The Promise of Strength

Introduction

[Slide 1] Life drains us - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The world promises strength through things such as willpower, personal achievements, or escape, but Isaiah points us to God’s strength which is freely given. Today, following a two-week break, we move to the fourth message in our Summer of Promise series, “The Promise of Strength”. Like the others, this is not an automatic promise. God lays out certain expectations that we will discuss today. But first, let’s take a look at our historical context.

Historical Context

[Slide 2] As we review this section of our message, it is important to clarify that scholars believe that the book of Isaiah was written by three different prophets in three different eras. They suggest that chapters 1-39 were indeed written by the Prophet Isaiah, and they refer to this section as “Proto-Isaiah”, ‘proto’, of course, meaning ‘original’.

The next period is “Deutero-Isaiah” which they say took place during the Babylonian Exile. It makes up chapters 40-55, which includes, of course, the scripture we are reviewing today.

“Trito-Isaiah” includes chapters 56-66. It is written by a 3rd undisclosed contributor following the exile. Scholars have come to this ‘multiple contributor’ belief due to the varying writing styles that change at those chapter intervals as well as historical references within the texts, and the vast time-period that is covered.

Therefore, based on the beliefs of these scholars, we find our historical context in a familiar place once again, the period of the Babylonian Exile, where the Jewish people were held captive in Babylon following the destruction of Israel. We previously reviewed this event by looking at a painting entitled “The Flight of the Prisoners” by French painter James Tissot. Today, we are looking at a work entitled “Deportation of the Jews to the Babylonian Captivity” by German artist, Eduard Bendemann, . Depicted in the lower right corner is a child being torn from his mother. We also see defeated men in a kneeling position accepting their fate. There is a person facedown on the ground either dead or wailing. The imagery portrays a defeat that is absolute and final, a people in despair. If you look at the map, you will see that the trek from Jerusalem to Babylon is very long, about 900 miles. Interestingly, Babylon is in the same region as the ancient city of Ur, the birthplace of ‘Abram’ who would later be renamed ‘Abraham’ by God. As Abram was chosen by God and called to leave the region, speculation caused me to consider if this forced return might be symbolic of God’s rejection of them due to their disobedience, even if only temporary? It is an interesting thought but certainly only speculation, and certainly only temporary.

[Slide 3] The next picture shows an archeological dig site on the Western Hill of Jerusalem that the Bible refers to as Mount Zion. Archeologists have announced that this dig site offers discovery of a destruction layer from the Babylonian conquest event.

You may recall from 2 Kings chapter 25 that when King Zedekiah had a falling out with King Nebuchadnezzar II, a Babylonian official accompanied the armies of Babylon with the task of destroying the city, and they set fire to the temple of The Lord, the Palace, and all the homes of Jerusalem. This archeological discovery is of the correct time period with arrow heads, pottery, and jewelry all being found in layers of ash. Quite interesting, isn’t it! Discoveries supporting biblical declarations continue to be made all the time.

Admit Our Weakness

[Slide 4] We start at the beginning of the scripture where it says that “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak”. Some versions replace ‘weary’ with ‘faint’. No matter the word, the scripture suggests a state of something other than ‘strong and able’. He doesn’t strengthen the self-sufficient. He strengthens the faint and powerless. So, the promise begins where our pride ends; we must admit our weakness.

Consider, for a moment, Gideon, who was called by God to save his people from the hands of the Midian in Judges chapter 6. The Israelites had done evil in God’s site and were subjected to torment from the Midianites for 7 years. The Angel of The Lord approached Gideon and told him in verse 14 to “‘go in the strength that you have to save Israel’ and even added ‘am I not sending you’”. But then Gideon shares a unique humility, and says “my clan is the weakest in all of Manasseh, and I am the least in all of my family”. He admits his perceived inadequacy. God then reassures Gideon that He will be with him, and he will strike down the Midianites leaving none alive.

So there is something about admitting our weakness that allows us to tap into this promise of strength. Paul takes this a bit further to help us understand the concept of associated humility with the promise as shown in 2 Corinthians 12 when He went to God about his ‘thorn in the flesh’. Paul didn’t deny his struggles; instead, he allowed them to become a place where Christ’s power could dwell. We’ll take a deeper look at that in a moment, but what I want you to understand right now is that when we admit our inadequacies, we create space for God’s sufficiency. We open a doorway through which He can enter. Pride, however, closes the door and locks it leaving God on the outside of the situation.

Trust God’s Timing

[Slide 5] Moving on through our scripture of focus we come to the portion that reads “but those who wait upon The Lord”. I said a few weeks ago that waiting on The Lord is not passive, in fact, it is a trust associated hope. It means reliance on His wisdom, not rushing ahead in our own strength.

Consider for a moment God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 17:5 when He said “What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.” He promised Abraham fatherhood, but the promise was not fulfilled until very late in Abraham’s life. Remember, this promise included Sarah, Abraham’s wife, who laughed in chapter 18 because she was advance in years. They didn’t react perfectly in their waiting, but nevertheless were recipients of the promise. We don’t know why God chose to make them wait. Speculation has been offered that it was a testing of their faith, or perhaps to highlight the miracle associated with the promise. We can only speculate. But I choose to focus on the fact that God fulfilled His promise, and I trust that His timing was best...for whatever reason.

What I do know is that waiting tests faith which produces strength. If we are to embrace the ‘trust and obey’ mentality which is required of being a part of God’s family, then we trust in His timing, and we conform to His plan, even the part that requires patience. God makes plans that already know tomorrow; ours do not. So, His way is better every time!

Exchange Your Strength for His

[Slide 6] And lastly, after waiting and hoping on The Lord, we have the promise that “He shall renew our strength”. This is really an exchange of strength, ours for His. Remember, His strength is made perfect in weakness. We give Him our weakness along with all of its inadequacies, and He gives us His strength which He promises will be sufficient, at least that was His response to Paul’s admission concerning his thorn in the flesh.

It’s really an exchange that exposes God’s deep love for us. Where else can you find a deal where you lay down your burdens, your self-doubt, your limitations, and in return, you get clothed in a supernatural strength with the guarantee of it sufficiency? You won’t find that anywhere in the world. What we can’t accomplish, His Spirit can. So friends, for those of us who are His children, our weakness is not the end of the story - it’s a doorway through which God’s glory may enter. So don’t view it as a point of shame, but a portal for hope that comes as Loves response.

Conclusion

So just to recap, God’s Promise of Strength requires humility and the testimony of our inadequacies, and where we admit our weaknesses and expose our inadequacies in humility, He will show up with His strength. But we must be prepared to wait, which is okay because His way is best anyhow. Waiting will test our faith, but perseverance will strengthen us, and then His Spirit will clothe us in supernatural strength that guarantees sufficiency. And our weakness is not something of shame - but a doorway through which love brings hope. So today, don’t be discouraged by what you lack, but surrender it and expect God to show up!

Friends, be prepared that God’s answer in situations may be similar to the answer Paul received: My grace is sufficient for you. That means Paul didn’t get he response he had hoped for. That doesn’t mean we don’t receive strength in those moments, but it’s a similar strength to that which Horatio Spafford was able to say “It is well with my soul”. Being able to say that in the midst of a crushed heart is certainly a supernatural strength.

Today, as we do each Sunday, I want you to have an opportunity to come forward and make God The Lord of your life, but I also want to create opportunity for you to receive one on one prayer today. I’m going to ask Captains Cyr and Envoys Simon to join me this morning. If you need prayer for strength about anything, just come up to one of us, and ask us to pray for you. You don’t even have to give specifics if you would prefer not to. You can simply say “please pray for me to receive God’s strength”.