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| “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” |
| —Isaiah 46:3-4 |
One of the great joys of a little child comes when a mom or dad picks the little one up and carries him or her. Yes, children like the freedom to run wherever they want to run and do whatever they want to do. But, there always comes a time when a child becomes tired or needs the comfort of his or her parents. At such a time, to have mom or dad gather the little one into loving arms brings such comfort and joy to the child.
It is this kind of joy and comfort that God expresses through the Prophet Isaiah in the Scripture verses at the beginning of this blog post. The people of Israel have had free reign for quite some time. They have wandered far away from the protection of God’s perfect will for them. It is high time that they returned to God and sought the comfort that only He can give.
Look closely at what God promises Israel in this verse. He reminds them that He is the One who has brought them into being and sustained them all throughout their lives. He now extends to them the truth that He will bear them up, He will carry them and save them. No longer do they need to run about without His divine protection. His love will enfold them and keep them safe from all harm.
What God has promised to the nation of Israel, He has also promised to those whom He has called to Himself and redeemed through the precious blood of His one and only Son, Jesus. God has grafted us “Christ’s-ones” into the vine of Israel. We Gentiles have become one with God’s chosen people, the Jews. Just as God enfolds Israel, carries them, and saves them, so He will do the same for you and for me.
One of the reasons why we carefully study the “whole counsel of God” by meditating upon both the Old Testament and the New Testament stems from the fact that the whole of Scripture applies to us in our walk with God. While God has given a new covenant in the incarnation, sinless life, suffering, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, His promises to Israel apply to us today. And, there is much we can learn from observing how patiently, kindly, and lovingly God has dealt with His first-chosen people.
Let’s determine to seek to have God carry us and save us. And, let’s make certain we do so every moment of every day.
