This poem does not feel complete to me, but it is all that I know to do with it now. We are all saved by grace but I believe that God has and is dealing with us through different adminstrative dispensations. This poem attempts to touch on that theme but as I say needs much “filling out”.
Set up for praise, honor, and fame This good promise to Israel came Nations are not treated the same For the sake of God’s holy name Obey His commands was required Know your God and Him be desired Never in idol worship mired Not in doing the good be tired It was by Him sovereignly planned Blessing or curse on Israel’s land And offspring few or like the sand Obey and trust His gracious hand We are the people of the Lord By Christ’s blood salvation afford Love Him well, keep His word the sword In trusting Him comes great reward
We have been doing a lengthy, several weeks, study of Isaiah. Some would say the prophecies in Isaiah are meant for literal Israel (ethnic Jews) and them alone. I have always wondered if this is true why should we “Gentiles” even bother studying these verses. Last week we were considering ch. 44:1-5 where the LORD refers to Israel’s “offspring” and “descendants” who will say “I am the LORD’s” and write on his hand “Belonging to the LORD” and will name “Israel’s name with honor.” Then I read Gary Smith’s commentary (who got his Ph.D. from a Jewish school and teaches Hebrew at Union Univ.) which says, “The fact that the Spirit is to be poured out on ‘your descendants’ supports the view that this refers to changes in the Hebrew people. Nevertheless, the Hebrew text is somewhat ambiguous concenring the ethnic identity of these transformed people. . . . R. N. Whybray concluded that these people who identify with God and Israel were foreign poselytes who now take on a new name, not Israelites who already had this name. . . . The contextual reference to the Spirit coming on future generations of ‘your offspring’ suggests these transformed people will include Hebrews; the fact that some will take the name ‘Israel’ might suggest that some were not originally Israelites. The important thing emphasized is not the ethnic or religious background of these people; the central issue is what these people choose to become. The Spirit’s transorming power will make them want to be identified with God and his righteous people. . . . it would not be surprising for these Spirit-filled people to identify themselves by using the title ‘Israel.’ Having the same Spirit unifying them together with other believers, they will gladly proclaim who they are.”
So, “us” is “Israel”, not by natural birth, but by faith, we are the People of God! . . . now I have a reason to continue our study of Isaiah.