Israel at the End - Day 8

 Behold the sovereign mercy of the Lord

Day 8

Reading: Isaiah 41 {The Lord’s promise to help Israel}

I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.

5 The coastlands have seen and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come.

6 Everyone helps his neighbor and says to his brother, “Be strong!”

7 The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith,    and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good”; and they strengthen it with nails so that it cannot be moved.

8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend;

9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,    and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”;

10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

11 Behold, all who are incensed against you    shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. (John 8:10-11)

12 You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.

13 For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

14 Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

15 Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge,    new, sharp, and having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them, and you shall make the hills like chaff;

16 you shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest shall scatter them. And you shall rejoice in the Lord; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory. {see Psalm 118:15}

When we read the whole of Isaiah ch. 41 we realize that the LORD will not only deliver Israel, but has and will, deal with the nations of the Earth: Hostile or otherwise, they will ALL answer to Him.

“The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer, him who strikes the anvil”, as they continue to fashion their own gods in their own image. (vs.7)

But He who is the Alpha and the Omega; the first, the last and everything in between, has promised Israel that no weapon forged against them is ultimately going to prosper {Isaiah 54:17}

From vs.8 onwards we see that the Lord will once again make a distinction between Israel and the other nations {see Exodus 8:23}

Who else but the LORD could transform a nation from a worm to something with sharp teeth? 

It is worth noting that a threshing sledge works most effectively when a certain amount of pressure is applied on top: Israel will be hard pressed on every side - but not crushed…persecuted but NOT abandoned…struck down in many areas - but NEVER utterly destroyed. {see 2Corinthians 4:8-9}

This is why we can pray for Israel with confidence…and authority - but not fear; 

we can partition the Lord with genuine heartfelt love and compassion: because before Israel ever was, the Lord had already written the end of their story. 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58

Written 10/20/23