November 13, 2020 – Study the Scriptures with Ben Jennings

God blesses obedient worship.

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. (9) Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.
Isaiah 58:8-9a

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: (11) And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (12) And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
Isaiah 58:10-12

Explanation:

Most fathers love to bless their children. This is a point that Jesus made.

Luke 11:11-13 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? (12) Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? (13) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

In this passage God has answered the question of those in Israel who were asking why God did not seem to be responding to their expressions of worship. He told them that they were practicing oppression and selfishness along with their worship. The remedy He called for was to offer expressions of worship that lead to sanctification, mercy, justice, generosity, selflessness, fleeing injustice and expressing compassion. In today’s verses we see that the results of these expressions of genuine worship toward God would lead to the blessings of God in their lives. Look at the expressions of blessing God promises will be poured out to the children of Israel when they forsook empty worship, and worshipped God authentically:

Light

“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning…” v.8

“then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday…” v.10

Health

“and thine health shall spring forth speedily…” v.8

Righteousness

“and thy righteousness shall go before thee…” v.8

Reward

“the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward..” v.9

Answered Prayer

“then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am….” v.9

Guidance

“And the LORD shall guide thee continually…” v. 11

Provision

“…and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” . v.11

Legacy

“And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.” v.12

Application:

Do you want to live under the blessing of God? Do you want to have a legacy of being used by God to make a difference in the lives of those around you? If you do, you must reject empty ritualism. You must reject oppression and selfishness. You must reject a kind of worship that seeks to manipulate God into getting what you want. You must understand that God expects genuine, authentic worship. God’s desire is to bless those who are obedient. The first step of obedience is to trust in Christ as your personal Savior. We must acknowledge our sin and repent. We must turn to Him by faith, knowing that outside of Jesus Christ we are lost and still in our sin. Once we are saved, we can offer God worship that honors and glorifies Him. We become one of His kids, and like a loving Father, He blesses His obedient children.

Response:

Do you know Christ as Savior? Jesus said that no man comes to the Father except by Him. Trust in Christ today?

Believers, is your worship of God regular and authentic? God blesses obedience!

He will be successful.

Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. (14) As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: (15) So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Isaiah 52:13-15

Explanation:

Now I take you to the beginning of this section of scripture. Notice that this prediction comes at the very beginning of the 5 stanzas of this section of Isaiah. This prophesy- this section- has been different than others in Isaiah that refer to the servant. The servant has been described before as a wonderful counselor. The mighty God. The everlasting father and prince of peace. The increase of his government will have no end. It is all very grandiose. It is almost as if Isaiah knows he will be referring to something so different in this text. He will be sorrowful, sacrificed, and silent. He wants us to know from the outset that the servant will be successful! It’s going to work out…

(13) Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
Isaiah 52:13

The idea of “shall deal prudently” in this text indicates that the servant will make the exact right choices when he comes. As a result of these choices he will be exalted. He will be extolled.

(14) As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
Isaiah 52:14

He will be exalted and extolled…and many will be astonished! Astonished by what? First by the humility and even the humiliation in his first coming, and in his death on the cross. His body will be so marred that he will be unrecognizable. This is something that is fulfilled in Christ’s coming. And as a result of this humility he will have an incredible impact on the world.

(15) So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Isaiah 52:15

Isaiah prophesies that the success of his humiliation will lead to a worldwide exaltation. He will cleanse the nations. People from every tribe and nation and tongue will believe on Jesus. Even though they had not heard of the prophesy- even though they had not been told of this prophesy- of his coming and his death, they will see it, and many will believe!

Isn’t this prediction incredible? Jesus’s birth, life, death, burial and resurrection will bring about exactly what God desires. It will bring the exaltation of His Son and the redemption and justification of those who believe on Him from every nation of the world.

Application:

You can know that the Christ predicted here is the Christ of History. He is the Christ predicted in prophecy. He is the Christ that is alive today ever making intercession for us! Life can be joyful because He was sorrowful, sacrificed, silent, satisfied and successful!

Response:

Christian, Is your life evidenced by worship of Christ? Is your life about Jesus? If not, will you worship him today?
If you have not recognized him as your own personal Savior, God offers you this gift of salvation today!