Let us turn back to this portion
of scripture we've read here in Isaiah 63 and I'll read again the paragraph that's marked from
verse 7 through to 9. I will mention the loving-kindnesses
of the Lord and the praise of the Lord, according to all that
the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward
the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them, according
to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For he said, Surely they are
my people, children that will not lie. So he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was
afflicted. And the angel of his presence saved them in his love
and in his pity. He redeemed them, and He bared
them, and carried them all the days of old. And I want to really
speak on the theme, the subject of the loving-kindnesses of the
Lord, the loving-kindnesses of the Lord. So, concentrating really
on the word that we find here in verse 7, at the beginning
of the verse, I will mention the loving-kindnesses of the
Lord and then again at the end of the verse we read of his mercies
and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. Thinking then of this remarkable
word, I think it's one of the great words that we find in our
authorised version and it's a word that is certainly very full and
pregnant in its meaning. When I say that I refer of course
to the Hebrew word that is really being translated by our English
loving kindnesses. It's a word that speaks in particular
of the steadfast love of God. It speaks of the sovereignty
of His grace He speaks of his covenanted mercies. All of these
various ideas are contained in this one word. And so, as we
consider this subject for a while this evening, first of all I
want to say something with regards to the source of these loving-kindnesses. The source of God's loving-kindnesses. And we observe that the The word
is in the plural, which really emphasizes the wonder of what
God is doing. Here in the middle of this seventh
verse, we have mention of His great goodness towards the house
of Israel. Here is the source and of His
loving-kindnesses. It is because He is a God who
is good. and the God who does good. But to say something with regards
to the context here in the previous verses, the first six verses,
where we have mention of Edom and Bozrah, who is this that
cometh from Edom, with thy garments from Bozrah, this that is glorious
in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength,
And the answer, I that speak in righteousness mighty to say. We need to remember then the
historical setting of the chapter. It's speaking of a nation, the
Edomites, and Bosra was the chief city of those Edomites. Now we know that the Edomites
were in fact the descendants of Esau. who was the twin brother
of Jacob we read of those Edomites back in Genesis in the opening
verse of chapter 36 and alas they were those who were
very much enemies to the children of Israel, the descendants of
Jacob in the 137th psalm. The psalmist very much speaks
and prays against them when he cries to the Lord, Remember,
O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who
said, Raise it, raise it even to the foundation thereof. how
they were such enemies they wanted to see the utter destruction
of the Israelites. And here in the opening part
of this chapter we read of God's own judgment against those Edomites. Verse 3 That one who speaks in
righteousness, that one who is mighty to save, says, I have
trodden the winepress alone, and of the people there was none
with me, for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them
in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments,
and I will stain all my raiment, for the day of vengeance is in
mine heart. and the year of my redeemed is
come. God will appear and act on behalf of the Israelites. Verse 6, I will tread down the
people in mine anger and make them drunk in my fury, and I
will bring down their strength to the earth. How strange are
the dealings of God! And why is it that God's dealings
with the descendants of Esau who was the brother of Jacob,
the twin brother of Jacob they were twins remember and yet God
deals with their descendants in very different ways and we
have to ask that question why is that the case? and I'm sure
you are well aware of what the answer is it is because of God
and it's because of the sovereignty of God and the sovereign choice
of God in election. Here at the end of verse 7 we
read of that which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies. Observe, it's not according to
their merits. It's not that he deals with Jacob
in a different fashion Because Jacob is in any sense better
than Esau, naturally speaking. It's not according to their merits,
it's according to his mercies. And in verse 8, he said, Surely
they are my people, children that will not lie. So, he was
their savior. And that word, surely, has the
idea of alone, only. Only they are my people, children
that will not lie. Speaking of Israel, they only
are his people, yea, you only have I known of all the families
of the earth, he says through the prophet Amos. And remember
the language of the Psalmist, the end of the 147th Psalm, he
showeth his word unto Jacob, His statutes and His judgments
unto Israel, He hath not dealt so with any nation, and as for
His judgments, they have not known them." Oh, it's the sovereignty
of God. And again, we're reminded of
that, aren't we? In the Lord of Moses, there in
the seventh chapter of the book of Deuteronomy. The Lord declares
why it was that He saved Israel. The Lord did not set His love
upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than
any people, for you were the fewest of all people, but because
the Lord loved you, and because He would keep the oath which
you had sworn unto your fathers, after the Lord brought you out
with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen
from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt." Why is there this
difference? It is simply the sovereignty
of God. And Paul brings that out, of
course, when he speaks in the 9th of Romans, that double predestination
of God, how that one is predestinated to life, the other foreordained
to damnation. the children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of
God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him
that calleth. It was said unto her, that is,
unto Rebekah, the elder shall serve the younger, as it is written,
Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. We can only explain
the difference then in the Lord's dealing. Salvation for the Israelites,
and yet damnation, destruction for the Edomites. Here is the principal cause,
the sovereign choice of God, the doctrine of election. But then also, when we think
of this particular word that we're considering, this word
loving-kindness is, we're very much to think in terms of God's
covenant dealings. It speaks of His steadfast love.
It speaks of His sovereign grace. It's covenant mercy that is being
spoken of when we see such a word as loving kindnesses. It's that everlasting covenant
that was all David's comfort, all David's desire. He hath made
with me an everlasting covenant, He says, ordained in all things,
and sure, the sure mercies of David, as
it's spoken of here in chapter 55. And we see loving kindness
or mercy being spoken of in association with that covenant. Again, it's
there in that 7th chapter of Deuteronomy that we just referred
to in Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verse 9 know therefore that the
Lord thy God he is God the faithful God which keepeth covenant and
mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to
a thousand generations and again at the end of verse 12 The Lord
thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which
he sware unto thy fathers. Now, in these verses, that word
that we have rendered as mercy is in fact the identical word
that is translated as loving-kindness in our text. It has an idea,
as I said, of God's mercies. and is associated with his covenant,
which keepeth covenant and mercy, or covenant and lovingkindness,
with them that love him and keep his commandments. The Lord thy
God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy, or the
lovingkindness, which he sware unto thy fathers. And so, in
Scripture this word is very much bound up with that idea of God's
covenant. God's loving kindness, it's a
source of all the blessings that God bestows upon his people. Did he not enter into covenant
with Abraham and with Isaac and with Jacob there at Bethel in
Genesis 28 verse 13 following we read of that occasion when God makes
the covenants with Jacob as He had made it previously with Isaac
and before that with Abraham. It's the source of all Abraham's
blessings. And so here, the end of verse
9, in His love and in His pity, He redeemed them and He bared
them. and carried them all to the days
of old. Oh, He is that One who is the
God of the covenants, and in His covenant dealings they will
experience His mercies, His loving-kindnesses, His sovereign grace, the wonder
of His redeeming love. We're going to sing presently
that lovely hymn of Samuel Medley. on the theme of loving kindnesses
number nine and remember the words that we have in that particular
hymn it's the language of the child
of God it's the language of the Christian believer he saw me
ruined in the forge yet loved me notwithstanding all he saved
me from my lost estate he is loving kindness oh how great
and so here What does the Prophet say in verse 7? I will mention,
"...the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the
Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and
the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which hath bestowed
on them according to His mercies, and according to the multitude
of His lovingkindnesses." Here is the source, and it's God,
it's God in His sovereignty, it's God in His covenant dealings,
His faithful dealings with His people. But in the second place, we see
really how all of this centers in Him who is the Savior. What do we have there in verse
8, the end of verse 8, so He was their Saviour. He was their
Saviour in all their affliction. He was afflicted. And the angel
of His presence saved them. In His love and in His pity He
redeemed them and He bared them and carried them all the days
of old. As I said, it's significant that
in the seventh verse we have this this now loving kindness,
in the plural, it's God's kindnesses, or the multitude, the multitude
of those mercies that center in the person and work of him
who is their Savior. Well, what do we read concerning
this one? Well, he's spoken of as the angel. In all their affliction he was
afflicted, And the angel of his presence saved them. It says
in verse 9. The angel of his presence saved
them. Now, here of course there is
clearly some reference back to the redemption of the children
of Israel out of Egypt. The Passover Naam and all that
was entailed as God was pleased to bring his covenant children
out of bondage, out of all the servitude that they'd had to
endure. And how God leads them in the
way. We're told there at the end of
Exodus 13, the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a
cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire
to give them light to go by day and night. But who is there in
that pillar of the clouds? Well, it's the angel. It's the
angel. We have it stated quite clearly,
quite specifically in the 23rd of Exodus. There in Exodus 23, verse 20,
Behold, I send an angel before them to keep thee in the way,
and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware
of him, and obey his voice. Provoke him not, for he will
not pardon your transgressions, for my name is in him. Who is
this angel? of whom He says, My name is in
Him. Why this is God? This is the
Son of God, One who is able to pardon sins. O beware of Him,
obey His voice, provoke Him not, for He will not pardon your transgressions.
O when the Lord heals a lame man in the Gospel and says to
him, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. Remember how the scribes
rebelled against such talk who can forgive sins but God only
but Christ is able to forgive sins and he turns to the man
and says take up thy bed and walk and demonstrate something
of his deity the angel of his presence that's the Lord Jesus
Christ he is that one who is the image of the invisible God he is that one who is there in
the cloudy fiery pillar We read of the brightness of His glory,
the express image of God. Our God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, shines in our heart to give the light
of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
Oh, He is the One. He is the Angel that we read
of time and again there in the Old Testament Scriptures, that
led them as they came forth out of the bondage and the iron furnace
that was Egypt. But how does the Lord Jesus Christ
save? If he is this angel that he's
being spoken of in verse 9, how does he save them? The angel
of his presence saved them, it says. Well, previously we're
told, aren't we, in all their affliction He was afflicted. In all their affliction He was
afflicted. Two aspects, really, of that
salvation are to be seen in these words. First of all, there is
substitution. There is substitution. In their
affliction He was afflicted. Sinners deserve the affliction.
They are the transgressors. But Christ is that one who has
been afflicted for his people. And it's there in that 53rd chapter, that previous chapter,
the Lord's Suffering Servant. What do we read there in verse
6? The Lord hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before a shearer's is done, so he openeth
not his mouth. He was taken from prison and
from judgment, and you shall declare his generation, for he
was cut off. out of the land of the living
for the transgression of my people was he stricken in all their
affliction oh he bears all that affliction that was there just
recompense there real rewards and it is interesting because
the the imagery of God's judgment upon these edomites spoken of
previously remember at verse 3 I have trodden the winepress
alone and of the people there was none with me for I will tread
them in mine anger and trample them in my fury and their blood
shall be sprinkled upon my garments and I will stain all my raiment
for the day of vengeance is in mine heart and the year of my
redeemed is come now that language is is taken up in the in the
book of the Revelation. So much of the symbolic language
that we have in the Revelation, of course, is rooted back in
the Old Testament Scriptures. And there, in chapter 14 of the
Revelation, and the last two verses, we read, "...the angel
thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine
of the earth and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath
of God. And the winepress was trodden
without the city, and blood came out of the winepress even unto
the horses' bridles by the space of a thousand and six hundred
furlongs." He's speaking of the great day of judgment and the
wrath of God. And what did the Lord Jesus Christ
endure for his people? He endured. He endured that that
will be visited upon the unbelieving at the end of time. How his garments
were so sprinkled with blood when the Lord God poured out
his wrath upon that holy man, that sinless man, when he suffered,
when he bled, when he died. Oh, it's that substitution that
really lies at the very heart of the Gospel. The truth of substitutionary
atonement, Christ in the sinner's place. Suffering as that one
who is his substitute. He hath made him to be sin for
us who knew no sin. that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him how does Christ save? He saves by His death by
the shedding of His precious blood the pouring out of His
soul unto death without the shedding of blood no remission no forgiveness
of sins but in that death it is Christ enduring all the wrath
of God but this salvation I said two particular substitution yes
that's so important but also the great truth of the Lord's
sympathy how he sympathizes with his people when we read those
words at the beginning of that ninth verse in all their affliction
he was afflicted in all that his people suffer in the way of trial, troubles,
tribulation, how he feels for them, empathizes with them. When
Saul, that arch-persecutor, Saul the proud pharisee, is seeking
to destroy all the followers of Jesus of Nazareth, breeding
out threatenings and slaughter, what does the Lord say when he
arrests him? Oh, the Lord apprehended him,
didn't He? He speaks of being apprehended
of Christ Jesus. What did the Lord say when He
did that there at the very gate of Damascus in Acts chapter 9? Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou
me? He says to the Lord. Why persecutest
thou me? Who art thou, Lord? I am Jesus
whom thou persecutest. oh Christ is that one who is
the head of the body of the church how he feels for his people we
have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities but was tempted in all points like as we are
yet without sin always touched with the feelings of all our
infirmities he feels for his people in all our afflictions
he is afflicted And so we can turn to Him as one who understands,
one who is able to minister to us. It's part of that great salvation. How the angel of His presence
saves us. He saves His people. He saves
us day by day, moment by moment. Or do we not feel that we need
a continual salvation? We need one who is very much
a present Savior. But what of our afflictions?
What are they really? Well, remember how Paul speaks
of them. Our light affliction, he says,
which is, but for a moment worketh for us a more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory. Ultimately, there will be that
great deliverance, there'll be all the joy of heaven itself
to the people of God, and then what will we see of our afflictions? What are they compared with His
afflictions? In a sense we could say that
what's being said here at the beginning of verse 9 is in all
their affliction there was no affliction. In all their affliction
there was no affliction. Why? Because in the Lord's dealings
with us, do we not learn something more
and more of His loving-kindnesses? And the Lord discovers Himself
more and more to us. It's a fellowship of His sufferings. Oh, it's given unto us in the
name of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for
His sake, to be conformed to the image of his death, that's
the Christians calling or the angel of his presence we read saves them in his love
and in his pity he redeemed them and he bared them and carried
them all the days of old and this God is our God and is our
God forever and ever, and we are blessed to know something
of those loving-kindnesses, or that we might delight then to
make mention of these things. I will mention the loving-kindnesses
of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all
that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward
the house of Israel, which hath bestowed on them according to
His mercies, for nothing of our merit It's all according to His
mercies and according to the multitude of His loving-kindnesses. May the Lord grant His blessing
on His Word. Let us sing that ninth hymn before
we turn to the Lord in prayer. We sing it to the tune Winchester
New 439. Awake my soul, In joyful lays, and sing thy
great Redeemer's praise, He just declaims, as sung from me, His
lovingkindness, O how free!