“Comfort
for the Contrite”
[Isaiah
57:14-21]
6/20/21
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You may be aware the repetition is helpful in learning –
both as something is repeated to the learner and as the learner puts the things
taught into practice again and again.
For example, the teacher may say, “B is for bat.” “B is for bat.” And the student will repeat it back to the
teacher. This is a point of examinations: a teacher will teach and repeat concepts and
have the students engage in them, and then the students show whether they have grasped
the information by repeating it on an exam.
We remember that Isaiah is preaching around 700 B.C., and
Jerusalem is taken into the Babylonian exile around a hundred years later and
spends about seventy years there.
Throughout the book of Isaiah, we have seen God tell His people that
they are His people – that they have sinned against Him – they have engaged in
idolatry, they will be disciplined through exile, and God will comfort them and
return them to the land.
In this morning’s text, we see God again comforting His
people. We have seen this a number of
times before, most famously in chapter forty: “Comfort, comfort my people, says
your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is
ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s
hand double for all her sins” (Isaiah 40:1-2, ESV).
The comfort God gives Jerusalem is a promise and a hope
for them as they endure their captivity.
Jesus comforts His disciples and us with the promise of bodily resurrection
and the Kingdom. Jerusalem has one hundred
years to wait – an amount of time that could lead to panic, despair, and
disbelief. So, God repeats His message
of comfort to them.
God tells them not to despair.
First, God comforts the contrite.
“And
it shall be said, ‘Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every
obstruction from my people’s way.’
God
reminds His people of the promise He made concerning Cyrus, the future king of
the Medo-Persian empire – who would conquer the Babylonians. God reminds her that He calls Cyrus to build
up Jerusalem – to build her up in strength – to prepare the way for her to go
home, and to remove every obstacle in the way of her return.
God
says of Cyrus, “Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who
formed him: ‘Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my
children and the work of my hands? I made the earth and created man on it; it
was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host. I
have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level; he
shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward,’ says the
LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 45:11-13, ESV).
And
Cyrus makes a proclamation:
“In
the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth
of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of
Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put
it in writing:
“’Thus
says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the
kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem,
which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with
him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house
of the LORD, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each
survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place
with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for
the house of God that is in Jerusalem’” (Ezra 1:1-4, ESV).
“For
thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name
is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a
contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the
heart of the contrite.’
God
comforts those who are contrite – those who are sorry for their sins – those
who repent of their sins and ask for forgiveness. As Jerusalem is taken into captivity, many
will understand that their sin is bringing them there, and they repent, and God
comforts them during their time of discipline.
The
author of Hebrews tells us to be comforted during discipline because it proves
God is our Father and we are His children: “For they disciplined us for a short
time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may
share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than
pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who
have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:10-11, ESV).
He
is the Holy God Who disciplines us, forgiving us when we are contrite, and
comforting us with His Son’s promise:
“Let
not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s
house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to
prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John
14:1-3, ESV).
God
comforts the contrite.
Second,
God heals the contrite.
“’For
I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would
grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made.’
God
does not discipline His people to the point that they are destroyed. God contends with His people over their
sin. God is angry with His people for
their sins. But it is not forever. God has mercy on His people and forgives the
contrite. God does not cause their
spirit to faint or the breath of life to leave them. God does not “beat the life out of” His
contrite people.
“’Because
of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and
was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.’
And
that’s not to say that their sin – our sin – is a minor offense. Idolatry is a high crime – it is putting
someone or something in the place of God.
It is adultery. And God gets
angry and strikes His people when they sin – part of disciple can include
physical as well as other punishments.
For example, God turns His face away in His anger. God absentes His presence from His
people. They are no longer in the
immediate affection of God – which ought to cause them to jump up and realize
something is wrong and repent – be contrite before God. Instead, they continue in their sin,
oblivious to God’s discipline of them.
“’I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I
will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating the fruit
of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,’ says the LORD, ‘and I
will heal him.’
Still,
for the people of God – for all those who believe in the Servant Savior – Jesus,
our God – God promises to heal them. God
will restore them. God will comfort them
– and those who mourn the death of their friends and family members. And their response to this will be praise to
God.
We
must understand that this does not mean that God will physically heal every
person who believes in Him and Jesus now – in this life. God can – and He may. But this is a promise regarding their return
to Jerusalem, but even more so, reception into the New Jerusalem.
John
records, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the
dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be
his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away
every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be
mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away’”
(Revelation 21:3-4, ESV).
So,
this is a promise for us as well – if not now – then on the last day: God will heal us. God will restore us. God will comfort us. There will be no more sorrow or pain or
death. And we will praise our Triune God
more purely and more fully than we ever did before. In the Kingdom, we will be forever healthy in
mind and body and soul and spirit, and so we cry out, “Worthy is the Lamb!”
And
God says, “Peace, peace, to the far and to the near.” Remember repetition: saying peace twice means peace will surely
happen – it will be for all those who believe – and it will be continuous – eternal
peace. It will never end. And when we are told it is for the near and
the far, it means for all peoples, and nations, and tongues. God will bring peace through Jesus to Jews
and Gentiles who believe.
However:
“’But
the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters
toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.’”
Those
who persist in their sin – those who are never contrite – those who never
repent of their sin – are like the tossing sea – unstable, violent, ruthless,
loud, bringing up everything foul. For
these, there will be no peace. There
will never be peace. They will continue
in the life to come to eternally suffer for never believing – for never being
contrite – they will not have a moments peace.
“And
they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of
the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed
them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and
sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented
day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:9-10, ESV).
God
comforts the contrite. All those who
believe in Jesus and repent of their sins will be comforted in this life,
though we suffer and are disciplined – Jerusalem is sent into exile. And in the New Jerusalem – when Jesus returns
– we will be comforted and never be discomforted. We will praise our God and Savior.
God
heals the contrite. God brings His people back out of exile and heals them in
many ways – and God heals our souls – bringing us back to spiritual life when
we believe. And when the New Jerusalem
comes – at the return of Jesus, all who believe in our God and Savior will be
healed in mind, body, spirit, and soul, forever whole and joyful.
Let
us pray:
Almighty
God, we thank You that You do not leave us without hope and comfort in You. Help us to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus,
showing that God is our comfort and our joy.
Draw people near and far to Yourself.
For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
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