But the Lord Will

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“But the Lord will have mercy on the descendants of Jacob. He will choose Israel as his special people once again. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many different nations will come and join them there and unite with the people of Israel. The nations of the world will help the people of Israel to return, and those who come to live in the Lord’s land will serve them. Those who captured Israel will themselves be captured, and Israel will rule over its enemies.”
Isaiah 14:1-2 NLT

Chapter 14 of Isaiah starts with a ”But”. Aren’t we glad for the “buts” in the Bible. The opening words, “But the Lord…”, mark a dramatic change. The previous chapter spoke about judgment, destruction, and the fall of nations using graphic language that makes the verses difficult to read. Human circumstances appeared bleak with God’s people facing exile and uncertainty. Isaiah 10 was a prophecy detailing how God would use the Assyrians to punish His people because of their sin and idolatry. Then we read Isaiah 11, which looks forward to a time when the Messiah will appear as a shoot from the stump of David’s family. Isaiah 12 is a song of salvation and praise to God, in which His people see the transition from God’s anger to His salvation. The nation that was instrumental in the destruction of Judah and Israel, the forces of Babylon, was itself portrayed in Isaiah 13, facing destruction on a terrible scale. And after all this, we read, “But the Lord”. Those three words change everything. God’s judgment is not the end of the story. His mercy is greater than His people’s failure, and His promises are stronger than their circumstances. Israel may have wandered from God, but God has not abandoned Israel.

There are times in our lives when we may feel distant from God. Perhaps we have failed Him. Perhaps difficult circumstances have left us discouraged. Perhaps we wonder whether God has forgotten us. Our verses today from Isaiah 14 remind us that God is a God of restoration. Look at the love and compassion that shine through these verses. He “will have mercy”. “He will choose Israel”. “He will bring them back”. Notice that the emphasis is entirely upon what God will do. Restoration begins not with human effort but with divine grace. This is wonderfully encouraging for us pilgrims. Our relationship with God rests upon His faithfulness. When we stumble, He calls us back. When we wander, He seeks to restore us. When we feel displaced and unsettled, He remains our true home. When we fall, He picks us up, dusts us off, and sets us back on our journey to glory. 

Verse 2 goes further. We read, “The nations of the world will help the people of Israel to return“. Think about it. Other nations will help God’s people return to their land. Perhaps that happened in 1948, when the state of Israel was established, although most would not make such a connection. Another possibility was in 535 BC, when Cyrus allowed the Jews to re-establish Jerusalem, but even then, the Jews were still under Persian jurisdiction. Most Bible scholars maintain that the fulfilment of Isaiah 14:2 is eschatological and has yet to happen. But “in that day”, those who had once been powerless and oppressed would experience a complete reversal of circumstances. The exile would not last forever. Babylon would not have the final word. The suffering of God’s people would not be the conclusion of their story.

God is able to change situations that appear impossible. Because of Jesus, we live with the assurance that God is bringing His people home. Sin does not have the final word. Failure does not have the final word. Suffering does not have the final word. Even death does not have the final word. God does, and we need to take note that God has not forgotten us. We pilgrims may be passing through a difficult chapter, but God is still writing our story. His mercy is still available. His promises still stand. His purposes are still unfolding.

The God who said,“He will bring them back”, is still the God who restores, renews, and brings His people home. So what are we pilgrims facing into today? Ill-health? Family problems? Relational breakdown? Such frequent, even daily, difficulties and challenges seem to be an unfortunate part of life. But – there is that word again – “But the Lord will have mercy”. Through Jesus we do not have to wait until “The Day of the Lord”. His love and grace are available for us right now. His “Buts” are lined up in Heaven, ready and waiting to bring relief to His children.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Your mercy is greater than our failures and Your faithfulness is stronger than our circumstances. When we feel discouraged, forgotten, or far from You, please remind us that You are the God who restores and brings Your people home. Help us to trust You in the difficult chapters of life, knowing that You are still working out Your purposes. Thank You that, through Jesus, our futures are secure and our stories rest in Your faithful hands. Amen.

Jesus Wept

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept.”
John 11:33-35 NLT

John records in his account of the Lazarus story that Jesus wept. In the verses today we see the situation where the Son of God Himself shed tears when He saw Mary and the other people there weeping and wailing. Showing grief in such an open way was part of the culture of that time, and still is in some parts of the world today. But when Jesus experienced the distress of others, including His friends, He became very emotional. In His spirit He empathised with them. He didn’t weep because His dear friend Lazarus had died, because soon Jesus knew that He would live again. He wept because of the deep distress within those around Him. His love and compassion welled up and showed in a few tears. But perhaps the distress around Him was also because of their unbelief, their refusal to accept that he was indeed the Resurrection and Life.

There was another time when Jesus shed tears. Luke 19:41-42, “But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes”. He knew that in just a few years, Jerusalem would be attacked and history records that over a million Jews were killed in AD70. Jesus shed tears of compassion and love for His people, deeply saddened because they had rejected the One who had brought them an opportunity to live forever with God Himself.

We human beings are prone to crying. We are emotional people, and we shed tears at times of intense grief or joy, even us Western males with the British “stiff upper lip”. Crying is a natural response because God created us that way. We are created in the image of God, so why would we be surprised if God feels the deep emotions that we do? 

We pilgrims need to weep over the unbelievers around us, as we feel God’s compassion for people, even if they have rejected Him. In our families there are those who know what we believe but have refused to follow the same paths. Sin has a hold over most people, and they prefer to live in the way they do, ignoring what will happen after they die. But we never give up sharing with them and extending God’s compassion in all that we do for them. And we pray, often in tears, for their souls.

Dear God. You wept over Your people and their refusal to believe in You. You must still be reduced to tears today, as sin and evil ride rampant in this sad world. Please help us to feel Your pain for the lost, and reach out to them with Your love and compassion. In Jesus’ name. Amen.