Sing to the Lord a new Song

Isaiah 42:10-17

Sing to the Lord a new song, it is not a request it is a command, but it is one these people want to do, why, because they had been duped into putting trust in little gods, idols that had no ability to deliver on the hope of these people.  You may be wondering what was this new song, it was much like the song Moses and the people of Israel sang to the LORD.

“Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying,  “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.”  (Exodus 15:1-3) 

How often do you acknowledge God as a warrior?  God who does not change, could it be Christians need a class on the basics of God’s attributes?  God is a personal Spirit, and we can have an intimate relationship with Him, God is all powerful and I can go to Him with all my needs, God is ever-present, never leaves us, God knows everything, and I can ask anything of Him, God is sovereign, and I must submit to His will.  We must also understand God is holy, and calls us into holiness, God is absolute truth, I must act on what He has said,

God is righteous, and so I must live by His standards, God is just, and I must not let my feelings distract me from this truth, God is love; He is committed to my best,

God is merciful, He forgives me when I confess with sincerity, God is faithful, He always keeps His promises, and once more, God does not change, our future is secure and eternal.  Many a person who has not studied the Scripture have made foolish statements about how the God of the old testament and the new testament are different, but that is out of ignorance, He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, He is.  President Bill Clinton ask the famous question what is, is, and the answer; God is. 

In Isaiah 42:13, “The LORD advances like a warrior; He stirs up His zeal like a soldier.  He shouts, He roars aloud, He prevails over His enemies.”   When God shows up as a warrior, we never have to wonder about the outcome.  It has been a long time since God has shown up as a warrior, but Isaiah tells the people, do not take silence for approval, God is about to give birth to His righteous anger toward the people of God.  God as the warrior uses the elements of nature to destroy His enemies as seen in Nahum 1:2-6, “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.  The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.  His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.  He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither; the bloom of Lebanon withers.  The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it.  Who can stand before his indignation?  Who can endure the heat of his anger?  His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.”

God is going to rescue His people, even the blind, but those who have pursued idols, will not be helped, they will experience shame, and in verses 18-25, it explains why God’s people will experience judgment.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice