(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to
each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted.)
At times, the compulsion to do or say something can be overwhelming.
By the seventh century B.C., the kingdom God had established through David was in decline. Divided politically and religiously, the nation no longer presented a united front against its enemies and no longer offered a single vision of devotion to God. Rulers in the northern kingdom of Israel had all forsaken the Lord and, as the leadership went, so went the nation (a trend we would do well to heed). God eventually withdrew His protective hand from the rebellious people, allowing Assyria to conquer and destroy Israel. Rulers in the southern kingdom of Judah were mixed in their devotion to God with some, like King Uzziah, instituting significant religious reform. Bolstered by support from prophets like Isaiah, the reform movement made significant progress. Alas, it would not last. Later kings, who bore no loyalty to the Lord, would reverse the reforms and worsen Judah's apostasy. God would eventually withdraw His protective hand from the rebellious people, allowing Babylon to conquer and destroy Judah. Isaiah foretold the fall of the southern kingdom a hundred years before it happened. Despite the fulfillment of that dire prediction, though, the Lord would not forsake His people, and Isaiah also foretold the beginning of their restoration by Persia. That prediction even names the Persian king responsible.
* XIII. The Foremost Compulsion1
...which is revealed by...
Given the reliability of God's word, the question is not if this universal acknowledgement will happen, only when it will happen. The apostle Paul quotes the passage in his description of Jesus' exaltation in the Messianic Age, when he again will represent God on earth.9
As you contemplate what immediate relevance this passage has, the most obvious is the incentive it offers to decide early: With which group in the Messianic Age will you identify—those who obey God willingly or those who obey God grudgingly. This is not a decision to defer. Joshua frames the issue for the Israelites about to enter Canaan:11
As you contemplate what ultimate relevance this passage has, consider some of the ways your sovereign's word is assured in what He has promised to His people, including you:12
When God's people were in exile, certainly a low point in their history, uncertain if God had forgotten them or, worse, had forsaken them, the Lord speaks through Isaiah. It was an old prophecy, but one that had amazing specificity, for it named the Persian ruler. God had not rejected them and would, in fact, restore them. More than that, He would expand His work beyond Israel and bring the whole world into submission. It will be The Foremost Compulsion as revealed here in the pronouncement of God, an event for which there will be no exceptions, an event for which you have prepared by choosing to serve Him now.
Having considered The Foremost Compulsion, we will look next at The Foremost Compilation, which offers in a few broad strokes the pattern of God, in Mic 6:8.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
- Have you ever listened to a friend or relative recount some event, noted that one or more of the details is not quite right, and feel compelled to correct it.
- Have you ever been in a doctor's waiting room before he arrives, noticed that the frame with his diploma is hanging a bit crooked—because there is usually plenty of time to notice such things—and felt compelled to straighten it?
A priest, a lawyer, and an engineer have all been sentenced to death by guillotine for crimes they committed. The executioner asks the priest whether he wishes to face up or face down when he meets his fate. The priest says that he would prefer to die face up, so he can be looking toward heaven in his final moment. The priest is placed in the guillotine, and the executioner releases the lever. The blade comes speeding down but jams just short of the priest's throat. Taking this as a sign from God, the executioner sets the priest free.
Next, the lawyer comes to the guillotine. Hoping he will be as fortunate as the priest, he too decides to die face up. Again, the executioner releases the lever. The blade comes speeding down but jams just short of the lawyer's throat. Taking this as a sign from God, the executioner sets the lawyer free.
Finally, the engineer comes to the guillotine. He also decides to die face up. Just as the executioner is about to release the lever, the engineer shouts, "Wait! ...I see what the problem is!"At times, the compulsion to do or say something can be overwhelming, although the urge can be more compelling for some than for others. There will be no exceptions, however, for The Foremost Compulsion.
By the seventh century B.C., the kingdom God had established through David was in decline. Divided politically and religiously, the nation no longer presented a united front against its enemies and no longer offered a single vision of devotion to God. Rulers in the northern kingdom of Israel had all forsaken the Lord and, as the leadership went, so went the nation (a trend we would do well to heed). God eventually withdrew His protective hand from the rebellious people, allowing Assyria to conquer and destroy Israel. Rulers in the southern kingdom of Judah were mixed in their devotion to God with some, like King Uzziah, instituting significant religious reform. Bolstered by support from prophets like Isaiah, the reform movement made significant progress. Alas, it would not last. Later kings, who bore no loyalty to the Lord, would reverse the reforms and worsen Judah's apostasy. God would eventually withdraw His protective hand from the rebellious people, allowing Babylon to conquer and destroy Judah. Isaiah foretold the fall of the southern kingdom a hundred years before it happened. Despite the fulfillment of that dire prediction, though, the Lord would not forsake His people, and Isaiah also foretold the beginning of their restoration by Persia. That prediction even names the Persian king responsible.
Isa 45:1 This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him.... 4 For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.
11 This is what the LORD says—the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come.... 13 I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free....This would, indeed, be good news for the exiles, but the Lord has a larger audience in mind as well as a larger message, one that constitutes....
* XIII. The Foremost Compulsion1
...which is revealed by...
- The pronouncement of God (Isa 45:23)
Isa 45:23 By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.When an individual in scripture wants to strengthen something he says, to make clear the seriousness of his conviction, that he will do whatever is necessary to make his assertion come true, he may support his statement with an oath. Two forms of speech common in the biblical text but often confused by readers are oaths and vows.2
- An oath is a plea to God that reinforces the truth of a statement.
- Caiaphas wanted Jesus to certify his messianic identity with an oath.
Matt 26:63b The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
- What Caiaphas wanted was a response with a typical oath formula that calls on God as a witness to the statement:
"As [surely as] the Lord lives, I am the messiah."
- A vow is a pledge to God that commits the speaker to some action.
- Hannah promised that, if God would give her a son, the boy would serve the Lord as a Nazirite.3
1 Sam 1:11 ...she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will...give [me] a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."
God does not make vows, but He does, on rare occasions, make an oath.
- In other words, "If you will do something for me, I'll do something for you" (quid pro quo).
- After the almost-sacrifice of Isaac, God speaks to Abraham.
Gen 22:16 ..."I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,
- After the Israelites accepted the spies' unfavorable report about the land, something they should not have done, God said to Moses,
Num 14:21 ...as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth... 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.
- After the nation had suffered abuse for seventy years in exile, God says through the prophet,4
Isa 62:8 The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: "Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled;In the Isaiah passage, God is using an oath to confirm that what He says will indeed happen, and He underscores that certification with additional assertions: "I have sworn...in all integrity...not be revoked." The message to God's people is clear:
1. Your sovereign's word is assured.What others say they will do may be unreliable, even deceptive; what the Lord says He will do always comes to pass, because He is utterly reliable, and He is "the God of truth."5 So, what is it that He will do? What is so important here that He regards it worthy of an oath? ...He goes on to say that, in addition to the reliability of His word...
2. Your sovereign's worship is assured.What will that worship entail? ...God says two things in the second half of this verse, both involving public acknowledgement of His sovereignty:
- First, this recognition will entail universal physical expression: "Before me every knee will bow."6
- Second this recognition will entail universal verbal expression: "by me every tongue will swear."7
Given the reliability of God's word, the question is not if this universal acknowledgement will happen, only when it will happen. The apostle Paul quotes the passage in his description of Jesus' exaltation in the Messianic Age, when he again will represent God on earth.9
Phil 2:10 ...at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.That period will include recognition from a broad swath of humanity, the righteous as well as the unrighteous. The prophet Zechariah also describes the period. He speaks about the return of centralized worship to Jerusalem, and he notes that not all will accept God's authority, and that those who do not will have additional incentive.
Zech 14:16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain.These are they who will acknowledge God's sovereignty grudgingly and who will suffer if they persist with that attitude.10
As you contemplate what immediate relevance this passage has, the most obvious is the incentive it offers to decide early: With which group in the Messianic Age will you identify—those who obey God willingly or those who obey God grudgingly. This is not a decision to defer. Joshua frames the issue for the Israelites about to enter Canaan:11
Josh 24:15a ...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve....This is a choice that has some urgency. Do not put it off. The immediate relevance of this passage is the incentive it offers to decide early.
As you contemplate what ultimate relevance this passage has, consider some of the ways your sovereign's word is assured in what He has promised to His people, including you:12
- What you have already received
- Gospel
Rom 1:2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures
- Spirit
Eph 1:13b Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
- What you will yet receive
- Life
1 John 2:25 ...this is what he promised us—even eternal life.
- Kingdom
Your sovereign's word is assured, and what you have already received should bolster your confidence in what you will yet receive. As the apostle states...Jms 2:5 ...God [has] chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him.
2 Cor 1:20a ...no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ.The ultimate relevance of this passage is the encouragement it offers to trust Him.
When God's people were in exile, certainly a low point in their history, uncertain if God had forgotten them or, worse, had forsaken them, the Lord speaks through Isaiah. It was an old prophecy, but one that had amazing specificity, for it named the Persian ruler. God had not rejected them and would, in fact, restore them. More than that, He would expand His work beyond Israel and bring the whole world into submission. It will be The Foremost Compulsion as revealed here in the pronouncement of God, an event for which there will be no exceptions, an event for which you have prepared by choosing to serve Him now.
Having considered The Foremost Compulsion, we will look next at The Foremost Compilation, which offers in a few broad strokes the pattern of God, in Mic 6:8.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted)
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Jim Skaggs