“Your God Reigns!”  Isaiah 52:7

By Nelson Thomas Mumbai

One of the truths that inspire the people of God everywhere at any age is the Sovereignty of our God. In the midst of increasing uncertainty and turmoil all over, let us ponder upon this reality and stay strong.

Prophet Isaiah, in the second part of his book (chapters 40 – 66) comforts the people of Judah (40:1). He finds them in the Babylonian captivity. Being away from their land and home, naturally they are depressed and discouraged. They even doubted the power of their Lord Jehovah and compared Him with the gods of the Assyrians and Babylonians. Since they could easily plunder the land of Israel and Judah, the people of Judah concluded that the gods of the invaders are powerful and the Lord Jehovah is helpless.
Distinctiveness
To encourage this disheartened captives, Isaiah calls upon them to ‘behold their God’, 40:9. Then, through a series of messages the Lord Himself reveals His uniqueness, with a rebuke, “To whom then will you liken Me...” (40: 18, 25, 28).

i. The Creator and Upholder, 40: 12-14, 26.

The oceans and heaven fit into His hands. He is the omniscient One who needs no one’s counsel. 40:13, 14 cf. Rom. 11:34 1 Cor. 2.16.

ii. The sovereign One. 40: 15 – 17, 21 – 24;

The nations of the world are like drops from a bucket and dust on a scale before the LORD. He finds man like insects. These metaphors indicate the nothingness of the world powers however strong they may appear today.

iii. The matchless One. 40: 18-20, 25.

It’s foolishness to compare the LORD with man-made gods. His unsearchable wisdom and unfailing power is available to all who wait upon Him (40: 28 – 31). No believer needs to be weak and helpless. In continuation of such uplifting messages, in chapter 52 Isaiah exhorts the tired Judah to get up from their slumber. Their time of humiliation and bondage is over. It is time to put on strength and stay holy and beautiful again because their LORD is on the throne and their restoration is near (cf. Isa 52: 1 – 7).		Sovereignty Isaiah also expects the messengers in Israel to proclaim from the top of the mountains in the hearing of all, “Your God reigns!" (V.7). He describes this message of God’s sovereignty as glad tidings and message of peace and salvation to all in Judah.   ‘Your God reigns’ - What a soothing saying for the dejected people in bondage! It is not the pagan kings on the throne but their own Lord God Almighty. It is He who controls the affairs of man. Nothing is beyond His authority. He allows the earthly kings to sit on their throne; similarly it is He who removes them in time (Dan. 2: 20-22).

Sad to notice that many find the sovereignty of God only as a hot topic for debate and deliberation. As a result, there is a kind of apathy towards this vital truth, and many choose to avoid it altogether.

Actually, the truth about the sovereignty of God is found throughout the scripture, and the Lord repeatedly reminded His people to acknowledge it. (Deut. 4: 39; Psa. 29:10; 47:2; 96:1; 97:1; John 1:49; 18:37; Col. 1: 16 - 18, etc.) Notice the concluding words of the model prayer the Lord Jesus taught His disciples; “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matt. 6:13b)

Meaning
God’s sovereignty can be summarized as follows:

1. He rules over the entire universe (Zech. 9:10).

2. There is nothing outside His dominion and control. Whether it is man, beast or even the nature, all are under the control of the Lord God Almighty (Isa. 37: 29; Pro. 21:1; Matt. 8:27; Dan. 2:20, 21; 4:35).

3. He does whatever He chooses and nobody can question Him or resist Him (Job 9:12; 42:2; Psa. 135: 6; Rom. 9:19).

Yes, it is true when man rejects the Lord’s rule and rebels, He may allow it. That does not mean He ceased to be the King. For example, when the people of Israel sought a king as the neighboring nations, the Lord Jehovah permitted even though He expressed His displeasure (1Sam. 8:7). Yet the word of God proves more than once, ultimately God’s perfect will comes to pass and no one can frustrate the eternal purposes of God. He is still on the throne.
Response
Our finite mind may continue to struggle with divine mysteries. Nevertheless, our explicit faith and confidence in the truth of God’s absolute authority will revolutionize our life.
In fact, it was the vision of the Lord on the throne that transformed Isaiah’s life (Isa. 6). There, you see praise and worship; confession and consecration; appointment and assurance as Isaiah faced the throne of God. Without doubt the reason behind all the bold and successful ministry of the prophet can be attributed to His conviction that the Lord is the King.

Today, in the national as well as international scene we see unprecedented struggles and chaos. In such a scenario, let us find comfort and reassurance in this truth. Governments may come and go, policies may be changed; and environment may not be favorable to us, yet we can rejoice in the Lord, for He is on the throne, the unchanging King of kings.
He is not unaware of all that is happening around us. At the right time He will lead, guide and deliver us. Then there will be absolute protection and safety (Isa. 52: 9, 12).
Isaiah wanted this message to be echoed back and forth from every mountain in Zion, for it is good news for the depressed Jews, news of peace and joy (Isa. 52: 7 - 9).

King becomes Servant
Just as Isaiah predicted in the following passages, the King became a Servant to deal with the sins of His people (Isa. 53: 4, 11). Like Nathanael, only very few recognized His true greatness (John 1:49). When Pilate asked the question, "Are You the King of the Jews?” the Lord Jesus answered in the affirmative (Matt. 27:11). Yet He was scourged, humiliated, and crucified as a hardcore criminal (Matt. 27:27ff; John 19: 16 – 19).

Praise be to God, not only He finished the work of atonement, He triumphantly rose again from the dead and reigns in heaven at the right hand of the Father (1Cor. 15: 25; Heb. 10: 12, 13 cf. Psa. 2: 6, 110: 1; Eph. 1: 20 – 23).
Let us continue to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ and allow Him to rule over us in all aspects of life. Irrespective of the situations we face, let us humbly and confidently declare, ‘OUR GOD REIGNS!”
 

NTK

08/04/2022

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