The Response to the suffering servant Pt4

Evidently, there was something
in the water last night that was apparently caffeinated because
about a third of the people here did not sleep. And we understand
that. So I’ll be extra fired up today
since we’re wrapping up our study in Isaiah. If they lay their head on your
shoulder, you’ll be able to stir them. prepare them for the morning’s
message. A proper response. That’s what
we’ve been considering these past weeks. A proper response
to the suffering servant introduced by the prophet Isaiah. And so
if the Lord’s people would please turn back one more time to Isaiah
chapter 52. We’ll be there for just a moment.
Isaiah 52, as I’ve mentioned several times throughout this
study, Isaiah sets forth the Messiah as God’s suffering servant. And he does so in the last in
four poetic presentations, songs, if you will, And the fourth of
these songs is found in Isaiah 52, 13, and it courses all the
way through that more familiar chapter, chapter 53. And we’ve
reviewed this well-known section numerous times in the last couple
of weeks, so I’m only gonna give a cursory overview this morning.
But as I said, this fourth song, starts in 52 13 where Isaiah
declares the servants astonishing reception. He will be high and
lifted up. We know that Christ ultimately
was not only ascended to be with his father, but he was raised
to the highest place and seated at the right hand of his father.
Kings will shut their mouths on account of him. His reception
in the world will in the end be astounding. Every knee will
bow. In 53, one through three, Isaiah
addresses the servant’s astonishing rejection. He was despised and
forsaken of men. We did not esteem him. Especially
the Jewish nation rejected Christ almost outright. In verses four
through six, Isaiah tells of the servant’s astonishing, pardon
me, his amazing suffering. He was pierced. He was crushed. He was chastened. He was scourged.
And all for our transgressions. In verses 7 through 9, Isaiah
speaks of the servant’s awful death, like a lamb that is led
to slaughter, he was taken away. And then finally, in verses 10
through 12, Isaiah chronicles the servant’s awesome sacrifice,
of whom God says, the righteous one, my servant, will justify
the many. He will bear their iniquities. The servant’s astonishing reception,
his astounding rejection, his amazing suffering, his awful
death, and his awesome sacrifice. Well, that’s a review. But it’s
the ensuing chapters that we’ve been studying this past several
weeks, chapters 54 and 55, because these chapters discuss a proper
response to the Messiah. We’ve studied three sections
so far in Chapter 54 verses 1 through 6, we saw that a proper response
to the suffering servant provides joy in redemption. We know that
we’ve been redeemed and joy is the most natural response. A proper response to the suffering
servant in verses 7 through 17 of 54 provides assurance and
reconciliation. We know because God has assured
us many different ways as we saw in those verses, we have
assurance of reconciliation, peace with God. And then the
third section that we considered, the beginning of chapter 55,
a proper response to the suffering servant centers on an appeal
to faith. We’re called to place our faith
in this suffering servant. And that brings us forth to the
fourth and final section that a proper response to the suffering
servant assures sinners of forgiveness. It is an incredible passage as
I hope to show you. The Lord, who evidently is still
the one speaking here in six through 13, He opens with a final
appeal to seek the Lord. It’s once again, it’s an offer
of forgiveness. And it’s this gracious pardon
that is attended with three descriptions about the nature of God’s forgiveness. All in all, it’s like a verbal
waterfall that just keeps coming and it beautifully depicts God’s
gracious pardon. But let’s begin with the call
to forgiveness itself. We find it in verses six and
seven. If you would, we’ll take this section in its entirety,
verses six through 13. Where Isaiah records, seek the
Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way
and the unrighteous man his thoughts. and let him return to the Lord,
and he will have compassion on him. And to our God, for he will
abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, nor are my ways your ways. For as the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow
come down from heaven and do not return there without watering
the earth and making it bare and sprout and furnishing seed
to the sower and bread to the eater, so will my word be which
goes forth from my mouth. It will not return to me empty
without accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the
matter for which I said it. For you will go out with joy
and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills will
break forth into shouts of joy before you. And all the trees
of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn bush,
the cypress will come up. And instead of the nettle, the
myrtle will come up. And it will be a memorial to
the Lord for an everlasting sign which will not be cut off. Incredible
words and what Isaiah begins with here again is a call to
forgiveness. When we see it in verses six
and seven, just glance back at those verses again because God
again reiterates his call to sinners when he says, seek the
Lord, call upon him. Seven times already in this chapter,
God has issued this invitation. Look back at 55 verse 1. Everyone
who thirsts, come to the waters. Again in verse 1, come, buy and
eat. Again in verse 1, come, buy wine
and milk. In verse two, he issues several
additional invitations. Eat what is good. Delight yourself
in abundance. In any of those, he isn’t talking
about earthly blessings. He isn’t talking about literal
water, or milk, or wine, or even food. He’s talking about spiritual
nourishment, and he’s bidding the sinner to come to him. In verse three of chapter 55,
He issues two additional invitations, incline your ear and come to
me. And then the seventh, he says,
listen that you may live. And so here in verses six and
seven, it’s now the eighth and the ninth. such invitation, God’s
repeated appeal to those who are in need of a savior. Seek
the Lord, call upon him. Our gracious God continues his
plea to sinners to come to him. God encourages sinners to draw
near. Now this seeking, is calling
upon the Lord is, it’s no contradiction at all to the idea that is communicated
in Psalm 14 or Romans 3 where Paul quotes it, where it says,
there is none who seeks for God. That’s no less true than what
Isaiah is saying here. What both writers are talking
about there, both the Psalmist and Paul, They’re talking about
our natural state. In our natural state, we don’t
seek God. In our fallen and sinful condition,
there’s no one who seeks after, desires God and the things of
God. Jesus explained this in John
chapter six. No one can come to me unless
the Father draws him. And that’s what Isaiah is discussing
here. those who are being drawn by
the Father, those who have had their sin and their need of a
Savior exposed. To these, he says, seek the Lord. Paul preached the same thing
to the unbelieving crowd in Athens in Acts 14. He told his hearers
that God had sovereignly provided everything they needed. as a
witness to His goodness and grace. Verse 27 of Acts 14 says, so
that they would seek God. If perhaps they might grope for
Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
God blesses people so that they might seek Him. God draws them
first. God gave that man might seek
Him. Deuteronomy 4.29 presents this
promise as well. Seek the Lord your God and you
will find him if you search for him with all your heart and all
your soul. Psalm 27.8 says the same thing. Your face, O Lord, shall I seek. The prophet Joel 2.32, whoever
will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. The truth
is that there will be no person in heaven ever who did not earnestly
seek the Lord. When we realize our dreadful
condition and the penalty under which we stand as sinners, our
only hope is to call upon God. We must seek the Lord for forgiveness
and for mercy, for grace and favor. Our loving God longs to be in
fellowship. He must be worshiped. He will
have a people. If they would only seek him,
he certainly can be found. God is no austere, unfriendly
God. He is the living, loving God
who longs for communion with his creation. And so he says,
seek the Lord. But as is also clear from this
passage, This seeking and this calling upon the Lord is not
an open-ended offer. It’s a timed opportunity. He
says, seek the Lord while he may be found. And again, call
upon him while he is near. God’s gracious offer of forgiveness
through the finished work of Jesus Christ is clear and free
and abundant, but the offer will not last forever. There will
come a day when suddenly there will be no more response. That’s precisely what Paul is
saying in 2 Corinthians 6. You probably know it well. There
he quotes Isaiah 46, 9. At the acceptable time, I listened
to you. On the day of salvation, I helped
you. And then Paul expounds upon that
very statement when he says, behold, now is the acceptable
time. Now is the day of salvation. And that tells us that the time
won’t always be acceptable. It won’t always be the day of
salvation. The opportunity for salvation
is fleeting and fading. An open door to salvation will
one day be closed forever. And if anyone would come, God
clarifies further that there is a companion to this coming
to God by faith. The companion is repentance.
And the interesting thing is, this has already been mentioned
several times this morning without any planning of mine, Faith and
repentance are like two sides of the same coin. You cannot
have one without the other. You can’t turn to God without
turning your back on sin. Paul writing to the Thessalonian
believers, as mentioned earlier, he identified this process in
his commendation of the Thessalonian believers. how they turned to
God from idols to serve a living and true God. And so repentance
is the flip side of faith. God has repeated this gracious
invitation to repentance and faith nine times already. Come, come, listen, eat, incline
your ear, listen, seek, call. And now he clarifies this call,
it’s not only a response of faith, but it’s a turning in repentance.
Three times there in verse 7, just glance at it briefly. This
repentance is declared or implied. Let the wicked forsake his way. Clear as a bell. That’s repentance.
And the unrighteous man forsake is implied. The unrighteous man
forsake his thoughts and let him return. There’s another form
of repentance. Let him return to the Lord. You
see, there must be repentance. There must be a forsaking of
sinful ways as well as a heart of faith. God makes it clear
that the wickedness and unrighteousness are those things from which we
must turn if we’re going to follow Christ. He talks here about the
process of turning in repentance. These are those things in our
life, attitudes, behaviors, thoughts, habits, deeds, These are the
things that little by little are dragging us to death and
to hell. These are those things that sent
our Savior to the cross. These are those things that must
be forsaken. It’s captured in that third line
of verse seven. There is a forsaking of these
things as well as a returning to God. having forsaken a sinful
way of life, sinful thoughts, we are to turn from all of those
evil thoughts and deeds and to a loving Savior. A person who
yet loves their sin and refuses to turn, they cannot turn, they
cannot repent. They cannot truly place their
faith in the Savior. This is the same kind of humble
turning that brought the prodigal son, you remember, back into
his father’s loving arms. And what do we gain by this repentance,
this turning? It’s the refreshing water, if
you will, for the spiritual thirst mentioned in verse one. It’s
the same thing as the good bread, the real bread, which only God
can provide that is referred to in verse two. It is the spiritual
life of which he speaks in verse three. It is the covenant of
mercy detailed in verses three through five. And it’s abundantly
clear here in verse seven, it’s God’s compassion. It’s God’s
pardon that we’re seeking. For any who forsake their sin
and come to God in faith, he will not just forgive, he will
abundantly pardon. This is the ultimate reward for
our proper response to the suffering servant that God has provided
in the Messiah. When we come to Jesus Christ,
we are forgiven in full. We are forgiven abundantly. We
stand before a holy God completely justified. For any who will forsake
their sin and come to Him in faith, God doesn’t just forgive,
He abundantly pardons. All of their sins are completely
and thoroughly covered. God, our Father, has often to
deal with those that are not only sinners, but exceedingly
great sinners. And he does so with an eagerness
and a magnanimity that is baffling to us. Why would God forgive
me, a sinner, so thoroughly? But God abundantly pardons. The
greater our sin, whether in severity or in longevity, God’s forgiveness
is all the greater. And the most amazing thing is
that when we come to God in repentance for our sin and place our faith
in his son, Jesus Christ, he knows at that moment that while we express our desire
to be free of sin and to pursue righteousness, he knows at that
moment that we’re not done sinning. And Christ’s blood is applied
to those sins as well. Of all the truths in scripture,
perhaps this one is the greatest. That God’s mercy is infinitely
practical. He doesn’t just feel sorry for
us, it isn’t just compassion, but it’s pardon, forgiveness,
and that in abundance. God could never be accused of
stinginess in the matter of forgiveness, Just as God is the perfect example
of all of his attributes, wisdom and sovereignty and goodness
and holiness, so also God is exemplary in his exercise of
mercy. When God forgives even our grossest
sins, he doesn’t establish some kind of an account whereby we
begin to reconcile our debt with him. God doesn’t forgive us like
so many people do, with a dubious smirk, expecting us full well
to return to our sin. God does not forgive us reluctantly,
or partially, or doubtfully, or skeptically, or grudgingly. God forgives abundantly. In the remainder of this passage,
down all the way through verse 13, what God does here is to
take opportunity to instruct his hearers about the nature
of his forgiveness. That’s what he wants to tell
us. He assures sinners of forgiveness. Look at verses eight and nine.
And the first thing that he tells us is that God’s counsel is divine. God’s counsel is divine. My thoughts
are not your thoughts. Nor are my ways your ways, declares
the Lord. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts higher than your thoughts. Now, on the face of it, this
verse means at least this, that God’s thoughts, his ways, his
methods, his counsels, his plans are nothing like our own. And
that’s true. Not only can we not calculate
God’s ways, we can’t even really comprehend them. Nor can we access
them beyond what He purposes to reveal to us. Paul famously
closes out the doctrinal portion of Romans on this subject. Romans 11.33, just listen. Oh,
the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of
God. How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his
ways. For who has known the mind of
the Lord or who became his counselor or who has first given to him
that it might be paid back to him again? For from him and through
him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. God’s ways are exceedingly
and transcendently high. That’s true. But given the context, there’s
a more direct explanation of these words. The bottom line
is that God does not forgive like we forgive. People tend
to seek revenge. They hold grudges. They harbor
unforgiveness. Or if they forgive, they grant
kind of a conditional forgiveness. You better not ever do that again.
God’s ways and thoughts are completely different than ours when it comes
to forgiveness. His thoughts are higher. His
ways are different. At the outset this morning, we
noted at the introduction that God, He seems to go out of His
way to assure those who might repent, who might come to faith,
that it’s not without purpose. It isn’t for naught when we repent
of our sin and place our faith in Christ. Repenting and turning
to the Lord isn’t like apologizing to a friend or foe. who may forgive
us or may not, who may very well carry a grudge for many years. If someone abuses us or slights
us, we take offense. And we may, if asked, grant a
measure of forgiveness. But if it happens repeatedly,
then we begin to draw the line, don’t we? We often refuse to
extend anything resembling grace to such a person. But God declares
that with regard to forgiveness, he is completely different. God is eager to be reconciled
with sinners. And so God moves to calm our
fears. His forgiveness is nothing like
our so-called forgiveness. God is a God of forgiveness and
he provided for that through his son, the Lord Jesus. In him,
Paul says, Ephesians 1, we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses. And also the apostle John has
it, 1 John 1, 9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins. God is all about forgiveness.
Not only is God different from us in his thoughts and his ways,
but he is different in the greatest degree. This is the point of
verse nine, and it’s uttered to express the greatness of this
difference. As great as the distance between
heaven and earth, so also are God’s thoughts and ways than
ours. They’re deeper, they’re grander, they’re infinitely more
gracious than our own. And so with regard to forgiveness,
the first thing that God tells us about his forgiveness of us
is that his counsel is divine. There is no counsel, there is
no wisdom or thought like God’s. Secondly, God is telling us about
the nature of forgiveness and he says that God’s purposes prevail. Look at verses 10 and 11 once
again. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and
do not return there without watering the earth and making it bare
and sprout and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the
eater, so will my word be which goes forth from my mouth. It
will not return to me empty without accomplishing what I desire and
without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. This is
God being God. Here in verse 10, God declares
that his sovereign purposes will not fail. What God intends comes
to fruition. What God decrees succeeds. The first image that he uses
to describe this image is, pardon me, the first image that he uses
to describe this process is the image of the rain and the snow.
the water cycle, if you will. And we should note first that
it falls. It’s part of God’s good gift
to the world that he waters the earth. The apostle Paul, as I
pointed out in Acts 14, said that he could even call on the
heathen to assent to this when he said,
God gave you rains from heaven. They would have had to immediately
acknowledge that. Psalm 65 declares it as well.
You water its furrows abundantly. You settle its ridges. You soften
it with showers. You bless its growth. It all
comes from God, this moisture. Not only do we know that the
rain falls, but we know that God is the one who makes it fall. And we also know its function,
based on this passage, to satisfy or to feed the earth. Water is
cyclical, right? We know this. From evaporation,
to precipitation, to runoff, to pooling, and the cycle is
never ending, never ceases. In whatever form we find water,
it’s in process. And it’s in process of accomplishing
a God-ordained task. There in verse 10, God describes
how this process of moisture, God-given moisture, makes the
earth to bear and sprout, seed to the sower, bread to the eater.
And God does this for the whole world. As Jesus says in Matthew, for
the just and the unjust. This is God’s ordained water
cycle. It’s the mechanism that essentially
feeds the whole world. The water comes down, the ground
becomes saturated, the plants are made to sprout, the feast,
pardon me, they feast themselves on the moisture of the nutrients
in the soil, taking it up into their root systems, the plants
are harvested, the roots, the leaves, their fruit, their seeds,
and these serve as the food for the whole living world. But you
know what? God isn’t boasting about his
care and provision of the earth here. He’s not talking about
physical food here. The rain and the snow are a metaphor
for spiritual blessing in like manner. Deuteronomy 32 says,
let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech as the dew. Isaiah
44, 3, I will pour out my water on our thirsty land. He’s talking
about spiritual refreshment. The spiritual refreshment brought
about by His word. Look please at the first line
of verse 11. So will my word be which goes
forth from my mouth. Just as sure as you can count,
eventually here in Fort Collins, we will get some kind of moisture. As sure as that happens, God’s
word is going to come and it will bear fruit. In the same way where God generously
waters the earth, He graciously sends forth His Word, and just
as our world would be a barren wasteland without water, people’s
hearts and lives would be empty and lifeless without God’s Word.
God’s Word is such, He says, that it will not return to Him
empty That is, it will not return to Him without accomplishing
God’s intended purpose. It will bear fruit. And God says here that in the
same way that the water cycle functions, so does God’s process
in the revelation of His Word. And precisely in the same manner
as the rains, they do come sent by God. They water the earth,
make plants to grow, just as surely when God’s word comes,
it will have its intended effect. God’s word, and in this context
of Isaiah 53 to 55, the revelation of the suffering servant, God’s
word is none other than the gospel. It’s the good news of Jesus Christ.
And just as the water falls according to God’s sovereign provision
and directive, so does his gospel. It brings God’s free gift of
news of God’s free gift of salvation wherever it falls. It’s a refreshing
rain whenever it comes. It’s water to a parched land.
The gentle showers of God’s plan of salvation trickle down, saturate
the land. They soak the seeds of the gospel.
Because it is a gift of God, it’s perfect. It’s perfectly
suited for God’s purposes. And just as in the parable of
the soil, there’s nothing deficient in the quality of the seed. And
so here in a similar and yet distinct image, there is nothing
lacking in God’s provision. This water is pure and effectual,
and it’s fitted to accomplish its God-given purpose. To a thirsty person, It comes
as a cool drink of water. It comes in a way that it is
unique to its property. It softens the hard-hearted individual,
beginning already to soothe his deepest need. The poor sinner
had no idea how close he was to death. And just as quickly,
he finds himself revived by this cool water of the gospel. God
is indeed welling up a fountain within him But sadly, here too with the
same good and God-given water of the gospel is a man’s heart
hardened. Like parched soil, hardened by
sin, hardened by his hardened conscience, the word of the gospel
has to him a different purpose entirely. The word comes to him
and instead of soaking in gently to the soil, The hard heart,
it soon begins to pool and then flow and quickly becomes an unchecked
torrent, washing away any seeds, and instead of bringing life,
it destroys it. That too is within God’s purpose.
Either way, whether it brings life or destroys, the water of
the gospel comes, and when it comes, it most certainly will
accomplish the purpose for which God has sent it. Paul puts it this way, the gospel
is either an aroma of life to life, or it is an aroma of death
to death. In the words of the saints of
a bygone day, if God’s word does not quicken, if it doesn’t stir
you to life, spiritual life, if God’s word does not quicken,
it must deaden. That’s why I’ve said before,
Sunday morning is one of the most dangerous hours of the week.
Because God is watching what you do, how you respond to his
word. It will either bring life, salvation,
a cooling drink to sinners, or will be a torrent of destruction.
So in the matter of forgiveness, not only is God’s counsel divine,
but God’s purposes prevail. There’s a third thing that God
tells us about his forgiveness. In assuring sinners of forgiveness,
God’s counsel is divine, his purposes prevail, and thirdly,
God’s blessings abound. Look at verses 12 and 13. For
you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The
mountains and hills will break forth into shouts of joy before
you. And all the trees of the field
will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush, the
cypress will come up. And instead of the nettle, the
myrtle will come up. And it will be a memorial to
the Lord, an everlasting sign which will not be cut off. These
beautiful lines close these great chapters. You will go out and
be led forth with peace. Joy and peace, these are the
blessings that return to those who render a proper response
to the suffering servant. And given the context, they can
only refer to the blessings of salvation. The repentant ones,
the ones who have responded favorably to the suffering servant, they
have been liberated from a certain bondage. The bondage of sin,
they’ve been freed from the gloom and the despair of their sinful
condition. That spiritual darkness, as one
called it, the pit of nature’s misery and distress. Did you
get that? In our natural condition, it’s
nothing other than misery and distress. And now he says they
have joy, joy unspeakable, and they have peace, not just any
peace, but peace with God, a holy God with whom they were formerly
engaged in a battle to the death. The rejoicing continues and the
image now is that of a triumphal entry of sorts, except that in
this case, it’s all of nature that rejoices over the recovered
sinners. Would you look at the passage
once again? Look at verse 12. They’ve come
to comfort the Savior. He’s received them. And all of heaven and earth is
rejoicing. Look at the middle of verse 12.
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy
before you. And all the trees of the field
will clap their hands. This is just such an incredible
image. All of that because a sinner
repented and looked to Christ. This idea of the natural world
bursting forth in praise, it’s a plentiful illustration in scripture.
In like manner, Isaiah 14.8 says that the cypress trees rejoice. In Isaiah 35.1, it’s the wilderness
and the desert that are made glad. In Isaiah 44.23, he calls
for the mountains, the forest, and every tree in it to shout
for joy. There’s a particularly full example
in Psalm 96, verses 11 and 12. Let the heavens be glad, let
the earth rejoice, let the sea roar and all it contains, let
the field exalt and all that is in it, then all the trees
of the forest will sing for joy. You may recall that Jesus advanced
this same thought. Remember in Jesus’ triumphal
entry, People were spreading their coats in the road and lauding
Jesus with praise. And the Pharisees admonished
Jesus, rebuke your disciples. Do you remember Jesus response?
If these, if these disciples become silent, the stones will
cry out. God will be worshiped. God will
be praised. And the significance of all of
this is that seemingly the whole world is pictured as rejoicing
at the extent of God’s gracious forgiveness. Not only is there
joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, the whole earth
rejoices as well. over the spiritual chains in
the land. Verse 13, Isaiah closes with
one last fantastic image. Instead of the thorn bush, the
cypress will come up, and instead of the nettle, the myrtle will
come up. I’ve said it before, you turn
your back on your garden for one season, it’s a weed patch.
This image of the field in the countryside is not intended to
describe an actual landscape. It’s an image of the converts
themselves. Not thorn bushes and nettles,
but cypress and myrtles. Thorn bushes and nettles describe
our natural condition as sinners. Basically, noxious weeds. rough and barren landscape of
a desert, how accurately does that describe the condition of
our souls in their natural condition? At the other end of the spectrum
are the cypress and the myrtles. Cypress trees are one of the
most beautiful and important trees in the land. Its wood is
hardy and durable, evergreens year round, And the myrtle, the
myrtle trees are adorned with these bright white flowers set
against a dark green foliage. And it is said that the aroma
is better than that of roses. What an image of transformed
people, changed by the grace of God, taken as sinners and
made into saints, from weeds to exquisite trees. That’s the
image. God has transformed a bramble
infested wasteland into a lush, beautiful and aromatic garden.
And so the Lord himself concludes this incredible section of scripture
by declaring that all of this, this great response to a suffering
savior, it will serve as a memorial, a sign, a monument, if you will,
to God himself. The suffering servant’s atonement
on the cross, the response to the gospel, God’s grace of forgiveness,
the salvation of souls. In other words, God will be glorified
in the overwhelming response to the Messiah, his son. God’s
people, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will be a perpetual
testimony to the faithfulness of God himself. For his mercy,
for his great grace, for his plan of redemption, the salvation
of sinners through his son. Because of this sign, others
will be drawn to him. And in it all, God will be worshiped. These people, they are absolutely
secure, he says, they will not be cut off. The great company
of believers will be delivered from sin and its dreadful penalties. What God tells us here is that
His forgiveness is nothing like our forgiveness. God’s counsel
is divine. God’s purposes prevail. God’s
blessings abound. Would you humble yourself before
this God?