Friend Isaiah

Friend Isaiah With near-Gospel images Copyright Doug Blair, Waterloo ON, 2020

You once seemed so abandoned Faithless rogues marched cross your back And the days of Grace departed And your days held tears and lack.

But a new thing now I’m doing For a Wife no longer spurned.

And your walls and gates bejewelled And oppression overturned.

Now the celebration rich And your children taught of God Hear my Covenant unyielding Bow in thanks and over-awed.

Child no weapon formed ‘gainst you Will achieve the slightest grief 1

And those words demeaning your Hope All reversed to your relief.

Note: It was the eve of New Year’s 1982. Hilary was saved. I was not.

So much had changed for her...and for the better. I still found it all to be fanaticism and just plain too much change. I was feeling conviction. She often referred to this chapter 54 and tried to make me understand the coming new community and union of peace, retribution and joyful union. Her gentle words, the holy Word and the Spirit’s clarification soon brought me in.

Apologetics

Recently I have spent some time at an on-line community entitled Christian Forums​. New topical “threads” are introduced daily for discussion, exchange, encouragement or clarification. I have seen

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contributions from the States, Canada, Australia, Europe and Great Britain.

In many articles I observe a compulsion to defend Jesus or the scriptures or the Way of Salvation. When done in a systematic way this is called Christian Apologetics.

But I would suggest that Jesus, Almighty God the Son, does not need our defending. He needs our adoration. In my estimation an effective witness uses life-begetting words of scripture much more than he uses personal testimony or logical debate to convince that the message is indeed trustworthy and true. The key consideration becomes when to release the Bible words. There must first be some evidence of the softening effect of the Holy Spirit in the comments or demeanour of the listener. One may attempt to “sprinkle the water� too soon.

On that site I introduced a thread as follows:

Is Persuasion of Any Effect in the Evangel

Not much. Our mandate is to communicate the Gospel, the events, the sayings, the promises and warnings. It is not to persuade the listener by logic or debate as to whether any of it is true or compelling. We always come back to using the Bible to verify the Bible and this has no impact on unbelief that does not see the Word of God as authoritative..

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Look at the conversion of Saul/Paul. Indeed there was mighty Divine interruption on that Damascus Road. Immediate blindness. Words of commissioning. Unmistakably a message from Jesus ‘whom he was persecuting’.But had there been a witness? Yes, Stephen in his martyrdom. This man had been mighty in spirit, full of the Gospel message, unflinching in his loyalty to the Master and quick to forgive as the stones ravaged his body. The effect on Paul? Conviction.

Self-loathing working upon him horseback all the way down that road to harrass more of those Christ followers.

But had Stephen ever debated with him, told a personal testimony, felt a need to convince on the divinity of Jesus or the truth of the resurrection?

Nope.

And Finally, Up on A ​ ugust 14, 2011

A reading of Isaiah chapters 30 through 33 gives impressions which are both beautiful and confusing.

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The people of God are under attack. They have not totally cast off their idols. They have foolishly considered aid from the wrong human source (Egyptian horses and chariots). They have received poor counsel at their gates. The ravenous Assyrians with their vile leader "the Assyrian" (foreshadowing the Anti-Christ) have cut a destructive path of colossal proportions. God looks upon the unbelief and chastens His people. But then God arises:

Isaiah 31:

3Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.

4For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.

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5As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.

6Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.

Throughout these passages speaking prophetically of Zion we see a progression of up, down, up, down..and finally up. The final picture is that of ​a faithful, resting community which we have not yet seen.​ It is not just speaking of the Church operating under Christ's blood and ethic. Presently no such peace is enjoyed in the Church, and no amount of "Kingdom Now" enthusiasm will manufacture it. It is speaking of a completed Israel of faith, Gentiles included (Galatians 6:16), at a time when it encounters Jesus, Messiah by sight (Ephesians 5: 27).

Isaiah 33:

17Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

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18Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?

19Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.

20Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

21But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

22For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

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23Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.

24And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

Touched with our Infirmities on J​ une 23, 2009

What news, the Master visits, To heal the rabbi’s daughter!

What news, he comes down our street, Requested by her father!

What shame, my bleeding mocks me,

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Through twelve years quarantined.

What shame, the doctors’ failures, Heartbroken still, and unclean.

But I’ve heard that He’s healing all who simply trust him.

Yes, I’ve heard that He’s granting forgiveness of all sin.

Oh, I’ve heard that with such power Jehovah Rapha proves him.

What risk! I am forbidden To venture out in public.

What risk? I know that Jesus Will not have me remain sick.

What throng! He passes quickly.

A few strides more; he’ll be gone!

What throng! Oh man of mercy, My touching him can’t be wrong.

What joy! I seized his garment.

My heart leaps like a free calf.

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What joy! The blight has lifted, Curse broken on my behalf.

Lord Jesus, know that I am giving all of my love to thee.

Thy great compassion knew faith’s call as virtue transferred through thee.

If only others moved by faith would come and so pursue thee.

LUKE 8:48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

MATTHEW 8: 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

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(Picture by Ron DiCianni)

The Brazen Serpent on S ​ eptember 13, 2009

The Passion of the Christ - Icon Entertainment

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A few posts back I referred to the Old Testament story of the brass image of a snake forged at the direction of Moses. When talking to Nicodemus in John chapter three, Jesus had referred to this incident:

14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus likened himself to this representation of sin, which in some strange fashion rescued the chosen people of God from death. A brass serpent.

Not something overlaid with gold as in the case of the holy items in the tabernacle. But something appearing common, even ugly. Something brought through the fire. A rescue not requiring the logical understanding of one's mind; not requiring payment of money or

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service; simply a look of faith and a tenacious holding on to the promise of God.

And what were the consequences? Reversal of the toxins in the attack of the serpents. Healing of bodies. Saving of lives. Restoration of right relationship with Jehovah-God. Grateful hearts in a rescued people who knew full well that they had not been able to save themselves; to heal themselves. A people who knew that their own rebellion had brought on the snakes.

Hear of the transaction beautifully described and predicted by the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 53

1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

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2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

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8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken...

11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

How unlikely a means of God-rescue! Yet how full a revelation of both the judgment and mercy of the triune God. Neither side of the equation may be down-played. To understand the fulness of the compassion and mercy bestowed upon the faithful, one must accept the horror and immutability of judgment and law. To all who are reading this article, I say, "Look and live!"

In this strange fashion victory is secured over the presence, reproach, threatenings and attacks of that old Serpent, the Devil. ​Sin, death and sickness are overcome.

Refer to our blog ​http://momentsmidstream.blogspot.com/ And the topical label Friend Isaiah

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