“Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me” (Isaiah 27:4,5).
TEXT — Isaiah 27:1-13
Message
Exactly one century, one decade, and a year ago, World War I broke out between the Allied forces and the Central Powers coalition on July 28, 1914. What started as a regional diplomatic altercation had snowballed into a global conflict that involved Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific, and Africa. By the time the war ended in November 1918, over 8 million civilians and 9 million soldiers had been killed. A whopping 23 million others were wounded in what turned out to be one of the deadliest wars in history. World War I ended after the Central Powers coalition embraced the truce offered by the Allies.
The passage for today’s meditation hints at another conflict between man and God. It pictures God as a warrior with a strong sword ready to punish the Leviathan, the crooked serpent, or the dragon in the sea. Leviathan here is evil personified. It denotes Satan, who instigated man to rebel against God. The briers and thorns represent men in their doomed alliance with Satan and enmity with God. But the prophet Isaiah predicts a time when Satan’s influence on earth will be destroyed, and people can embrace God’s offer of the armistice.
To pass this message of hope and emancipation to all, God points to Israel’s transformation from being a useless vine to a fruitful vine (Isaiah 5:1-7; 27:2-6). This illustrates the change that happens when people yield themselves wholly to God. Fruitless lives are transformed through God’s grace as He purges all our iniquity because of what Jesus Christ has done for us at Calvary.
Cheer up! God says He is not furious with you but offers peace, protection, nourishment, and expansive fruitfulness. If you have drifted away from God, all you need do is change your mind and return to Him. Embrace His offer of peace and prepare to be gathered unto Him when the trumpet sounds at the rapture.
Thought for the day
Be wise and make peace with God; you cannot win a battle against Him.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
