Written by Paul BeckwithPosted in WODsFebruary 16, 2008
From the heart of the pastor:
“He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no one to intercede; then His own arm brought salvation to Him; and His righteousness upheld Him. And He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle” (Isa. 59:16f.).
God sees courage and cowardice (II Chron. 16:9). Courage embraces His divine love while cowardice spurns celestial love. No one can afford to scorn God’s love. This is particularly true of nations.
God looked down upon the people of the Hebrews and “saw there was no man, and was astonished that there was no one to intercede.” He saw no Phinehas to bar fornication (Nu. 25:7f.), no Nehemiah to build up the wall, and no Aaron to make atonement for the people (Nu. 16:47). God is appalled when He searches a nation for a man who will build up the wall and stand in the gap before Him for the land that He would not destroy it, and yet finds no one (Eze. 22:30).
No man can bring salvation and no man possesses saving righteousness. Therefore, “His own arm brought salvation to Him; and His righteousness upheld Him.” God intervenes. Even as David would not depend upon King Saul’s sword or bronze helmet, God wars against sin without sword or bow. His armament is “His righteousness.”
YAHWEH girds Himself for battle with Himself. One’s clothing alerts others to His character, commitment and enduement for the task. Nothing external to God’s holy splendor is worthy of the Divine Warrior’s raiment. God’s war garment is His own “unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen” (I Ti. 6:16).
“He put on righteousness like a breastplate.” Since the nation had rejected God’s righteousness as made manifest in His Law, His first champion was the very righteousness the people denied. He donned His “helmet of salvation” that destroys death and takes away its sting. He also “wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.”
Perhaps the insights of your Puritan brethren will assist you in capturing God perspective on “zeal:”
- “It is weakness to be hot in a cold matter, but worse to be cold in a hot matter.” John Trapp
- “He hath got but a little of Christ that fears to get too much.” Thomas Taylor
Heavenly fire perfects the sacrifices of Christians. Holy fire consumes the believer’s offering, for if it does not then the offering is unacceptable to God. Therefore, true Christians are wrapped/clothed in holy zeal. Holy zeal is the wardrobe of the evangelical and he can only be identified by this heavenly clothing.
Zeal preserves Christians from becoming Laodicean. Worldly propriety/acceptability can chill celestial zealousness. Those claiming Christ and yet possess no zeal soon discover that the unzealous grow cold and lawlessness invades their lives. Lack of enthusiasm and excitement for Christ encumbers Christianity and results in the loss of a pure Christian witness in many lands.
Lovers of Christ burn for Christ (Jer. 20:9). Evangelism nourishes zeal. If you are an evangelical, you enjoy God allowing you to host an eternal eye searching for eternal life and the reward of everlasting joy.
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Ro. 13:14).
SOLI DEO GLORIA!
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