Series: Isaiah
Title: Thine Eye Shall See the King
Text: Isaiah 33: 17-24
Date: November 28, 2010
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Who among us shall dwell with the Fire that devours? Verse 15 is good description of God-given faith in Christ and repentance from ourselves.
Isaiah 33: 15: He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly is through faith, seeing and believing Christ my Righteousness. I walk righteously only when I trust Christ my Righteousness, when I look to Christ the Righteous and follow Christ the Righteous. I speak uprightly when I speak only of Christ.
Repentance is worked in us when He that despiseth the gain of oppressions--filthy lucre is gain gotten any other way than CHRIST THE WAY! We are given repentance when we shaketh his hands (wash our hands) from holding of bribes--we can no longer can be bought by men once we have the Gift of God--eternal life, this life is in his Son. When we stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, shutteth his eyes from seeing evil--(the well laid plans of mice and men) faith shuts our ears to man's schemes and opens our ear to hear Christ speak his Word in our hearts; faith shuts our eyes to seeing the evil of man's schemes and opens our eyes to behold Christ in his glory, doing as he will.
Isaiah 33: 16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence [shall be] the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters [shall be] sure.
When by faith Christ is All in us this land ceases to be our dwelling and we dwell where our Lord dwells (v5). We may be removed from our stone walls of defense and have only a few rocks--but our place of defence is better--Christ the Rock. We may have but a little earthly bread, little water--but having Christ our Bread, Living Waters--we are sure bread and water shall be given us!
There were two kings in Judah during Isaiah's ministry which we are considering today--king Ahaz and king Hezekiah. To each king the Lord sent this word through Isaiah.
At the same time the Lord sent trial upon trial in Israel yet they tried to save themselves:
Isaiah 9: 9: [They] say in the pride and stoutness of heart, 10: The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.
King Ahaz had responsibility to believe God but he had no ability to turn himself. Instead, he oppressed, made confederacies, gave bribes and was bribed. Shed much blood and did much evil. He had no one to blame but Ahaz.
King Hezekiah had the same responsibility to believe God but we find Hezekiah foolishly did some of the same things his father Ahaz did.
Each time these two kings tried to save themselves from the advesary, the Lord sent stronger adversaries against them. The trials kept coming. Why?
Isaiah 9: 13: For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.
The Word of the LORD came to both through the means God chose to deliver it--an earthen vessel. We saw God's word to Ahaz:
Isaiah 7:7: Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass….8: If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established….10: Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.
He saw a man telling him this. He saw two great kings coming up against him. So he refused the "waters of Shiloah that go softly"--the Word of the LORD--and rejoiced in those two kings.
The same Word of the LORD came the same way to Hezekiah:
Isaiah 22: 8: And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest. 9: Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. 10: And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. 11: Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.
But then Hezekiah hit his face and believed God. Why? Who gets the glory?
Proposition: How will I be made to believe on God and turn from self and the way of man? That is the question the Spirit of God answers in our text.
Divisions: 1) made to see the king 2) made to be sore afraid 3) peace given.
Here is how it all begins:
Isaiah 33:10: Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself…v13: Hear, ye [that are] far off, what I have done; and, ye [that are] near, acknowledge my might….
I. FIRST, THE LORD GOD MAKES HIS CHILD OF MERCY TO SEE CHRIST THE KING IN HIS BEAUTY.
Isaiah 33: 17: Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.
A. The King in his beauty! Isaiah 6: 1-5
1. Holy, holy, holy
2. The LORD of hosts
3. The whole earth full of his glory
B. He saw a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Isaiah 33: 17:…they shall behold the land that is very far off…20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, {heavenly Zion, our heavenly city, heavenly Jerusalem} a tabernacle [that] shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. 21 But there the glorious LORD [will be] unto us a place of broad rivers [and] streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. 22 For the LORD [is] our judge, the LORD [is] our lawgiver, the LORD [is] our king; he will save us.
II. SECOND, THE LORD GOD MAKES US MEDITATE TERROR.
Isaiah 33: 18: Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where [is] the scribe? where [is] the receiver? where [is] he that counted the towers? 19: Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, [that thou canst] not understand.
A. We each have a title, an office, into which the Lord has placed us in this life and responsibilities. So did Hezekiah, but he thought:
1. He was king, till he saw THE KING in his Beauty
2. His men were princes--scribes, conselors--till he beheld THE SCRIBE, THE COUNSELOR, THE POWER AND WISDOM OF GOD
3. Saw fierce people;--thought he had to be more fierce to win the battle--then he saw the Christ THE CAPTAIN OF OUR SALVATION.
4. Heard stammering tongues--thought he had to match wits with them--then he heard THE WORD, THE VOICE--SALVATION IS OF THE LORD!
5. Hezekiah thought he was the broad river and the galley with oars, the gallant ship--then he saw the glorious LORD,-- place of broad rivers [and] streams;
6. Then Hezekiah beheld this about himself:
Isaiah 33: 23: Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail:
B. The LORD said all along he would wait to reveal this:
Isa 30:7--strength to sit still
Isa 30: 15--returning and rest shall be strength
Isa 30: 17--last part--till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a high hill--a mast.
C. Hezekiah hit his face, meditating terror--"I have thought I am something I am not--how will I ever be forgiven!" Isaiah thought he was a prophet, till he saw CHRIST THE PROPHET, PRIEST AND KING. Isaiah hit his face saying the same thing--"Woe is ME! I am undone!"
Application:
Hebrews 12:11: Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
III. THE LORD GOD GIVES HIS PEACE.
A. As Hezekiah lay on his face mourning over his pride and rebellion:
He was saying, "My heart, my eyes, my ears, from the top of the head to the sole of my foot-is SICK--all I am is sin and all I have done is sinned against thee and thee only, LORD!"
Remember Peter--mount of transfiguration--sore afraid. The Lord came, and touched him and said, "Fear not!" He looked up and saw no man--save Jesus Christ the GodMan.
CHRIST JESUS OUR PEACE, FILLS OUR EYES AND EARS AND HEART-- PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, PEACE THAT NEVER CHANGES--THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER--our PEACE IS CHRIST!
· Our Prophet, Priest and King
· Our Power, Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption
· Our Health, Our Ears, our Eyes, our Heart--WE SEE HIM PERFECTLY WHOLE!
· Then he makes us to know that in him, what we mourn that we are not, we are:
Isaiah 33:24: And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.
He says, this is the covenant I have made with you, your sins and iniquities I remember no more! There is no more offering for sin.
Isaiah said,
Isaiah 6: 6: Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, [which] he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7: And he laid [it] upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged
Isaiah 33: 23:…then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.
Then the spoils Christ has purchased by his own blood are given to the contrite sinner freely by Christ. Then this lame--utter weakling--takes the prey--We are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
This is how through the Word of the Gospel, the Lord makes his child to know God {hath} chosen…things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence (1 Corinthians 1: 28-29).
Application:
Ahaz rejected the Word of the LORD because all Ahaz saw/heard was Isaiah on one hand and a great troop of men on the other.
He refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly--the Word within the Word preached to him--and gave power and glory to men. Hearing he heard and seeing he saw but not CHRIST THE KING in his Beauty.
The result was no stability in Ahaz--his house was in total disarray: children ruling mothers, wives commanding husbands, people telling the prophets--"preach smooth things to us". Princes telling the king what to do. All regarding Christ and his prophet as worthless. They all learned it from Ahaz.
We all have offices into which God has placed us, but our houses will be in disarray till we behold the King in his beauty!
· God makes us fathers/children by making us to know he is the Father we the children.
· He makes husbands/wives by making us to know Christ is the Husband, we the bride.
· He makes employers/employees by making us to know Christ is the Master, we the willing-bondservants
· He makes us stewards of riches by making us to know Christ is the Steward and Bishop of our souls, the hidden Treasure, the Head of his house the church and we are empty vessels--that the power may be of God and not of us.
When the LORD sent the same word to Hezekiah, and the Spirit worked effectually in Hezekiah to behold the King in his beauty.
· Hezekiah came down off his throne.
· He covered himself in sackcloth and ashes and his princes, too
· He gave heed to Isaiah through whom God gave him the word God had declared all along
· Hezekiah laid down before the Lord and prayed this:
Isaiah 37:20: Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou [art] the LORD, [even] thou only.
As we saw in verse 16 the effect was Peace:
· Though the land was wasted, he dwelt on high with his King, looking to the land whose builder and maker is God.
· Though the walls were broken down his munitions of rocks was Christ the Rock
· Though his bread and water was little at times-Christ was His Living Bread and Living Waters--he always had enough bread and water.
· By Christ his Surety, and in this work of grace in Hezekiah, it is how it can be said of Hezekiah "There was never a king like him before or after."
· The picture in our text is of the glory that shall be--but faith beholds it is the glory that now is!
Is 30: 18-26
Illustration: Furniture in my Father's House
Amen!