Friday, December 27, 2013

The Announcing of a New Victory (Isaiah 63:1-64:12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/27/2013 7:34 AM
My Worship Time                                               Focus:  The Announcing of a New Victory PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Isaiah 63:1-14
            Message of the verses:  We will be looking at the first part of the fourth main point from Dr. Wiersbe’s outline in today’s SD.  It actually covers all of chapters 63& 64 of Isaiah, but we will only look at the first fourteen verses of chapter 63 in today’s SD.
            The Prophet Looks Ahead (Isaiah 63:1-6):  “1 Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength?”It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save." 2 Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? 3 “I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment. 4 “For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come. 5 "I looked, and there was no one to help, And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to Me, And My wrath upheld Me. 6 "I trod down the peoples in My anger And made them drunk in My wrath, And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.’”
            As we look at these six verses we first look at Edom who was the descendants of Esau, the first son of Isaac and Rebecca. They are the represent all the nations who have been cruel to the nation of Israel.  Edom means red and Bozrah was one of its main cities.  What we see in this section is something that the Lord Jesus Christ will do as soon as He returns to planet earth at the height of the battle of Armageddon.  Let’s look at Revelations 19:11-21 “11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, "Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great." 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”  It surely seems that what Isaiah wrote in verses one through six are fulfilled in this passage in Revelations 19:11-21.
            Dr. Wiersbe writes “The ancient winepress was a large, hollowed rock into which the grapes were put for the people to tread on them.  The juice ran out a hole in the rock and was caught in vessels.  As the people crushed the grapes, some of the juice would splash on their garments.  Our Lord’s garments were dyed with blood as the result of the great victory over His enemies (Rev. 19:13).
            “When Jesus came to earth the first time, it was to inaugurate ‘the acceptable year of the Lord’ (Isaiah 61:2; Luke 4:19).  When He comes the second time, it will be to climax ‘the day of vengeance of our God’ (Isaiah 63:4; 61:2).  The enemy will be crushed like grapes and forced to drink their own blood from the cup of God’s wrath (51:17; Jer. 25:15-16).  These images may not appeal to sophisticated people today, but the Jews in that day fully understood them.”
            The Prophet Looks Back (Isaiah 63:7-14):  “7 I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, According to all that the LORD has granted us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He has granted them according to His compassion And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses. 8 For He said, "Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely." So He became their Savior. 9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. 10 But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them. 11 Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses. Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them, 12 Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, Who divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name, 13 Who led them through the depths? Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble; 14 As the cattle which go down into the valley, The Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. So You led Your people, To make for Yourself a glorious name.
            Now the prophet looks back at what the Lord did for Israel and he praises the Lord for the things that He did for the people of Israel.  We have seen many of the attributes of God in these first fourteen verses of Isaiah 63, things like the wrath of God, the justice of God, the love and lovingkindness of God, all these attributes are a part of who our God is.  First of all God is holy and that word means that He is separate from everyone and everything, and then there are other attributes that also show us who it is that we worship.  When we look at the sum total of His attributes, which makes up the character of God it is no wonder that we want to worship Him.
            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  One of God’s attributes that I did not mention that is seen here is His forgiveness, and that forgiveness is possible because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross to provide salvation to all that are called by God through His Holy Spirit.  I will spend eternity praising the Lord for His forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord.
My Steps of Faith for Today:   Proverbs 3:5-6.
Answer to our last Bible Question:  “Baal Worship” (2Kings 10:28).
Today’s Bible Question “With what will Jesus sanctify the people?
Answer in our next SD.
12/27/2013 8:10 AM


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