Forgiveness, Fidelity and Peace

Isaiah 26:12 LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

God’s plan for His people is to establish them in peace, safety and prosperity. That will happen when God’s people follow Him in submission and obedience. When we submit to Him and acknowledge Him as God, He empowers us to overcome the enemy and do the things that give Him pleasure—works of love, righteousness, mercy, and sacrifice. I am reminded of another scripture here:

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Isaiah 26:13-14 O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

Here Isaiah is expressing the acknowledgement of the people that they had allowed other lords/masters to rule them. I thought it was interesting that the Hebrew for dominion included marriage. Basically, this was a statement of admission of spiritual adultery on their part. The second part of verse 13 seems to be a statement of renewed commitment to use God’s name with reverence in reference to YHWH, the covenant God of Israel, the one true God.

Regarding the false gods they had served, God’s people are declaring them dead. They had only lived because of their servitude to them. God’s people are declaring here that they will not again give them life through rebellion and disobedience to God. Through the power of His judgment, God has made the people realize the uselessness of serving false gods, gods with no power to protect or provide. As far as His people are concerned, they want a new start; they want to forget about the past.

Boy do I identify with those thoughts. It’s a wonderful thing to know that as far as the Lord is concerned, our sins are forgiven and forgotten.

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 8:10-17 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.