A Song of Praise
1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
God makes salvation
its walls and ramparts.
2 Open the gates
that the righteous nation may enter,
the nation that keeps faith.
3 You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
5 He humbles those who dwell on high,
he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground
and casts it down to the dust.
6 Feet trample it down—
the feet of the oppressed,
the footsteps of the poor.
7 The path of the righteous is level;
O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.
8 Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws,
we wait for you;
your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.
10 Though grace is shown to the wicked,
they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil
and regard not the majesty of the LORD.
11 O LORD, your hand is lifted high,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame;
let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them…
My Understanding: Isaiah began this section of his writing with the usage of the phrase “In that day” to denote a day of God’s divine judgment on God’s people because of their sins against God. And, the rest of this chapter is to be understood within that context of divine judgment of God on his people, for the divine purpose of bringing them back into a right relationship with God Almighty. And, that is what the judgment produced. So, it reached its desired result in the lives of God’s people.
The City of God
Today God’s people comprise the true church, i.e. true believers in Jesus Christ who have received Jesus Christ as Lord (master; boss) and Savior of their lives, by God’s grace and through faith - repentance and obedience to Christ and to his commands, which are also gifts from God. It is the Holy Spirit of God who transforms hearts and who works repentance and obedience to Christ Jesus in our lives as we cooperate with his work.
God also promises judgment on his disobedient church today for sins of idolatry, spiritual adultery, disobedience to God’s commands, ignoring their Lord and Savior, and for not honoring God as holy and righteous, but instead going their own way, and following their own evil desires and paths of unrighteousness. The letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation describe God’s call to his church for repentance, and if they do not repent, God will send some type of judgment against them. And, then the rest of Revelation describes the judgments of God on the earth and on mankind. Since the Bible says this will take place, and since God has said this will happen, we know we can take it to the bank.
Yet, the divine purpose of judgment against God’s people is the same as it was in the time of the prophets of old. Through judgment, God will restore his people to a right relationship with their God. He will strengthen their spiritual city of God (the true church). We know this is speaking of a spiritual city and not a physical one, because God makes salvation its walls and ramparts (fortification). Jesus described this city in Matthew 5:14-15:
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”
Hebrews 12:22-24 also describe this city that has salvation as its walls:
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Open the Gates
Through judgment the gates of this city (the true church) will be opened wide for God’s righteous people – those made righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ – to enter in. I believe that the purpose of judgment is to revive the church, which will then, in turn, bring about the salvation of many, many lives, because the church will then be spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is why, through judgment, these gates will be opened wide. These who are righteous are those who keep the faith. The Bible has much to say on this subject of true faith being faith that continues and that endures to the end. Many will profess to know Jesus Christ, but true faith must be proved to be genuine faith, and it must endure. True faith is also faith that is repentant and obedient to Christ’s commands.
These will be trying times for us in judgment, yet the Lord will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast (not wavering back and forth), because he trusts in the Lord to do what he says he will do, and because he does not give way to fear of man. Man will fail us, so we should not place our trust in man. God will never fail us, so he is completely trustworthy. Jesus is our solid Rock. On him we can take our stand. Yet, for those who place their trust in mankind and/or in themselves, and who think they can rule their own lives and destiny, he will bring them low, and it will be because of those the lofty have oppressed.
The Way of Truth
Yet for the righteous, i.e. for those who have made Jesus Christ Lord and Savior of their lives, the Lord makes a level and smooth path. This does not mean the righteous will not face difficulties, persecutions, trials and tribulations, for they most certainly do and will, but this means that the Lord makes a path for us free from the control of sin over our lives so that we don’t have to live lives that are given over to sin and rebellion any longer, or that are controlled by our own fleshly desires and wills, but we can live in peace with our Lord by rejecting sin and by choosing to walk humbly in obedience to our Lord Jesus.
This level and smooth path he provides for us is a path of truth, of his laws (commands) and is a path that follows his word in all its fullness. Through following this path of righteousness we learn to wait for the Lord to do what he says he will do in our lives, and in the lives of those we love, even though waiting may be difficult and filled with numerous trials. Through walking this path in the way of his laws (truth; word), we grow in our love relationship with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – so that He becomes the desire of our hearts. Walking in this way of truth also places within us a yearning for our Lord during the watches of the night and in the light of a new day dawning, so that our souls long for the Lord day and night.
Isaiah then quickly moved from this subject of walking in the light of the truth of God’s word back to the subject of divine judgment. He said that when God’s judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness, yet there is an exception here, because he then stated that, even though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness. So, not everyone on the earth will be moved to repentance when judgment comes. Some will reject God’s grace and will continue in their wickedness. Even though revival is being poured out on a nation under the judgment of God, and even though many people come to salvation through Jesus Christ, and the wicked are surrounded by the righteous, they will go on doing evil and will give no regard to God. How very sad! And, even though God’s hand is lifted high, perhaps signifying more judgments to come, the wicked do not see it. So, the prayer of Isaiah here is that the wicked will be shown, in judgment, God’s zeal for his people (the true church), and will be put to shame.
Honest Confession
Lastly (not quoted above), Isaiah expressed a prayer of confession to the Lord for his nation. First he gave all praise, honor and glory to Almighty God for all God had done to establish his peace in their hearts and lives. Then, he confessed that they, as a nation, had allowed other gods and lords to rule over them previously, but that now the name of God was the only one that they honored. Other gods can include sinful attitudes and behaviors - willful rebellion, self, pride, envy, bitterness, fear, adultery, gluttony, etc. Other gods can also include people we hold in high esteem who we honor and value above God by making them the lords over our minds and hearts instead of Jesus Christ being our only Lord. Or, other gods can include our activities and/or possessions that we worship by how we give of our hearts, time and devotion to them, and to do so for our own honor and glory. Yet, Isaiah confessed that through judgment God had wiped out all memory of these other gods out of the lives of his people; that the Lord had now spiritually enlarged this spiritual “nation;” and that God Almighty was now the one who had gained the glory for himself.
As part of this confession, Isaiah also confessed that the people of God had been way slack in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with a world in need of the Savior. They had not brought salvation to the earth, and thus the people of the world had not been given spiritual birth. Yet, that had now all changed, I believe, due to God’s judgments on his people in order to spiritually awaken them so that they did walk in obedience to their Lord God, so that they cast aside all their idols and “other gods,” and so they were now walking in the path of the word (truth) of God. And, the path of his word is what leads us, too, in the ways of his righteousness so that we, also, will walk humbly in obedience to Christ for his glory.
Your Word / An Original Work / December 27, 2011
Based off Psalm 119
Praise You with an upright heart as
I learn of Your righteousness.
I seek You with all my heart;
Do not let me stray from Your law.
I have hidd’n Your word in my heart
That I might not sin against You.
Open my eyes that I may see
Wonderful things in Your word.
I am a stranger on earth.
I have chosen the way of truth;
My heart is set on Your word.
I will walk about in freedom,
For I have sought out Your truth.
Teach me knowledge and good judgment,
For I believe in Your law.
Your hands made me, and they formed me;
Give me understanding, Lord.
I put my hope in Your word.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light unto my path.
You are my shield and my refuge;
In Your word I put my hope.
My heart trembles at Your word, Lord.
May my lips o’erflow with praise.
May my tongue sing of Your truth, Lord.
Your salvation, Lord, long I.
Your word, Lord, is my delight.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music (free):
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs2/home/songs/your-word
Song on Video:
http://youtu.be/PoekdVclmGM
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