NORTHERN STYLE NEWSWATCH No. 37 CREDO
THE MISSING PIECE
`In all their distress He too was distressed . . .'
In case some of those reading the title of this Newswatch wonder if we have moved into the murky waters of evolution, we hasten to reassure them that the title comes from an article headed and written by a well-respected evangelical publication. It caught our eye as we were writing this Newswatch and it seemed to encapsulate the essence of what now follows. Many people gain great comfort from reading selected verses from the Book of Isaiah; many people also receive spiritual comfort from reading of a God Who does not change and Who will fulfil His Covenanted promises to Israel regarding their attitude to their Messiah, Jesus; still others gain intellectual satisfaction from reading the peerless prose of the amazing Book of Isaiah. Yet if we are to hear the Voice of God speaking in this Book we need to look much further than these comfort zones, and to do that we need, as always, to go back to the beginning - for as one Christian teacher was known to say, `The nearer you get to the end, the more you go back to the beginning'.

The opening words of the Book of Isaiah bring us back to that beginning: (KJV)

" The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah:

` Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;
for the LORD has spoken' . "

In reading those words there is no need to listen to `intellectual voices' attempting to prove that one or two (or even six) Isaiahs wrote this Book as history rather than accepting it as prophecy. As always, men will seek to disprove prophecy as they cannot accept the miraculous, and prophecy is indeed miraculous and beyond the wit of mortal man. `These are the words that Isaiah wrote regarding . . . the vision that he saw . . . during the reigns of . . .'. Isaiah was in no doubt that the vision he saw and recorded was the Voice of God speaking to His people during the historical reigns of four kings of Judah: `Hear, O heavens' (speaking to the spiritual world) `and give ear, O earth' (speaking to the natural world) `for the LORD has spoken (and the use of the Covenanted Name of the `LORD' indicates that He was speaking to His Covenanted people, Judah). What follows on in this prophetic Book is one continuous vision `layered onto' certain historical periods of some of the kings of Judah and it should be understood as such - to do less is to question the Voice of the One Who spoke these things through His faithful servant Isaiah.

This is by way of introduction for we would move on towards the end of this remarkable Book of Isaiah. We have, of course, accepted the breaking down of the Books of the Bible into chapters and verse in line with our Greek heritage and for convenience in remembering. Of course in the original texts no such breaks in the scrolls were made, and it is this breaking up which has caused so many of the problems we encounter when reading Scripture. It has led to a selective use of the Scriptures which fits so easily into our western `pick and mix' culture - and as we ourselves are being selective in this Newswatch we will of course use the accepted numeric chapter breaks, but always with the understanding that even in our selective use they are part of one vision given to Isaiah. However we hasten to add that our selective use is acceptable for we are looking for a Scriptural principle that can be applied to our present-day circumstances rather than attempting a prophetic exposition on the whole of the vision `concerning Judah and Jerusalem'.

Chapters 60 through to 62 shine through with the glorious promise concerning the total restoration of God's beloved people, and the words have given much hope and encouragement to them over the long centuries of their Diaspora. But suddenly there comes a disturbing note in the narrative of Isaiah's vision (in chapters 63 through to 65) and it is from these three chapters that we wish to draw out the Scriptural principle of God's unchanging purposes in order to gain understanding of the times in which we live today. As it is with religious people, some will speak of calamity and others will major on God's love and it is therefore even more imperative to understand the Book of Isaiah as ONE continuous vision given within ONE historical period of time of the kings of Judah, for in looking back to earlier `chapters' we will hear the Voice of God speaking of a judgement leading to captivity as well as His love in redeeming His people out of that captivity.

Chapter 39 contains such words: King Hezekiah, no doubt wishing to impress `the son of Baladan, king of Babylon . . . showed them what was in his storehouse, the silver and the gold, the spices . . .'. Because of this he was clearly reprimanded by God through Isaiah with the warning of a coming captivity because of his actions:

" Behold, the day will surely come when everything in your palace . . . shall be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left' says the LORD'. "

It does not do to boast of what the LORD chooses to do through His people as though it was the work of our hands that accomplished it!

It is not the intent of this Newswatch to dwell on this point, but merely to remember that it is of little value picking out prophetic verses for our emotional or even our intellectual comfort if we truly want to hear the Voice of the Lord. Such verses need to be kept in the context of the whole Vision which Isaiah saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem for, as we have seen, their ultimate kingdom will be even more glorious than the Kingdom of Solomon. We find this promised in earlier chapters: (Chapters 60-62)

" Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen on you . . . Lift up your eyes and look about you . . . your sons come from afar . . . The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me . . . to bestow on them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness . . . For Zion's sake I will not keep silent . . . You shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD. " (Suddenly, like a knife cutting through these glorious promises, the Voice of God changes):

" Who is this coming from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah . . . (and so we come to the verses from which we take our title) . . . in all their distress He too was distressed."

In view of our past comments we cannot now shrink back into selective expositions and become as King Jehoiakim of Jeremiah's day and cut up the Word of God because we don't like what we are reading! There is a sudden and dramatic shift in the vision . . from a Coming Glory to a Coming Judgement! Clearly it is in that order - and many `modern-day prophets' need to understand that `order' lest they speak only of Judgement in their natural distress at what they see in their daily lives. The Scriptural principle we see at work here is always the same - the promise of a regathering for restoration of His people before the purging fires of Judgement release them into that restoration. The Lord does not leave His people without hope!

During the time of King Hezekiah there was indeed a regathering of His people leading to a restoration of the Kingdom of Judah. It was pale in comparision with the glory of Solomon's kingdom, but under King Hezekiah the people experienced a move of God in their land more fully than they had known for many a long year. The hopes of the princes, the nobles and the people were raised once again, for through the marriage of Hepzibah to King Hezekiah they saw a symbolic new beginning for the nation, a regathering of the people under one king - a foretaste of the fulness of the restoration of the Kingdom of Solomon under their long-promised Messiah: (62:4)

" No longer will they call you Deserted
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah (My delight)
and your land Beulah (married);
for the LORD will take delight in you,
and your land will be married. "
In these chapters we are looking at, however, the Voice of God now speaks of a coming national calamity through which the earlier promised restoration would come. In chapters 63 through to 65 there is one continuous dialogue giving understanding of the paradox. Who is this coming Judgement . . . a prayer of distress is offered . . an Answer given!

We begin with the coming Judgement - the Coming of the LORD bringing judgement on the rebellious nations (which the people of God were caught up in) who sought to thwart the purposes of God. Through Judgement would come a separation of the people of God to Himself. First, a separation from all that they had known - dwelling in the city of Jerusalem as the people to whom God had promised an everlasting Covenant - and only then, through that separation from their past, would come the joining together with the LORD to become a `Delight and Married' in a lasting relationship. There is more to a marriage covenant than merely a joyful occasion: First there must come a cutting off of the old before the two can become one flesh . . a delight . . a marriage. Today's western society has little understanding of what is intended in marriage - a mystical union pointing to what God intends for His people - and yet even in the `church' we fail to understand what Paul calls `a profound mystery . . about Christ and His Church'. That lack of understanding is indeed a profound mystery! But to return to the Book of Isaiah.

The opening verses of chapter 63 reveal the extent of the Coming Judgement . . of total war and bloodshed . . a day of vengence: (verse 6)

" I trampled the nations in My anger;
in My wrath I made them drunk
and poured their blood on the ground. "
In the midst of those calamitous times we find the words of our subtitle: (v 9 and 11)

" In all their distress He too was distressed . . . .
then He remembered the days of old,
the days of Moses and His people . . . "
A quiet reading of this chapter will reveal God's intentions for those whom He calls His Wife. As the anguish and distress intensify His people's hearts are turned more and more towards their God. No longer interested or concerned with the wealth and comfort of their past lives, nor fearful of their enemies who seek their lives, there is a heart-cry of a people wanting to be joined to God in the long-promised relationship that can only come through the promised Messiah. (A turning from the old, leading to a prayer of confession of their sin of wanting the benefits of both the old and the new without understanding that the new can only come through a putting off of the old!) Such is the `profound mystery' of how God outworks the full redemption of His people. First comes the promise of a Glorious Redemption for His people in their regathering, which through judgement leads to the people's confession of what they have been, together with a full acknowledgement of Whom He is . . their LORD.

We see this confession in the closing verses of chapter 63, which has proved to be a translator's `graveyard' as the original text has no English equivalent. Some versions record `We are Thine . . .' whilst others record `We are Yours from of old . . but in the Hebrew text it comes out more in the form of a confession:

"We are, we have become, as they (the surrounding nations) are;
people who were never called by You to be Your witnesses. "

The words of confession lead straight into the next verse (without any of the chapter breaks seen in our modern Bibles): `Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down'! In seeing what they had become, the people look back to `the days of Moses' when he went up the mountain to meet with God and to receive from Him all that the people would need to maintain them as a `separate people' called to witness to the Righteous Requirements needed by all who would approach God. In looking back to those days they were brought to the conclusion that (to use our own words) `That which we now know is not that which we once knew' - and the confession changes to become a deep penitent conviction: (v8-9)

"Yet, O LORD, You are our Father.
We are the clay, You are the Potter;
we are all the works of Your Hand.
Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD;
do not remember our sins for ever.
Oh, look upon us we pray,
for we are all Your people. "
These closing verses of chapter 64 acknowledge their need - a realization that it is their work which has brought themselves to this position of desolation and despair, and their cry of conviction comes out in a cry of supplication: (v 12)

"After all this, O LORD, will You hold Yourself back?
Will You keep silent and punish us beyond measure. "
No longer are we reading the triumphant words of restoration, for that cry is far from their hearts and their lips! Their pain, their distress and confusion is very evident for their earlier confession has led to conviction through the terrible judgement which they have been caught up in.

We now move into chapter 65 and hear God's response to their supplications, which also draws us back to the words of our sub-title: `In all their distress He too was distressed'. First would come a stern rebuke, for still more was needed besides their confession and conviction. There was still the `missing piece' to bring out before the promised Restoration could come. The opening words of this chapter take us back to the time of Moses, a time when, as recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy, the whole people of Israel were assembled together as they were about to enter into the fulness of the Promised Land. We have it recorded as `The Song of Moses' : (Deuteronomy 31:30 - 32:2)

" And Moses recited the words of this Song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel:

`Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;
hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
Let my teaching fall like rain
and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass,
like abundant rain on tender plants'. "
As you read through the `Song of Moses' you will hear the passion of the One Who called these people, which gives some understanding of His distress in their distress! This same passion is revealed again in the vision given to `Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem'. That passion, a mixture of anguish because of judgement, is deeply imbedded in the prophetic Scriptures and cannot be separated into comfort-zone compartments for our ease of mind. This Song which Moses sang all those generations ago ends with the most solemn instructions - which lay at the heart of the LORD's stern rebuke in chapter 65 of Isaiah's vision: (Deuteronomy 32:45-47)

" Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this Law. They are not just idle words for you - they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess. "

The people, now regathered and assembled in Judah and Jerusalem, whom God is rebuking, needed to be reminded that their confession - and even their conviction - could only come through an acknowledgement of whom they were before they were called, for there was no seeking of God in those earlier days. They were called out of Egypt, delivered out of slavery, because God remembered His Covenant with His servant Abraham, and now, in their present distress, He remembers once again His Covenant Promise through a remnant of people who see that beyond confession and beyond conviction something more is required - the `missing piece' - and we can see this in the words of verse 8:

"As when new wine is found in a cluster of grapes,
and men say, `Do not destroy for a blessing is in it',
so I will not destroy all of them.
I will bring forth descendants from Jacob
and from Judah those who will possess my mountains;
My chosen people will inherit them
and there they will dwell. "
In an English culture not given to much wine production these words could easily be passed over and we could therefore miss what is being said. The expression `new wine' is translated from the Hebrew word `Tiroth', which has a meaning of `possession' and refers to the must (that is, the grape juice before fermentation is complete) which, if drunk, goes straight to your head and takes possession of your faculties in a way not found with mature wine. But there is a deeper meaning to the word `possession' in that before you possess something there has to be a driving out of the old before the new wine can take possession (replace the old). There is therefore in these verses the understanding that the New Wine of God will drive out the old wine so completely that He will take possession of them, filling them with the same passion as spoken by Moses in his Song: (Deuteronomy 32:3-4)

"I will proclaim the name of the LORD.
Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
He is the Rock, His works are perfect,
and all His ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is He. "
In Scriptural terms we would refer to these people as `the remnant', a calling of God upon those who have seen the `missing piece' beyond confession . . beyond conviction . . who now cry out in repentance - `My chosen people will inherit them, and there will My servants live'.
This now leads on into the fulness of the Promises of God, seen in the concluding verses of chapter 65:

"Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
the former shall not be remembered, nor come to mind
But be glad, and rejoice in that which I create;
for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing
and her people a joy. "
Clearly these words are spoken towards Judah and Jerusalem and point forward to that which is yet to come . . a regathering of God's ancient people . . a purging of all unrighteousness, which will come through the judgements of the Tribulation, bringing at last the confession leading to the conviction . . causing repentance . . leading to a glorious restoration of His people when at last they accept their Messiah, Jesus . . pointing even beyond the Millenium Reign of Christ Jesus in the land of Israel to the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21!

There is nevertheless a Scriptural principle at work in the Scriptures we have now looked at which can be paralleled in the journey of `the Church' towards her glorious fulfillment of the Promises of God as we too are led through the purging judgements that are appearing on the world scene at this time. These will be used by God for His purposes in His people, and there is implicit in these chapters the certainty of a New Wine remnant upon whom the Holy Spirit will fall, driving out the old unbelief and, in many, indifference, in order to take `possession' of those He calls as a remnant for the sake of His chosen people - those redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb who are His Bride. There is clearly a warning in these three chapters of a people who, through great distress, are brought to a position of confession, and even brought to a deep heart-conviction, but who do not progress to the `missing piece' of repentance so that God can take full possession of them to be the new wine through whom He will work for the sake of His people.

It has been said by a secular source which has seen the need for reform of the present western democratic political systems, that if they are to survive the twin problems facing the reformers are those who have no desire to change and those who have become old and seek only to maintain the status quo. Both sets of people know that something is wrong - they even confess it and are convicted of the need to do something - but will not take that final step needed to reform. Such an occasion was the recent publication of a Report commissioned by the Norwegian Government six years earlier to consider `the state of democracy in Norway'. Knowing that the country had changed dramatically over the past century they appointed `5 wise men' to set out their findings in an official report but, as we have said, it took six years and 50 volumes to set out their findings! These `5 wise men' found that Norway was in excellent financial shape: Humane laws had been passed, leading to tolerance in all and a reduction in crime; educational opportunities were available to all citizens which had enriched the cultural life of the nation, and there was a ruling elite which appeared to be honest and just in their governance of the people. Yet the Report's conclusion was this: Democracy in Norway was not in good shape . . the people were no longer interested in the political process . . they had lost interest and participation in the charitable organizations which hold communities together, being concerned only with `our' interests, often at the expense of others, yet still proud to be called citizens of Norway. Through this withdrawal of interest had come a continuing withdrawal of power in local municipal councils and an increase of central control by the Government, leading in turn to a weakening of their authority through the work of clever pressure groups who increasingly were determining the policies of the country. The majority of the reporting members of the Commission saw this as their `democratic infrastructure in collapse'!

We can take this Report and `overlay' it onto most of the countries of western democracies, and we can indeed also overlay it onto the structure of many of the churches of those western democracies! We can also see a parallel in such events in the three chapters of Book of Isaiah we have looked at in this Newswatch which spoke out the same message to the people of Israel as surely as the words of God spoken through Isaiah to Judah and Jerusalem:

"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth,
for the LORD has spoken. "
We do not, however, see in these Scriptures a renewing of the State of Israel - a reform of political parties or a changing of the immoral and unrighteous practices of the people through reforming laws. Certainly such efforts could, for a short while, bring a certain confession and conviction, but without the `missing piece' of repentance many of the people would have no long-term desire to change and many more would seek only to maintain the status quo. But the promise of the chapters we have looked at tell of a remnant of God's people who, through the purging fires of judgement that are growing around us, will be `possessed' by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Kingdom of God to the countries in which they live, and amongst the people of these countries this will indeed lead to a lasting confession - through conviction, and outworked in repentance - and to a mighty harvest for the Kingdom of God. Our certain hope is that New Wine (i.e the Holy Spirit) is found in a cluster of grapes in the midst of a coming calamity and `this will be that' for which we wait, for in chapter 65 we find the Words of Hope: (v 24)
"Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear. "

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