123. The People Of Thy Holiness

Hymns: RHC 532 Saviour Like a Shepherd Lead Us 355 Day by Day 352 All the Way My Saviour Leads Me

1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. 4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. 5 And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. 6 And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth. 7 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. 8 For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. 9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. 10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. 11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? 12 That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? 13 That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? 14 As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. 15 Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained? 16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting. 17 O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. 18 The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. 19 We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name.

The People Of Thy Holiness

OUTLINE

• Judgement at Christ’s Return (v1-6)
• His Presence with His People (v7-19) 

INTRODUCTION

Here in Isaiah 63, the subject with which they are introduced is the destruction of the enemies of God (v1-6), and this is followed by tender expressions of confidence in the LORD, and by earnest supplications, on the part of His people, that He would interpose in their behalf. The prophet sees in vision a magnificent conqueror, stained with the blood of His enemies, returning from Edom, and from its capital Bozrah – a warrior flushed with victory, unsubdued, unweakened, and coming with the pride and stateliness of conquest. 

• Judgement at Christ’s Return (v1-6)

1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. 4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. 5 And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. 6 And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

Who He is, is the object of inquiry; and the answer is, that He is a great and holy deliverer. Why His gorgeous robes are thus polluted with blood, becomes also a question of intense anxiety.

Revelation 19:17-21 – ¹⁷  And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; ¹⁸  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. ¹⁹  And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. ²⁰  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. ²¹  And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. 

This enemies of Christ defeated and Christ triumphant.

The Lord at His coming shall send a plague to smite all the people that fight against His people in Jerusalem (v 12). Secondly, there will be seen mutual annihilation of Israel’s enemies through a supernatural panic like the time of Gideon and the Midianites (v 13, Jud 7:22). The third weapon that God employs against the enemy is Judah, the strength divinely given to the remnant to spoil the nations of their great abundance of wealth (v 14). 

The plague will also consume all the common animals (v 15). There will be a holocaust of the heathen armies in Jerusalem as God judges them. The word “holocaust” is made up of two Greek words “holos” meaning “completely” and “kaustos” meaning “burnt” derived from the Hebrew word “shoah” connoting catastrophe, calamity, disaster and destruction. It is the term generally used to describe the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War Two, as part of a program of deliberate extermination planned and executed by the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi) regime in Germany led by Adolf Hitler. The Jews were at first shot. Later the introduction of gas chambers quickened the killing process. They were stripped of all their valuables, even their gold teeth were being plucked out. These atrocities were unspeakably wicked. 

The death suffered by these whose “flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet and eyes shall consume away in their holes and their tongues shall consume away in their mouth” is most atrocious. This plague came upon them because they would not submit to our Lord Jesus Christ. They might have thought that the might of all the nations was sufficient to fight the King of kings and Lord of lords. This is the ill-informed pride of a rebellious heart that caused their downfall. Have you been rebelling against God’s laws and there seem to be not sign of God’s judgment? Repent! 

The reply of the conqueror is, that he has been forth to subdue mighty foes; that he went alone; that there was none that could aid; and that he had trodden them down as a treader of grapes treads in the wine-press. The whole image here is that of a triumphant, blood-stained warrior, returning from the conquest of Idumea.

The balance of the carnage and catastrophism of the first six verses in Isaiah 63 is one of the most beautiful picture of the patience, longsuffering and lovingkindness of the LORD. It almost seemed like a contradiction when the different attributes of God is contrasted that we may see a balanced picture that the Christ who walked this earth was potentially infinite wrath and infinite love at the same time in the same Person. That is something that is totally beyond our comprehension and can invite heretical solutions to understand the way God deals with people like us. [Whitcomb]

• His Presence with His People (v7-19) 

7 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

Verse 7 provides a little picture in the 4 gospels of how the Lord Jesus actually dealt with and treated people. Preparatory verses of how He will treat Israel. 

8 For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.

My people, children that will not lie. People that God is looking for on this earth that will really be dependable in whom He can place His full confidence and that will not deal falsely in which the LORD is their Saviour.

This is the marvel of divine election where Jesus explained it as an antinomy of theology is John 6.

John 6:35-40 (KJV) And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:41-46 (KJV) The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. 42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? 43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. 46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

John 6:65 (KJV) And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

There must be a divine initiative or we are not coming to Christ. Nobody is seeking Him apart from God’s initiative and influence on us. In ourselves we don’t want to worship Him we want to conjure up our own gods.

Man doesn’t want God – Psalm 14:2-4 (KJV) The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there isnone that doeth good, no, not one. 4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

Psalm 14:1 (KJV) To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

There is that antinomy that harmonize in the mind of God and we have to believe that we are responsible to come to Him and believe in Him -Jesus said to the Israelites, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” If they couldn’t repent. And yet the election of God does not depend on man to choose to believe. 

See the testimony of the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:29-32 (KJV) Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

His election does it. If it was left to us, nobody will believe Him and nobody will be saved.

Surely they are my people, who really want me, who believe in Me and trust Me! He became their Saviour.

In the Millennium, all opposition has been removed, who will be on earth? Believers only! How come they are on the earth? Because they believed, they chose Him  and because they are going to be characterized in the kingdom age by not dealing falsely. They will be regenerated people and taught and disciplined in the truth.

9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

In all their affliction, He was afflicted! How can God be afflicted. He bore their sorrows in His sacrifice on their behalf. 

There are three level of messengers in the Bible that is the divine one – Jesus, there is the angelic one and there is the human one, there is the pre-incarnate Christ, the messenger of His presence. 

Hebrews 1:3 (KJV) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

He has been with the Father in all eternity and in His Great High Priestly Prayer – restore to Me the glory that I had with Thee before the world was. He was with the Father in infinite, intimate relationship forever and ever.

Exodus 23:20 (KJV) Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

Exodus 33:14 (KJV) And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

Exodus 33:15 (KJV) And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

Moses cannot imagine going into Canaan with God’s presence with him. 

When we begin the day each morning do we pray, Lord, I cannot handle the day without your presence without the messenger of your presence who is the Second Person of the Triune Godhead.

Isaiah 61:1 (KJV) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me the Messiah. The messenger of His presence is the Son of God in the presence of His Father.

10 But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. 

The Trinitarian Presence of God is there in the Old Testament. As we saw in Luke 3:21-23, the son was baptised, My beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit comes down as a dove directly upon Him and we have a visual aid, there are three Persons who are God.

The story of two pairs of footprints marching down the sandy beach and all of a sudden there is only one pair of footprints and the believer asked Lord why did you leave me when I am having a crisis and a tragedy in my life, and what’s the Lord’s answer, I didn’t leave you, those are my footprints as I carried you.

That’s how the Lord treated Israel. The nation did not operate on its own strength, it was the LORD who lifted His people and carried them all the days of old.

Exodus 19:4 (KJV) Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

Deuteronomy 1:31 (KJV) And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

 Deuteronomy 32:7-15 (KJV) Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. 8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. 9 For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. 10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. 11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: 12 So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. 13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; 14 Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape. 15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

To be continued…