| << Isa 34 | ||
| << Psa 45 | ||
| << Psa 79 | ||
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| This is the New King James text of the passages. |
Isaiah 35; Psalm 46; Psalm 80
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The millennium - a great period of restoration (Isaiah 35)
1 The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
2 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
The excellency of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
And make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
7 The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water;
In the habitation of jackals, where each lay,
There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 A highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.
But the redeemed shall walk there,
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
This chapter looks to the future millennium and describes the conditions in Palestine during this period. In short, the land will abound with fertility, the road to Jerusalem will be a route of safety and Worship Central will be Jerusalem.
Let's look more closely at the conditions outlined in chapter 35 which specifically speak of the Messianic rule:
It should be pointed out that the yet-future millennium will not be occupied by only saved people. This prophetic period will start out with only redeemed people following the destruction of the wicked of the earth just prior to that period. However, those born during the one thousand-year reign will not be forced into a personal relationship with the Messiah, Jesus Christ. During the millennium, a literal, danger-free route will be provided the inhabitants of the land to Jerusalem ("Zion") where the Messiah himself rules.
God is our refuge and strength (Psalm 46)
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth.
1 ¶ God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.
Selah
4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah
This Psalm does not give us the identity of the author. Notice Easton's definition for Alamoth which is found in the subtitle of this Psalm:
Alamoth: virgins, a musical term (I Chronicles 15:20), denoting that the psalm which bears this inscription (Psalm 46) was to be sung by soprano or female voices.
This Psalm has nothing in it to give it an absolute time frame. However, the thrust of the Psalmist is God's assurance that the "City of God" (Jerusalem) will be safe from all enemies. Therefore, it is quite likely that this Psalm may have been written in the midst of Assyrian armies on every side, as was the case in King Hezekiah's day around 701 B.C.
Martin Luther drew from this Psalm when he wrote "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."
It should be observed how compatible this Psalm is with the specifications of Isaiah 35 (see above). Notice verse 9 in this Psalm, "He makes wars cease to the end of the earth." When does that take place? The millennium...of course. The verse goes on to describe this period of unprecedented peace when it says, "He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire." In this Psalm, these conditions of peace exist after a cataclysmic event outlined here in verses 1-3, 6 and 8. We see the presence of God among his people in verses 4, 5, 7 and 11. It certainly would appear that this Psalmist, though perhaps facing imminent danger, wrote of a period when God would be in full control and would be present among his people.
Now, God, please deliver us (Psalm 80)
To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.” A Testimony of Asaph. A Psalm.
1 ¶ Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
2 Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength,
And come and save us!
3 Restore us, O God;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
4 O LORD God of hosts,
How long will You be angry
Against the prayer of Your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure.
6 You have made us a strife to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
You have cast out the nations, and planted it.
9 You prepared room for it,
And caused it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.
10 The hills were covered with its shadow,
And the mighty cedars with its boughs.
11 She sent out her boughs to the Sea,
And her branches to the River.
12 Why have You broken down her hedges,
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
13 The boar out of the woods uproots it,
And the wild beast of the field devours it.
14 Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine
15 And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,
And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we will not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
In the subtitle, we see "Set to the Lilies." This was probably the name of the melody to which the psalm was to be sung. While there is nothing here to give us a hard and fast situational context for this passage, you can certainly imagine it being written during the time Jerusalem was surrounded by the Assyrians. Asaph (mentioned in the subtitle) was David's music guy, but it appears that there may have been others later on in Israel's history with that name also.
By an unknown author, this Psalm was obviously written in the midst of an extreme struggle for all of Israel. The founding of Israel out of Egypt is seen here along with the threat of impending extinction. The Psalmist is beseeching God for deliverance of Israel in the face of an overwhelming enemy. These circumstances never really existed during David's lifetime, a period of expansion in Israel under his rule. It must, therefore, speak of the period in 701 B.C. when Sennacherib's army (the Assyrians) had Jerusalem surrounded (II Kings 18:13-19:37; II Chronicles 32:9-22; Isaiah 36-37, see notes). And...God did deliver them on this occasion.
