Come

“So says Jehovah, in a favorable time I replied to You, and in a day of salvation I have helped You; and I will preserve You, and give You for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause them to inherit the wasted inheritances;” (Isaiah 49:8)

Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah. In a favorable time means in a time of mercy which is the dispensation of God’s grace and mercy because the Messiah, Who is Jesus has entered the world as a man, yet all God, to be the perfect sacrifice for the world’s sin and receive death the ultimate sentence for wickedness. That dispensation of grace has been translated in other versions as an acceptable time. It’s a time that is acceptable to God and is His perfect time. It’s a day of salvation for the world. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Jesus is the Lamb of God, the sacrifice of God’s New Covenant with all people. We lift up Israel as God’s people because they were given the oracles of God. They, as a people are to be an example of God working in us, for us and through us. The nations were to see God’s Goodness, God’s standard and God’s justice with how He dealt with the Jewish people. And yes, the Word of God shows us their sin. It’s exposed for all the world to see. It also exposes our sin of idolatry, of animosity toward God, our rebellion and hatred of a Good Father. We can lie to ourselves and say we were none of that, but it’s a lie. Of course, we were because we were without God and that is what we were. “Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor abusers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1Corinthians 6:9-11) James goes so far as to call those away from God adulterers and adulteresses because we loved ourselves and this world more than God. “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever desires to be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4) Titus describes his and the other disciples’ sinful ways before Jesus. “For we ourselves also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, slaving for various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.” (Titus 3:3) And John tells us that denying we were sinners before we came to Jesus is saying God is a liar. “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.” (1John 1:10)

God has taken the wasted inheritance, the lost and defeated souls of the earth and given them to Jesus. “And those who come of you shall build the old ruins; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.” (Isaiah 58:12) In this verse Isaiah is prophesying about Israel. It’s a promise God made to Israel. There will come a time when Israel will be restored to glory because they will be saved and be the ones again to be the favored ones of the world. Jesus will dwell in the New Jerusalem, and all the nations will come to the Jewish people wanting to know about God. “And it shall be, everyone who is left of all the nations which came up against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, Jehovah of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be, whoever will not come up from all the families of the earth to Jerusalem to worship the King, Jehovah of Hosts, even on them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt does not go up, nor come in, they shall have no rain, but the plague with which Jehovah shall strike the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” (Zechariah 14:16-18) And nations will come to God’s city to seek Him. Isaiah prophesied, “Also the sons of your afflicters shall come bowing to you; and all your despisers will bow down at the soles of your feet. And they will call you, The city of Jehovah, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Instead of being forsaken and hated, so that no one passes through, I will make you for everlasting majesty, a joy of many generations.” (Isaiah 60:14-15) And Isaiah also prophesied how people would be invited by the Jews to know God. “And it shall be, in the last days the mountain of Jehovah's house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it. And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go out the Law, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:2-4) And how about the church? What will be the role of the church? The church also will participate in calling the nations and peoples to the Lord. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let the one hearing say, Come! And let the one who is thirsty come. And he willing, let him take of the Water of Life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)

Briefly, Israel will again be that nation that calls the nations to God. This is God’s promise. The church and the Spirit of God will along with Israel say “Come.”

Let us pray:

Father God, Your plans are perfect. You have a perfect time for each one of us, for generations and for nations.  I thank You that for each one of us, in every generation and for every nation there is a perfect time to believe and turn to You. Thank You my Lord that You have ordained the time of my life to live in me and to make me Yours. Thank You that You have not left me to leave this world without You. I thank You my God for the rest and the peace there is in You. No longer do I strive and struggle for righteousness, but believe all things are in Your hands. It’s not my righteousness that makes me whole, but the righteousness of my Lord Who died for me. Thank You my God that You work in me, for me and through me. The more I learn of You and the more You reveal of Yourself to me, the more I see the world in me. Father, I was raised to live in this world. Teach me to live in Your kingdom, to depend on You, to rely on You and to make You my only source for every area of my life. I look forward to Your perfect time for the nations to seek You, to seek Your Truth and to seek Your forgiveness. You are Mercy and Kindness. You are Salvation. You are God. I love You Lord. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.