Song Of Salvation Series

Isaiah 12:1-6 Song of Salvation

4/29/01e D. Marion Clark

Introduction

It is delightful to come upon a hymn of unabashed praise to God. Isaiah has been presenting a vision of the day when God’s kingdom will usher forth. We’ve seen how Jesus in his first coming fulfilled the prophecy initially by bringing a spiritual kingdom. That day, in a sense, has arrived. It will be completely fulfilled at Christ’s second coming. This song of praise celebrates that day, which again includes both Christ’s first and second coming. This evening, let’s “sing” the song to celebrate our present salvation achieved by Jesus’ coming.

Psalm 32 provides an excellent “Call to Worship” for our hymn.

Blessed is he

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the man

whose sin the LORD does not count against him

and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,

my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night

your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was sapped

as in the heat of summer. Selah

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you

and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess

my transgressions to the LORD”—

and you forgave

the guilt of my sin. Selah

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you

while you may be found;

surely when the mighty waters rise,

they will not reach him.

7 You are my hiding place;

you will protect me from trouble

and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you.

9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,

which have no understanding

but must be controlled by bit and bridle

or they will not come to you.

10 Many are the woes of the wicked,

but the LORD’s unfailing love

surrounds the man who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;

sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Let us heed that final command to rejoice in the LORD and sing his praise.

The Hymn

I begin with personal praise because God is reconciled with me.

“I will praise you, O LORD.

Although you were angry with me,

your anger has turned away

and you have comforted me.

My problem is not that I am not in tune with God, that I am deficient in my spirituality. Nor is my problem life’s troubles that make it difficult for me to experience God’s love. My problem is that God is justly angry with me for my sin. But the glorious gospel proclaims to me that though the Lord was angry with me, his anger has turned away. He comforts me with the very message of the gospel.

The gospel teaches that God himself is my salvation.

2 Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid.

The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation.”

“Behold,” as the King James translates it, God is my salvation. How? God the Father chose me and prepared the means of my salvation; God the Son carried out the work of my salvation by taking upon himself God’s righteous anger; that is why he is no longer angry with me. And God the Holy Spirit has applied that salvation to me. He has regenerated me; he has given me a new heart so that I might believe in Jesus Christ; he has given me faith.

Therefore I will trust and not be afraid. If God has done the work, then I need not fear losing his salvation. I have no one to fear. How can I now fear God, i.e. be afraid of his anger, when he himself has done the work to remove that anger. The LORD may be a scary god to the unredeemed, but he is a wonderfully comforting god to the redeemed.

Again, the LORD, the LORD, has done all the work. Therefore, he is my strength. It is not my own strength that achieves my salvation, nor do God and I work together. The sovereign LORD is my strength.

He is also my song, i.e. he is my glory, the one to whom I give praise. He is the theme of joyous songs, specifically my songs of redemption. Again and again God is praised for his saving work.

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation (Psalm 95:1).

2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;

proclaim his salvation day after day (Psalm 96:2).

14 The LORD is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation (Psalm 118:14).