LORD of the Nations

Isaiah 1-12 focused on Judah and ended with a proclamation to the nations.  Isaiah 13-27 begins by focusing on the nations and ends with Judah

"These nations were all threatened by Assyria at one time or other, and were all actual or potential partners with Judah in anti-Assyrian alliances." (Webb - p80).

From Thankful Praise to Evangelism

Isaiah 12 is two songs, both introduced with the phrase, "And in that day you will say," (v1, 4).

The first song is joyful praise for personal salvation.  But that kind of salvation cannot be extolled enough being sung by only those who are saved.  They need more voices, more praise, more glory.  And so the second song demands that we go out and get more voices -

Isaiah 12:4–5 (NKJV)

...“Praise the Lord, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted. ⁵ Sing to the Lord, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth.

Let the peoples praise Thee!  Let all the peoples praise Thee!

Where Do We Run from the Wrath of God?

There has been a refrain of God's coming wrath - His anger is not turned away/His hand is stretched out still...

Isaiah 5:25 (NKJV)

²⁵ Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people; He has stretched out His hand against them And stricken them, And the hills trembled. Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

Isaiah 9:12 (NKJV)

¹² The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

Isaiah 9:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men, Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows; For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, And every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

Isaiah 9:21 (NKJV)

²¹ Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; Together they shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

Isaiah 10:4 (NKJV)

⁴ Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners, And they shall fall among the slain.” For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

Where can salvation be found from the wrath of the living God?

Isaiah 12:1-2 instructs us:  salvation from the wrath of God can only be found by fleeing into the arms f the righteous God.

Isaiah 12:1–2 (NKJV)

¹ And in that day you will say: “O Lord, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. ² Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ ”

Praise Songs of the Remnant

In Isaiah 11;16, a remnant is mentioned, withstanding the judgment of the LORD and returning to His temple because they remained faithful - 

Isaiah 11:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ There will be a highway for the remnant of His people Who will be left from Assyria, As it was for Israel In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.

And then Chapter 12 breaks out in a song of praise.  The song is in the singular ("I" and not "we") and so we could translate the beginning as "Each of you will say in that day."  There is an important emphasis on the individual's decision to trust and obey the LORD here.  Most of the consequences that have been written about in Isaiah thus far are national issues as a whole.  But Ahaz had to make His own decision (Isaiah 7:9b) and every other Israelite must as well (Isaiah 28:16).

How Wet is the Sea?

Isaiah 11:6-9 describes the effect of the Messiah's rule.  It will be universal peace, an ideal described here in language which may or may not be symbolic (or may be both).

Isaiah 11:6–8 (NKJV)

⁶ “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. ⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. ⁸ The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.

An end comes to all strife between creatures.  Does this mean an end to carnivorous living for all?  I'm not sure at this point.  Of course, the most important strife that will come to an end, and has already come, is the division between Jew and Gentile.  Now, all are justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone and we are all under one new humanity.  Under that reconstruction, all other divisions may come to an end.  The Prince of Peace brings peace to all human relationships.  

And so, the picture of Isaiah 11:6-9 is one of returning to the paradise of Eden.  It is a a picture of the whole creation put back into joint (Webb).  And verse 9 is climactic.  The entire earth and not simply Jerusalem will be the LORD's holy mountain and His Word, His law, His rule will be known, experienced and enjoyed as much as the waters cover the sea.

The spreading of this dominion, peace, and rule of King Jesus began at His first Advent and will continue until His second.  Until then, He rules over heaven and all of the earth while sitting at the right hand of God the Father (Psalm 110:1-2).  

Messiah: The Anointed King

Isaiah 11:1 promises a descendant of Jesse, a son of David, who will have the Spirit of the LORD resting on him.  That is what it means to be anointed and that is what is promised of the Messiah.

Messiah, in Hebrew, means "anointed" and does not immediately point to only one single person.  In a sense every king of Judah, from Saul onwards, had been the messiah.  Both priests and kings were anointed, but "the LORD's anointed" was shorthand for "the King" (1 Sam 24:10, Lam 4:20).

There is one aspect of this that points to Jesus particularly.  He is the anointed King and the anointed High Priest.  He is particularly anointed to fulfill both roles.

Beating Temptation at the Table

The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray for God to keep us from temptation and to deliver us from evil.  It also teaches us to ask Him for our daily bread.  But, as we also heard Jesus say while He was resisting temptation – Man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

There are many words that proceed from God.  But they all are summed up here in the Word of God made flesh.  And that Word is here at this Table – and it is offered to You as we partake of Bread.  This Bread and Wine are the Word of God – just as the Bible you hold is the Word of God.  Neither are turned into God – but both, by partaking by faith – are the instruments by which the Holy Spirit imparts the Word, Jesus, more and more into His body, the church.

And so, just as important as hearing by faith when the Word is proclaimed – is partaking by faith when the Word is given – here, at the Table of the Lord.  The Word of God is given to fight temptation.  Come and welcome to the Word of God – to Jesus Christ.