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“Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,
    you have not wearied yourselves for me, Israel.
²³ You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,
    nor honoured me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with grain offerings
    nor wearied you with demands for incense.
²⁴ You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me,
    or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
    and wearied me with your offenses.

“When the devil sees a man or woman who really believes in prayer, who knows how to pray, and who really does pray, and, above all, when he sees a whole church on its face before God in prayer, he trembles as much as he ever did, for he knows that his day in that church or community is at an end.” R. A. Torrey.

But who can be bothered?!

I remember reading a book in which the author referred to one particular hymn that says, ‘It is not by trying but by trusting.’ His point was, as I recall, that it’s not a matter of either/or but both/and. There are a number of words used in the New Testament which describe the intense effort disciples need to invest in the Christian life. It has been said that grace is opposed to works, not to effort. There is nothing we can achieve by our own unaided strength, but in the power of God all things are possible.

In today’s reading God says that His people have ”wearied” Him with their sins, but they have not ”wearied” themselves in seeking Him.

I am thinking about Epaphras, as he is described by Paul in Colossians 4:12,13:

 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. ¹³ I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.

It seems that one of the ways he was ”working hard” was in prayer.

In Luke 4:9,10 Jesus teaches on prayer:

 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Such prayer is certainly not lazy! We have to put our backs into it – with God’s strength of course.

“Oh, men and women, pray through; pray through! Do not just begin to pray and pray a little while and throw up your hands and quit; but pray and pray and pray until God bends the heavens and comes down.” R. A. Torrey

This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon
    and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians,
    in the ships in which they took pride.
¹⁵ I am the Lord, your Holy One,
    Israel’s Creator, your King.”

¹⁶ This is what the Lord says—
    he who made a way through the sea,
    a path through the mighty waters,
¹⁷ who drew out the chariots and horses,
    the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
    extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
¹⁸ “Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.
²⁰ The wild animals honour me,
    the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
²¹     the people I formed for myself
    that they may proclaim my praise.

God is going to do a ”new thing”. It will be a second, and greater ‘exodus’ than the first from Egypt. Once again He will lead His people through the wilderness, and abundantly provide for them on their journey home from Babylon to Israel.

However, as Derek Kidner points out in the ‘New Bible Commentary’ (p.658), for the real fulfilment of this passage ‘we must look beyond the modest homecomings from Babylon of the sixth and fifth centuries BC, although these are certainly in view, to the exodus which the Son of God accomplished at Jerusalem (Lk.9:31; cf. 1 Cor.10:4,11), which alone justifies the language of this and kindred passages.’

God’s saving work in our lives, through the Cross of Jesus, is ”to the praise of his glorious grace…for the praise of his glory…to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14. Compare this with Is.43:21).

 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9,10)

This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon
    and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians,
    in the ships in which they took pride.
¹⁵ I am the Lord, your Holy One,
    Israel’s Creator, your King.”

“Through pride the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every vice, it’s the complete anti-God state of mind.” C. S. Lewis

One of the best known Bible sentences says that pride goes before a fall. A lot of people will quote it without knowing that it comes from the Scriptures. Actually, it is a paraphrase. Proverbs 16:18 in fact reads:

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (King James Version).

God’s Word calls repeatedly for a humble posture before Him.

The things in which a person may take pride: for example their wealth, their physical strength, their intellectual prowess, their sporting ability, will fail them eventually. For the Babylonians, in our reading, it was their ”ships”. They had a mighty navy, but they couldn’t fight God.

God’s law of gravity says that ‘what goes down must come up.’

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (1 Peter 5:6).

 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 5:10).

Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,
    who have ears but are deaf.
⁹ All the nations gather together
    and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold this
    and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
    so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
¹⁰ “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
    “and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
    nor will there be one after me.
¹¹ I, even I, am the Lord,
    and apart from me there is no savior.
¹² I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
    I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
¹³     Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
No one can deliver out of my hand.
    When I act, who can reverse it?”

There is only one true God and Saviour, and His people are ”witnesses” to this truth; whereas the false gods are unable to produce ”their witnesses” in order to authenticate them.

Under the New Covenant, it remains the privilege and responsibility of Christ’s people to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8).

I was thinking, simply by living (or trying to live) a Christian life, we are witnesses to Jesus. This is not to excuse a non-verbal approach. Of course words are important, and as with Paul (see Col.4:2-4), I regularly pray for ‘open doors’ for conversation about Jesus. I don’t want to be silenced by cowardice. But who can tell the influence of a godly life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit? Somebody spoke about ‘our unconscious influence impregnated with the fragrance of Christ.’

‘To me, ’twas not the truth you taught, to you so clear, to me so dim;

But when you came to me you brought a sense of Him;

And from your eyes He beckons me, and from your heart His love is shed,

‘Til I lose sight of you, and see the Christ instead.’

Here’s another thought that occurred to me recently. I was attending a small gathering of Christians in our village, and it struck me what a counter-cultural thing it is in these days, to just attend church. It is in no small sense, I believe, a part of our witness.

⁸ Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,
    who have ears but are deaf.
⁹ All the nations gather together
    and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold this
    and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
    so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
¹⁰ “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
    “and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
    nor will there be one after me.
¹¹ I, even I, am the Lord,
    and apart from me there is no saviour.
¹² I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
    I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
¹³     Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
No one can deliver out of my hand.
    When I act, who can reverse it?

”God’s Spirit opens the eyes of our heart, and what was once boring, or absurd, or foolish, or mythical is now self-evidently real.” John Piper.

I was taking with a friend the other day, and he described his conversion as a definite ‘lightbulb’ moment. It was like someone flicked a switch, and the blind man suddenly saw. It was supernatural revelation.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:4-6).

However, as my friend rightly pointed out, it isn’t this immediate for everyone. For some, their experience is like the gradual dawning of day: the slow, breath-taking, glorious ‘Sonrise’ in their hearts.

But however it happens, it is always a miracle of Divine revelation.

”God opens the eyes of the blind to see the truth and beauty and worth of Christ. But he does by sending people to tell the good news from hearts of love and lives of service.” John Piper.

The above quote leads us in the direction of one more theme in today’s passage, and we’ll take a brief look at it next time.

Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,
    who have ears but are deaf.
⁹ All the nations gather together
    and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold this
    and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
    so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
¹⁰ “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
    “and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
    nor will there be one after me.
¹¹ I, even I, am the Lord,
    and apart from me there is no saviour.
¹² I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
    I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
¹³     Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
No one can deliver out of my hand.
    When I act, who can reverse it?”

The very idea that there is only one God, and that He is the one and only Saviour is offensive to many in this pluralist society. We have constructed a modern ‘Pantheon’ where we want to place all religions on an equal footing. But when the only God came into the world in Jesus He said, ”I am the way and the truth and the life…” (John 14:6). Jesus didn’t claim to be a way: one among many. He declared that He is the only way to the only God there is. Somebody said that Christianity is an exclusive faith, and therefore it is an inclusive faith. If Jesus is the only way to the only God there is, then all people must get to hear about Him, regardless of their creed, colour or culture.

Certainly, there have been, and there still are, many false gods (idols) in the world. But there is only one true God and Saviour. Fulfilled prophecy is a significant pointer to His reality (9).

Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
    I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west.
⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
    and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
⁷ everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.”

‘In verse 7, the Lord specifies who will be redeemed: ”…everyone who is called by my name.” Not every Israelite by birth could expect to be saved; most would be destroyed because of their persistent disobedience (verse 28). Paul wrote: A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly…a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly…by the Spirit (Romans 2:28-29). Those with the Spirit are the ones who are called by God’s name, who are written in God’s book of life. Those are the ones who make up the faithful remnant of Israel, who are precious and honoured in God’s sight (verse 4).’ Tom Hale: ‘Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.1042.

For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
    Cush and Seba in your stead.
⁴ Since you are precious and honoured in my sight,
    and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.

‘He would still, when there was occasion, make all the interests of the children of men give way to the interests of his own children’ Matthew Henry.

Derek Kidner, in the ‘New Bible Commentary’, makes the point that great nations have fallen and will fall to make way for Israel, and that ‘her ultimate ransom must be a very different victim (cf.53:5-6).’ p.658.

As Matthew Henry asks: ‘What are Ethiopia and Seba, all their lives and treasures, compared with the blood of Christ?’

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Ro.8:31).

When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Jesus said to His disciples plainly, ‘In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33b). It’s not a matter of if but when. But as in the Isaiah passage, along with the prediction of difficulty there also goes the promise of something beautiful.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

²⁵ He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

²⁶ Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, ²⁷ and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. (Daniel 3:24-27).

I am reminded of the wonderful hymn, ‘How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord? Note particularly verses 3 and 4, but it’s all good!