God's Holy Fire: 'My Redeemer, My Spirit'

Isaiah 59:1-16 is one of the most crushingly sad sections in the entire Bible. God is frustrated and heartbroken because his people are in such blatant rebellion and have no one to lead them back to him. They have been crushed by their enemies, and they are without hope — spiritually and physically. So, God decides to act! He moves with fury and might against his people's enemies (Isaiah 59:17-19). Then he promises to send his Redeemer. From that moment on, God's Spirit and God's words will rest with his people forever. As was often the case, such prophecies had double fulfillments: One was in Old Testament times and another, in New Testament times. We have just seen the New Testament fulfillment in the gospel of Matthew: Jesus is this Redeemer, and the work of the Spirit brings the dawning of God's kingdom. While we live in difficult times for the followers of Jesus, we also live under the promise that God's Spirit will not depart from us and that the Spirit's presence assures us that God's words will not be taken from us!