Throughout Isaiah’s Book of
Comfort are numerous exhortations of encouragement for redemption. But here, in
chapter 47, is an example of what will occur to the wicked; in this specific
case, Babylon.
About the only verse not rooted in disaster is this one following, something
believers can hold onto:
“Our
Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his
name—
is the
Holy One of Israel.”
~Isaiah 47:4 (NRSV)
Confidence Should Be Our Hope That
Judgment Will Occur
Upon all our situations there will
be judgment. This, rightly considered, should create within us fear of the Lord, which compels us to lope to humility.
And when we arrive there, as we certainly will, what will meet with our
understanding will be the quiet confidence that judgment against the wicked
will soon occur.
Our role is to be changeless in
the Lord—to be obedient and to stay
obedient. There’s to be no backsliding into vindictiveness. There’s to be no
temptation of greed—to go their way. There’s to be no flippant ‘fence-sitting’ response—to
pretend that all’s well in laughter.
No, our confidence is quiet and
unassuming as we wait upon the Lord.
And While We Wait...
Whilst we wait we put to good use
our time. If we were imprisoned we would study. If we were being abused we would
focus on the goodness that isn’t apparent right now—but by faith we know exists.
If our opportunities were thin and few and far between we would plan for when
the inevitable time would strike. If we were constantly disappointed we would
still look for the scant signs of encouragement.
Whatever our view, we choose for
God, for goodness, for hope, for release and revelation upon our true destiny.
Whilst we wait we are free to imagine, conjuring magnificent landscapes in our
minds of the judgment of God.
Not only that; we also, as far as
humanly possible, with allowance for grace, love our captors and wish that they
would turn back to God before it’s too late. We pray for them to repent. We
pray that they might see sense and reason, and grow in compassion. We pray
even, in our humility, for the judgment of God to be true—as it will be—and not
too heinous. And however difficult it is, we forgive. Our test from the Lord is to forgive, leaving the judgment
to him.
***
Believers of God, and in Divine
justice, have their hope that things, no matter how bad, will end well. At the
time of judgment it is good to be on the right side. The Lord is gathering everything back.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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