Waiting for the Lord

The last section of Isaiah—Chapters 40-66—forms a single continuous prophecy. It begins where the New Testament begins—with the ministry of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1-3). We should take heed for fear that we cry aloud for sin and, at the same time, not overcome it. The prophet Isaiah said, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary” (Is. 40:27-31).

The last 27 chapters of Isaiah are divided into three equal divisions of nine chapters each, all ending with the same solemn refrain, “There is no peace for the wicked…” (Is. 48:22); “There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked” (Is. 57:21); and “Then they will go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die And Their fire will not be quenched; And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind” (Is. 66:24).

The whole prophecy is the development of evil and the final overthrow of the wicked, who are excluded from the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Each of the three divisions is divided into three divisions. Each division has its own unmistakable emphasis. The divisions are as follows:

I. The Sovereignty of Jehovah begins the prophecy (chapters 40-48).
A. Jehovah is supreme in His attributes (40-42).
B. Jehovah is supreme in redemption (43-45).
C. Jehovah is supreme in judgment (46-48).

II. The Servant of God is Jesus Christ (chapters 49-57).
A. Israel was servant in the immediate sense; Jesus Christ is servant in the ultimate sense (49-51).
B. Israel shall be restored; Christ shall reign (52-54).
C. There was a present urge and a future promise (55-57).

III. The challenge of Jehovah concludes the prophecy (chapters 58-66).
A. The challenge was in view of Israel’s present wrong doing (58-60).
B. The challenge was in view of future events (61-63).
C. The challenge contained both promise and warning (64-66).

Waiting on the Lord is a principle which belongs to us as Christians. The prophet Isaiah faced two extremes. He faced a crowd that was about to go into captivity, and another crowd that was trying some hyper-spiritual way of settling everything. There is no substitute for sitting at Christ’s feet. Isaiah said, “Yet, those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary” (Is. 40:31). The prophet was facing a crowd that was about to go into captivity.

The most difficult thing for religious people is to do nothing. They had rather do anything than wait on the Lord. The Christian life is presented under three striking figures. It begins with the most difficult and concludes with the greatest ease. It is by faith that we are able to get above the world’s atmosphere. Therefore, it is from the heights that we can see the depths from which the Lord has brought us. Our bodies are still in this world, and the Christian race is before us. “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us…” (Heb. 12:1).

As stated at the beginning of this message, the last section of Isaiah’s prophecy begins where the New Testament begins, with the ministry of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1-3), and concludes with the New Jerusalem (Is. 66; Rev. 21). Therefore, Isaiah has a lot of news for us in 2005.

Isaiah said, “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure; Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it. Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded, Who are far from righteousness. I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; And My salvation will not delay. And I will grant salvation in Zion, And My glory for Israel” (Is. 46:8-13).

Creating and carrying (sustaining, supporting, or upholding) are related. This is seen in creating, because God upholds what He creates. God does not create something He cannot control. Thus, what God creates, He controls. Furthermore, what God re-creates is controlled. Paul said, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). Again the apostle said, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified” (Rom. 8:28-30).

The differences between religion and Christianity are explained in Romans 8. Religion is carried by its devotees (Rom. 8:6, 7), but Jesus Christ carries His sheep (Luke 15:4-7; Heb. 2:9-12). These verses prove that the great Shepherd not only re-creates but carries and controls His sheep. Therefore, the Son of God asserts an immeasurable difference between Himself and all created things. The Being of God is underived, but the being of creatures is derived. The existence of God is independent; the existence of creatures is dependent.

The doctrine of the Trinity is above reason, but it is not against reason. The doctrine of the Trinity is so bound up with the whole teaching of Christianity, that to think of removing it, yet preserving Christianity, is like removing from the body the sinews and bones, yet preserving the body’s symmetry and strength. If the doctrine of the Trinity is false, then Jesus Christ is nothing more than a mere influence.

Isaiah gives a fourfold aspect of the infinite God:

1. God is the one and only incomparable Being. Scripture establishes the doctrine of monotheism—one true and living God. We must be careful about comparing the incomparable God to creatures or created things (Is. 47:5, 9).

2. God is acquainted with all the futurities of the universe (Is. 47:10). There is one mind in the universe whose infinite glance comprehends all, and we must trust the providences.

3. God’s purposes cannot fail because they have been planned by God’s providence (Dan. 5:30).

4. God has absolute power to subordinate even ungodly people to fulfill His purpose (Ezek. 17:3; Jer. 49:22).

The first verse of Genesis teaches foreknowledge, election, predestination, and purpose. When God says a thing shall come to pass, He says it beforehand. He declares the end from the beginning (Is. 46:10). Luke recorded some great information for us in Acts 15:13-21—“After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, Brethren, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME, SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO. Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

Since God did not create the heavens and the earth fortuitously (accidentally or by chance), but according to the purpose and council of His own will, then sovereignty reigned in every item of creation. What God foresaw, He saw; what He foreknew, He knew. God never says a thing may come to pass because that would leave us in the dark as to what might actually happen. When God told Moses two thousand years after what had come to pass and told the prophet two thousand years before what shall come to pass, is one statement more credible than the other?

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The NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE—UPDATED EDITION is the source of all Scripture quotations in this message, unless otherwise noted.