Isaiah 42

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

Isaiah 42

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

Three themes run through both Isaiah, Chapters 42 and 43. First, the sovereignty, supremacy, centrality, and preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ ... His nature and character, who He is ... the great I AM, His will, His ways, His work, and His plan for His chosen people. All of the Bible points to Jesus. We saw in a previous message from Isaiah 41 and Psalm 22 that God has put into all nature, even worms, signs which point to Him. 

Romans 1:19-20, "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"

The second theme in both chapters is new things. In our previous message we shared about "new things." A third theme in both chapters is the judgment of God which is sure against all who rebel against Him and His ways.

Isaiah 42 contains the first of four poems known as the "Servant songs," which include Isaiah 42:1-7; Isaiah 49:1-7; Isaiah 50:4-9; and Isaiah 52:13-53:12. These four poems are written about the great servant of God. His name is Jesus. God calls His servant to lead the nations, but the servant is horribly abused by them. In the end, however, from Philippians 2:5-11, 

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Please turn now to Isaiah 42, Verse 1.

1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

"My servant" is the Lord Jesus Christ. Note that "my servant" is singular, not plural. The New Testament explicitly identifies the servant as Jesus, in Matthew 12:18-21, Luke 2:32, Acts 13:47, and Acts 26:23. Also, the servant is clearly said to be an individual in Isaiah 52:13 through Isaiah 53:11.

The elect of God is first and foremost Jesus Christ. The elect later will include the remnant that would emerge from the purifying fires of judgment. Jesus said, in Matthew 24, that in the last of the last days, conditions will be so difficult that if it were possible, even the very elect will be deceived. He who is in the fire the longest comes out the purest. 

Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."

2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.

The servant will not be a typical ruler who leads by loud proclamations. He will bring peace to all those who obey Him, but He brings a sword to all those who do not obey Him. Those leaders who talk loudly usually do so to cover up their personal lack of confidence. Of course, our confidence is in the Lord. At Gethsemane, Jesus went quietly when He was arrested. Later He quietly bore His cross toward Golgotha. He did not cry out in pain on the cross. He never forced anyone to hear Him. He never ran after anyone and said, "Wait a minute; you did not understand what I just said." 

3 A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

A bruised reed is symbolic of someone who is weak spiritually, but the Servant mends broken lives. Many of God's chosen people have been through some experiences that have created a real struggle in their lives, and their heads hang low as a result. They have become bruised reeds. Sometimes we tend to be harsh in our judgment of them because we do not know the heart condition which underlies what we see on the surface. The New Testament counterpart of Verse 3 is Hebrews 12:5-13. 

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him:

6 For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed

That last verse, verse 13 says that people, both Christians and non-Christians, are watching us. Words today mean very little to anyone. An example is better than 1000 words. We have no better example than the Lord Jesus Christ.

From Verse 3 of Isaiah 42, "A smoking flax" describes a situation where a fire, which at one time blazed high, has, for some reason, died down to embers. The cause is usually unknown to us. Although Jesus knows the cause, His main concern is getting the "fire" going again. It should be our concern also. He "blows" on the "smoking" embers, fanning them to life. The breath of the LORD! He blows gently, lovingly, persistently until new courage springs forth. Take courage, all who are struggling. The "blowing" of the Lord shall come upon all those who wait upon Him and whose heart is turned toward Him.

Back to Isaiah, Chapter 42 and Verse 4.

4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for His law.

The "He" in this verse is clearly Jesus. The word, "judgment," means "justice" or "perfect order." The phrase, "His law," is a comparison of the Mosaic law. The servant will be a new Moses and will bring forth a new covenant.

5 Thus saith God the LORD, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

Who is the "thee" who is mentioned three times in this verse? Certainly not you or me. It can be no other than Jesus. Surely the Pharisees and scribes when Jesus walked the face of the earth knew about this verse. After all, they studied the Old Testament every day. It should have been no surprise to the Jews that the Lord would soon call Gentiles to Himself.

7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

There is a complete message for us from that verse. Note three functions that Jesus was to fulfill ... to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and to show grace and mercy to those who are out of prison but still sit in darkness. The prison in Isaiah's time was natural Babylon. Today, the prison is spiritual and moral bondage from spiritual Babylon. When Jesus walked the face of the earth, the Pharisees said they were in bondage to no man. The same is true today. I doubt that any professing Christian would say they are in bondage. Isaiah 11:6-16, which has not yet been fulfilled, clearly says otherwise. The Lord, by the power of His Holy Spirit, must open our blind eyes to see that truth.

Also, from Verse 7, who are those who sit in darkness even though they are out of the prison house?

John 12:20-23, "And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified." 

Jesus answered them. Who is "them"? I believe, for at least two reasons, the "them" is Andrew and Philip, not the Greeks. By extension, Jesus spoke those words to you and me and every one of His chosen people over all of time. When the Greeks said they wanted to see Jesus, the Greek word for "see" means to see with the natural eyes. Jesus had no interest in that kind of seeing. Secondly, the time for the Gentiles to come into the kingdom had not yet come.

John 12:35-36, "Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide Himself from them."

He who walks in darkness does not know where Jesus goes. The light, of course, is Jesus Himself.

Back to Isaiah, Chapter 42

8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Although the LORD will not give His glory to another, He will allow those who abide in the Vine to share that glory. A graven image is anything that is made by the hand of men.

9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

What new things does the LORD declare? That was a major topic of our previous message, titled "The Pattern." Nothing is new to God but almost everything is new to us at one time or another. Perhaps the major new thing that the LORD declares is the soon unveiling of the priests, the ministers of the Lord, who will weep between the porch and the altar (Joel 2:17), followed by the restoration of spiritual Israel. Restoration back to what? the days of the early church after the Day of Pentecost? no; a restoration back to what was in the mind of God before He ever created man.

Verses 10 through 17 of Isaiah 42 contain a song of praise unto the LORD, where LORD is recorded in all capital letters. When we see LORD in all capital letters, it refers to Jehovah, who is God in covenant relationship to those whom He has created. Jehovah means the eternal, self-existent, immutable One ... the great I AM ... He who was, and is, and is to come. The LORD, or Jehovah, occurs nine times in Isaiah, Chapter 42.

10 Sing unto the LORD a new song, and His praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.

"New things" call for a "new song." Thousands of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs have been written and sung over the years. Therefore, this verse cannot be asking some of God's chosen people to write a new hymn or a new spiritual song or a new psalm. What "new song" does this verse refer to? The new song is symbolic language for a manner of life. We all should know that to be among the firstfruits company is a prize which we all should be striving for. If we are successful in our efforts, we will be bountifully rewarded by the Lord. We will receive the ability to learn and live the lifestyle that completely pleases God. That is the new song which no one else can learn except those who have successfully pleased God... those who have met His requirements for our lives in the time in which we live. This does not require perfection, per se, but must correspond to what God knows we are capable of doing in the times in which we live. Let me repeat that. This does not require perfection, per se, but must correspond to what God knows we are capable of doing in the times in which we live. Every born-from-above Christian is being qualified to walk in the kingdom of God by our decisions every day.

11 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.

The wilderness and the cities thereof have no voice to lift up. This clearly speaks of the inhabitants themselves. Kedar was the second son of Ishmael and one of the most important tribes of Ishmael. Muslim genealogists trace the descent of Mohammed from Kedar. The name "Kedar" means "dark-skinned."

Psalm 120:5-7, "Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war." 

To "dwell in the tents of Kedar" is to dwell in darkness and be cut off from the worship of the true God. "Mesech," a son of Japheth, means "a drawing out." His brother's name was Tubal. They are noted as one of the most remote and rude nations of the world. They are the ancestors of Russia and are mentioned in Ezekiel 27 as trading in slaves.

Back to Isaiah, Chapter 42.

12 Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare His praise in the islands.

Concerning the islands of the sea, the sea normally speaks of the sea of humanity. Islands are completely surrounded by the sea. Christians are to be IN the world but not part OF the world (John 15:19). This bondage may well be akin to the peer pressure of the world, which all the elders of Israel succumbed to when they told Samuel to "make us a king to judge us like all the nations" (1 Samuel 8:5). This pull and infiltration of the ways of the world into Christianity produces a polluted mixture which is never acceptable by God; it becomes strange fire. This is a very strong bondage from which we Christians must be set free.

13 The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: He shall cry, yea, roar; He shall prevail against His enemies.

He shall stir up jealousy. Six times in the Old Testament the Lord says that He is a jealous God. He does not need to stir up anything within Himself... that is part of His nature. Therefore, this seems to say that the Lord will stir up jealousy for Himself within a few of His chosen people, such as Elijah, who said, in 

1 Kings 19:10, "I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." 

Paul said, in 2 Corinthians 11:2, "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." 

A good question for each one of us is, "Who is jealous for the LORD God of hosts?" Who wants His will to be done more than life itself?

14 I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.

The Lord says He has refrained Himself. This same Hebrew verb is used of Joseph, who controlled his emotions while he tested his brothers in Egypt.

15 I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.

The mountains and hills speak of all of the kingdoms of man, whether small or great. When there is no rain, no water, the result soon becomes a famine. The Bible speaks of 14 famines, 13 in the Old Testament and one in Acts 11:28. We now live in the age of 

Amos 8:11, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:"

16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

 

Many years ago I heard a true prophet say?????????????????

 

Verses 17 through 25 of Isaiah 42 describe yet once more the stubbornness of His chosen people. They describe the sin and punishment of the nation of Israel and every nation that turns their back on God.

17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.

Exodus 32:7-8, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." 

18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.

19 Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as He that is perfect, and blind as the LORD'S servant?

20 Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not.

21 The LORD is well pleased for His righteousness' sake; He will magnify the law, and make it honourable.

22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

What an appalling description of God's chosen people! All of them were snared in holes and hid in prison houses! Were these verses true of God's chosen people in Isaiah's day? Absolutely! Are these verses true of some of God's chosen people today? Absolutely! Now we need to ask two questions, "Robbed and spoiled by whom? And robbed and spoiled of what?" One of the best scriptural examples of the answers to these questions is found in the book of Mark. Too many times we read the Bible like a newspaper and miss what the Lord is trying to tell us.

Mark 6:34-44 describes the miracle when Jesus fed five thousand from five loaves and two fishes. After all the people had eaten, they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments and of the fishes.

Every Christian who has read the Bible is familiar with that event. What follows in Mark 6:45-52 is when Jesus walked on water. Verse 52 says, 

"For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened." 

How does our heart become hardened? By focusing on king self.

Now please turn to Mark, Chapter 8, which records events that undoubtedly occurred only a short time after the feeding of the 5,000.

Mark 8:1-9.

1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples unto Him, and saith unto them,

2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:

3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.

4 And His disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?

5 And He asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.

6 And He commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and He took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to His disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.

7 And they had a few small fishes: and He blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.

8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.

9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and He sent them away.

After a short period of time, we read in Mark 8 and verse14 ... 

14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.

15 And He charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

The Pharisees represent the religious aspect of Babylon; Herod represents the political aspect of Babylon. Jesus was talking in the spiritual realm, but the disciples only were concerned about the natural realm. 

16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.

17 And when Jesus knew it, He saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?

18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto Him, Twelve.

20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.

21 And He said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

When Jesus walked the face of the earth, the Jews saw many proofs of His divine mission, but they had no impact on them; they seemed to open their ears to Him, but they did not hear; they did not understand, or believe, or obey. It was just as if they had never heard.

Just before Jesus cast out a deaf and dumb spirit from a young boy, we read, in 

Mark 9:23, "Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." 

John 12:35-36, "Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide Himself from them."

1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"

Note that the devil is "as" or "like" a roaring lion, but he is not a roaring lion. He is a counterfeit who tries to mimic the Lord Jesus Christ in as many ways as possible. That is why we all need to ask the Lord to increase our level of discernment. In Acts 16, it apparently took Paul "many days" to discern the source of the words spoken by the young damsel, who said, "These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation." That was because what the damsel said was 100% true. This example points out a truth that our character is more important than our words. Jesus said, "By their fruits ye shall know them."

One final thought about Verse 22 of Isaiah 42, which says, "But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore." They are for a prey. What does a mouse do to be a prey for a cat? nothing! The mouse is a prey for a cat simply because it is a mouse. What does a born-from-above Christian do to become a potential prey for the devil? nothing! literally nothing.

Isaiah 49:24, "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?" 

How do we Christians today become a prey for the devil? by doing our own thing; by not walking in the light that we have received; by focusing on our fears, our indecisions, our insecurities; by unbelief, which is the mother of all sins. If that is our state, we become a lawful captive. At that point, no amount of prayer, no amount of praise, and no amount of prophecy can deliver us. We must repent, run to the cross and ask for His forgiveness. Why do we walk in darkness? because of unbelief. All of us are guilty of the sin of unbelief to some degree. Unbelief robs us of the peace of God. Unbelief robs us from our inheritance. Hebrews 3:19 says the Israelites could not enter into the Promised Land because of unbelief. Unbelief is the most dangerous when we speak it.

Deuteronomy 1:27, "And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us." 

The Lord says, in Deuteronomy 1:34-36, 

"And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying, Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD."

Even Rahab, the harlot, said to the two spies sent by Joshua, "According unto your words, so be it." Moses sent 13 men to spy out the land of Canaan. Eleven of those men came back and said, "We are not able to take the land because there are giants there." Unbelief. Only Joshua and Caleb said that the Israelites were well able to take the land. 

Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." 

Hebrews, Chapters 3 and 4 speak of the rest of God eleven times. Is that because 11 of the spies walked in unbelief? Complete rest follows complete belief.

Galatians 3:10-13, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"

Proverbs 26:2, "As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come."

As long as we walk in the light that we have received, no curse can touch us.

Back to Isaiah Chapter 42.

23 Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come?

Verse 23 is a living word to every Christian believer. We are living in "the time to come." These things are written for our admonition.

24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, He against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in His ways, neither were they obedient unto His law.

Isaiah 45:7, "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things."

25 Therefore He hath poured upon him the fury of His anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.

Who is the "him" that was set on fire? Jerusalem. Jerusalem has been destroyed two times. This verse was literally fulfilled about 586 BC when Nebuchadnezzar took the city of Jerusalem, burned both it and their temple and plundered everything in the temple. The city was razed to the ground and all the spoils taken to Babylon. For their sins they were spoiled of all their possessions.

The second temple was rebuilt when King Darius was in power, 70 years after the first temple was destroyed. However, in 70 AD Jerusalem was destroyed one more time by the Romans, led by Titus, the future emperor of Rome, under the order of Emperor Nero. The Roman soldiers surrounded and ransacked the city and destroyed the temple. At least one million people died and the majority were Jews. Those who escaped death were taken as slaves in different parts of the Roman Empire. All relics from the temple were taken to Rome where they were displayed in celebrating the victory. In the midst of the fire and flame, Judah did not inquire of God as to the causes of this judgment. They persisted in their ignorance, did not seek God in faith and repentance, and did not humble themselves before Him. Jerusalem did not perceive; he did not change his ways on account of the chastisement.

It set him on fire; rather, the war set him on fire. How many Christians today have asked the Lord why almost one million people in the United States have died as a result of this Covid pandemic? How many Christians today have sought God in faith and repentance and humbled themselves before Him?

Ever since 691 AD, the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine, has been occupying that temple mount in Jerusalem. Many Jews believe that their temple will be rebuilt one last time on Mount Zion. Many Christians who are Jewish sympathizers agree with them. Whether that ever happens is neither here nor there. If that happens, man, not God, will build it. Scripture says that Jerusalem will be destroyed by fire a third time. 

2 Peter 3:7, "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 

Revelation 21:2 records that John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Multitudes are ruined for not observing or understanding that which they see; they perish, not through ignorance, but through carelessness. Sin provokes God to anger, and no one can resist or escape God's anger. Those who are not humbled by lesser judgments must expect greater. Sadly, too many professing Christians are blind as the heathen! While the Lord is well-pleased in saving sinners through the righteousness of Christ, He will also consummate His justice by punishing all proud despisers. Seeing God has poured out his wrath on His once-favored people because of their sins, let us fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of us should be found to come short of it. Lord, we believe. Help thou our unbelief.

Psalm 19:7-12 is somewhat of a summary of Isaiah, Chapter 42. 

"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward." 

What is that great reward? In Genesis 15:1, the Lord told Abram, 

"I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward." 

Our great reward is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Amen.