We read in Isaiah 54:17, "People will make weapons to fight against you, but their weapons will not defeat you. Some people will say things against you, but anyone who speaks against you will be proved wrong." The LORD says, "That is what my servants get! They get the good things that come from me, their LORD.”(ERV)
These words are assurance from the Lord Himself to His own, that no weapon formed against them will prosper. If people are still in enslavement to money, position, material things, and some even to people, it simply implies that the enemy has overcome them in some way. The reason for their bondage is that they fell prey to Satan’s attacks and cunning devices, thereby have gotten themselves trapped into some form of bondage.
There are two types of weapons mentioned in the above verse that can come up against us. One is the physical weapon, and the other is the deceitful use of words to speak against someone. Most people today will not dare to use physical weapons, because they fear consequences from the law and the government. However, many use words as sharp weapons against others to damage and destroy them. An injury that is caused by use of a physical weapons can heal over time, but often the hurt that is produced by words are deep, painful and long lasting. Both these weapons are used by Satan, but the promise of the Lord is that nothing that is targeted against His children will overcome them.
How Haman used both these weapons
Haman lied to the King
We looked at the incident of Mordecai and Haman in the last message. Every time Haman saw Mordecai, he was infuriated simply because Mordecai in some way reflected the character of God, which upset Haman. Haman’s single goal was to get Mordecai out of his way, and the first thing he did to carry out his plan is found in the verse below.
We read in Esther 3:8, “Then Haman went to the king and said: Your Majesty, there are some people who live all over your kingdom and won't have a thing to do with anyone else. They have customs that are different from everyone else's, and they refuse to obey your laws. We would be better off to get rid of them!” (CEV)
Haman went to King Ahasuerus, and lied to him about the Jewish people, that they were a strange lot. Without mentioning who they were, he cleverly fabricated a case against them, lying about their practices and customs. He also accused them of not obeying the laws of the land, and thereby requested the king to punish and to get rid of them.
Many of us may have been victims of these lying tongues. We have been deeply aggrieved by those who spread false reports about us, or our families. Sometimes it is the destructive words spoken by a spouse that has caused unexplainable ache inside of some. As long as we don’t hear these deceitful rumors we are unaffected, but when it reaches our ears, it most certainly disturbs us intensely. Whatever the case may be, we have a God who can heal those bruises, and He assures us that all those dishonest allegations, will fall flat, and not harm us in any way when we are His children.
In the book of James the tongue is described as a small organ that can cause great trouble. It is compared to a spark that can set a forest on fire. We must be extremely cautious with the words that proceed out of our mouth, that they should in no way grieve another person. Many people when they are pained about a small issue, retaliate by speaking ill, and spreading false allegations about the person with whom they had an altercation.
Haman prepared the gallows for Mordecai
We read in Esther 5:14, “So his wife and all his friends suggested, "Why don't you have a gallows built, seventy-five feet tall? Tomorrow morning you can ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it, and then you can go to the banquet happy." Haman thought this was a good idea, so he had the gallows built.” (GNB)
Haman’s hatred for Mordecai was so intense, that at the suggestion of his wife Zeresh and friends, he prepared the gallows, seventy five feet tall, for Mordecai to be hung. Yet, the Lord was in control and what Haman failed to realize was that the king’s wife Esther, was related to Mordecai. The gallows that Haman prepared for Mordecai later became his own death trap.
Satan may scheme and plan his evil attacks, but the Lord reassures us that none of the weapons will prevail against us when the Lord is on our side
How to apply Isaiah 54:17 to our lives?
The Message translation, explains Isaiah 54:17 this way: “but no weapon that can hurt you has ever been forged. Any accuser who takes you to court will be dismissed as a liar.” (MSG)
The second part of Isaiah 54:17 says, “and their righteousness comes from me, says the Lord.” (BBE)
The word of assurance from the Lord is that there is absolutely no weapon that the enemy can forge, to harm those who belong to God. The other part of this verse reiterates the truth that even if someone were to indict us with their deceitful words, the accusation they brought forth will be nullified as false. To understand this, let us consider a case in the court of law. If for instance, someone brought a charge against us, and took us to court, if during the trial, as we stand before the judge, the allegations are proved false, the charges that were framed against us will not stand, and the case will be dismissed.
This promise of Isaiah 54:17 is applicable to those who stand without fault before God, whose righteousness comes from Him alone. We will study Isaiah 54 in depth to see how it will be possible for us to be made righteous, so that we can stand faultless before God.
Two states of mankind
Isaiah 54 describes two states of people, and the important aspects that characterize both these groups.
The first group
• Isaiah 54:1, “a barren woman” (NKJV) referring to a dry and fruitless situation that many people feel they are trapped in.
• Isaiah 54:6, “a woman who is forsaken and grieved in spirit.” (NKJV)
• Isaiah 54:8, “With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment” (NKJV).There are many who are in such situations, where they feel that their prayers are unanswered and God has turned His face away from them.
• Isaiah 54:11, “O you afflicted one, tossed with tempest, and not comforted,” (NKJV). Describes a situation where one is in deep distress, literally tossed about. and with no ray of hope or comfort whatsoever.
The above mentioned verses describe the adverse or unfavorable state in which people in the first group are found; barren, forsaken, rejected and brought low, and all of these are the consequence of sin.
The second group
• Isaiah 54:1, “For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord. (NKJV)
• Isaiah 54:3,“For you shall expand to the right and to the left” (NKJV)
• Isaiah 54:4,“Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame” (NKJV)
• Isaiah 54:7“But with great mercies I will gather you” (NKJV)
• Isaiah 54:8“But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you” (NKJV)
• Isaiah 54:9, “So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.” (NKJV)
• Isaiah 54:14, “In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.” (ESV)
The second state of mankind as detailed in the above mentioned verses is in total contrast to the first. It described a life of fullness (many children), growth (expand to the right and to the left), abounding with great mercies, the kindness of God, grace of God and a life where there is no fear but total confidence.
God’s redemptive plan
If we are wondering how this transformation came about, the revelation is found in Isaiah 54:8, “In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer.” (ESV)
Yes, the Lord is our Redeemer, and it is only when this becomes our personal experience, that something amazing begins to happen. There is total transformation from the deplorable state in which man is found, to the glorious state as mentioned in Isaiah 54. To be redeemed means to be saved from sin and the effects of sin. The benefits of redemption that the Lord offers, is that sinful man can come out of barrenness to enjoy fullness, and from a state of being forsaken to being engulfed in God’s everlasting love.
Why do we need redemption?
We read in Isaiah 53:6, “We have all strayed like sheep. Each one of us has turned to go his own way...”(GW)
This is the true condition of all mankind from God’s perspective. All of us have strayed away like sheep, and each of us have not heeded God’s voice, but have gone our own way. As a result of this rebellion mankind stepped out of God’s grace and protection.
When Jesus spoke about the lost condition of man, he used three parables; the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son or prodigal son. In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd had a hundred sheep and lost one, which he went seeking after to find. The second parable is about a woman who had ten silver coins, of which she lost one. In order to find it she lit a lamp, swept the house and searched diligently until she found it. The third parable is of a father who had two sons, the younger of whom walked out in rebellion. The father waits for his son to return, and the son having squandered all of his father’s possessions gets back to his senses, and returns home to his father, who lovingly receives him back.
These parables refer to the three probable states that all of mankind can be classified in. The first is the state of the silver coin, which was not even aware that is was lost. There are many like that coin who are not even conscious of their lost condition or reasons as to why they are in such a predicament. There are some like the sheep who are lost and are desperate, but do not know how to get back. The third state is those who like the younger son, know their condition and realize that they must get back to God, but dilly dally, and don’t have a heart to repent or change. For the transformation to take place in all of the above mentioned people the Lord must intervene, and bring about redemption for He alone can redeem us from our sins.
There are many people who are obstinate to do their own thing, and walk in their own ways. Sometimes, when someone comes for counselling with an issue, after hours of sharing with them and advising them, we will be greatly frustrated, when at the end of that conversation, they still hold on to their own thinking with which they first came to us, having no mind to change themselves whatsoever.
How did the Lord redeem us?
We read in Isaiah 53:4-5, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; (NKJV)
We read in Isaiah 53:12 says, “Because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (NKJV)
We also read in Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin,” (NKJV)
Jesus came down to earth to redeem all of mankind from all of their sins, and that’s the sole purpose why Jesus took the form of man. Jesus was nailed to the cross, and bore all the excruciating pain simply because He chose to bear our griefs, our sorrows and our sins. He was wounded for our transgressions, and was bruised for our iniquities. Jesus died on the cross to redeem us from sins, sickness, poverty, despair, barrenness, hate and brokenness. We were living in rebellion and sin, but the Lord carried all of our sins on the cruel cross, and His life was sacrificed for our wrong doings. Jesus paid the price and He became the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
We must be reminded that no amount of our good works, alms giving for the poor, offerings or pilgrimages will save us from our sins. The only way for a person to have their sins forgiven, is to believe in the atoning sacrifice that Jesus made for each one of us on the cross of Calvary. Only the finished work of Jesus on our behalf can redeem us, and save us from all our sins. Jesus came to change our situation from a state of despair and hopelessness, to one of fullness and hope.
It is only those who have been redeemed by the Lord Jesus, who can claim the promise of God as mentioned in Isaiah 54:17, that no weapon formed against us will prosper. Jesus took our sins, and He has given us His righteousness, so that we can stand boldly in the presence of God blameless. When we stand in His righteousness nothing can attack us, or harm us in any way. We must accept Jesus as our Saviour and Lord of our lives, the one who forgives our sins and also as one who reigns over every area of our lives. Nothing else or no one else should rule over our lives. When we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of the Lord, He will lift us up in due time.
What have we received as a result of redemption?
In Isaiah 53:5 we read, “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (NKJV)
Redemption brought peace between sinful man and a holy God. But all of our sins were laid upon our Lord Jesus. The death of Jesus, our Lord brought about peace, and broke down the wall of hostility. Redemption has made us righteous before God. That is why we are able to wear the breastplate of righteousness. No one is perfect, but as we read in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (NKJV). We stand justified before God because of the righteousness that our Lord Jesus Christ offers.
We read in Isaiah 53:11, “My righteous Servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins.” (NLT)
Jesus is the righteous one, who made it possible for us to be made righteous, because He alone was the sinless Lamb of God who shed his precious blood, and bore the sins of all mankind on Himself. All that is required of us to do is to believe in Jesus, our redeemer and appropriate this righteousness in our lives. Only then will this great promise and blessing of God as stated in Isaiah 54:17, that, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness if from Me,” says the LORD. (NKJV) become a reality in our lives.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
