Isaiah 27:1-13 Redeemed
Isaiah brings a prophecy of hope to Israel. Until this point, most of the prophecies of Isaiah have been pretty fear evoking words. Today’s is the opposite. God calls for Israel to be redeemed.
We are still in the end times prophecies. This one certainly hasn’t taken place yet. It is reserved for when God fully does away with evil. I would almost bet that the Leviathan represents Satan or one of his ‘mighty warriors’. As God has Gabriel and Michael, Satan has a Leviathan. I find it interesting too that the Leviathan is described as a snake like creature. Satan chose the form of a snake when he first appeared to Eve. This snake is quite a bit bigger than the form Satan chose for the garden.
God speaks of another ‘garden’. Actually, a “vineyard” that He has made for that day. In this vineyard grows the vines HE has planted. He cares for these vines moment by moment. It is perfect under His care. His wrath is all used up. It was poured out already. Not even thorns or briers remain. There are NO ‘weeds’ in HIS garden. If there were, He would march right up to them, pluck them from the ground (roots and all), and burn them up!
But wait. There is an “or” here! It is an important “or”, for we were once on this side of it. This side of that “or” makes room for redemption. “Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with Me, let them make peace with Me” (verse 5). Here, God purifies what has come to the garden. He cannot be ‘at peace’ with sin, therefor, He purifies what has laid hold of His protection.
This redemption is promised to Israel as well. It is a promise that they will be pure one day. Their stubbornness will be gone. It will have been worked out of them through the hand of God. His discipline WILL bring this about. As much as He loves Israel, He has to work with them to bring them into obedience to His will. It is the ONLY place of safety!
God used/uses/ will use the other nations to discipline His people. He will also stand up for His people against those who got too much joy out of being His hand of discipline. But He won’t discipline His ‘instruments’ any more severe than He disciplines His children. For He LOVES both groups! He has a plan for the WHOLE world; not just Israel. Those of the ‘instrument’ classification must be willing to learn the same lessons that Israel is being instructed in. They MUST be willing to take hold of His protection to join with His vineyard.
Do you remember how we talked about the “lost tribes of Israel”? With the return of Judah after the exile, there were only two tribes that were set free; Judah, Levi, and part of Benjamin returned. The rest of the tribes were considered lost. But GOD didn’t loose track of them. He knows EXACTLY where they are. HE will bring them back together in the end. If He can keep a running count of the hairs on each of our heads, I have NO DOUBT that He can find the ‘missing’ tribes of Israel in time for all the Revelation prophecies to be brought about. NOTHING is too difficult for Him!!!
Father God, thank You for allowing me to take hold of Your protection. Thank You for redeeming me and planting me inside Your garden. I wonder what ‘flavor/variety’ of grape I will be. I’m praying it is a sweet one. I’m certainly looking forward to a time when sin is not even a temptation any more!
