Prophecies against Israel: Isaiah 7-12 (6)

Pray Psalm 145.1-3.
I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.

Read Isaiah 12.

Reflect.
1. The phrase “in that day” occurs twice in this chapter. To what does this refer?

2. Salvation is the major theme of this chapter. What are its effects?

Meditate.
The glorious promise outlined in chapter 11 leads Isaiah to a hymn of praise in verse 12. The focus of this verse is on “that day” – the day of salvation to which chapter 11 points. When the Branch of the Lord, the Root of Jesse, brings our salvation in the last days, the anger of the Lord is turned away, and we enter the “resting place” (Is. 11.10) of the Lord. 

Then we will “with joy” “draw water from the wells of salvation” (v. 3). That is, the salvation of the Lord, when we have received it, will refresh and sustain us in joy. All the trials and wrath and failures of the past will have been put behind us. Before us lies the unending prospect of an ever-expanding great salvation, because God Himself is our salvation (v. 2), and we His people receive, embrace, and submit to Him as our God.

Our salvation is the water of life (Jn. 4.13, 14; 7.37-39), and those who are the beneficiaries of that great salvation pursue a simple but all-comprehending agenda.

First, they fill their days with praise to God, that His anger is past, His salvation has come, his strength avails us in all we do (v. 2), and He is great in our midst (v. 6).

Then, we proclaim Him and His wonders and deeds to the people around us (v. 4), until the knowledge of God and His exalted Name fills our world (v. 5). 

They who know the salvation of the Lord are thus a people who worship Him continually and who bear witness to Him as often as they can. The more they are filled with the water of life from the wells of their salvation, the more they will overflow with praise and witness to the greatness of God Who has saved them. Nothing can make them afraid (v. 2), and the “excellent things” the Lord does in them (v. 5) will validate their witness. 

So let us “Cry and shout…for great is the Holy One of Israel” in our midst!

Prepare.
1. In what ways is our salvation the water of life?

2. Isaiah sets forth a “last days” agenda for all who know this salvation. Is this your agenda?

3. How can Christians help one another to stay on the Lord’s agenda for these last days?

Jesus himself cried out in the Gospel, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture says, ‘rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ This,” adds the evangelist, “he said of the Holy Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive.” Jesus also says elsewhere in the Gospel, “The one who drinks from the water that I shall give him will never thirst again, for the water that I will give him will become in him a font of water springing up to eternal life.”  Jerome (347-420 AD), Commentary on Isaiah 4.12.3

Thank You for my salvation, Lord! Fill me with the waters of life, and I will…

Pray Psalm 145.
Linger over each exhortation to praise the Lord, and every reason for praise that David lists. Meditate on His many benefits and blessings, and praise Him accordingly. With whom will you share a word of praise today?

Sing to the Lord.
Psalm 145 (Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want)
I will extol You, God, my King, and ever praise Your Name!
I bless You, Lord, for everything each day, and e’er the same!
Great are You, Lord, my praise I bring; unsearchable Your fame!

To ev’ry generation we Your wondrous works shall tell.
The splendor of Your majesty we contemplate full well.
We speak of all Your mighty deeds and all Your greatness tell!

Then shall we all the glorious fame of Your great goodness sing – 
Your righteousness, Your gracious Name, Your mercy: praise we bring!
Your steadfast love remains the same, mercy our covering.

Your works shall thank You; all Your saints shall bless and praise You, Lord.
Your reign we bless without restraint; Your power fills our words.
Our children we shall educate in all Your splendor, Lord.

Your Kingdom evermore shall be; You reign forever, Lord!
Your works You do so faithfully, according to Your Word.
The falling You uphold and the oppressed You rescue, Lord!

The eyes of all look up to You to meet our needs each day.
Open Your hand, provide the food we need, O Lord, we pray!
Kindness and righteousness You do, O Lord, in every way!

Be near to all who call on You; all those who fear You, bless.
Preserve all those whose love is true; save us in our distress.
Our mouths will speak with praise of You; Your holy Name we’ll bless!

T. M. Moore

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Forward today’s lesson to some friends, and challenge them to study with you through this series on Isaiah. Each week’s lessons will be available as a free PDF download at the end of the week. Get a copy for yourself and send the link for the download to your friends. Plan to meet weekly to study Isaiah’s important message.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006).All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).