Today's encouragement comes from Isaiah 19:24 & 25, which finds the pro-phet writing these remarkable words:
"In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, 'Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inherit-ance.' "We should be very encouraged by the New Covenant's promises of the church's universality, and realized victory in Christ. For Isaiah to prophesy these almost-unbelievable words must have seemed extremely preposterous to his contemporaries. But, because of the coming of the "Rod from the stem of Jesse [Christ]," (Isa. 11:1 ff.)—the fulfillment of this prophecy was not only possible, but inevitable. (For a good NT explanation of the folding together of all the elect of all the nations into the one true church, see Eph. 2, esp. at vv. 11-13.)
Let us revel in the wonderful strength of our Savior Jesus; and thank God for His comprehensive rule of the entire world.
[Puritan quote of the day: "Which of these two is more fit to take place, God's justice or man's reason? . . . The plumb line of our reason is too short to fath-om the depth of God's justice.” —Thomas Watson, in, "A Body of Divinity"]
