Isaiah 42:10-13
10
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.
11
Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the habitants of Sela sing for joy,
let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12
Let them give glory to the Lord,
and declare his praise in the coastlands.
13
The Lord goes out like a mighty man,
like a man of war he stirs up his zeal;
he cries out, he shouts aloud,
he shows himself mighty against his foes.
The prophet Isaiah calls the whole world to join him in worshiping God for Jesus Christ. The greatest work of grace is when unbelief falls away and our hearts melt into gladness in God. He wants
everyone
to be released into true faith and worship. This is why Christian churches have public, not private, worship services. We welcome the whole world. But we aren’t the ones extending the invitation; God is. He has opened the door to idolaters from all cultures, so they can experience something new, worthy of praise in “a new song.” This is also why we invite others, including non-believers, to worship with us – to hear the Word of the Lord, to have the Holy Spirit working in their hearts, and to experience true worship. This is a great way to reach many in 2020 for Jesus. Invite people to worship the one true God.
Isaiah tells us in verses 10 and 11 that God wants to include diverse peoples for His glory (cf. Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). Idols divide. That’s why the world is a place of anger and hostility today. Whenever you see people divided, it’s because they’re worshiping their vicious idols. But true worship unites people. There is nothing greater for us than to glorify and enjoy God together. Right now the church is singing this eternally new song, and we’re calling the nations to join with us. In heaven we’ll sing forever over the victory of God, and it will never get old (v.11; see also Revelation 5:9;14:3).
God is determined to put a new song in our hearts. Look how strongly He feels about it. He pursues His goal with the intensity of a soldier psyching himself up for battle (v.13). When a sinner steps over the line from the idolatry of “God-plus-whatever” to the true worship of the triune God, God has fought a battle and won. What does this teach us – God like a soldier going into battle? We learn that God’s grace is more than a lenient niceness. The grace of God is His resolve that will settle for nothing less than our eternal joy in Him alone, no matter what the cost to Himself. He’s willing to fight for our salvation. He’s willing to suffer for it. Indeed, He would even die on a cross for it!
Written by Pastor Dana Allen Brones
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Jacksonville Beach, FL
