Isaiah chapter 15 and verse 1
begins the burden of Moab. The burden of Moab. You know,
in God's judgment upon Moab, we're reminded that God's judgment
upon this whole earth is coming. In a short time, the very same
burden that Moab faced, will be the burden that all nations
of the earth will face. More personally, this is the
burden that we shall face if we meet God without faith in
Christ. You may think that you have great
ease in this life because you don't believe on Christ. Some people today are out doing
things and they're not sitting here where you're sitting. Some
folks are never concerned about spiritual things. But it may
be easy for a season, but soon the full burden, the full burden
of God's judgment will be upon your shoulder to bear it. For those who put their trust
in Christ, this yoke is light. It's easy. Because, first of
all, the believer delights in it. The believer delights to
hear of Christ. The believer delights to sing
praise to Christ. The believer delights to walk
after Christ. The believer delights to follow
after Him continually. And it's a light and easy yoke
because the burden is on Christ's shoulder. The government is on
His shoulder. And so it's light for us and
it's easy for us. Now I've got two points here
this morning I want you to see. First of all is the sure destruction
of Moab and secondly the sure salvation by Christ the King. Now this word that's being delivered
by Isaiah has not yet come to pass. It's given in the present
tense because The Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall
disannul it? The Lord's hand is stretched
out, who shall turn it back? And so God, who knows the end
from the beginning, speaks of this in the present tense as
if it's happening now. Because it shall, at the time
that Isaiah is delivering this prophecy. So first of all, let's
look here at the sure destruction of Moab. The burden of Moab,
verse 1. Because in the night hour of
Moab is laid waste and brought to silence or cut off. Because
in the night care of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence.
These are chief cities and this is the first part of this destruction.
These chief cities in Moab are going to be cut off, going to
be destroyed. They represent the very pride
of Moab. They represent the security of
Moab. Everything that the inhabitants
of Moab had worked to achieve. The word of the Lord is that
in one night, both these chief cities will be cut off and brought
to silence. And then verse two says, he,
Moab, has gone up to Bajeth and to Dimon, the high places, to
weep. Moab shall howl over Neba, Nebo
and over Medeba. On all their heads shall be baldness
and every beard cut off. In their streets they shall gird
themselves with sackcloth. On the tops of their houses and
in their streets everyone shall howl, weeping abundantly. Their
religious bartering will provide no salvation for them. Bajeth
was the house or the temple of Chemosh, which was their idol
god. And Dabin was another place with
a temple. They went up to their high places.
They cut off the hair of the head and the beard. They dressed
in sackcloth. They cried out, weeping abundantly,
not only in their temples, but on the flat roofs of their houses
and in their streets. And yet they came down from their
high places, crying the same as when they went up to their
high places, weeping abundantly. Why is that? And Hosea, the Lord
said this, they have not cried unto Me with their heart. When they howled upon their beds,
they assembled themselves for corn and wine, and they rebelled
against Me. The same thing was happening
in Judah, not in the high place, but in the house of the Lord.
You remember back there, you can turn back there with me if
you'd like, in Isaiah 1.12, he said, in Isaiah 1.12, he says,
when you come before me, when you come to appear before
me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts? He calls them vain oblations. He calls it iniquity, even the
solemn meeting. Verse 15, he says, when you spread
forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you. Yea, when
you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands, your hands
are full of blood. Judah was coming to the Lord's
house though. But they were coming with the
sacrifices that God ordained. So why didn't God receive them?
Why didn't he receive them? Look back there at Isaiah 1.3.
The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. But
Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. It's a heart
matter. They don't consider in their
heart. In Isaiah 57.10, turn over there with me, Isaiah 57.10. He says, Thou art wearied in
the greatness of Thy way. The greatness of Thy way. Yet
saidst Thou not, There is no hope? Thou hast found the life
of Thine hand. Therefore Thou wast not grieved.
And of whom hast Thou been afraid or feared that Thou hast lied,
and hast not remembered Me, nor laid it to Thy heart? Do you see that? Mark 7 verse
6 the Lord answered the Pharisees and he said well hath Isaiah
prophesied of you Hypocrites as it is written this people
honoreth me with their lips But their heart is far from me. It's far from me their tears
that that Moab would cry work tears from a broken and contrite
spirit Their tears weren't over their sin against God. Their
tears weren't in spirit and in truth. But all their religious
exercise was a barter. It was a barter. In other words,
I'll offer this service to you in exchange for my cities and
my substance. I want my cities and my substance
back. The Lord said, He said, they've not cried unto Me with
their heart, They howled upon their beds, but they assembled
themselves for corn and wine. And they rebelled against me.
They say, as they said in Isaiah 58, 3, Wherefore have we fasted,
say they, and thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our
soul, and thou takest no knowledge? The Lord says, Behold, in the
day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors. The
Lord says it's rebellion against Me. It's rebellion against Me. And then all their chief defenses
shall come to nothing. Look in Isaiah 15 verse 4. And Heshbon shall cry, and Elali,
their voice shall be heard even to Yahaz. Therefore the armed
soldiers of Moab shall cry out. His life shall be grievous unto
him." The voice of crying, we get the picture here, that is
spreading throughout the country. Yahaz was on the very border
of Moab. So we see this voice of crying
is going from city to city. It's just spreading throughout
Moab. And therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out. The army is the chief and very
last defense of the country. When the army, when the soldiers
who are armed to do battle, and fierce warriors ready to go into
battle, when they begin to cry, and when they begin to mourn
for their own lives, and begin to be grievous for their own
lives, the nation's conquered. It's conquered. and he said this
is coming to pass then in verse five he says my heart shall cry
out for moab his fugitives shall flee unto zoar and heifer of
three years old for by the mounting up of luhith with weeping shall
they go it up for in the way of horonium they shall raise
up a cry of destruction this word fugitives means his bars,
it means his protectors, his princes, his rulers, under whose
leadership the nation was protected. You got the army here and you
got the rulers of the nation. And it says both of them are
going to flee, their bars are going to flee to Zoar. They're
going to, one, it means they're going to leave the place where
they've lived, where their pomp and their glory is, and they're
going to flee to this little place called Zoar. And the name
of Zoar says it all. This was that town that Lot fled
to. You know what the name of that
town means? Insignificance. That's what it means. Your princes
and your rulers and all those defenses you put your trust in,
they're going to flee to insignificance. And then it says here that not
one left, there's not going to be one left with any strength.
It's saying here, from the mounting up of Luhith, Shall they go it
up for in the way of heronium? Shall they raise up a cry of
destruction? What it's saying is is is from the highest Mount
to the lowest valley one of these is a mount one of these is a
valley from the highest to the lowest One of these is on one
side of the country one on the other from the from the east
to the west from the highest to the lowest They're not going
to be strengthening anybody Not going to be strengthening anybody.
And then he comes here and he says, all natural resources are
going to be depleted. Look at verse 6. For the waters
of Nimrum shall be desolate. For the hay is withered away,
the grass faileth. There is no green thing. Therefore
the abundance they have gotten and that which they have laid
up shall they carry away to the brook of the willows. in this
drought, this waters of Nimrum being desolated, the hay withering,
the grass failing, no green thing growing, the Lord makes it clear
that this destruction is at His hand. It's at His hand. This is things that only the
Lord can do. And He makes it clear there.
And therefore, all the abundance that they work for and hoard
it up as their security, every bit of it, they're going to carry
away to the brook of the willows. The brook of the willows was
on the border of Moab, is where it was. It's the same as the
brooks of Arnon. I'm going to talk to you about
that in just a minute. It means that their abundance shall be
brought to an end. Everything that you have that
you store it up. It's gonna be brought to an end
to its border Verse 8 says for the cry is gone round about the
borders of Moab The howling thereof unto a glam and the howling thereof
unto beryllium for the waters of diamond shall be full of blood
for I will bring upon diamond lines upon him that escapeth
of Moab and upon the remnant of the land and This place was
a place that was full of laughter. It was a place full of ease.
But now there's only burden and howling, destruction and howling. The waters of Naaman shall be
full of blood. Check that next phrase there,
that next word for I. This is the Lord's doing. This
is the judgment of the Lord God. For I will bring upon diamond,
lines upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant
of the land. I, the Lord, will do this. If
you notice, Moab is described here in personal pronouns. He. Like it's a person. And by this we see what shall
become of a sinner personally. Personally, who puts his trust
in these things. And before the child of mercy
is going to be converted to Christ, these things will have to be
stripped from him, and he'll have to be brought to behold
Christ. These things will have to be
turned, he'll have to be turned from these things. Just as Moab
would be destroyed, these things will be taken from every person
that's brought to Christ. this sure salvation by Christ
the King. This is where I want you to spend
some time. Isaiah the prophet is delivering
the burden of the Lord's judgment prior to the day of God's judgment
upon Moab. It hasn't begun to happen yet.
It's prior to it happening. And just as I'm delivering this
word to you this morning, prior to God's judgment that's coming
upon this world, Back in Isaiah 15.5 there, Isaiah says, my heart
shall cry out for Moab. The Lord's messengers are sent
to cry out, and they do so from the heart. They're sent to cry
out, and they do so from the heart. There is a mourning, a
desire, a travailing. Romans 10.1, Paul said, Brethren,
my heart's desire in prayer to God for Israel is that they might
be saved. He said it to the Galatians,
My little children of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be
formed in you. And Isaiah says here, my heart
shall cry out for Moab. We don't take pleasure in the
Lord's judgment upon a people and seeing people perish. We
cry out for him. But this cry is not a sentimental
cry. This cry is not one that diminishes
the truth of God and tries to compromise the truth of God.
This cry is in truth concerning Christ Jesus the Lord. And here's
the cry of Isaiah prior to those in Moab, prior to this judgment
coming to pass. He says in Isaiah 16.1, Isaiah's
gospel is this, cast all your care on the Lord God. Destruction's coming. Cast all
your care on the Lord God. Believe on Him. And this has
been Isaiah's message from throughout the book. And that's what he's
saying right here. The Lord Jesus Christ is the ruler of the land. He's the ruler of the land. He's
God's anointed King. Cast your care on Him. In Revelation 17, verse 14, it
says, These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings. And
they that are with Him are called and chosen and faithful. He is
Lord of lords and King of kings. He is the Lamb of God and He
is the Lord of lords and King of kings. And at the time of
this prophecy, Hezekiah is the king in Judah. He's the king
in Judah. He's God's anointed king. Now
this exhortation comes and it says, send the Lamb to Hezekiah. Send the Lamb to Hezekiah, to
King Hezekiah. And it's another way of saying,
repent from trust in your own way and believe on the Lord God
and His anointed king. Put your care into the hand of
God's anointed king. Now, I want to show you a little
history here concerning this matter of sending this lamb to
the king of Judah. Long before this, before any
of this happened, King David was God's anointed king who delivered,
who delivered the children of Israel into peace by smiting
the Moabites and bringing them into service to him. You know
the Moabites, this is, this is, they came from Lot, Abraham's
nephew. So they're relatives of the children
of Israel, of Judah. They're relatives of theirs.
But from the very beginning, they were a thorn in the side
to God's people. They created just problem after
problem after problem. for children of Judah. Continually
they did. And so the Lord said this in
Numbers 24, 17. In Numbers 24, 17, He said, There
shall come a star out of Jacob. A scepter shall rise out of Israel
and shall smite the corners of Moab and destroy all the children
of Sheth. Now this star out of Jacob came
forth in the person of David, but it's a type of Christ. This
star is the star of out of Jacob and it's Christ. This scepter
is the scepter that rose out of Israel and smote the enemies
of the children of Israel. That's Christ. That's who it's
typifying is Christ. Now David knew that himself. David knew, even when he was
in that position of being the king, that he wasn't the star
that rose out of Jacob. He knew he wasn't the scepter
that rose up out of Israel to deliver his people. He knew that
is Christ the king. King David knew that. The Lord
asked the Pharisees, he said, whose son is Christ? And they
said, well, he's the son of David. And he said, well, David in spirit
said, The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand till
I make thine enemies thy footstool. And the Lord said, if he's the
son of David, then how come David called him Lord? And they couldn't
answer him because he is the one whom David was but a type.
And so this one was raised up and he came to Moab and he smoked
Moab. And what he did was he killed
all of them but a third. He left a third of them. But
that third were brought to be his captives and they pay tribute
to him in lambs. We read this, it says, and so
the Moabites became David's servants and brought gifts. They brought
gifts. They brought lambs to King David. Well, they did this for years
and years. Moab did. And there was peace
between the two when they did this. When they brought the lamb,
there was peace between them. the children of those fathers
in Moab who were bringing the lambs and paying the lambs to
King David and were willingly His servants. Those children
of those fathers rebelled and they decided, we're not carrying
that lamb up there to Him anymore. We're not doing that anymore.
And they fell right back into their rebellion, right back into
their fighting, right back into their warring with Israel again. And so, Isaiah comes forth now
and he says, Take the lamb. Take the lamb and go to King
Hezekiah. Take the lamb and go to King
Hezekiah. The only hope you have is take
the lamb to the ruler of the land in Mount Zion. That's the
only hope you have, Isaiah said. And the whole thing here is a
picture of coming to Christ, trusting Christ, believing on
Christ, casting all your care on Christ, For therein is all
our salvation. He is all our salvation. The
only way you and I will be saved from ourselves, the only way
you and I will be saved from the enemy, the only way you and
I will be saved from the righteous judgment of God, is to be found
in Christ who bore the righteous judgment of God on our back.
That's the only way we're going to come into God's presence and
be spared from our enemies. Now, there's a lesson here in
this that through these children of Moab, they had faithful fathers
who were faithful to carry this lamb up there to King David. They were faithful to serve him.
But now the children came along and they said, we're going to
do what we want to. And Isaiah comes to those children of Moab
and he says, you send the lamb to King Hezekiah. It's not enough
that our fathers believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not enough
that we have a grandfather, a grandmother, or a father, or a mother that
believe on him. The Lord Jesus Christ, through the Spirit of
God, says, you believe on him. You believe on Him. You send
the Lamb. You go up to Jerusalem, to Mount
Zion with the Lamb. Now where do they send it? They're
supposed to send it to the mount of the daughter of Zion. Where's
Christ's throne? Where is Christ seated? Where
is our King seated? He's seated in Mount Zion. He
is seated in Mount Zion. The picture we get here of sending
the Lamb to Hezekiah in Mount Zion is the picture of heart
worship, the full assurance of faith, of trusting Christ the
King in Heaven's Zion. Start over to Psalm 2 with me,
or you can look in your bulletin there. I printed this passage
in the bulletin, but Psalm 2. Down in verse 6. The Lord said, Yet have I set
my King upon my holy hill Ozion. I will declare the decree the
Lord hath set unto me. Thou art my son. This day have
I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee
the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a
rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces
like a potter's vessel." You realize what you just got to
hear? We just got to hear We just got to hear the decree.
We just got to hear what God the Father said to God the Son
when He set His King in His holy hill of Zion. He said, Thou art
my Son. This day have I begotten thee.
Ask of me. I'll give thee the heathen for
thine inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them
in pieces like a potter's vessel. You know what that means? That
means He's the King. That means he has the crown rights. That means whatever he says goes. He's the king. And Isaiah comes
forth and he says, now, send ye the lamb to the ruler of the
land. Pay thy tribute, pay thy vows. Go up to him. Trust him. Look to him. This is the king who's gonna
save you. And look what the Lord says here to us in verse 11,
or verse 10. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings. These are little kid kings. Be
wise now therefore, O ye kings. Those who think they're kings
in this earth. Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve
the Lord with fear, reverence, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss
the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when
his wrath is kindled but a little." But look at this next word. Blessed,
happy are all they that put their trust in Him. Where do the saints
kiss the Son? Where do the saints kiss the
Son? You remember that harlot that
came into the Pharisee's house? She stood behind him. crying
her eyes out, washed his feet with tears, and kissed his feet. She kissed his feet. You know what that is? That's
obeisance. That's reverence. You know what
those words mean? Find out what those words mean,
obeisance and reverence. It's the inward part It's the
heart made pure by God. It's that heart that's been sprinkled
with the blood of Christ, washed in regeneration by the Holy Ghost,
renewed by the Holy Spirit, purified by faith. We see God in Christ,
seated at God's right hand. Look over at Psalm 51, verse
6. Psalm 51, verse 6. David says, Behold, thou desirest
truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden thou shalt make
me to know wisdom. Look down at verse 16. Or look
here with me. Let's read this out. In the hidden
part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop,
and I shall be clean. This is that sprinkling of the
blood of Christ. How am I going to kiss the feet
of Christ? How am I going to come forth
in obeisance and reference? You're going to make it, Lord.
And David's asking Him to do this. Lord, make me to do this. Purge me. Make me to know in
the hidden part. Purge me and I shall be clean.
Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy
and gladness. Make me to hear it. If He don't
make me to hear it, I can't hear it. If He don't make me to hear
it, I can't hear it. I'll find my joy and my gladness
in something else if He doesn't make me to hear joy and gladness.
And that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide
thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities. Create
in me a clean heart, O God. This is that pure heart we looked
at last week. It's in your bulletin this morning. Renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence.
Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Look down at verse 16. For thou desirest not sacrifice, else I'd give it. That's what Moab was given. That's what the rebellious in
Judah were given. If you just want sacrifice, I'll
barter with you for some sacrifice. I'll come into your house. You
give me something, I'll give you something. He said, if that's
what you wanted, I'd give it. But you don't want that. Thou
delightest not in burnt offering. God gave the burnt offering.
You mean He doesn't delight in it? He delights in the end of
what the burnt offering was given to bring us to. The end is Christ
the Lord. The end is Christ the Lord. If we haven't been brought to
the end, we haven't been brought to Christ the Lord. The sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. A broken and a contrite heart,
oh God, Thou wilt not despise. This is the That lady that came,
that harlot that came there to the Lord, that's what she had. That's what she had. That blind
man who was given eyes to see, and the Lord came to him and
said, Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? And he said, Lord,
who is he that I might believe on him? And he said, You've seen
him, and it's he that talketh with you. And he fell down. and gave obeisance. He fell down
and He gave obeisance. He fell down and He reverenced
Him. He fell down and He kissed His
feet. There were some folks who came
to Him just like the harlot came to Him, but they didn't come
to Him and kiss His feet. There were some who came to Him
and begged Him a thing, but they didn't They didn't do obeisance. They didn't reverence Him. David says, I know you don't
want sacrifice. You don't want me just coming
to you and saying that therein I've shown you any sort of obeisance,
bowed to you and kissed your feet. It's coming to Him and
bowing and kissing His feet. It's coming to Him and bowing
to Him. Falling on our face. And it's
in the inward part. It's what David said, Lord, make
me to do this. Surely David didn't have to have
the Lord to make him to do that. He's the man after God's own
heart. He said, Lord, create this within me. Create this within
me. No man can come to the Son unless
the Father draw him. And He has to draw us. He has
to draw us to Him continually. You know why? Because our flesh
is drawing us as hard as it can elsewhere. And we can't come
to Him unless the Father draws us and keeps us at the feet of
Christ. Look over at Psalm 95 verse 6. O come, let us worship and bow
down. O come, let us worship and bow
down. Let us kneel before the Lord
our Maker. For He's our God and we're the
people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if
you'll hear His voice, There it is. If you'll hear His voice,
harden not your heart as in the day of provocation, as in the
day of temptation in the wilderness when your fathers tempted me,
proved me, saw my works. Forty years long was I aggrieved
with this generation and said it's a people that do err in
their heart. They do not know my ways. Unto
whom I swear in my wrath, they shall not enter into my presence.
Christ Jesus, our wise Solomon, will take no less than our heart. That's it. He will take no less
than our heart. He says, Son, give me thine heart. Well, back in our text in Isaiah
16-2, it says, For it shall be that as a wandering bird cast
out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords
of Arnon. You know, the fords of Arnon
are the same as the brook of the willows that we saw up there.
And it means when you come to the borders of Moab, when you
come to your end, this is how it'll be. I see two things right
here, two things. First of all, if you come not
Kissing the feet of Christ not bowing to Christ you'll have
no strength to cross over the waters of Arnon. When everything
that sinners put confidence in are brought to nothing, when
the chief cities are destroyed, when your confidence in religion
is gone, when your armed soldiers and your chief rulers have been
abolished, when the waters are dried up and the earth is dissolved,
if you're not trusting Christ to deliver you, who alone can
deliver you through the fords of Arnon, You'll be like a wandering
bird cast out of the nest, absolutely helpless and just fit for destruction. There's something else here.
This is a positive thing to those who trust Christ because the
Lord declares in the law how he protects those who escaped
from their former master to Christ the master. Listen to this law.
Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped
from his master unto thee. He shall dwell with thee, even
among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy
gates, where it liketh him best. Thou shalt not oppress him. Thou
shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether
he be of thy brethren or of thy strangers that are in thy land
within thy gates. Don't oppress him. He's poor
and needy. Don't oppress him. Those wandering
birds who are cast out, the poor and needy, whether they're Jew
or Gentile, are forever secure under the care of Christ Jesus,
who fulfills this law perfectly. Perfectly. We'll dwell with Christ
and He'll not oppress us. He won't allow anyone else to
oppress us. And we're going to see that now.
Look here with me in the next thing. He says, Hear and obey
the word of the Lord. Look at verse 3. Take counsel
and execute judgment. Not the counsel of men. Not the
counsel of your own understanding. Listen to me, if you do anything
when you hear a message preached from this place, go home, take
the scriptures and open up the scriptures and go through the
scriptures and see if these things be so. Look at the scriptures
and see if these things be so. My opinion don't matter and your
opinion don't matter. Don't take counsel in men. Don't
take counsel in what men think. See what God says. And this is
what this word means here when it says, take counsel. It's what
He said back in Isaiah 1.18. Come now, let us reason together,
saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool. Take counsel of the Lord. Hear
the Lord's Word. Hear His mouth speak. Now, look
at verse 3. Make thy shadow as the night
in the midst of the noonday. Hide the outcast. Don't uncover him that wandereth.
Let mine outcast dwell with thee, Moab. Be thou a covert to them
from the face of the spoiler, for the extortioner is at an
end. The spoiler ceaseth. The oppressors are consumed out
of the land. Now these things that he's saying
to take counsel, to hear what the Lord says and execute judgment. Hear the Lord say this and do
this. These things are what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for
his people. He's covered us completely from the burning sunbeams of
sin, and of the law, and of death. He's covered us in the robe of
His righteousness, in the shadow of His wings. He's covered us. He says, make thy shadow as the
night in the midst of the noonday. Cover them from that blazing
noonday heat. Uncover them. And he says, Christ,
that's what Christ has done for us. He says, hide the outcasts. Don't out them. Don't uncover
up the one that comes wandering to you seeking refuge. That's
what Christ has done for us. He says, you're dead. You died when Christ died and
your life is hidden. It's hidden. The enemy can't
find you. It's hidden with Christ in God. He says, be a covert to them
from the face of the spoiler. He's our covert from the face
of the spoiler. Isaiah said, a man shall be as
a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest,
as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock
in a weary land. That's Christ. He's a covert. The believer might be an outcast.
He might be cast out by the enemy. He might be cast out by the world.
The chastening hand of our loving Heavenly Father may cast us out
to remove us from something that's injuring us, but this is what
he says, they're mine outcasts. He said, you treat them like
I've treated them because they're mine. And the king shall answer
and say unto them, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as you have
done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you've
done it unto me. He says to those born of the
Spirit, Hear His counsel. Hear what He's done. Hear of
His everlasting covenant. Hear what He has done for His
people. And take counsel and execute judgment. You do the
same thing to your brethren. Don't shove the brethren under
the heat of justice. Love them in mercy. Don't uncover
the sin of those for whom Christ died. Cover their sin. Cover their sin. Know that Christ
has forgiven them. Their sins and iniquities He'll
remember no more. Don't turn the Lord's people
over to the hand of the spoiler. Why? Because it's useless to
fight against God. That's why. Look at the next
verse. Verse 4. For the extortioner
is at an end. The spoiler ceaseth. The oppressors
are consumed out of the land. They already are. It's already
done. How is it already done? It's
already done in our Hezekiah. It's already done in our King
David. It's already done in Christ Jesus, the Son of David, the
Son of God. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God shall lay? It's Christ that died. It's God
that justifieth. Who's he that condemneth? It's
Christ that died, yea, rather that's risen again. Who's going
to separate us from the love of Christ? We might be slaughtered
as lambs all the day long, but who's going to separate us from
the love of Christ? The enemy's destroyed. The spoilers ceased. He's consumed out of the land.
Verse 5. And in mercy shall the throne
be established. In mercy shall the throne be
established. And he, the ruler of the land,
shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging
and seeking judgment and hasting righteousness. That can't talk about nobody
else but Christ. Nobody else but Christ. His peace shall be
everlasting upon the throne of David and in his kingdom. Establishing
it and executing judgment and justice. That's Christ our King. Mercy. God's mercy and truth. God's justice. They've met together. They've kissed each other in
Christ Jesus. The King that faithfully judges
the poor. His throne shall be established
forever. There is only one that faithfully established the poor
in the perfection of holiness, and that one is Christ the Lord,
and His throne is established forever. It is established forever. I will sing of the mercies of
the Lord forever. With my mouth will I make known
thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy shall
be built up forever. Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish
in the very heavens. You know, the one who shows mercy
to the Lord's outcast is the Lord's outcast. The one who shows
mercy to the Lord's outcast is the Lord's outcast. Because he's
tasted the Lord's mercy. He knows what it is to be an
outcast. And he shows the outcast mercy. Well, here's you an application. Verse 6. Loeb refused because
of his pride. Just too proud to bow. Just too
proud to kiss the feet. Do all these other things. Put
confidence in his cities. Put confidence in his service
and religion. Put confidence in his armed forces
and his defenses. Put confidence in all the natural
resources he could gather and store up and hoard up. He wouldn't
put confidence in Christ Jesus the Lord. And he was destroyed
under the Lord's hand, just as the Lord promised. Now that's
a token to me and you, that what the Lord has said, He'll bring
it to pass. This is the purpose that is purposed
upon the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched
out upon all the nations. Now, look over at 2 Peter 3.
I think this is a good place to just take our lesson right
here from what Peter said. Christ Jesus, the King of heaven
and earth, is hastening righteousness. He's delivering His people. He's
protecting us. And He'll soon judge the whole
world in righteousness. And He'll destroy this whole
earth just as He did Moab. Now here's what Peter says in
2 Peter 3. Let me get over there with you. Look down at verse 10. The day of the Lord will come
as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat, and the earth also, and the works that are therein
shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in
all holy conversation and godliness? Looking for and hasting unto
the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on
fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with a fervent
heat. Nevertheless, we, according to
his promise, Look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that
ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in
peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering
of our Lord is salvation." It's salvation. Look down at verse
17. Ye therefore beloved seeing you
know these things beforehand Beware lest ye also being led
away with the error of the wicked fall from your own steadfastness
but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ Send the lamb to the ruler of the land Grow in
grace and in knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Cast all your
care on the Lord Jesus Christ. Bow down and kiss the feet of
the Son of God. To Him be glory, both now and
forever. Amen.