He Did It Himself...

Setting The Standard

I've been reading Chapters 58 - 61 of the book of Isaiah. I see a progression that was not apparent to me before. In chapter 58, we see God rebuking the nation of Israel. He points out the obvious flaws in their attempts to please God. Their feeble attempts at fasting and drawing near to God.

God saw that it was a hopeless situation. He says fasting like that will not make your voice heard up here. Your religious deeds are unseen and unheard because there is a louder cry. Your pitiful attempts are drowned out by the wickedness that is allowed. The unjust situations where the cry of the oppressed, the hungry, the homeless and the naked are louder. They get My attention.

You want to be heard? Meet their needs! Verses 9 and 10 state the requirements for salvation. Remove the burdens, the blaming and the flaming. Pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted. Honour the Sabbath and use it to serve others. Matthew 2:7 clearly state that God desires mercy. He desires steadfast love to be shown.

Highlighting the Separation

The more I read this passage, the more I see that God knew that we could never accomplish the standards that were set. God mentions in Isaiah 59 that our filthiness have made a separation between God and us. It also says that it is our sins that hide God's face from us. Its funny how we've portrayed God to be some clean freak who cannot stand the dirt. That He leaves at the slightest sign of sin or cannot bear to look at us if we've done wrong.

When I read verse 9 to 15, I picture a man standing outdoors in the bright sunshine. This man, just by living his life, releases pollutants into the atmosphere. Similar to the exhaust from cars or the smell from the waste we produce. These pollutants, over time, block out the sun and soon, we are in darkness. That's just the way it is. It didn't matter if we had good or bad intentions. Our life produced pollutants which blocked us from God!

The more we remained in it, the more difficult it became to fulfill the requirements that God stated earlier. It became impossible to meet the standard, because we couldn't even see where we were going. Salvation was far from us.

Destroying The Wall

HE saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede;
then HIS own arm brought him salvation, and HIS righteousness upheld him.
So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun.
| Isaiah the prophet - Isaiah 59:16, 19a |

That is how amazing God is. He saw that the separation could never be bridged through the efforts of man. He saw that intimacy would be impossible if things stayed the way they were.
Even way back here in the Old Testament, God is giving a glimpse of Jesus. When no man could accomplish the requirements for salvation, or put on righteousness, or uphold justice, God did it Himself

Ephesians 2:14 says that "...He himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility..."
Jesus did that for us so that we might come close to Him. So that we might experience the blessings and favour of God.

If I could through myself
Set your spirit free
I'd lead your heart away
See you break, break away
Into the light
And to the day
| U2's Bono - Bad : The Unforgettable Fire |

Giving Us Purpose
It doesn't end there. It goes on into chapter 61 which start with the words immortalised by Jesus. We should all burn these words into our hearts. I hope that as you read this, God sparks off the same passion and excitement that He did in me.

Remember the standards stated earlier in chapter 58? The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me.....

• To bring good news to the poor
• To bind up the brokenhearted
• To proclaim liberty to the captives the opening of the prison to those who are bound,
• To proclaim the year of the Lord's favour and the day of vengeance of our God
• To comfort those who mourn and give them something beautiful for their ashes
• To give them reasons to be glad and reasons to praise
• To clothe them with righteousness

There is a strong word here. What started off as requirements for salvation has now transformed into the result of salvation.
James states it unabashedly in James 2:15,16,18,22... "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
I will show you my faith by my works. You see that faith was active along with works, and faith was completed by works."

This is what He did it for...