ALL DAY long GOD is STRETCHING His HANDS to US!
August 6 Bible Reading: Isaiah Chapters 64-66
ALL DAY long GOD is STRETCHING His HANDS to US!
"I was sought by those who did
not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, 'Here I am,
here I am,' to a nation that was not called by My name. I have stretched out My
hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good,
according to their own thoughts". (Isaiah 65:1-2)
In response to the prayer in the previous chapter (63:15–64:12),
God now speaks to the Gentiles who have come to trust in His salvation, and has
become part of the New Testament church of God. This verse (v. 1) has been quoted
by the Apostle Paul in Romans 10:20 in relation to the unconditional election
of the Gentiles as the ‘people of God’.
This happened only when the
rebellious people of God (the Jews) refused God’s gracious offer of salvation
and provoked Him greatly. Because of Israel’s election as the covenant people
of God, their false assumption was that this was an election to privilege and not to responsibility. In time they falsely assumed that their election as the chosen (vs.
15) nation was based on some merit of
their own!
When God says “I was
sought” it literally means “I allowed
Myself to be found”. God’s glorious presence assures salvation. “A nation that was not called by My name”
include the Gentiles (42:1; 49:6, 22;
52:15) and the remnant who “sought” God
(v. 10). Together they are the servants who will be called “by another name” (v. 15). As mentioned earlier, Apostle Paul saw
his ministry to the Gentiles as a fulfillment of this promise (Rom. 10:20, 21).
Peter calls the New Testament Church “a
holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:9).
“I have stretched out
My hands” pictures God beckoning Israel to respond to Him. “All day long” suggests God’s long-suffering patience. The “rebellious people” describe Israel
(63:10) who provoked God through their abominable religious practices including
arrogance (65:2), open defiance (65:3), idolatrous fertility rites (65:3), divination (65:4), eating unclean foods (65:4), and blasphemous self-righteousness (65:5). God had “held out [His] hands to an obstinate people,” but they provoked Him with their idolatrous
practices!
Let us understand that in a similar fashion, God is stretching out His Hands towards us
all day long with love, and will only
act on our behalf when our repentance
is genuine and our obedience is real.
However, when our religion is as thoroughly contaminated with paganism as the
people of Israel whose “hands were full
of blood” (1:15), God can do little
for us!
Like in the case of Israel, God is pleading with us today to
turn from our sins and come back to Him. While the Jews rejected God’s call, the
Gentiles responded in their stead. In the similar manner, if we reject this
persistent call of God, He will choose someone else in our place. Let us beware
that Israel’s fate does not repeat itself in our future lives as well.
