Zion's complaint and the Lord's answer

Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayerful attention to Isaiah 49, and we'll read from our text, verse 14 through to 16. Zion's complaint and the Lord's answer. Verse 14, but Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. Thy walls are continually before me.

Isaiah 49, verses 14 to 16. Zion. David was given by God to take the stronghold of Zion, Jebus, and it became the city of David, but greater than The City of David literally is meant here, that is the Church of God, the redeemed of the Lord's people, those that the Lord has from eternity loved and chosen in Christ and shall have at last with him in heaven forever and ever. But it's specifically the Church on Earth, At any one time, the church really is divided into three places. Those that yet have to be born. And then there are those that are on earth. And even amongst them, there are some at one time that are called, may manifest, and others not. And then there is the redeemed that are in heaven. I often like to think of it as the cross-handed blessing that Jacob gave to Joseph's sons, how to remember which one had the greater blessing, which was the oldest. And the oldest was Manasseh, But the greater blessing was given upon Ephraim.

That when you look at the lands, when they divided Palestine, you find Ephraim to be quite small and compact all in Canaan. But you find Manasseh, half tribe is on one side Jordan, half tribe is on the other side of Jordan. And I often think it like this. The Church of God is like Manasseh. They are half of them, one side Jordan, half the other, half gathered, half not gathered.

But in heaven, that's the church, fully blessed, all over Jordan, all in heaven. And that's how I like to think of it. The greatest blessing in the Church of God, when they're all gathered, Behold, I and the children whom thou hast given me. But, as a hymn writer says, more happy, but not more secure, the glorified saints above.

It is one church, one Zion. But here below, the church of God needs the promises of God. It needs the word of God. It needs the blessings. Some will quite often interpret, especially in the Revelation, things that just belong above. But I feel that the Scriptures predominantly are all speaking of what the Church of God needs now, in tribulation, and needs that help from the Word of God.

And so this portion here, this that is spoken of concerning Zion and what Zion is saying, the words that are here, the Lord's answer, these are things for the Church of God. We read in the Word of God about the daughters of Zion. We read about the sons of Zion. We read about those that are associated with her.

And it is all pointing to, yes, one whole church, but individuals, each one making up of the whole. Well here then, I want to look at three things. Firstly, the glorious promises of God through Christ that are set forth before our text. Our text begins with a but.

So there's been things that have said before and it's contrasted with what Zion is saying because it doesn't seem to add up to what has gone before but Zion said. So then secondly to what Zion's complaint was, what she said. That's in verse 14. And then thirdly, the Lord's answer, which is in verse 15 and 16.

But firstly, the glorious promises that are through Christ. This is one of the passages that is speaking very prophetically of the coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and how he shall be received, or how he was received, by his own people. We have at the very beginning of the chapter, the Lord hath called me from the womb.

Often when he says, listen, O Isles, and of course when it comes to the Gentiles in this passage, It is speaking of the islands in the Mediterranean. I believe there's some 178 islands right through the Mediterranean. And of course England is an island as well. So rather than the great bulk of Europe and the continent, it's speaking of these little islands all dotted around.

We have then the Lord hath called me from the womb. This is our Lord Jesus Christ. From the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And we think of the name that was given to Joseph and that forename before he was born. His name shall be called Jesus. He shall save his people from their sins. He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword.

And we can picture this with our Lord with his time of ministry upon the earth. Amazingly, in verse 3, and then sometimes I look at that verse and I think, well, he's speaking of Israel through whom the Lord Jesus Christ came. But it also can be viewed that our Lord is willing to be called by the name of his people. We know the surname usually of the husband is taken by the wife, With our Lord this is the name wherewith he shall be called the Lord our Righteousness, and this is the name wherewith she, the Church, shall be called the Lord our Righteousness. But when we get to verse 3, He said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. And I believe in this, it is referring to Christ, but it's coming through Israel. And so then the Lord speaks of his labour, I've laboured in vain, I've spent my strength for naught and in vain, yet surely my judgement is with the Lord and my work with my God.

And through here we have the beautiful promises and expectation of the Lord's coming. Thus saith the Lord, verse 7, the Redeemer of Israel and His Holy One, to whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, you think of the nation of Jews, they abhor Jesus of Nazareth, the servant of rulers, kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. and his work that he shall do, that thou mayest say to the prisoners, go forth, go forth to them that are in darkness, show yourselves. It is the work of an expectation of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, his ministry, his work, and that which the Church of God, right from the beginning of time, has that expectation that the Lord would indeed come. Of course, here, Isaiah is 750 years before the Lord came. And many of the prophecies, of course, and leading up here through to the coming of our Lord in Isaiah 52 and then Isaiah 53, his suffering's death, and then the blessings in the church by Isaiah 54.

The church was given this expectation of the Lord's coming and of great blessing. You can only read the verse prior to our text to see if the expectation and joy even calling upon the heavens, sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth, praying forth into singing, O mountains, For the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted." And Zion, the church of God, hears all of these things, all of these promises, all of these blessings, all of this expectation, and we have a complaint from them.

But Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me." I wonder how many here have heard the Word preached, have read the Scriptures, and they see an expectation of blessing, promises of the Lord that they've looked upon, that they've waited for the Lord to fulfil, The prayers and petitions laid out before the Lord, perhaps specific promises that you've pleaded before Him and put Him in remembrance of.

And you hear of all these things, but you don't see them as fulfilled yet. You feel in yourself as if the Lord has completely forgotten you and passed you by. And yet you've seen you have not had it hidden from you what the Lord has for the Church of God and the blessings for the Church of God. You may have even seen others that have been blessed and have been favoured. But as an individual, as Zion, as part of the Church of God.

She has a complaint. I want to look at that complaint. And firstly, just in a general way, isn't it a comfort to know here in the Scriptures, so long ago and before Christ came, there is the Church of God listening to all these blessings. and yet viewing her condition as not answering to that. Will not that be repeated through time?

But Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me. If we think of the Church of God leading up to Christ, you think how many times there seems to be complete silence You have 400 years from between the Old and New Testament. You have 750 years here. You have David in the Psalms. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

The very words our Lord used on the cross, but a thousand years before Christ. The church had to wait from the first promise, the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head, 4,000 years before he came. Who could accuse the Old Testament church of wrongly saying, the Lord hath forsaken me, that he has forgotten me? Because it seemed years, it was years, a long time before our Lord came. And then when it comes to individuals in the church, in their own lives, you think of the long life that Jacob had.

You only read of some five special blessings that he had. But he had long times at which the scriptures are silent to the Lord speaking anything to him. And he had those times of great trial with Laban and 22 years thinking his son Joseph was dead. You think of Joseph. He was given the dreams and the expectation of being raised up that even his brethren bowed down to him, that he must languish in prison. He asked the butler. When thou art restored, remember me, but he forgot him. And it seemed like the Lord had forgotten him too.

Until his time came, the word of the Lord tried him. This is a pattern through the Church of God. What did Moses feel like when he spent 40 years in Pharaoh's household? No wonder that he thought the children of Israel would understand that the Lord would deliver them through his hand.

And he tried to force them, but they cast him out. They rejected him. Who made thee a ruler and deliverer over us? Then he had to spend 40 years. Surely he must have thought the Lord's forgotten me. Forty years have gone by since this last time in Egypt. It must be mistaken, surely.

And then the Lord suddenly appears. We have these reminders in the Word of God that the church and individual members of it could look upon their pathway, the expectations, the promises God had given them, and have valid reason, you might say, that the Lord had forsaken them. And yet we know from the scripture account he had not. He did send Moses. He did bring Joseph out of prison. He did appear for Jacob, though he felt all these things are against me. The Lord says, your time is always ready, but my time is not yet.

But the Church of God, often it is spoken of the blessing of those that wait for the Lord, those that are looking for Him, those that are dependent upon Him, Those like in Hebrews 11 verse 13, they saw the promises are far off and embraced them. That's what they wanted. Might be some of you here like that. You see promises are far off and you embrace them. That's a promise that I depend on, I want. And they confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. You do that. On one hand there's promises in the word that you plead and hold on to, on the other hand you say this world is not my rest, I'm a stranger and I'm a pilgrim in it.

That's the description there in Hebrews 11. But Zion, the church of God, is feeling this, is saying this, the Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me. It is a sad place, but I hope it is, that the word will be a help to some here. Because I believe I proved it through life and God's people will, that there are times that this is how we feel. That the Lord is silent. And we think surely he has forgotten in this time.

Remember when I was exercising with the ministry, 13 years I was from beginning to be sent out. Especially those last seven years. I'd taken the funeral, as I mentioned this morning when I was 25. I wasn't in the ministry then. I was just at a deacon then.

The friends at Melbourne, they tried and tried to get me to start preaching then, but I went into complete bondage. And for seven years, we used to have prayer meetings. I said to the deacon, you know I'm exercised, but I can't go forth. I need the Lord to loose me, and then I can. And I felt spiritually in bondage. There's no way anyone could convince me to preach.

All the time. had these promises, had this burden, had this exercise. And I didn't know how long that would go on. But the Lord broke it in a moment, so, so quickly, just reading the Word of God at the table. Came across that in Ezra, that the Lord may give us a little reviving in our bondage. And you know my faith held on to that. I felt I needed such a big reviving that it was out of my grasp. It was impossible, but a little reviving. I could grasp that.

And as my faith rose to that, the Lord gave me faith in it, then the Lord softened my heart and it opened up and felt that very precious. Do you know that Wednesday when I come to read the service, because all that time I was reading services at Melbourne, twice on the Lord's Day at Melbourne, once at Geelong and then in the week, all the time, all those years. It was my training for the ministry, going through all the red sermons and Phil Potter and all of those, condensing them down to shorter sermons. But I said to the friends, I said, before I read this sermon, I just want to speak to you for 10 minutes on this word.

And I did, and felt that bondage go. Called the church together, because I'd said to the deacon, I said, if the Lord loses my bondage, I will come to you. Don't keep coming to me. I'll come to you. I did. Well, that was in the August, and Robert Field had been booked up over a year ago. before that to come to us at Melbourne in October. The Lord had timed it just right. And so I was sent out as the church gathered in November 1993. It was a long while waiting.

And that exercise, it may not be for the ministry for you, it may be for spiritual deliverance. maybe for the pardon of your sins, maybe for the spirit of adoption, maybe for that token for good and sealing of the spirit, and for the liberty of being able to join with the Church of God.

The children of Israel, remember, in Egypt, were not just in Egypt. They were in bondage in Egypt. And they were in hard labour in Egypt. And when the time came for them to be delivered, when God remembered them, they rejoiced when Moses came. They believed God had remembered them. He hadn't forgotten them. But their bondage got harder. Their tribulation got worse, until suddenly the Lord delivered them. the darkness as it were before the dawn, and the hard labour before the release, just like when a child is born, the pain, the hard labour, and then the birth.

But the Church of God then has this view of what the Lord has said is in store, but for a period of time, the Lord's time, they see it as others having it, They sing it set before them, but not partaking, not enjoying, not having the liberty. And it's for such that this word is. You have this language, but Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. The Lord has an answer, and he has an answer that follows in our text here. I want to look at the answer next. The Lord uses three illustrations.

The first one is of a woman with her sucking child, a very young child, very dependent upon her and you would think in a natural way the strongest affections, the strongest urges to preserve and keep and look after that child. The Lord asked this question, can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Our natural response would be, no, that could not happen. How could she not have compassion? Of course, her mother perhaps is ill. Maybe they've got depression or something like that. Then to be in a position where they can't have that compassion and can't help.

So the Lord says, yea, they may forget. Yet will I not forget thee. We get a picture here. This one that is saying, the Lord hath forsaken me, my Lord hath forgotten me, and the Lord is in effect saying, you are like a child to me. You are like a small sucking child to me, dependent on me. You are the son of my womb. You are the one that I have caused to have life and that life is there already in the soul. And the relationship is like that between that woman and her child.

He says, yet will I not forget thee. What a strong assurance and what a beautiful picture of what the Lord will say of His people. Can we say that then? A seeking soul, a soul that has not yet found what they want. You look at a sucking child. Can it speak? No, it can't speak. Can it walk? Can it run? Can it do anything but cry? No. Does the mother then say, well, you can't do any of these things. You can't be my son, my daughter.

No, she has compassion. The Lord doesn't expect of his people that he is quickened, that he is drawing, that he is given to embrace the promises, to long after him, to wait for him, to be dependent upon him. He doesn't despise them or forget them in the condition that they are in. As sure as that babe will grow, so will his people grow. And at last they'll be able to speak. At last they'll be able to do what they couldn't do before. It's a beautiful illustration to think of.

For those of you here with this complaint of Zion, feel forgotten, forsaken, think of the mother with her child. Think what the Lord says, I will not forget Thee. Then we have a second illustration and this is the palms of the Lord's hands. Behold I have graven Thee upon the palms of my hands. Graven, there. The children of Israel of course would have been very used to the idea as in the wilderness where the high priest had upon his breastplate the 12 stones with engraven on them the names of the tribes of Israel. On his shoulders also the same stones engraven there, close to his heart, bearing them on his shoulders. God's people are graven there. But here, He said, not on stones, but on the palms of his hands.

How could we forget something that was graven on the palms of our hands? The other day I was cutting a pyracanth hedge at our chapel. Whenever I cut it, it cuts me. And I think I got a needle and got out some six splinters out of my hands after I'd done that job. And you feel those when Paul speaks about the thorn in the flesh and their tiny little things, but you know you've got it there.

And if you've got it where you're actually working, where you're doing things, and there it is in the palm of your hand, you're not going to forget that, are you? Again, think of that when you think the Lord hath forsaken me. The arm of the Lord and the Lord, whatever he does, must surely remember his people. But I believe it points more than that.

It points to Calvary. It points to where the Lord was nailed to the cross. Our sins that nail him there. It doesn't specifically say in Scripture, but those two on the way to Emmaus who did not know the stranger that was walking with them. But heart burned within him when he talked with them by the way, opened up in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Was it this passage? Many, many passages he could have brought before them. But he has made known unto them in the breaking of bread.

They couldn't have mistaken the palms of his hands. They would have seen it. but he vanished from their sight. And of course later when they travelled back to Jerusalem, not even then, and the day is far spent, they could get back those seven miles pretty quick. It must have taken a couple of hours of fast walking to do it.

But there they appear with the disciples, the Lord hath risen indeed and hath appeared. When the Lord appears they're frightened at first, but then he shows them his hands. Ye hold my hands, handle me, and see. And the Lord says this with his people as a reason why he hasn't and why he can't forget them is because he's graven them on the palms of his hands.

May we always remember every one of God's people from beginning of time to end, all of those that are waiting on him, seeking on him, He suffered and bled at Calvary for them. There is no beginning, no quickening, no born again without Christ dying for that soul. He which hath begun a good work in you. And it begins with the soul embracing these promises, looking at them, valuing them, wanting them, earnestly coveting the best gifts, desiring those blessings that maybe for years and years were never desired and never sought for and never promised. How many of you are like that? Many years you've never desired the blessings or coveted the things of God, but now you do. Who has made the difference? You might put it this way as well.

As the Lord looked on and waited while you spent the years of your youth, 19, 20 years or so, careless and indifferent of Him, as was the case with me. And then are we going to get fretful when the Lord doesn't hear our prayers for a year or two? The Lord will say, you had nothing of me for 19 years. What if you were to wait a little while and then I'll bless you?

And it really proves it, doesn't it? You haven't got a secret somewhere else to go or some other helm at all to go. That's the second powerful illustration. The third one is thy walls are continually before me. The walls of Zion. What are the walls of Zion? I've often think of Zion as a city, and that it is compact together. A wall, you know, is to secure, to stop the enemy from coming into the city.

But they aren't such as stop God's people coming in. And I thought what an amazing thing that is. There's the Church of God in the world, and the world is attacking it, it hates the Church of God, it would try to destroy it. But in the world, in their unregeneracy, are the Lord's people. And they are able to get in. They can. What a wonderful provision the Lord has done. And what are those world walls?

Some of them are the eternal love of God. I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. I was walled around with love, with the covenant of God, that which David says, though my house be not so with God, yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure.

The truth is as a wall around the people of God. The Lord's truth shall stand. The enemies cannot fight, cannot go against that. The scriptures, the word of God, is as a wall around the people of God. Heaven and earth shall pass away. My word shall not pass away.

Bound by his word, he will display a strength proportioned to our day. The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that cleanseth from all sin, that is as a wall around the people of God of redemption, salvation's wall, all that belongs to salvation, the redeeming love and blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And this is why the Lord cannot forget his people because he's ordered all of these things for their salvation. He's appointed all of these things. And Lord gives then these illustrations to this one that feels the Lord hath forgotten them. Shall the Lord do part of a plan?

Shall we go past a building site and we see a foundation laid and we go past the next day and the next day and there's no workers there and the concrete's there and we say, the builder's forgotten it. He's forsaken it. He's gone somewhere else. He's just waiting for the concrete to set and harden. He'll be back and he'll build on it.

We know that in a natural way. And the Lord It does the same. I often think with Samson. The Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan. Very often with the people of God. At times. Here a little and there a little. Sometimes feeling a real exercise and burden and prayer and other times so cold and hard and dry and far off you wonder whether the work's begun at all. And then the Lord has suddenly revived it. and that fresh, aching void, and striving after the Lord.

They that have no changes fear not God. Thou alone hast wrought all our works in us. The hymn writer says, my heart will move at thy command. Blessed thing to feel that, when the word of the Lord moves the hearts of the people of God. When the Lord gives this answer to Zion, he is not silent to her complaints. Be encouraged to bring your complaints to the Lord. Lay it before the Lord.

You know, he's so long-suffering, so forbearing. The times that I've proved him, sometimes I've been ashamed at how angry I've got with the Lord. I've argued with him. I blamed him and he's just stopped with a simple, quiet word. He's stilled it all, softened my heart, made me feel utter ashamed of what I've been saying to him.

There's one privilege of the children of God. It's like you children. You can go to your parents. You can tell them your fears. You can tell them when you're angry with them and that you feel that they've done unjustly and done things wrong with you. They may be explained why they've done it and what is wrong, but the privilege of a child, you can go.

And the Lord will keep alive the prayers of his people. Better to come before the Lord with really what we feel, what we're going through, than just what we think the Lord will want to hear. Tell him the truth of the matter. Lay it before him. Like here, the Lord had an answer. He wasn't silent to his people. He did answer them.

May we be encouraged. May we help to wait upon the Lord. May we be thankful where he has given us to see some blessings, some hope, some comfort in the Word of God. Or where our case is described in the Word of God and we feel we can just creep in there. And we found him there with the people of God.

Bless the Lord for every blessing. One said once when he had no food or food was taken from him, he blessed God he still got an appetite. May we bless the Lord for an appetite, for a love to him, and that we're still waiting, desiring, longing that the Lord would come Give Him no rest, till He come, until He bless your soul. May the Lord add His blessing. Amen.

Zion's complaint and the Lord's answer

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Zion's complaint and the Lord's answer

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About Rowland Wheatley

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