To "rightly
divide the Word," one must place Isaiah 32 in its proper
setting. Which would be, I believe, in the "end times." The
"King" mentioned in its first verse must be the Lord Jesus!
"Behold,
a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in
judgment."
Surely so!
When this new King begins his reign, things change, for the better. Even
physical and mental health will be, it appears, supernaturally
improved. To this extent, "And
the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them
that hear shall hearken."
Poor eyesight will be improved and ears that once merely
"heard," will now "understand!" Isaiah 32:3
Plus, apparently those who once stuttered will be made to speak plainly.
"And
the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly."
This must be King Jesus!
Furthermore, "The
vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said
to be bountiful."
Which means that "fools" will no longer be called "heroes!" And
"scoundrels" will no longer be considered "generous" or
"praiseworthy!" Isaiah 32:5
I say, "Hasten the day, O Lord."
"Come, King Jesus!"
But these things all being so, they still are not the "heart" of my Text
for the next few days. We're going to study verse 2, the Lord
willing. It also must be about this coming King, about our Lord!
Let's read it now. "And
a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Character will dramatically improve when Jesus reigns on this
earth!
If the foregoing description applies to a human being, man or woman, all
I can say is "Wow!"
"And
a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
However, I submit to you that this man, if understood literally,
if applied fully, must be first and foremost our Lord
Jesus as well.
Who Else could live up to such a standard? Let me capitalize His nouns
and pronouns, out of respect and reverence.
"And
this Man shall be as an Hiding Place from the wind, and a Covert
from the tempest; as Rivers of Water in a dry place, as the
Shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Glory to God!
Remember Pilate's famed words? "Then
came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple
robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the Man!"
John 19:5
I want us to learn more about that Man, that Man of God, that Man from
God, that Man Who is God! Our Lord Jesus Christ!
Tell us once again, Isaiah. Describe the Coming King please, His
Character!
"And
this Man shall be as an Hiding Place from the wind, and a Covert
from the tempest; as Rivers of Water in a dry place, as the
Shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Tomorrow, Lord willing, we'll begin.
Oh yes, Jesus' favorite Name for Himself? "The Son of man," and
I'd like to say of Him today, "What a Man!"
Tomorrow we will look at the first word picture, called a simile,
pronounced "sem'-e-lee," accenting the first syllable as I've
indicated. What is that? The online "Free Dictionary" says: "A
figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are
compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as." A pretty
good definition!
Jesus as "a hiding place from the wind!"
I can hardly wait!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2,
A HIDING PLACE FROM THE WIND:
The Verse primarily refers to Jesus. This we established yesterday. No
one else could possibly be a perfect fulfillment of its
conditions!
"And
a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Isaiah 35:2
That first clause is amazing.
"A man shall be as an hiding place from the wind."
But what wind?
This is picturing a heat wave. With a blistering wind pushing it along. A
wind like this one in the book of Jonah 4:8,
"a vehement east wind!"
What's a person to do?
He or she must find cover!
Life itself depends on finding such a place of safety!
Here are a few more examples of this wind in Scripture. And its "first
mention" is most significant. The initial use of any word in the
Bible is most often a "hint" of its true meaning anyway.
"And
behold, seven thin ears of corn, blasted with the east
wind, sprung up after them."
Genesis 41:6, both "first use" and described as "blasting," this
fierce wind.
How dangerous can these winds be? "Lord,
Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind."
Psalm 48:7
Isaiah 27:8 even talks of a "rough wind,"
think of that!
And then Ezekiel 19:12 talks about the wind drying up a farmer's "fruit!"
The whole orchard is gone! This stuff it hot, and deadly!
This wind will dehydrate a person!
Cause a heat stroke!
Expose him to the elements!
Unless, and that's a big unless, he or she can find a "hiding place!"
And that's where our verse so beautifully applies!
"And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind."
Isaiah 32:2
The two words "hiding place" translate one Hebrew noun, "machabe."
It is only used twice in the whole Bible! That fact alone makes
it special. Its root idea is "secrecy," a place your enemy can't
find! A place of refuge! A place of safety!
Hiding in a man?
Paul dozens of times tells us Christians that we are "in
Christ." Or "in Christ Jesus!" I love Colossians 3:3. Watch
this! "For ye are dead, and your life
is hid with Christ in God." See it?
But "ruach," the word for "wind" adds more truth to the picture.
It is rendered as "wind" 92 of its 378 times in Scripture. But
it is translated "spirit" 232 more times!
Jesus is my Shelter from the winds of adversity and
danger and fear and loneliness and whatever else might seek my
harm!
But the Lord is a Shield from the spirit world too! The
fallen evil "devils" of hell. Demons, in other words! He is my
Protector from what Paul called the false "winds" of doctrine as
well! In Ephesians 4:4.
This is astounding!
So
when in doubt, nearly overcome by the breezes of iniquity, head
to Jesus!
David captures this thought beautifully in Psalm 18, its opening
verses! "The Lord is my rock,
and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom
I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and
my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy
to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies."
Yes!
"And a Man, Jesus we're saying, shall be as an Hiding Place from
the wind."
Isaiah 32:2, that's our Lord!
Didn't the Psalmist elsewhere call the Lord just that, a "hiding
place?" I think so. Psalm 32:7 is where!
"Lord, Thou art my hiding
place. Thou shalt preserve me from trouble. Thou shalt
compass me about with songs of deliverance." Now we know
our interpretation is right!
Jesus is our Place of Safety, from all life's winds of harm!
I'd like to mention Proverbs 18:10 here too.
"The name of the Lord is a
strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is
safe."
Amen!
"And The Man shall be as an hiding place from the wind."
Isaiah 32:2
Jesus Christ our Lord!
By the way, that means Jesus takes the "brunt" of the wind instead of me!
There is such a thing as wind erosion! It "hits" Him instead of
me!
He suffered in my stead!
I'm safe and secure while the hot winds blow outside the Fortress!
Killing everything in its path!
Oh this morning, as it storms outside right now, as I type these very
words, as the winds are blowing, I think of my Saviour!
My Hiding Place!
Psalm 61:3 perhaps best expresses it. There David is worshipping His God!
"For
Thou hast been a Shelter for me, and a Strong Tower from
the enemy."
He is my God too!
Are you "in" Him today?
Let the winds blow, if they must.
They're no "match" for our dear Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of man
and the 100% divine Son of God too!
"And The Man shall be as an hiding place from the wind."
Isaiah 32:2
Jesus, He is exactly what you need today!
Trust Him now.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3,
A COVERT FROM THE TEMPEST:
Today's
Lesson, I think, "tops" yesterdays. Not my writing mind you, but
the Verse we are studying. It's next clause.
Yesterday of the Lord we learned, "And
a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind."
And Jesus is that Man, no doubt!
Now for today, there's more about Him! "And
He's a covert from the tempest,"
also!
Our Lord protecting us from the "wind" was great. But now, things have
worsened! The "wind" has grown stronger and lightning has begun
to flash, with thunder rolling too.
We've got a storm on our hands!
"And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a
covert from the tempest."
The noun "tempest" is "zerem" in Hebrew. And it's actually
translated "storm" three times in the King James Bible. It's
from a verb spelled "zaram," meaning "to flood, to carry away as
in a flood, to pour forth!" Very dangerous!
Now not only the wind threatens us, but vast, roaring torrents
as well.
This reminds me of the violent storm Jonah faced! Or Paul the
Apostle on that ship bound for Rome.
And in that storm, Jesus is my Refuge!
"He's a covert from the tempest."
The noun "covert" is "sether," a "shelter, a covering, a protection!" It
is built upon the verbal root "sathar," meaning "to hide, to
conceal, to keep secret!"
When the storm is at its peak, I can rest securely in my Saviour's bosom!
What kind of storm?
A storm of worry or fear!
A storm of doubt!
A storm of temptation!
A storm of loneliness!
Any storm you can imagine!
Put the one you're facing today in this blank _____________.
He's your Covert too!
Think what this means!
While I am safe and secure in Him, Jesus is weathering the
terrible storm on my behalf! He is facing that thing for
me!
He is being beaten by the hail!
Being eroded by the blowing wind and rain and grit!
All for me!
All for you!
Oh, here's a Storm I'm recalling right now.
A sin Storm Jesus braved just for us!
Calvary,
the old rugged Cross!
Here is Jesus, via the prophetic eye of Isaiah, as he approaches that
Cross, that Storm! "The
Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither
turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks
to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame
and spitting. For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I
not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that
justifieth me; who will contend with me? Let us stand together:
who is mine adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold,
the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall
condemn me? Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth
shall eat them up."
Isaiah 50:5-9
Jesus is here challenging the devil!
"Therefore have I set My face like a flint, and I know that I
shall not be ashamed."
I am going to that Cross, no matter what. I am that determined!
"Who
will contend with Me?"
Devil, let's go at it!
"Let us stand together: who is Mine adversary?"
Bring it on, Satan! I am not afraid!
"Let him come near to Me."
Right now, my Hour is come!
"Behold, the Lord GOD will help Me,"
My
father will give me the Victory!
"Who is he that shall condemn me?"
They, all My enemies, will find no wrong in Me, not a bit!
"Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat
them up."
The Devil's days are numbered. He is wearing out, like last
year's clothes.
Jesus suffering the Storm of Calvary!
And he was Conqueror that Day too!
The Storm blew itself out! Six hours of hellish fury! Jesus took it all,
bare faced! He is my Covert! he is My hiding Place! He is my
Secret Place!
So now, we can rest in him!
Be secure in Him!
The fury of sin can never touch me now!
"He's a covert from the tempest."
Praise His Name forever!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4,
HE'S ALL I NEED:
The Verse has a
certain "cadence." That's probably not the best adjective to
use, a certain "rhythm."
"And
a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Isaiah 32:2
Let me show you what I mean.
But do keep in mind that this "man" is almost for sure the "Lord Jesus
Christ." In symbol, in Bible typology anyway. He is a "picture"
of our Saviour.
Can Jesus be all this?
"And
a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Be all these things?
Of course!
Now watch.
"And
a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind."
Here we have damaging wind.
"And
a covert from the tempest."
Now we have rain and thunder and lightning, along with even
stronger wind!
The foregoing two conditions are negative, deadly in some cases!
Now the Man is ...
"As rivers of water in a dry place." Our Lord as Water,
satisfying life-giving water!
"As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
The sun is hot, the weather dry, and one needs a Shade! Here
comes Jesus again!
The foregoing two pictures now are positive, life-saving in fact!
Let's synthesize them, combine them now.
What did the Jews need, the people to whom Isaiah is preaching?
Shelter from the wind!
Protection from the storm!
Water to drink!
And shade form the sun!
And this is so delightful, whatever they needed, Jesus was the Source!
The Supply! The Fountain from Which all these needs flowed!
And that's my point today.
What do you need today?
Comfort? Then He will be to you the God of "Comfort!" Paul writes in 2nd
Corinthians 1:3, "Blessed
be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort."
Get those last words!
Grace? Then read this, 1st Peter 5:10. "But
the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory
by Christ Jesus ... make you perfect, stablish, strengthen,
settle you."
The God of all Grace!
Love? This one is easy! "God is love."
1st John 4:16
Whatever legitimate need you may have, Jesus is that Gift!
Mercy? "For
the Lord thy God is a merciful God. He will not forsake
thee."
Deuteronomy 4:31
Strength? "And
when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to
Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God."
All strength, in Him, omnipotence!
Peace? "For
Christ Jesus is our peace, who hath made both one, and
hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us."
Ephesians 2:13
I submit that He is all! Christ is, as the chorus says, "all I need!"
"And
a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
And I know that Man!
Do you?
My Hiding Place!
My Covert!
My Water!
And my Shade of Refreshing!
What provision!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5,
RIVERS OF WATERS:
The
Lesson today already has me captivated!
The clause is talking about Jesus, ultimately. Of that I am sure! No one
else could even come close!
"As
rivers of water in a dry place."
That's Him all right, our Lord! Our clause is taken from Isaiah
32:2.
He as much as says so in John 4:13-14, talking to a lady who had come to
Jacob's well one day long ago. "Jesus
answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water
shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall
give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into
everlasting life."
Need I say any more, offer further proof?
Jesus is a River of water in a dry place!
Of course "rivers" here is plural, obviously. It's the Hebrew word "peleg,"
meaning anything from "a stream to a channel to a river." Lots
of latitude here. That's why the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 32:2
magnifies "peleg," making it plural, multiple rivers!
Jesus is my Mississippi, broad and vast and capable!
Jesus is my Colorado, to me adventuresome and exciting!
And Jesus is my Chattahoochee, our local river at home, cozy and inviting
and a good place to picnic, to enjoy a meal!
He is more than a single river, any way you view the simile. The figure
of speech, the word picture.
"As
rivers of water in a dry place."
Your River names for Him will vary! But the bottom line is always the
same, Jesus! He alone slakes our thirst, delivers us from heat
exhaustion, brings refreshment, and possesses such peace!
"Peace like a River," claims
Isaiah 48:18.
But let's go further today, Jesus as our "Rivers of water!"
I checked that exact term, that word string,
"rivers of water." I searched the whole Bible, too. Easy
to do in this day of the laptop and a good Bible software
program.
It occurs four times, one of which is obviously here, our Text.
The other three are significant!
I of course will apply them to our Lord.
Psalm 1:3, about the man or woman who meditates in God's Word, thus
forsaking all kinds of sinful associations.
"And
he shall be like a tree planted by the
rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper."
Jesus is just
that, my Rivers of water! I am planted by him, near him, in Him
really, ever more so as I love and ponder and mentally chew on
His precious Word! No wonder fruitfulness and faithfulness
follow!
Proverbs 21:1 comes now. Here is some awesome power, persuasive power,
one might say! "The
king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the
rivers of water,
He turneth it whithersoever He will."
Turning the very course of some huge river? It says God can do
that, apparently rather easily! And in like fashion, turning the
very heart of a Middle Eastern Dictator! So, Jesus as my Rivers
of water can "turn" the hearts of the folks I most love! For
example, save my lost relative! Change the mind of that
supervisor! "Turn the heart" of the President or some Supreme
Court Justice! Yes, Jesus is powerful enough, influential
enough, to do all those things, and more!
Last of all, Lamentations 3:48, which will of course be a sad verse.
"Mine
eye runneth down with
rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my
people."
Here the rivers of water picture tears, compassion, empathy,
genuine love really. And that's Jesus, all over again! He is
Compassion personified! "Jesus wept,"
still one of my favorite verses of them all. "Rivers of water,"
His tears for you and me. He is
"touched with the feeling of our infirmities," says
Hebrews 4:15.
Wow!
Jesus, my Rivers of water, my very Environment, the Air I breathe,
the Food I eat, the Life I live! That's Psalm 1, Bagwell style.
Jesus, my Rivers of water, the Power in Whom I trust to effect the
"changes" I need to see in my life. He can change anyone,
anywhere, anytime! He did Saul of Tarsus, remember? That's
Proverbs 21:1, again personalized.
And Jesus my Comforter, my Confidant, my Innermost Friend! He is so close
to me, He says, that He hurts when I hurt! He cries when I cry!
He is lonely when I am lonely! Lamentations 3:48, brought home!
And then to our Text again, Jesus My Thirst Quencher, My Refreshment, in
a dry and weary land! Our Isaiah 32:2 verse,
"And
He shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from
the tempest; as rivers of
water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a
weary land."
Wow!
The longer I love Him, the More He becomes!
And today He has really been magnified.
He is worthy!
"Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and
wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."
Revelation 5:12
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Tomorrow, Lord willing ...
Let's talk about the "dry place." I mean the Lord Jesus
"As
rivers of water in a dry place."
That dry place! It sounds terrible. Yet Jesus went there,
for you and me!
LESSON 6,
IN A DRY PLACE:
The
Lord is a virtual River of Water, to our parched lives!
That's what we discussed yesterday, with this line from Isaiah 32:2 being
our Text. "As
rivers of water in a dry place."
This is Jesus.
Today instead of looking at the "rivers" part, we're going to notice
those "dry places."
Have you even been in one, spiritually?
A dry place, I sure have.
One old mystical writer of years past called such a time "the dark night
of the soul."
For Israel in the future, their dry place will be known as "the time of
Jacob's trouble."
For Peter it was "a fiery trial."
For Paul a "thorn in the flesh."
For Isaiah "walking in the darkness," even though he was "right" with
God! You may need the reference for this one, Isaiah 50:10.
For Job, "loss of everything!"
Symbolically, "a dry place."
Isn't it refreshing to know that Jesus will be there? With us, in those
very dry places.
Listen to our Verse for the week, what Jesus is to us.
"And
a Man, Jesus, shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a
covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as
the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Isaiah 32:2 as interpreted by Brother Bagwell. I'm talking about
the New Testament Name for Jesus!
"Water in a dry place!"
Rivers of it!
Then look at this about these dry places. The spelling of the term, "tzsayin."
It's essentially the proper non "Zion!"
That's the name often used for the City of Jerusalem, especially the
Temple area. Jerusalem, now blossoming like a rose, was once dry
and barren and parched. But when God moved in, things changed!
In Zion!
God brought His "Rivers Of Water," Jesus His Son, to the dry place of
Jerusalem. There the darling Son of God died on the Cross! Died
in that supremely Dry Place! Remember Him, from Calvary, saying
"I thirst!" A dry place! Also this line from Psalm 22, the
crucifixion Psalm, "My
strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to
my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death."
Is that a dry place, or what?
The hot scorching Wrath of God, being poured out on His only Begotten,
dried to the Core, and why?
To bring us water!
To give us everlasting Water!
"Wells of Salvation,"
Isaiah called them. In Isaiah 12:3, to be exact, if you need the
reference.
This once dried-up old sinner now has an everlasting spring of water
bubbling up in his soul!
"Jesus
stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto
me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath
said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
John 7:37-38
Yes, this is Jesus. Isaiah is certainly describing our dear Lord.
"As
rivers of water in a dry place."
Bring your needs to Jesus!
Your water buckets too!
Reminds me of the old song, "Fill my cup, Lord!" My Wife used to sing
that a lot. The woman at the well that day needed water, and she
was not disappointed!
What "dry place" are you experiencing today?
Invite Jesus to come see you.
And get ready for what Ezekiel described here.
"And the Lord will cause the showers to come down in his season;
there shall be showers of blessings."
Ezekiel 34:26
Better yet, Rivers of Blessings!
Thank the Lord.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7,
A GREAT ROCK:
The
Lord is here called "a great rock!"
It's a metaphor, a word picture, but a pretty one!
Oh, the Text?
Isaiah 32:2, with the Son of God no doubt being the "man" in the verse.
"And
a Man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
This is a common motif for Jesus our Saviour.
The Rock!
Although Isaiah here uses this specific title, "a great rock," uniquely.
It's found nowhere else in all the Bible.
Now I do find the word "rock" itself 119 different times in Scripture,
predominantly in the Old Testament.
Here's its first occurrence! "Behold,
I will stand before thee there upon the
rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall
come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did
so in the sight of the elders of Israel."
Exodus 17:6, obviously a picture of Jesus as Saviour! The
smitten Rock, from Whom the water of salvation flows so
copiously!
And who can forget that classic clause in Song of Solomon 2:14?
"O my dove,
that art
in the clefts of the ROCK."
Hidden in Jesus, snuggled up into His innermost Being! Jesus,
the Rock!
And the Psalmists, how they love God our "Rock!" For example,
"The
Lord is my rock,
and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my Strength."
Amen to Psalm 18:2 here!
And even Paul likes this Rock symbol! Speaking of the Israelites under
the leadership of Moses, as they traveled through the
wilderness, headed toward the Promised Land,
"And
did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed them: and that ROCK was Christ."
Armed with 1st Corinthians 10:4 here, need I any further proof?
The ROCK is Jesus!
But Isaiah goes further. Jesus is here a "great" Rock!
"As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Let's study that adjective.
It's spelled "kabed" in Hebrew. And it means "great" in this sense,
"heavy, massive, abundant," and surprisingly, "hard."
If I need to flee to Jesus, if I need His Shade and Protection, if I am
in a weary land, as a ROCK my Lord will be "abundantly
sufficient" to meet my needs!
He's a big Rock!
A hard One too, never crumbling or shifting, even in such an
impossibly difficult environment, "a weary land."
But it's a third definition that interests me right now.
Our Rock is also "heavy!"
It's used that way 9 different times in the Bible, of its 38 total
appearances. That's nearly 24% of the time.
Jesus is heavy?
The adjective "kabed," used here, 9 times meaning "heavy," is related to
a critical Hebrew noun, "kabod." See the similarity?
Now let me tell you what "kabod" means. In fact, 402 times it means this,
"glory!"
Glory!
Yes, Isaiah is telling us that Jesus is a big Rock.
And a hard Rock.
And an abundant Rock.
But also ... a "glorious" Rock!
How can a rock be glorious?
How about diamonds?
Or the other precious Stones?
Think of their Glory!
A glorious Rock!
Yes!
And we've been describing, symbolically of course, our Jesus!
My Rock!
So Sufficient!
So Massive!
So Hard!
Yet so Broken! Pierced in places, from the cruel Cross of Calvary! Yet
these blessed crevices have become places where we can "hide"
and "feel secure" and "rest" in Him!
Wow!
And best of all ... our Rock is absolutely Glorious!
Beautiful!
One of a Kind!
Today let's praise Him!
Praise a Rock?
Watch.
"The
Lord liveth; blessed be my ROCK; and let the God of my
salvation be exalted."
Psalm 18:46
"O
come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to
the ROCK of our salvation."
Psalm 95:1
That great Rock and God's great Glory! Would you have ever linked the two
together? A rock and God's Glory?
Yet Psalm 62:7 does. "In
God is my salvation and my GLORY: the ROCK of my
strength, and my refuge, is in God."
Thank God today for your Rock!
Anyone remembering that old Hymn, "Rock of Ages" right now? I sure am. So
glad He's that "great!"
"And
Jesus shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Probably only one more Lesson remains in this Isaiah 32:2 Series, We just
must look at this "weary land." And why we so need a "shadow!"
Tomorrow, the Lord willing.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
lesson 8, in a weary
land:
"In a weary
land," just a line from a song?
No, it's a verse of Scripture, too. An essential part of one anyway.
"And
a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
We believe this man, certainly to the fullest extent of the
words, must be the Son of God.
One reason why we think so is the preceding verse, which sets sort of a
background for these word pictures. "Behold,
a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in
judgment."
Isaiah 32:1, where the King is Jesus, for sure!
King Jesus described figuratively as:
"The shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Ever been in a "weary land," spiritually I mean?
If you have, you needed a "Shade!" That's the literal meaning of
"shadow," in Hebrew "tzsel." That's a shade as protection
from the sun, from a sunstroke in a worst case situation.
Jesus is my Shade, my Protection, the One Who "hovers over" me,
another latent meaning of "tzsel" or its verbal relative "tzslal."
Do remember that the great Shekinah Glory Cloud in ancient Israel cast a
shade for those traveling multitudes, through the desert!
Numbers 10:34, "And
the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when
they went out of the camp."
And Numbers
14:14 also, "Thy
cloud standeth over them."
Yes!
Now that we know Who is hovering over us, the Lord Himself, let's further
investigate this "weary land."
"The shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
The whole term is "ayeph eretzs," weary land. But just the adjective
"ayeph" is critical to our discussion.
I traced it through the Old Testament. Here we go, in an abbreviated
fashion. Here are the situations where Jesus can be our Rock,
our Shade, our Protector, the One Who hovers over us!
Amazing!
Genesis 25:29-30. "And
Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was
faint. And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee,
with that same red pottage; for I am faint:
therefore was his name called Edom."
Esau sold his birthright when he was "faint," our word "weary"
or "ayeph." Do we make bad decisions when we're weary? If so,
get to Jesus! Don't stay weary! It's dangerous to continue that
way, faint and exasperated.
Deuteronomy 25:18. Look what the enemy Amalek did to the Jews as they
marched. "How
he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even
all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast
faint and weary; and he feared not God."
The weary ones got picked off by the devil, being the hindmost
in the crowd! A "weary land" makes for easy target practice, for
the devil! Let's stay real close to Jesus, our Rock and Shade
and Protector!
Judges 4:21, really too weary here! "Then
Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in
her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his
temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep
and weary. So he died."
Weary, off guard, nailed!
Second Samuel 21:15. Leaders can get weary or faint also. They need the
Shade, Jesus, as much as anyone. "Moreover
the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went
down, and his servants with him, and fought against the
Philistines: and David waxed faint."
By the way, the Philistine giants targeted David that day more
than ever, because he was so weak!
Second Samuel 17:29. Now look what the Lord provides in the wilderness,
the desert, for weary people! "And
honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and
for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said,
The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in
the wilderness."
Maybe these are the provisions awaiting us in the "Shade!"
Then, while skipping many other references, Jeremiah 31:25. Look what the
Lord does to those of us who are in "a weary land," who come to
the Rock, the Shade! "For
I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every
sorrowful soul."
To satiate is to give them all the water they want!
What I'm trying to say is this, "a weary land" is a potentially very
dangerous place!
When you end up there, start looking for Jesus! He's nearby very likely!
With His Stable-as-a-Rock Power and Love and Shade and Water!
What a Man! "And
a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Isaiah 32:2
Like Jesus used to say a lot, "Come and see!"
He is all this, Isaiah 32:2, and much more. Probably the half has never
yet been told!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 9,
THE CONTEXT:
Today
a short lesson in "context," the data surrounding our key
verse.
I will illustrate it with two different print sizes and colors.
1
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall
rule in judgment.
2
And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a
covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as
the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
3
And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of
them that hear shall hearken. 4 The heart also of the
rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the
stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. 5
The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl
said to be bountiful.
Isaiah 32:1-5
The blue type is the Text, the red the context.
Let's learn all we can about this Man of verse two.
He is a King, as in King Jesus! And He will have princes as attendants.
Again, verse one. "Behold,
a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in
judgment."
When He reigns certain things will happen. Weak, dim eyes will be made to
see, maybe even blind ones too! And ears that can physically
hear but still are dull, insensitive to the truth, will be made
attentive to the Lord's Word! Verse three. "And
the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them
that hear shall hearken."
Also slow minds, hearts, will be quickened so they can comprehend the
Truth. Even those with speech impediments will be healed as
well! Verse four.
"The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the
tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly."
And a vile, wicked man will no longer be considered a hero! And the
scoundrel will not be called noble or free!
Verse five. The vile person shall be no more called liberal,
nor the churl said to be bountiful.
Wow!
What changes!
Because a Man of this caliber rules the land:
"And the Man Jesus shall be as an hiding place from the wind,
and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry
place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
This leads me to the "key" sentence of the day. If a person is good in
his or her heart, then he will also be beneficial to all
those around him.
Then of course if this Person is the Lord of Glory, even miraculous
things will happen. In the city, to the people, to the whole
society!
Do you see what I mean?
Jesus impacts everything!
Quality of government!
Physical health!
Mental health!
Moral standards!
Even popular opinion!
Wow!
And here's the same truth, just on a smaller scale, applied to us
Christians. "Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Matthew 5:16, if my character is right, so will my conduct be
right too!
Yes!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON
10, CONCLUSION:
Today
we must complete our study of Isaiah 32:2. We've been here a
while! Focusing on Jesus, really. "And
a MAN shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a
covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as
the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Yes, I've been saying Jesus is that Man! To me, seems like no one else
could even come close. Plus, these same word pictures appear
elsewhere in Scripture portraying our great God!
But today I'd like to approach the Text from a slightly different point
of view. Since we all agree, we absolutely must with Scripture
being so conclusive, each believer will some day be made "like
Jesus!"
Here are two ways of seeing this fact.
The saints of God are designed "to
be conformed to the image of his Son,"
Romans 8:29, like Jesus!
Then 1st John 1:2 says: "We
know that, when Jesus shall appear, we shall be like Him;
for we shall see Him as He is."
"Conformed to his image!"
Even more plainly, "like Him!"
So here goes!
If this is Jesus ... "And
a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Then, to a lesser degree, this is us too! "And
a woman shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Have you even known a person who approximates this verse? Really, I think
I have!
A few.
Who have grown to be enough like their Saviour to begin to take on some
Jesus-like traits!
In fact, if it won't offend anyone, and it shouldn't, my Mom lived pretty
close to these high standards!
She protected me from many a storm.
I had a godly Aunt and Grandmother too. Oh, how they knew the Scriptures!
I went to them again and again seeking rivers of flowing water!
And my Dad was like that great rock in a weary land. Always faithful,
always stable, always godly!
And some of my Pastors through the years, too.
And while I am not very socially skilled at all, one or two friends God
has given me through the years have been such sources of
strength and comfort.
I thank God for them all.
Let's reverse things now.
Have I been any of these things to my friends?
To my family?
To those to whom I preach?
"And
an Evangelist, or Dad or Papa, shall be as an hiding place from
the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a
dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
How about you to those you love?
Well, it sets some very high targets, doesn't it?
Each of us, as
an hiding place from the wind!
Or
a covert from the tempest!
Even as rivers of water in a dry place!
And
as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land!
More like Jesus, let us be!
Isn't there a song that says that?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
I don't know how to go any further!
How to apply these things to our hearts.
But the Lord does.
"And
a person shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert
from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
Help us, Lord.
