Today marks the Christian holy day of Pentecost, the day on which the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers. Our Scripture selection from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, is perhaps one of the lesser known or referred to passages where this event is prophesied. In addition to prophesying the coming outpouring of the Holy Spirit, there are several lessons in this Scripture passage. Let’s take a brief look at these Words of the Lord through His prophet Isaiah, and see what He will speak to us and teach us.
Immediately prior to the opening of our Scripture passage, in the last several verses of chapter 43, the prophet Isaiah was pleading with unfaithful Israel to return to the Lord. He had been proclaiming to the people exactly what they were, which is sinners. However, now the Lord assures them of His love and grace. As believers, we may stray from the Lord, but that does not mean that He will stop loving us. He will always love His Blood-bought children, and will call them to return to Him.
God is our Creator. Throughout Scripture the Lord tells us how He has formed each baby in the womb (vs. 2). David proclaims that in one of his most beloved psalms, Psalm 139:13-16. God’s Word states that both the Prophet Jeremiah and the Apostle Paul were set apart by God from the womb for the ministry He had for them (Jeremiah 1:5 ; Galatians 1:15). God looks at unborn babies as people, people that He has a purpose for, and thus they most certainly should not be killed in the womb!
The Lord calls the people of Israel “Jeshurun” in verse 2. That is a poetic name for Israel, and it means “upright one”. The name is also used in Deuteronomy 32:15 and Deuteronomy 33:5, 26. The word upright implies being honest, honorable, virtuous, moral, and ethical. After centuries of straying from Yahweh and worshiping pagan idols, and all the other immoral practices that went along with idolatry, Israel could hardly be called “upright”. Yet that is what the Lord called them, as He would redeem them from their sins. The sinless Son of God took our sins upon Himself to pay the price of our redemption. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, our sins become His, and we are given His righteousness. When God looks at us, He does not see the sinner, instead He sees Jesus’ righteousness. Even though we continue to make mistakes and fall into sin, we, too, can be called Jeshurun.
As Isaiah continues, he brings a prophecy from the Lord of His promise to pour out His Spirit upon His children (vs. 3-4). This promise had a fulfillment on the day of Pentecost, ten days after the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven. The term “water” here is a figure of the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s blessings will be poured forth, and multitudes will come to know the Savior.
Both Jews and Gentile nations will hasten to count themselves as worshipers of Yahweh (vs. 5). If we are truly saved and God’s children, we should not be ashamed of Him. In today’s world, society has made being a Bible-believing Christian a shame and mockery. Nevertheless we should not hide our relationship with Jesus. We are to be His witnesses (vs. 8).
Isaiah continues on to proclaim the truth that there is no other God, no redeemer except the Lord Jesus (vs. 6). There is only one God, manifest in three Persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Who are all One in essence. He continues to describe how the false idols cannot predict the future, nor all of the occult practices people so often turn to (vs. 7). If idols can foretell the future, let them predict accurately, as Yahweh has. From ages past we have had the words of the prophets, giving us God’s Word in the Bible, telling us of what is to come. And each word of what has been prophesied has come to pass. We are His witnesses to that.
Scripture consistently teaches that only one true God exists (vs. 8). All other so-called gods are actually demons, trying to usurp the worship that belongs to Yahweh, alone. All those who have come to God through His Son, the Lord Jesus are His, and always will be His. He will never forget them. God is our Rock, the only sure ground of trust and confidence. There is no one else.
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