“For the day of the Lord of hosts

Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,

Upon everything lifted up—

And it shall be brought low—” vs12

The Lord will humble all of us! No flesh shall glory in His presence. Salvation is by the strength of God, not man, and we’ll add nothing to it. He’ll do it for Jesus’ sake, or not at all. It will be a work of His sovereign power.

Let us rest and cease from striving. It is false fire and human zeal, if it comes not from the Spirit.

“Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up,

And upon all the oaks of Bashan;” vs13

It doesn’t matter how strong we are, or how much zeal we think we have. Salvation is God’s work through the Spirit. He is the initiator. He performs all the work. He works in us both to will and to do, so that no glory goes to man.

We strive in vain to add something to Jesus Christ. We must walk by faith. We glorify Him by believing that He is able.

“Upon all the high mountains,

And upon all the hills that are lifted up;

Upon every high tower,

And upon every fortified wall;” vs14-15

The strongest among us is nothing. Human willpower may get a professional sports contract or excel in religion, but it can do nothing in the kingdom of God! First, it must be unlocked, and then moved upon by the Spirit continually. Head knowledge is not enough: Unless the heart is touched by Christ, it is not God’s power, and the fruit is restlessness instead of love; it is the fleshly raven instead of the dove of the Spirit.

“The loftiness of man shall be bowed down,

And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low;

The Lord alone will be exalted in that day,” vs17

In the gospel, the Lord alone is exalted, and that’s why, “Salvation is of the Lord.” From start to finish - in regeneration and election - salvation begins with God. We overcome by the Spirit and not by human strength. We persevere by grace and never by will power. We need our wills acted upon constantly, and the deceitfulness of the flesh is strong. We are prone to wander back to the folly of trusting ourselves.