Isa 66:12-14, “For thus says the LORD, "Behold, I
extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the nations like an
overflowing stream; And you will be nursed, you will be carried on the hip and
fondled on the knees. 13 "As one whom his mother comforts, so I
will comfort you; And you will be comforted in Jerusalem." 14 Then you will see this,
and your heart will be glad, And your bones will flourish like the new grass;
And the hand of the LORD will be made known to His servants, But He will be
indignant toward His enemies.” (NASB)
Through
Isaiah, God states he, “extends peace to her like a river”. A river flows through an area without concern
for where it is going. As long as there are no barriers, the water just
continues to flow. Eventually, it will cover the whole area. Everything it
flows over will be nurtured by the river. Everything around the river will be
nurtured. The whole area will receive the benefits that the river’s water
brings.
Next,
God describes what will happen to the nation of Israel. “…Glory of the nations like
an overflowing stream…” Any nation that follows God’s will enjoys the same
peace as the individual. This nation will enjoy inner peace. While following
the will of God, their endeavors will be blessed. God will be with this nation.
Even though God is directing this to the nation of Israel, it applies to any nation
that follows God’s will.
Verse
13 compares God to a mother comforting her child. Consider how a mother
comforts her child? Her presence provides the child comfort. The child knows
that his mother will do everything to protect him. The child’s mother will
provide for his needs. Everything that the mother has is at the child’s
disposal. If someone threatens the child then the mother will bring all of her
resources to bear on the child’s enemies. God is telling us that he will do all
these things for us and more.
These
promises from God should bring us great comfort. Consider that the creator of
the entire universe is promising to use his power to help you. These words
should cause several changes within us. It should bring us inner peace. How
much greater of an ally could we have then God? It should cause a desire to
please him. It should motivate us to cultivate the traits and attitude that
will create a God fearing life.
Finally,
God explains who will enjoy these benefits. These benefits will be open to God’s
servants. Consider what a servant was at this time. If you had a servant then
the servant did whatever you needed them to do. It did not matter what you
asked. It did not matter how long the task took. It was the servant’s duty to
do your will. Consider Abraham’s servant. Sara even asked her to have Abraham’s
baby. She did that without any hesitation.
We
must treat God in the same manner. We cannot be flippant with our attitude
towards God. We cannot be a Sunday only Christian. Our walk with God must
continue throughout the week. It must be an everyday event. We must actively
search out God’s will for our lives. Once we know what he wants for us then we
must apply it. We must create such a habit in ourselves that we follow God’s
will without hesitation.
As
with any other blessing, God warns us about not following his will. “But He
will be indignant toward His enemies.” Indignant is not a passive word. It does
not mean that God will just look the other way at his enemies. Indignant means,
“feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair
treatment.” God has just described
the level of benefits that his servant’s enjoy. Consider now the opposite. If
God can bring so many benefits then how much destruction can he bring? If we
are seen as God’s enemy then he will show anger or annoyance at us. Paints
quite a picture doesn’t it. Which side of this coin do you want to be on?
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