ESOCS Devotional 29 April 2024 – Eternal Joy for the Redeemed
MEMORY VERSE: “So the ransomed of the Lord will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” Isaiah 51:11
“Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness,
You who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father,
And to Sarah who bore you;
For I called him alone,
And blessed him and increased him.”
3 For the Lord will comfort Zion,
He will comfort all her waste places;
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
And her desert like the garden of the Lord;
Joy and gladness will be found in it,
Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
4 “Listen to Me, My people;
And give ear to Me, O My nation:
For law will proceed from Me,
And I will make My justice rest
As a light of the peoples.
5 My righteousness is near,
My salvation has gone forth,
And My arms will judge the peoples;
The coastlands will wait upon Me,
And on My arm they will trust.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
And look on the earth beneath.
For the heavens will vanish away like smoke,
The earth will grow old like a garment,
And those who dwell in it will die in like manner;
But My salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not be abolished.
7 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
You people in whose heart is My law:
Do not fear the reproach of men,
Nor be afraid of their insults.
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
And the worm will eat them like wool;
But My righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation from generation to generation.”
9 Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the Lord!
Awake as in the ancient days,
In the generations of old.
Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart,
And wounded the serpent?
10 Are You not the One who dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
That made the depths of the sea a road
For the redeemed to cross over?
11 So the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness;
Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
12 “I, even I, am He who comforts you.
Who are you that you should be afraid
Of a man who will die,
And of the son of a man who will be made like grass?
13 And you forget the Lord your Maker,
Who stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth;
You have feared continually every day
Because of the fury of the oppressor,
When he has prepared to destroy.
And where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed,
That he should not die in the pit,
And that his bread should not fail.
15 But I am the Lord your God,
Who divided the sea whose waves roared—
The Lord of hosts is His name.
16 And I have put My words in your mouth;
I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
That I may [c]plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth,
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”
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How refreshing, words of encouragement and promise of deliverance and restoration sound to the heart that is weary and troubled. At a time when the remnant of God’s people was disheartened by the disorder and disobedience in the land, the injustice of the rulers and the Babylonian exile, through Prophet Isaiah, God sent words of encouragement to comfort His people.
Recall the past (Isa. 51:1-2): God called His people to listen to Him and recall His past faithfulness and mercies. He wanted the Israelites to look to their root: to the call of Abraham when he was still in the Ur of Chaldeans, to God’s blessing of a generation to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. In remembering that God called, blessed and multiplied one man to become the Nation of Israel, they were to look forward in hope to God’s plans for the future. In looking back, we understand the frailties of our old sinful self, from which Christ has redeemed us (1 Cor. 6:9-11). As we acknowledge the change God has brought in us, we are to look to the future with anticipation and joy.
Rejoice in the future (Isa. 51:3-6): God promises deliverance and restoration from our present struggles; but ultimately, the greatest joy is in the coming of the Messiah and His eternal reign of righteousness (Isa. 51:5). We are reminded to look beyond the temporal world and its pressures and persecutions that will soon pass away and focus on the eternal salvation of God that endures forever (2 Cor. 4:17).
Trust in God (Isa 51:7-16): We need to examine ourselves and check where we have put our trust. Be watchful that we do not allow fear of men to side-track us from our walk with the Lord. Fear God and not man! If we have placed our trust in God, we will not be afraid of mortal men and their attacks against us. As we look to the sovereign Lord, our Creator and Redeemer, we see His great love that paid the price on the cross of Calvary to set us free from the snare of sin and death; we experience His protection and mercies day by day. The more we know this loving and merciful God, the deeper our desire should be to be more like Him living in holiness.
- Recalling God’s mercies and benevolence in the past will enable trust in Him in present unpleasant situations. Let us make it a practice to thank Him at all times and for all things, good or ill.
- Lord, I pray for the Spirit to be thankful to thee at all times.
Further Reading: Exod. 15:1-18; Luke 24:13-35; John 20:24-end
ESOCS Devotional 28 April 2024
