The Triumph of the Trembling

Call to Worship

Psalm 50 LSB

A Psalm of Asaph. 1 The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, has spoken, And called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth. 3 May our God come and not be silent; Fire devours before Him, And a storm whirls around Him. 4 He calls the heavens above, And the earth, to render justice to His people: 5 “Gather My holy ones to Me, Those who have cut a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” 6 And the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is judge. Selah. 7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God. 8 “I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me. 9 “I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds. 10 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. 11 “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. 12 “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, as well as its fullness. 13 “Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats? 14 “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; 15 Call upon Me in the day of distress; I shall rescue you, and you will glorify Me.” 16 But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to recount My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth? 17 “For you hate discipline, And you cast My words behind you. 18 “When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, And you associate with adulterers. 19 “You let your mouth loose in evil And you harness your tongue for deceit. 20 “You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son. 21 “These things you have done and I kept silent; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes. 22 “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver. 23 “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies Me; And he who orders his way, I shall show the salvation of God.”

Announcements

Visitors - Welcome visitors to Anchor Bible Church. JACK

Anchor Kids - For those of you who were not here on Wednesday night, Dan Mazza kicked off our new series on 1 & 2 Corinthians, and we also had the Kids4Truth awards ceremony and end of year party. So now, starting this coming Wednesday, we will begin a new structure for Anchor Kids on Wednesday nights. If you are the parent of a child 4 and up, then please find a handout explaining this new structure outside in the foyer.

Ice Cream - Then in a few weeks, we’ll also be having our first ice cream social of the year! It will be on Sunday, May 21st right after our evening service. Everyone is invited to Baskin Robbins, just across the street in the Kroger parking lot. Anchor Bible Church would love to treat you to a cup or cone of ice cream while we enjoy some delicious fellowship.

Anchor Merch - But there is more exciting news! We’re going to have a new and improved merch table during Summer Sessions this year. There’s new t-shirts, hats, and all kinds of stuff. The only catch is that you’ll have to preorder it so we can get the right sizes and quantity. Preorders will be open from May 21 to June 18. You can find the full product catalogue on our website or pick up a printed copy in the foyer on your way out. Either way, if you have any questions, please direct those to Bekah Mazza so she can help you out.

That’s all for now, folks! Anchor Kids can go ahead and be dismissed to their classes.

Scripture Reading

And for the rest of you, please turn to the book of Isaiah. We’ll begin our Scripture Reading in Isaiah 63.

The book of Isaiah can be divided into three sections. The first section, chapters 1-39, speak to Israel before the exile, and they warn of impending judgment. The second section, chapters 40-55, speak to Israel during the exile, extending comfort for the people of God who are suffering under foreign oppression. The third and final section is chapters 56-66, where Yahweh extends hope to the Israelites who survived the exile. So Isaiah writes to address three time periods: before, during, and after the exile. Yahweh reveals all of this to Isaiah in advance.

Our text for tonight is in the third section of this book. In context, the post-exilic community had returned to ruins; Jerusalem was in shambles. Under Ezra and Nehemiah, they managed to reinstitute the law and rebuild the temple, but it was super lame. The temple was far cry from Solomon’s glory, and the people’s hearts were still hard. It did not take long for hypocrisy and wickedness to infiltrate the temple. And the righteous people were driven out.

Look with me at Isaiah 63:15, and I will read through the end of chapter 64.

Hear the righteous remnant beg for God to look upon them!

Read Isaiah 63:15-64:12.

Pray. JACK

Introduction

It’s normal to get in trouble for doing the wrong thing. But how many of you have gotten in trouble for doing the right thing? There were rules. You knew the rules, and you know you followed the rules, but you still got in trouble. That hurts! And it typically means the people in authority are either ignorant or ignoble. Either they punished you by mistake, or they afflicted you on purpose. The mistakes are understandable, but it’s hard to deal with their intentional actions. And if you keep getting in trouble for the same thing, it puts you in an awkward situation, doesn’t it? You don’t like being in trouble, so now you want to find a solution. You must decide between sticking to your guns or changing your behavior. Will you suffer, or will you conform? That’s a tough spot to be in!

There are a lot of variables to consider in that kind of situation. Are the rules reliable? Can someone else come to your rescue? How long will this problem last? Would there be any consequences for choosing to conform? Will following the rules lead to benefits that outweigh the suffering you’re enduring now? So many questions! These are just a few examples of the things that run through our minds when we realize things aren’t going well.

Go ahead and turn to Isaiah 66, where we will look at the first two verses.

Isaiah 66:1–2 LSB

1 Thus says Yahweh, “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is the footstool of My feet. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? 2 “For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being,” declares Yahweh. “But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.

Pray.

In Isaiah 66:1-2, Yahweh reveals Himself primarily as the Creator, and we find Him doing three things. Yahweh, the Creator, will reign, rebuff, and then regard. He reigns over the universe, rebuffs those who profane the temple, and regards the lowly in spirit. We will move quickly through the first two headings so we can slow down in the third one, and after that we’ll also deal with two important questions about our text. Overall, you should be encouraged to persevere in submission to the promises of God. You may incur earthly rejection, but ultimately, you will be vindicated. You will be satisfied by God’s justice and righteousness, and you will rejoice in His glory.

The Creator Reigns

Hear the words of Yahweh in verse 1, He says:

Heaven is My throne, and the earth is the footstool of My feet.

Wow! I can hardly find words to explain what this means. Yahweh’s statement is stunning. Like Goliath intimidating the warriors of Israel, so Yahweh defies the universe. He is unrivaled, fierce and fearless. He is greater than the demoniac who broke bars and chains. Yahweh is is indescribable and uncontainable. We talk of sea to shining sea, but not even star to shining star can glimpse the grandeur of God. We cannot grasp the fringes of His immensity.

In theological language, we call this the “transcendence” of God. We might refer to His loftiness or His magnificence; His peerlessness or matchlessness. This is the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious-ness of God. He is “up there” and none can compare with Him. He is excellent in greatness. As Melchizedek said, He is “God Most High.”

I would encourage you to meditate on Isaiah 40. Rejoice that you serve the one true God. There is none like Him.

But notice with me the details of this statement. In Isaiah 6:1, we find the throne of God “high and lifted up.” Here the idea is the same. But there is something unique. In all other passages that refer to Yahweh’s throne and the heavens, like Psalm 11:4 and 103:19, we read that Yahweh’s throne is in heaven. Our passage in Isaiah 66 is the only one where Yahweh declares His throne is heaven. That is the difference between sitting in a house and sitting on a house. Every throne in human history could fit in heaven, but only this King sits upon heaven itself.

At this point, John Frame in his Systematic Theology makes a helpful distinction. He clarifies that the transcendence of God does not refer primarily to the fact that God is separate from us. It does not mean merely that Yahweh is far away. If it did, then that would be like Deism and encourage human autonomy. We’d have the freedom to play like the Cat in the Hat while mom was away. God would never notice. Instead, the opposite is true. Yahweh directly relates His transcendence over heaven and earth to His divine rule of the same. The greatness of God implies His power and authority. It means that you are subject to Him and must one day submit to this King of kings.

But notice His footstool also. That lowly device enabled the king to sit on the tallest chair in the room without dangling his legs. Interestingly, this term appears throughout the Bible as “the footstool of His feet,” though some translations reduce it to simply “footstool.” It is good to keep the whole phrase, though, because it originates in 1 Chronicles 28:2 with David’s desire to “build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and for the footstool of the feet of our God.” This was a term of endearment, because the king’s body was never closer to the earth than his feet were to the ground below his footstool. David wanted to claim that special privilege for the temple in Israel. And David’s legacy was successful in that endeavor everywhere except here in our passage.

The Creator Rebuffs

So far we have seen that the Creator reigns, seated on heaven as His throne and with the earth as His footstool. Now we will continue under the heading “The Creator Rebuffs.” Here the relationship begins to sour into insult.

Let’s finish this topic of footstool first. Everywhere in the Bible we read “the footstool of His feet,” but there is one exception in Psalm 110:1. There a Hebrew preposition is added to clarify that the Father will make Jesus’ enemies a footstool for His feet. That is the negative and pejorative sense of a footstool. But whenever the phrase in our text, “the footstool of His feet” is used, it is positive. In Lamentations 2:1, Jeremiah mourns that Yahweh had not remembered even his footstool of His feet in His anger against Jerusalem. The prophet saw this footstool as Israel’s prized possession.

But this is where it gets ugly. For David and all Israel, the footstool of God’s feet was the temple. Solomon prayed in 1 Kings 8:27, “But will God truly dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built!” At the time Yahweh agreed to humble Himself. But do you see how Yahweh scorns Israel here? His footstool is no longer the temple, now it is the earth. The temple has disappeared; it would have been better if it never existed. Now it is weaponized against them. Israel had given Yahweh a humble gift, and He had accepted it as a prized possession. But now He scrapes it into the trash to spite them. “The earth is the footstool of My feet! Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?”

In one fell swoop, it is as if Yahweh has undone all the worship of Israel since their happy golden years. This is like a marriage on the rocks. The couple will criticize and undermine their courtship and engagement. If they can prove that the marriage was rotten from the start, then they can imagine an excuse for throwing off their solemn vows. It is this same threat that we find present in the speech of Yahweh now. Israel’s covenant hangs by a thread.

Now He shifts from declaration to interrogation. Israel’s prospects are hopeless. There is no house for the Holy one. They couldn’t build one if they would, and He wouldn’t live in it if they could. Yahweh is not like cats and boxes. He knows He will not fit, and He refuses to try. His aseity and independent self-sufficiency defeat their vain religion.

See in verse 2 how Yahweh declares, “My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being.” This is why I refer to Him as the Creator in our headings. Verse 1 only includes a statement about Yahweh, but here in verse 2 we find the verb that characterizes Him. He is the God who makes, He is the God who creates. And this does not refer only to an exception like the virgin birth. This is the birth of the universe, the creation of the cosmos.

We know this because in Hebrew the word order is emphatic. It reads, “For all these things My hand made, Thus into being came all these things.” Yahweh means to say that from all these things to all these things, I have created. He has made alpha to omega, everything from first to last. Have you ever noticed in the Amazon logo how the smiley face starts at the letter A and draws an arrow to the letter Z? They claim to sell everything under the sun, and they’re not half wrong. Here Yahweh does not just sell the goods of another, He has created everything by Himself.

This is why Israel cannot possibly build a house for Yahweh. In the first place it would be too small for this great King, and in the second place they have no materials of their own. The king of Egypt could tell the Israelites to go make bricks with their own straw. But Yahweh says to them, “Find your own stones and gems! Find your own cedar boards! Find your own gold, and silver, and bronze! Find your own bulls, goats, sheep, and pigeons! Find your own mountain! Find your own planet! Depart from my solar system, and go get your own universe.” If ever a child did not want to share their toys, it is Yahweh now. Except that He is the King, and this is His full prerogative. His assessment is accurate, and He will not let Israel say “I have made Yahweh a house.” They cannot, for He is the Creator.

Justin Martyr, one of the old church fathers, makes an interesting point about our text from

Jeremiah 7:21–23 LSB

21 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat flesh. 22 “For I did not speak to your fathers or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in the entire way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’

Martyr’s point is that Yahweh never needed Israel’s sacrifices in the first place. All He wanted was their obedience. The sacrificial system was prescribed in Leviticus after the commandments in Exodus. Beyond this, He never needed their king or temple either. Israel is the one who asked for a king, and Israel is the one who wanted to build a temple. Yahweh never needed a king, a temple, or a sacrifice from them—all He required was obedience.

This is why Yahweh rebuffs Israel. Since they have disobeyed while pretending to honor Him, they have also violated His fundamental requirement. Their submission to His voice, their obedience to His commands is what matters.

The Creator Regards

This brings us now to our third heading. We have seen that the Creator reigns and rebuffs, but now we see that He also regards. Verse 1 begins “Thus says Yahweh” and His authoritative declaration ends in verse 2 with “declares Yahweh.” Look with me now at what follows His speech, where he says in the middle of verse 2,

But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.

This is like a backstage pass. Yahweh has shouted over us at the false worshippers who dare to enter vainly, but now His declaration is finished. He turns to us gently and speaks words of comfort. In the first verse, Yahweh uses the plural and addresses Himself to the multitude, “Where then is a house all of you could build for Me?” But now in verse 2, His attention is fixed on one person alone. And He does not just say “the one” but “this one,” an individual who is near to Him. What an honor! What a treasure! We can access the privilege of proximity.

And here is the key, Yahweh requires that we be “humble and contrite of spirit, and tremble at His Word.” Do you understand these things? Like the tagline for the board game Othello, these qualities “take a minute to learn, but a lifetime to master.” Let me begin by comparing and explaining them, and then we will consider an illustration.

By way of comparison, notice how these qualities are all intangible. The house in verse 1 was physical and external, but now we find that Yahweh is able to look upon the heart. As we read the list, though, we find ourselves curious about a point of reference. Humble toward what? Contrite because of what? Trembling at what? The answer is only slowly revealed to us. It is the word of God. We are to be humbled by the word of God; we are to be contrite of spirit before the word of God; we are to tremble at the word of God. Mark this down carefully! God will no more look upon a believer without Bible than a storekeeper will a customer without cash. This is the sine qua non, the essential ingredient. Would you draw near to God? Then you must deal with Mr. Scripture, who is His gatekeeper.

Consider first that you must humble yourself. There is no doubt that you must humble yourself before God, and to do this you must humble yourself before His word. This word for humble is translated in other places as either poor or afflicted. It can refer to outward oppression and disadvantage, often forced upon you. But here it refers to an inward frame of mind. It is a decision to consider God as more important than yourself. You are humble when you think of yourself no more highly than you ought. Augustus Strong says, “Humility is … the judging of ourselves according to God’s perfect standard. … It is the coming down from airy and vain self-exploitation to the solid ground, the hard-pan, of actual fact.” Another theologian says that “humility is properly the cradle of reason even for the non-religious.” In other words, only humble people can think straight. If you want to be humble, then you need to learn how to think rightly about yourself and God. The word of God must transform your mind.

Then you must also be contrite of spirit. This word for contrite is fascinating and rare. We only find it in the story of Mephibosheth from 1 Samuel 4 and 9, where that man is said to be “crippled of feet.” This word shares a root with the verb to smite or strike. The sense is that your spirit must be crippled or broken. When you read God’s word, it is not enough to acknowledge the truth. You have to feel it. It has to hit you personally. You must be struck by your sinfulness. Do you remember when Isaiah was confronted by the holiness of God? He did not quip, “Wow, God is so holy. This is amazing!” No, his spirit was crippled by his guilt and shame. He cried out, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts.” And when the seraphim came with the coal, he did not impart knowledge. Instead, he clarified Isaiah’s problem. He said, “Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is atoned for.” That is the focus of contrition.

Then finally, you must tremble at His word. This one is the key. Be encouraged by remembering how the Israelites did this well in Exodus 20, when Yahweh descended on Mt Sinai to reveal His word. The people trembled because they were terrified by the earth-shattering display of the Divine: darkness, fire, clouds, and a great voice.

The people said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself, and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.”

Yahweh said to Moses, “Oh that they had a such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments all the days, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!”

Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the ear of Him may be with you, so that you may not sin.”

The people trembled before God’s word, and He praised them for it! They were genuinely frightened, and it led to obedience. If children play in the front yard, it is good for them to have a fear of cars in the street. After the flood, God also instilled in man the fear of capital punishment. That is good and restrains crime.

Anyone who is shy about the fear of God hasn’t spent enough time in Revelation with us. From cover to cover, that book proves that you ought to be downright scared of God’s terrifying power. So should you tremble before God’s word with real fear? Yes. But only insofar as your actions deserve fearful consequences. The fear of the government in Romans 13 is instructive. “Do you want to have no fear of that authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword in vain, for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”

The children need not fear the cars if they stay on the lawn. Men need not fear execution if they do not murder. We as the church need not fear the Tribulation if we believe in the hope of the gospel and are raptured first.

So why do you need to tremble at God’s word? Why do you need to obey His commands? Because you know the consequences of disobedience. And if you sin, you should fear discipline from your Father’s hand. It is the same as children who fear a spanking. That fear does not invalidate the father’s love, but it does acknowledge His responsibility to apply consequences to you. Even more than that, perfect love casts out fear. At a bare minimum, you should not sin because you will be disciplined. But ideally, you will continue in obedience because you do not want to interrupt the bliss of joyful communion with your Father.

One Illustration

Let’s take a few minutes now to consider the stories of King Ahaz and King Hezekiah. Remember that the first 39 chapters of Isaiah are addressed to Israel before they go into exile. Isaiah is commissioned in chapter 6, and you can turn to chapter 7 now. Chapter 7 contains the prophet’s first assignment, and it is a word for King Ahaz. After this, we will learn about King Hezekiah in chapters 36-37. These two kings are like bookends for the first section of Isaiah.

Notice in Isaiah 7:1 that “in the days of Ahaz, … Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it.” So Aram and Israel had joined forces and invaded Judah from the north, but so far, they were unsuccessful. Yahweh sends word to Ahaz in verse 7 saying, “It shall not stand, nor shall it happen.” In other words, God guarantees that Israel will fail because, in verses 8-9, they joined themselves to Aram rather than “establishing their faith in Yahweh.” So they were doomed.

In verse 10, Yahweh invites Ahaz to ask for a sign. God wants to prove that He will be the deliverer. However, Ahaz just sneers at God in verse 12 saying, “I will not ask, and I will not test Yahweh!” Ahaz wants to get the credit for his success. The rest of the story is told in 2 Chronicles 28. Just to summarize, Ahaz refuses to trust Yahweh for help with Aram. He turns to Assyria for help instead, and it says he caused Judah to be “out of control” in unfaithfulness.

As a result, Yahweh brings Edom against him from the east, Philistia from the west, and then causes Assyria to betray Ahaz and attack him from the north. And during this distress, Ahaz got the bright idea to sacrifice Yahweh’s utensils of worship to the god of Aram, since that was the first nation to attack him successfully. Ahaz ignores Isaiah’s warning that Israel was doomed for joining themselves to Aram, and Ahaz joins himself to Aram’s idol. From beginning to end, King Ahaz is the antithesis of being humble, contrite of spirit, and trembling at God’s word.

Now turn back to Isaiah, but this time go to chapter 36 and look at verse 2. John Oswalt identifies a helpful parallel between these two stories. We saw in 7:3 that Ahaz was attacked from the north and that Isaiah met him “at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, to the highway of the fuller’s field.” Now in Isaiah 36:2, we find Hezekiah being attacked from the north and the Assyrian messengers meeting him in verse 2, “by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the fuller’s field.” Do you see the irony here? King Ahaz and his son Hezekiah were each invaded from the north and each had to respond to a messenger in the very same location. So now what is Hezekiah going to do?

Turn a page to chapter 37, and look at verse 1. “Now it happened that when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of Yahweh.” Then drop down to verses 14-20, and see the great prayer that Hezekiah offers to Yahweh in the temple. In verse 16, he praises Him as Creator; in verse 17 he points out the Assyrian blasphemy; and in verse 20 he concludes, “But now, O Yahweh our God, save us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are Yahweh, You alone.” What a humble prayer! What a contrite spirit! What a king who trembles at God’s word. Hezekiah was not perfect, but he was exemplary. He was diligent to walk before his God with fear and trembling. He was obedient.

Any Israelites the same age as Isaiah would have seen this play out in their own lifetime. And the lesson for them is still just as vivid for us today. Are you going to seek Yahweh like King Hezekiah, or are you going to figure things out on your own like King Ahaz? Are you going to let circumstances dictate your decisions, or will it be the word of God?

Two Questions

This topic of circumstances brings us back to our text in Isaiah 66:1-2. To keep things brief, we are going to consider just two questions. The first one has to do with Yahweh’s scorn for the temple. Why did He reject it? Remember that the last 10 chapters of the book are written to the post-exilic community. They had returned to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, and this was not some harebrained idea. Let me read what Yahweh said to the community in exile,

Isaiah 44:28 LSB

28 “It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd! And all My good pleasure he will complete.’ And saying of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”

Yahweh Himself commissioned the returning remnant to rebuild His temple! And we know from Ezra-Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi that the faithful people did just that. They returned and rebuilt the temple.

So how can Yahweh be justified in rejecting them now? Look with me at,

Isaiah 66:5–6 LSB

5 Hear the word of Yahweh, you who tremble at His word: “Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you for My name’s sake, Have said, ‘Let Yahweh be glorified, that we may see your gladness.’ But they will be put to shame. 6 “A voice of rumbling from the city, a voice from the temple, The voice of Yahweh who is paying recompense to His enemies.

Here is the same audience from our verse, those who tremble at Yahweh’s word. We know from Ezra-Nehemiah that after the temple was rebuilt, it did not take long for corrupt leaders to take over and ruin the worship. The restored remnant was divided. Some continued to tremble, but most of the leaders fell away from trusting in Yahweh.

Verses 3-4 describe the pagan sacrifices that these frauds were offering. In verse 5, it says they were excluding those who trusted God’s word and honored His name. And back in 65:5, we can listen to these wicked men saying,

5 ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, For I am holier than you!’

I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase before! These idolatrous hypocrites had taken over the temple in Jerusalem and were refusing access to the faithful few. So we see that Yahweh’s problem was not with the temple per se. He was rejecting these false religious leaders. He was denying that the temple sanctified their abominations.

This leads us to the other question. What will become of those who tremble at God’s word? Specifically, what does Yahweh mean in verse 2 when He promises “to this one I will look”? Why are we motivated by the gaze of God?

Look back down at 66:5-6. Here Yahweh holds out hope to those who were faithful to obey Him. First, He acknowledges that He has seen their suffering. He knows their brothers hate and exclude them for His name’s sake. The conditions are similar to Luke 6:22, where Jesus says, “Blessed are you when men hate you, and exclude you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.” Jesus may have been alluding to this period, and the parallel should convince us that we are not the first to suffer in the path of obedience. This is an old problem.

These wicked men were scorning the faithful few for believing God’s promise. The trembling trusted that Yahweh would be glorified and that they would enjoy gladness. When the Israelites returned to Judah, the whole group seemed to desire obedience. But then there was division, probably because many of them realized that Yahweh’s so-called “restoration” was pretty lackluster. Had He not promised to restore them? Now their lame lives seemed to be a testament to the power of the foreign gods. These men became syncretistic, wanting what the nations had and what God had not restored to Israel. They grasped at power and prestige, seeking a name for themselves.

But those who trembled at God’s word trusted that final restoration was yet to come. They clung to Yahweh’s promise. They knew He would be glorified and they would see His gladness. And so Yahweh answers them now. He declares in verse 5 that the wicked men “will be put to shame.” Then listen to verse 6. Yahweh prophesies they will hear a voice. Where is it? It is coming from the city! Wait, really? Yes, from the temple even! Of course, the trembling had been excluded and were outside the city, that’s why it took them a minute to realize this. But then it dawns on them, “That is the voice of Yahweh! He is paying recompense to His enemies!” Yahweh has finally looked upon them. He will vindicate their humility and contriteness of spirit. This proves that Yahweh had not rejected His temple, for this is where He begins His work of purification. It was only the wicked men who were rebuffed.

Will the promise of God be fulfilled? Will you who tremble find gladness in Yahweh’s glory? Yes, a thousand times yes! Look down at verse 10, “Be glad with with Jerusalem and rejoice with her, all you who love her; Be exceedingly joyful with her, all you who mourn over her.” Then see at the end of verse 18, “The nations shall come and see My glory.” And at the end of verse 19, “They will declare My glory among the nations.” Yahweh will be glorified and His people will experience gladness. You must continue in obedience to His word, regardless of your circumstances.

If you flip back to chapter 65, we can see two things Yahweh will do to set things right. In verse 17, we find that He will create a new heaves and a new earth that are designated, in verse 18, for eternal rejoicing. Then if you look up at verses 13-14, you can see Yahweh render justice and righteousness for those who obeyed His word. The wicked men had excluded the obedient, but now look at what will happen:

13 Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh,

“Behold, My slaves will eat, but you will be hungry.

Behold, My slaves will drink, but you will be thirsty.

Behold, My slaves will be glad, but you will be put to shame.

14 Behold, My slaves will shout joyfully with a merry heart, But you will cry out with a pained heart, And you will wail with a broken spirit. 15 You will leave your name for a curse to My chosen ones, And Lord Yahweh will put you to death.”

Instead of the New Testament beatitudes, we might call these the Old Testament cursitudes. Instead of blessed are you for being reviled, this reads cursed are you for reviling. Yahweh's slaves will rejoice, and the wicked will die.

Flip back to chapter 66 one last time, and look down at verses 22-24. Yahweh’s final words weave both truths together. The God of verse 2, whose hand made all these things will, in verse 22, make once again. This time it will be the new heaves and the new earth which will endure before Him. And in verse 24, the final verdict is reached. All those who tremble at His word “will go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die And their fire will not be quenched; And they will be an object of contempt to all mankind.” Now it is the wicked who will be hated, excluded, insulted, and scorned! This will go on for all eternity. Yahweh will never look on them, and they will not be rescued. This is the triumph of the trembling.

So believer, take heart and be encouraged. King Hezekiah had restored the temple and the Passover, he had sought the Lord with all His heart. But then Sennacherib and the forces of Assyria marched to besiege Him. It looked like Hezekiah had gotten into trouble for doing the right thing. The post-exilic Jews in Israel were clinging to Yahweh’s promise of restored glory and joy, but they were hated and excluded for their faithfulness. The same will probably happen to you! You will be busy about the Lord’s work and yet suffer setbacks and attacks. Do not lose heart! Do not trust in your own judgment. Do not look for a solution of your own making. Humble yourself, be contrite of spirit, and tremble before God’s word. Do it His way, and do it right. Do not lean on your own understanding! Do not be tempted to fix God’s system, just because it seems to be broken. Do not become arrogant or cynical. One day, He will set all things right. Believe it! There will be a day when you will triumph in the gladness of His glory. The Creator will make a new heavens and a new earth. Trust that He will look upon those who tremble at His word.

Pray

Communion Sermon

As we prepare for the Lord’s Supper, I’d like to offer a brief word of exhortation. Tonight we have considered two groups of people. Those who submit to God’s word, and those who like to have it their way. We saw that the faithful few were wrongly excluded from temple worship in Jerusalem, and probably from the whole city also.

If you are busy in the Lord’s work but discouraged along the way, then this table is for you! This table encourages us to remember Jesus’ body broken and His blood poured out. If there was ever an apparent setback in the Lord’s work, it was the death of His Son! If there was ever a man who trembled at God’s word, it was Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane! But Jesus knew that His Father would look upon Him. Jesus knew that He would triumph. And so He chose the path of obedience. He confessed to the Father, “Not My will, but Yours be done.” Then he was hated, excluded, insulted, and scorned for His faith in the plan of God. He humbled Himself to the point of death, and He trembled at God’s word. He obeyed His Father’s command. Then He rose from the dead victorious, and Peter says he “went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison.” He began to taste triumph over His enemies, and even now He waits patiently, until the Father will make them all a footstool for His feet. Then it will be secure.

So come to the table and look to Jesus. Be encouraged! Remember your suffering Savior. Bad things may happen to you. The world may hate you. The path of obedience is well marked but it is not smooth. It will not be easy, but the instructions are clear in Scripture. You will never suffer more for your obedience than Jesus did for His. This is a well of hope. He has risen victorious. He has grasped the gladness of glory. Follow Him and trust the Father’s promise.

Near the close of his life, the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy. He describes what it is like to tremble at God’s word. Of all mortals, Paul knew about suffering in the path of obedience. He too looks upon Christ as his hope of glory.

2 Timothy 2:8–13 LSB

8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the seed of David, according to my gospel, 9 for which I endure hardship even to chains as a criminal. But the word of God has not been chained. 10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they also may obtain the salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11 It is a trustworthy saying: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we will deny Him, He also will deny us; 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

So here too we find a stern warning. Paul has presented both beatitude and cursitude. On the one hand, the trembling will triumph. But on the other hand, those who deny Jesus will be denied. This will be public. They have transgressed against the holy God. They will become an object of contempt to all mankind. Cast out from heaven, they will be hungry, thirsty, and put to shame. They will cry out with a pained heart, and they will wail with a broken spirit. Their name will be left a curse to Yahweh’s chosen ones, and Lord Yahweh will put them to death.

In the other letter to the Corinthians, Paul exhorts you to “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” He implies that if you fail the test, then Jesus Christ is not in you. The Holy Spirit has not given your soul new life. You are dead in your transgressions and sins! You walk according to the world and its ruler. You conduct yourself according to the lusts of your flesh. You are a child of wrath like the rest of mankind!

But Jesus Christ offers His nail-pierced hands to receive you. He has died for your denial.

Jesus pleads with you to be humble, to think rightly of yourself according to God’s word. Stop twisting the Word to your own destruction. Do not lay a finger on it. Bow before Scripture’s authority. Open God’s word carefully and beg that God would impart the knowledge of good and evil. Gaze on His holiness, and weep over your failures.

Jesus pleads with you to be contrite of spirit, to realize the wickedness of your sin. Stop imagining that you are not a sinner. Do not pretend the things you have done are not sinful. They are villainous and vile. Your deeds are diabolic. Humble yourself and admit it! Stand before this holy God and cry out “Woe, woe!” because you are unclean.

Jesus pleads with you to tremble at His word. He knows that one day your knee will bow, your tongue will confess that He is Yahweh. He knows that you can tremble today, or you can tremble tomorrow. But note it carefully, you will tremble at His word. Today He pleads, tomorrow He will command. You had better submit sooner than later.

So here is the word of God for you this evening. Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. And it says further that whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. Consider these things and believe the promise of our God!

Now I’d like the men to come forward, and we will have a moment of silence and prayerful reflection.

Silence

Prayer

Men serve, take mine

1 Corinthians 11:23–26

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was being betrayed took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” 25

Let’s remember His broken body together.

In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26

Let’s remember the New Covenant in His blood together.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.