-
Sing To My Wellbeloved
It may seem strange to say but even as the Lord pronounces judgment there is grace in His words. The very act of telling guilty people of impending destruction is an act of mercy by God when rightly perceived and acted upon. When the Lord takes time to condemn sin He is not only demonstrating holiness but patience and longsuffering as well. He is supplying a space for grace and an opportunity to repent. A sad song Tomorrow’s passage begins in the form of a song. In it we have an Old Testament parable about a vineyard. Later there is a series of six woes spoken against the iniquity of Jerusalem and Judah which the prophet expands on. Perhaps we wonder what continuing relevance exists…
-
The Branch Beautiful And Glorious
Isaiah’s prophecy is full of the prophet looking forward to this gospel age in which we live. He calls it ‘the last days’ and ‘the coming day of the Lord’. In today’s passage we continue to dwell on his gospel theme. Seven times in these first few chapters Isaiah begins with, ‘In that day’. He was speaking to the elect of his day; encouraging them with visions of our day and its gospel successes. The Lord used the gospel’s power and expansion in our day to comfort downtrodden believers of past ages. Christ set forth By this vision the Holy Spirit enlarged and enriched the understanding of the Old Testament church concerning the coming Messiah and His work to redeem His people from their sin.…
-
Swords Into Plowshares
When Isaiah wrote his prophecy the coming of the Lord Jesus was still many centuries away. Isaiah prophesised of ‘the last days’ when Messiah would appear, and when Christ would be revealed to the world. He comforted the Lord’s people of his own age and the ages following as they waited and watched for the fulfilment of God’s promise of redemption and salvation. In scripture ‘the last days’ refers to the period of time in which we now live, it has already extended over two thousand years! The last days began with the first coming of the Lord Jesus and shall continue until the Lord’s return. A house established Isaiah mentions the establishment of the Lord’s house. As in chapter one he is speaking of…
-
A Very Small Remnant
The prophecy, or more accurately, ‘the vision of Isaiah’ is foremost amongst the prophetical writings in the Old Testament scriptures. It is clearly and openly Christ-centred and is quoted frequently by the Lord and His apostles in the New Testament. We have seen in our recent series concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ how when first it was said, the seed of the women will bruise the serpent’s head, every succeeding revelation tended to unfold and confirm this leading truth of the Word of God. Discovering Christ The apostle Peter explains it this way, the Spirit of Christ was in the holy men of old, among whom was Isaiah, directing their minds into all truth; so the great intention of all the prophecies…