Chapter Twelve

No Longer Am I Prey

From the -book of Isaiah

Learn to do right; seek justice, relieve the oppressed and correct the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. (Isa 1: 17-19)

Therefore My people go into captivity [to their enemies] without knowing it and because they have no knowledge of God. And their honourable men – their glory – are famished, and their common people are parched with thirst. (5: 13)

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent and shrewd in their own sight! (5: 20)

And He shall be for a sanctuary – a sacred and indestructible asylum [to those who reverently fear and trust in Him]; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a trap and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (8: 14)

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of intense darkness and the shadow of death, upon them the light shined.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father (of eternity, Prince of Peace.) (9: 6)

Woe to those judges who issue unrighteous decrees, and to the magistrates who keep causing unjust and oppressive decisions to be recorded, to turn aside the needy from justice and to make plunder of the rightful claim of the poor of My people, that widows may be their spoil and that they may make the fatherless their prey! (10: 2)

And there shall come forth a Shoot out of the stock of Jesse [David's father], and a Branch out of his roots shall grow and bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord. (11: 1,2)

And it shall be in that day that the Root of Jesse shall stand for a signal to the peoples; of Him shall the nations inquire and seek knowledge, and His dwelling shall be glory – His rest glorious!

And the key of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open. And I will fasten him like a peg or nail in a firm place; and he will become a throne of honor and glory to his father's house. And they will hang on him the honor and the whole weight of responsibility for his father's house, the offspring and issue [of the family, high and low]. Every small vessel, from the cups even to all the flasks and big bulging bottles. In that day, says the Lord of hosts, the nail or peg that was fastened in the sure place shall give way and be moved, and be hewn down and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off, for the Lord has spoken it. (22: 22-25)

The Lord of hosts has purposed it [in accordance with fixed principle of His government], to defile the pride of all glory and to bring into dishonour and contempt all the honoured of the earth. (23: 9)

The land and the earth also are defiled under their inhabitants; because they have transgressed the laws, disregarded the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the land and the earth, and they who dwell in it suffer the punishment of its guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the land and earth are scorched and parched [under the curse of God's wrath],and few people are left. (24: 5,6)

For You have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast of the ruthless ones is like a rain storm against a wall. As the heat in a dry land [is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so] You will bring down the noise of aliens [exultant over their enemies]; and as the heat by the shadow of a clouds is brought low, so the song of the ruthless ones will be brought low.

And on this Mount [Zion] shall the Lord of hosts make for all peoples a feast of rich things [symbolical of His coronation festival inaugurating the reign of the Lord on earth, after the background of gloom, judgment and terror], a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And He will destroy on this mountain the covering of the face that is cast over the head of all people [in mourning], and the veil [of profound wretchedness] that is woven and spread over all nations.

He will swallow death up in victory – He will abolish death forever; and the Lord God will wipe tears away from off all faces; and the reproach of His people He will take away from off all the earth; for the Lord has spoken it. It shall be said in that day, Behold our God upon Whom we have waited and hoped that He might save us! This is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. (25: 4-9)

O Lord our God, other masters besides You have ruled over us, but we will acknowledge and mention your name only. They [the former tyrant masters] are dead, they shall not live and reappear; they are powerless ghosts, they shall not rise and and come back. Therefore You have visited and made an end of them, and caused every memorial of them [every trace of their supremacy] to perish. (26: 13, 14)

[But] in that [future Messianic] day the Lord of hosts shall become a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the [converted] remnant of His people. (28: 5)

Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tested Stone, a precious Cornerstone of sure foundation; he who believes – trusts in relies on and adheres to that stone – will not be ashamed or give way or make haste [in sudden panic]. (28: 16)

And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any more, but your eyes shall constantly behold your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left. (30: 20, 21)

And each one of them shall be like a hiding place from the wind, and a shelter from the storm; like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land [to those who turn to them]. Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed or dim, and the ears of those who hear will listen. And the mind of the rash shall understand knowledge and have good judgement, and the tongue of stammerers will speak readily and plainly. The fool [the unbeliever and the ungodly] shall no more be called noble, nor the crafty and greedy of gain said to be bountiful and princely. (32: 2-5)

And the effect of righteousness shall be peace [internal and external], and the result of righteousness, quietness and confident trust for ever. My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation,in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting places. (32: 17)

Fear not; [there is nothing to fear] for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you [to difficulties]; yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My victorious right hand of rightness and justice. Behold, I will make you to be a new, sharp, threshing instrument having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shall make the hills as chaff. You shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest or whirlwind shall scatter them. And you shall rejoice in the Lord, you shall glory in the Holy One of Israel. The poor and needy are seeking water when there is none; their tongue is parched with the thirst. I, the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. (41: 10, 15-18)

[You idols, made by men's hands, prove your divinity!] Produce your cause – set forth your case – says the Lord; bring forth your strong proofs, says the King of Jacob. (41: 21)

Behold, you [idols] are nothing and your work is nothing! The worshiper who chooses you is an abomination – extremely disgusting and shamefully vile in God's sight. (41: 24)

To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness from the prison. (42: 7)

And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and uneven places a plain. These things I have determined to do for them, and not leave them forsaken. (42: 16)

When you pass through the waters I will be with you, and through the rivers they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned or scorched, nor shall the flame kindle upon you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt [to the Babylonians] for your ransom, Ethiopia and Sheba [a province of Ethiopia]
in exchange for your release. Because you are precious in My sight, and honoured, and I love you, I give men in return for you and peoples in exchange for your life.

Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east [where they are dispersed], and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Keep not back; bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth, even every one who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, whom I have made. Bring forth the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears. You are My witnesses, says the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know Me, believe Me, and remain steadfast to Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the the Lord, and beside Me there is no Saviour. (43: 2-8, 10)

Do not [earnestly] remember the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it, and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (43: 18, 19)

For I will pour water upon him who is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground, I will pour My Spirit upon your offspring, and My blessings upon your descendants. (44: 3)

Even to your old age I am He, and even to hair white with age will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; yes, I will carry and will save you. To whom will you liken Me and make Me equal, and compare Me, that we may be alike? (46: 4, 5)

I have declared from the beginning the former things [which happened in times past to Israel]; they went forth from My mouth and I made them known; then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass, says the Lord. (48: 3)

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried and chosen you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I do it [I refrain and do not utterly destroy you], for why should I permit My name to be polluted and profaned [which it would be if the Lord completely destroyed His chosen people]? And I will not give My glory to another [by permitting the worshipers of idols to triumph over you]. (48: 10, 11)

Come near to me and listen to this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it happened I was there. And now the Lord God has sent His Spirit in and with me. Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God who teaches you to profit,Who leads you by the way that you should go. Oh, that you had hearkened to My commandments! Then your peace and prosperity would have been like a flowing river; and your righteousness [the holiness and purity of the nation] like the abundant waves of the sea. (48: 17, 18)

Saying to those who are bound, Come forth; to those who are in spiritual darkness, Show yourselves – come into the light [of the Sun of righteousness]. They shall feed in all ways [in which they go], and their pastures shall be [not in deserts, but] on all the bare [grass covered] hills. They shall not hunger or thirst, neither shall mirage mislead or scorching wind or sun smite them; for He Who has mercy on them will lead them, and by springs of waters will He guide them. And I will make all My mountains a way, and My highways shall be raised up. (49: 9-11)

Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives of the just be delivered? For thus says the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you and I will give safety to your children and ease them. And I will make those who oppress you consume themselves [in mutually destructive wars], thus eating their own flesh; and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know – with a knowledge grounded on personal experience – that I the Lord am your
Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. (49: 24-26)

Is My hand shortened at all, that I cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert; their fish stink because their is no water, and die of thirst. I clothe the heavens with the blackness [of murky storm clouds], and I make sackcloth of mourning their covering. (50: 2b, 3)

Who is among you who [reverently] fears the Lord, who obeys the voice of His servant, yet who walks in darkness and deep trouble and has no shining splendor [in his heart]? Let him rely on, trust and be confident in the name of the Lord, and let him lean upon and be supported by His God. Behold, all you [enemies of your own selves] who attempt to kindle your own fire [and work out your own plan of salvation]. Who surround and gird yourselves with momentary sparks, darts and firebrands that you set aflame! Walk by the light of your self-made fire, and in the sparks that you have kindled [for yourself if you will!] But this you shall have from My hand; you shall lie down in grief and in torment. (50: 10, 11)

Listen to Me, you who know rightness and justice and right standing with God, the people in whose heart is My Law and My instruction; fear not the reproach of men, neither be afraid nor dismayed at their reviling. For [in comparison with the Lord they are so weak that things as insignificant as] the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool; but My rightness and justice [and faithfully fulfilled promise] shall be for ever, and My salvation to all generations. (51: 7, 8)

The captive exile and he who is bent down by chains shall speedily be released, and he shall not die and go down to the pit of destruction, nor shall his food fail. And I have put My words in your mouth and have covered you in the shadow of My hand that I may fix the new heavens as a tabernacle and lay the foundations of a new earth, and say to Zion, You are My people. (51: 14, 16)

Seek, inquire for and require the Lord while He may be found – claiming Him be necessity and by right; 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 love, pity and mercy for him; and to our God, for He will multiply to him His abundant pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. 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 snow come down from the heavens, and return not their again, but water the earth and make it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.

So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void – without producing any effect, useless – but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out [from spiritual exile of sin and evil into the homeland] with joy, and be led forth [by your Leader, the Lord Himself and His word] with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cyprus tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name of renown, for an everlasting sign of jubilant exaltation and memorial [to His praise] that shall not be cut off. (55: 6-13)

For thus says the high and lofty One Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a thoroughly penitent and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the thoroughly penitent – bruised with sorrow for sin. For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be angry always, for [were it so] the spirit [of man] would faint and be consumed before Me, and [My purpose in] creating the souls of men would be frustrated. I have seen his [willful] ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him also, and will recompense him and restore comfort to him and to those who mourn for him. Peace, peace to him who is far off [both Jew and Gentile], and to him that is near! says the Lord; I create the fruit of his lips and I will heal him – make his lips blossom anew with speech [in thankful praise]. (57: 15, 16, 18, 19)

Is such a fast as yours what I have chosen, a day for a man to humble himself with soul-sorrow? [Is true fasting merely mechanical?] Is it only to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him [to indicate a condition of heart that he does not have]? Will you call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord?

[Rather], is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every [enslaving] yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house? When you see the naked that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?

Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your healing [your life] shall spring forth speedily; your justice and your right relationship with God] shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity], and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am. If you take away from your midst yokes of oppression [wherever you find them], the finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and every form of false, harsh, unjust and wicked speaking. And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry, and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness and your obscurity and gloom be as noonday. And the Lord shall guide you continually, and satisfy you in drought and in dry places, and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (Isa. 58: 5-11)

As for Me, this is My covenant or league with them, says the Lord: My Spirit Who is upon you [and Who writes the law of God inwardly in the heart], and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your [true, spiritual] children, or out of the mouth of your children's children, says the Lord, from henceforth and for ever. (Isa. 59: 21) [Rom. 11: 26,27; Gal. 3: 29; Heb. 12: 22-24]