12 “Listen to me, O Jacob,
and Israel, whom I called!
I am he; I am the first,
and I am the last.
13 My hand laid the foundation of the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I call to them,
they stand forth together.
14 “Assemble, all of you, and listen!
Who among them has declared these things?
The LORD loves him;
he shall perform his purpose on Babylon,
and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken and called him;
I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.
16 Draw near to me, hear this:
from the beginning I have not spoken in secret,
from the time it came to be I have been there.”
And now the LORD God has sent me, and his Spirit.
17 Thus says the LORD,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you to profit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18 Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;
19 your offspring would have been like the sand,
and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off
or destroyed from before me.”
20 Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea,
declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it,
send it out to the end of the earth;
say, “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow for them from the rock;
he split the rock and the water gushed out.
22 “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”
Many people today would like to take out the first part verse 18. Most of us have no problem with the conclusion, "There is no peace, for the wicked." Our problem comes when the LORD reminds us who the wicked really are. "Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments!" Most of us like to think of all those others out there who do not pay attention to us. They do not listen to our words of advice. And we conclude that is why everything is going wrong in their life.
But if you have all the advice, why isn't your life any better? Do you see peace like a river in your life? Does righteousness spread over you like waves on the sea continuing to roll in? How about your name getting cut off or the number of your descendants? There are many that have a large number of descendants, and yet their name is still cut off because few are ligitament heirs through marriage.
It is not our advice, or our strength that will bring peace. It is not our strength or courage, or technology that will make this land a better place. It is following the Word of God. He has called you to be his special people and given you his great command. But he has also provided you with his redemption. "the LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!" It is not us, but God who has redeemed his people. Therefore, we listen to his commands, and he provides peace like a river. He provided redemption for Israel from Egypt and from Babylon, and even through the blood of Christ from sin and the Devil.
There is no peace for the wicked. But for you who are wicked, turn to LORD our Redeemer and you will be saved. The Peace of God comes to you in Christ crucified and raised for you.
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