#DailyDevotion We Are Kept In Peace, When We Trust Jesus Christ
December 9th
Read Is 26:1–19
Isa 26:1-4 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. (2) Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. (3) You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (4) Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock… Isa 26:9-12 My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. (10) If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD. (11) O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them. (12) O LORD, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all our works.
In Isaiah chapter 1-39 there so much doom and gloom that the brightness and gospel messages in Isaiah 40-66 make some people think that two people authored this particular book. But here in Isaiah 26 we see gloom and doom of the Law and the brightness of the good news of God.
In that day, Isaiah says. What day is that? The last day of this created world, the day of judgment is what Isaiah is referring to. On that day we will sing a song of rejoicing and praise for all the Lord God our heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. In the meantime, Isaiah says, our soul yearns for the Lord in the night and our spirit earnestly seeks him. By his divine judgments we learn the righteousness of God, namely the forgiveness of our sins.
But those who refuse to believe this free gift of God in Christ Jesus, they learn nothing. They in their unbelief cannot understand anything, so like fools they mock those who in innocence and simpleness trust in the Word of the Lord and his merits for their salvation. Those who choose to live in unbelief will face the fire of God’s wrath. The iniquity of their lack of faith shall be exposed on that day and all the works that proceeded from it and they shall be ashamed. They shall feel the full brunt of God’s wrath which he had previously laid upon his son Jesus in their stead. But since they refused his pardon they shall get what they want, what they deserved.
But for those who trust in this free gift of pardon found in Christ Jesus, peace with God is now theirs. It is for you today. When God is our peace he becomes the One who does all good things in and through us. He performs the good by us and graciously gives us credit for doing it. But we give him the credit and acknowledge it. And finally on that day, we shall awaken from the dust of the earth and be changed. He gives birth to us, his dead and raises us to everlasting life to live with him forever. It will be great day of joy and rejoicing in the salvation of our God in Christ Jesus. You do want to be in that number. Trust me. More than that, trust God’s promise.
Lord Jesus Christ, you promise that all who trust in your merits, your death, your resurrection shall be raised from the dust of the earth to everlasting life with you and the Father. Grant us such faith and preserve us in that faith that on that day we may rejoice in seeing you face to face everlasting unto everlasting. Amen.