GOD IS THERE
Have you ever been reading through your Bible and noticed a phrase being repeated over and over? The book of Psalms is a key one that has this occurrence, but it is not the only book that does. For example, the book of Matthew has many occurrences of Jesus using the phrase “Truly I say to you”. Whenever you see phrases being repeated, it is a good idea to really stop and reflect on them. After all, you might just find that these phrases are hiding gems of knowledge of scripture. One instance of this that I have found recently has been in Isaiah chapters 9-10 and it is the phrase “In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away and His hand is still stretched out.” So today, we are going to look at the four passages that this phrase takes place and see what we can learn.
The first instance that this phrase is found is in Isaiah 9:11-12, “11 Therefore the Lord raises superior adversaries against them from Rezin And provokes their enemies, 12 The Arameans from the east and the Philistines from the west; And they devour Israel with gaping jaws. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away, And His hand is still stretched out.” Verse eleven begins with stating that God is bringing adversaries against Israel and that these enemies will devour Israel. This was put in place due to Israel’s disobedience in following God. So what is the important lesson we can learn from this passage? Even when God punishes us for our sins, He is there. Many try to state that God cannot be a loving God if He punishes those who follow Him, but this could not be farther from the truth. “6 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He punishes every son whom He accepts.” Hebrews 12:6. Israel constantly turned away from God and went after the things He warned them against, and we are no better today. However, because God cares about us, He will use whatever measures are necessary to bring us back to Him.
The second instance we find our key phrase in is Isaiah 9:16-17, “For those who guide this people are leading them astray;
And those who are guided by them are confused. 17 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, Nor does He have compassion on their orphans or their widows; For every one of them is godless and an evildoer, And every mouth is speaking foolishness. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away, And His hand is still stretched out.” The important lesson to see in this passage is that even when we are led astray by false teachers; if we truly belong to Jesus Christ, He will led us back to Him. There are many false teachers both in the days of Isaiah and today, many so called Christians are being led astray by them. However, for the individual who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they have the Holy Spirit to guide them and point out the error of these false teachers. “13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” John 16:13.
Our third instance is in Isaiah 9:20-21, “They devour what is on the right hand but are still hungry, And they eat what is on the left hand, but they are not satisfied; Each of them eats the flesh of his own arm. 21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, And together they are against Judah. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.” This passage portrays a gruesome picture, that of mankind turning against one another. Many would say that while we may not be resorting to eating one another, this world has turned against those who inhabit it. However, if you read and take scripture seriously we know that God is in control of it all. He has not turned away from His children and all of this is taking place to further His will. “And the Lord is the one who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8.
Our final instance is found in Isaiah 10:3-4, “3 Now what will you do in the day of punishment, And in the devastation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your wealth? 4 Nothing remains but to crouch among the captives Or fall among those killed. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.” This passage brings about the conclusion from Isaiah 9:11-12. We see that God is still going to bring about the discipline needed to bring His people back to Him, however, when we read farther into chapter ten we see that there is a remnant that will return to Israel (Isaiah 10:20). What we can learn from this passage is that even when we fall to sin, God is with us and there is a hope for the future. All we need to do is turn and cry out to Him. “11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,” Titus 2:11-13
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex