ in the truest sense of the word. Isaiah11:13KJV – “Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim; what was this family feud about? Jacob, Joseph’s father, adopted Joseph’s two sons Ephraim and Manasseh to share in Jacob’s inheritance equally with Jacob’s own sons – Gen48:5KJV. Jacob also blessed Ephraim over his older brother – Gen.48:20KJV. God is omniscent!
The sons of Jacob (Israel), born by 4 wives – Leah, Bilhah, Zilpah and Rachel, also married women from different tribes and ethnic backgrounds. From the very beginning, the children of the tribes of Israel were challenged by living the destiny of the promises God made to their ancestor father Jacob – Gen.48:3-4KJV; v.4 – “… and I will make of thee a multitude of people; … .
Starting out as one Kingdom, the break-up comes as Judah under the rulership of David is divided into two Kingdoms; an ongoing family feud, foretold in prophesy – 1Kings 12:15KJV ensued. It brought to light the issues based on the diversity of people’s ethnic and cultural differences and their inherent conflicts. No efforts trying to establish unity within ethnical and cultural diversity without the help of God can succeed; this is still the same short-sighted effort the world is making today as the *counterfit unity* is being established on a lie.
Only Christ Jesus, Immanuel (meaning to deliver, to rescue, God with us), offers the help to those who seek desperately to find true peace and unity.
Then, the tribes of ancient Israel, ensnared by the effects of their ongoing family feuds based on the desires of the flesh, could only hope in God’s words of promise to rescue them as offered by their prophets; the Father secured to himself a remnant of those faithful to His Words of His Promise.
Now, the faithful Christian has joined the faithful of the family of Israel and so with joined the spiritual family of God; His promises have found their fulfillment in His Son Jesus Christ.
“And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and though comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song: he also is become my salvation ” – Isaiah 12:1-2KJV.
I am very happy to find the lesson writer’s suggestion to “Dwell more on this idea that Jesus is our Salvation and agree with all his/her findings. Yes, “Not only does the Lord bestow Salvation, He Himself is Salvation!! We receive our redemption, sanctification and Salvation by His merits, not ours. His never wavering Faith has accomplished that which we could not do for ourselves – become righteous in the Father’s eyes: Rom.3:19-31KJV.
v. 22:”Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
v.25,26:”Whom God hath set forth(ordained) to be a propitiation through faith in his blood(victorious,conquering faith), to declare His (the Father’s/Jesus’s) righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time His Righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Only by/because of and through His Son Jesus Christ, the Father’s Love could bring about that which no earthly power is able to accomplish; in Him He fulfilled His Promises; through Him they established the Way of Truth and Light leading to everlasting peace and unity of mankind in righteousness forever more.
Praise and Glory belong to the Father of all Creation forever and ever - Amen!