Strengthen the weak hands,

and make firm the feeble knees.

Say to those who have an anxious heart,

“Be strong; fear not!

Behold, your God

will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God.

He will come and save you.” vs3-4

What’s judgement for others is a blessing to us. He shall judge the wicked, and the elect shall praise Him in Paradise [Rev 19:1-3]. He comes to cast man down for his pride, but He lifts up the humble. The same God that defeats sin and sinners is the same One that saves us from it.

Hearken unto Him, O you people. Put your faith in Christ, when all is lost.

I learned about the total depravity of man, when a preacher revealed that my righteousness was filthy rags. “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Yes, I had preached those words many times, but I didn’t know that confessing myself a sinner was not good enough! It’s like a criminal pleading guilty: it doesn’t mean the judge will forgive him. Justice must be paid, and my confession of sin is sin-filled, so I cannot pay my way out, nor contribute. There is nothing that I can do to make myself righteous.

This caused me, through the preaching, to look outside of myself and see Christ. He is the Surety of the Covenant, the One that God made responsible to save His people. “By so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant [Heb 7:22].” He guaranteed our salvation before time began, and the burden was His. He must come and save helpless sinners… lost sheep… who can do nothing. We are under bondage to Satan. Therefore, He left heaven and came to die. God’s requirement was His blood, which is the ransom price or the payment for what we have done! Our sins were laid upon Him, and He was punished. Then, God raised Him from the dead, because He is righteous: He bears our sin no more. Therefore, God must highly exalt Him, because He’s the Man that honored God. “So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, ‘This shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor [Esther 6:11].’” The resurrection proves that all who believe on Him are saved. These are the elect.

I said, “I believe,” and then I knew that I was elected. The man with no righteousness and under a curse, is now blessed by God with the eternal inheritance. We have everything. Thus, the same gospel that rebukes the proud lifts up the humble. The same gospel that pronounces doom on the unbeliever swears unlimited blessings to the believer [Eph 1:3]. The same God who comes to destroy also comes to save us.

How will you have it, and which will you choose? Will you be angry with God for His gospel, determined to promote yourself, and oh so foolish… or will you repent and believe?