Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Chapter 33 verse 22, “The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our ruler, the Lord is our king; he will save us,” (NRSVB). In the historic accounts of the battles in the Ancient Near East we read how the kings used to lead their armies, alongside their generals, when they went into battle. The enemy armies used to specially target the kings, for when the kings were captured or slain, the spirit of the army was broken and defeat was only a matter of time. The prophet Isaiah prophesied of a time when those who declared battle against Israel would meet up with the Lord on the battlefield. They would hear his voice and flee, “At the noise of the tumult of your voice at which the enemy is overthrown; the people flee; at the lifting up of Yourself, nations are scattered,” Isaiah 33 verse 3. When God will rise up and lead the army as the ruler and king, victory is assured. Those who planned to destroy the city of Jerusalem will be scattered and the Lord will rule in majesty. The inhabitants of Jerusalem will be healed of fear and saved from oppression. God will forgive their sins, and reverse their situation, so that they will dwell in safety and peace in his kingdom.
Isaiah prophesied that the people of Jerusalem will see their king in all his beauty. They will meditate on the times of the terror that reigned in the land and will wonder where their oppressors have gone. Then they will know that it is the Lord God who saved them and brought them out of trouble with his mighty arm and his strong right hand, saving and upholding them, bringing them back to their land and giving them back their sacred meeting place. This tabernacle of the Lord will be “a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be taken down; none of its stakes shall ever be pulled up , neither shall any of its chords be broken,” (Isaiah 33 verse 20).
In this tent, the tabernacle, God dwells with his people, he has made his tent dwelling among the people and lives amongst us. The apostle Paul teaches in his letter to the Colossians in Chapter 3 verses 14 and 15, “And above these, put on love and enfold yourselves with the bond of perfectness, which binds everything together completely in ideal harmony. And let the peace, the soul harmony which comes from Christ, rule and act as umpire continually in your hearts, deciding and settling with finality all the questions that arise in your minds in a peaceful state, to which as members of Christ’s one body you were also called to live, ” (Amplified Bible). Our bodies are temples of the Lord and in our bodies we experience the rule of love that God has as king over those who professes him as Lord. Together, we are the body of Christ, God has claimed his stake on his people and binds them with the chords of love to him and to each other. God’s claim on us, and his love for us, will never perish for he has brought us the victory in the earthly battle. We can already enjoy the spoils of this victory by living in the shadow of his peace, despite the tumult around us.
Despite the animosity that Jesus had to face from the religious leadership, and the doubt as to who Jesus was in the minds of the people he ministered to, when he asked his disciples who the people thought he could be they said, “(Some say) John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others: one of the ancient prophets who has come back to life. Then He said to them, but what do you yourselves say that I am? And Peter replied: The Christ, the Messiah of God,” Luke 9 verses 19 to 20,” ( Amplified Bible). Who do we say Jesus is for us today?
We can sing with the choir, as the composer Handel so beautifully quoted the words of Isaiah in the Oratorio, The Messiah, while acclaiming our Lord, the ruler who has saved us. He is: “Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, ” (Isaiah 9 verse 6).
Father, we bow down before you and worship you, our ruler and king, our judge and Lord over all, who has come down from Heaven to earth to save us, Amen.