The Great Escape
Today’s Verse:
In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. ~Isaiah 4:2
An escape is when someone has avoided capture, confinement, danger, or peril. The setting for Isaiah 4 is after the Great Tribulation and the Millennial period. This time frame is referred to in the Bible as the Day of the Lord. Centermost is the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ will be preeminent in every life. This means He will have first place and will be center stage. There is a beautiful application found in Isaiah 4 that speaks to us about what Jesus is to every believer after we’re saved. Our salvation is our great escape!
We see the Rod.
Today's verse speaks of Jesus, our King. He is the Rod out of the stem of Jesse and the Branch that grows out of his roots. There are seven spirit identifiers about Him: the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, and the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. He is the Lord our righteousness: “With righteousness shall he judge the poor.... Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.” He is the perpetual, reigning Monarch on earth: He is King of kings and Lord of lords! He is our King!
We see the removal.
“When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.” John said, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Jesus loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. Paul said, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Only the precious blood of Jesus can take away our sins. We have been washed, justified, and sanctified through Jesus.
We see the written.
“And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem.” Everyone who is saved is found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Our names are forever written in this eternal record. "Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Those not found written in this book have had their names blotted out. Their lack of repentance and rejection of Jesus' death and resurrection for their sins blots them out of the Book of Life for eternity. Is your name written in the Book of Life?
We see the refuge.
“And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.” The Lord is cloud by day and fire by night to us. He is our defense from the attack of the enemy. He is the tabernacle of God and dwells with His people. His glory fellowships with us. He is our shadow from the heat. He is our strength and help in the heat of trials. He is our refuge and covert from the storms and rain that come into our life. We cannot avoid the storms and rain, but we always have Him as our refuge. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Our great escape is Jesus Himself! He is everything we need to satisfy and sustain us. The fruit of our relationship in Him is excellent and comely.
Have a glorious God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 1 Samuel 18-20