The Aweful Grace of God (Isa. 41)
The text of Isaiah 41 begins with an invitation from Yahweh to the nations,
Coastlands, listen to Me in silence,
And let the peoples gain new power;
Let them come forward, then let them speak
Let us draw near together for judgment!
In the three following verses, the Lord asks them a question:
Who gives power to the conquerors of the earth?
Who has awakened one from the east
Whom He calls in righteousness to His feet?
He gives up nations before Him
And has dominion over kings.
…
Who has worked and done it,
Calling forth generations from the beginning? (2, 4)
Have you ever wondered, “Where do the powerful ones get their power from? Where is the beginning of might?”
I, Yahweh, am the first; and with the last, I am He. (4)
Power has a name, and His is Yahweh. To those who desire strength and vigor, Yahweh appeals Himself to them, as He has. The God of Israel extends His arm not only to the weary ones of Judah (40:28–31) but also to any willing hearts to the ends of the earth.
Let him (Yahweh’s enemy) rely on My strong defense,
Let him make peace with Me,
Let him make peace with Me. (27:5)
How then shall the nations respond?
The coastlands have seen and are afraid;
The ends of the earth tremble;
They have drawn near and have come. (41:5)
Magnificent! The ends of the earth chose to draw near and came, just as the invitation from verse 1 tells them to!?
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Each one helps his neighbor
And says to his brother,
“Be strong!”
So the craftsman strengthens the smelter,
And he who smooths metal with the hammer
Does so to him who beats the anvil,
Saying of the soldering,
“It is good”;
And he strengthens it with nails,
So that it will not be shaken. (6–7)
The nations’ response is to come and draw near, not to Yahweh, but to one another. This is the age-old picture of Genesis. The Lord bids Cain to wander the earth, and promises to protect him. Cain responded by settling his life in one place, by building a city, and naming it after his own son. The nations followed the path of Cain in Genesis 11. God commanded the family of Noah to roam the earth, to be fruitful and to multiply over the face of the land. The nations responded by building a tower which was intended to reach the gate of God, and seeking to make a name for themselves.
Here in Isaiah, the Holy One of Israel welcomed them to draw near and rely on His strength. The coastlands came together, and solidify their own strength from one another. What shall He do for the honor of His name?
As in the days of Genesis, God humbles those who want to make a name for themselves and raises up a lowly one to make his name great, so that the nations may be blessed through him (Gen. 12:1–3).
But you, Israel, My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
Seed of Abraham My friend,
You whom I have strongly taken hold of
From the ends of the earth,
And called from its remotest parts
And said to you,
“You are My servant,
I have chosen you and not rejected you.
Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will make you mighty,
Surely I will help you;
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (8–10)
Notice that Israel/Abraham is not special in that they chose God unlike the nations, but that God chose them. The surety of their strength comes from the sure help and might of Yahweh. Because it was He who began the good work in them, He is also the one who continues it and will complete it. This is the comfort that overcomes all anxieties.
The doctrine of election should humble us. It strips us of all self-righteousness, and fixes our gaze upon the awesome grace of God. It takes away our fears, because it reminds us that the God who chooses is the God who helps, and the God who upholds.
Isaac Watts remarks some inspiring thoughts on the reality of being among the elect in his hymn How Sweet And Aweful (1707). You may listen to Sovereign Grace’s version of the song here.
Why was I made to hear Thy voice
And enter while there’s room
When thousands make a wretched choice
And rather starve than come?
’Twas the same love that spread the feast
That sweetly drew us in
Else we had still refused to taste
And perished in our sin
Pity the nations, O our God
Constrain the earth to come
Send Thy victorious Word abroad
And bring the strangers home
We long to see Thy church made full
That all the chosen race
May with one voice and heart and soul
Sing Thy redeeming grace.
How sweet and aweful is the grace of God! I would have never come, if not for divine grace. May Your people all come and be saved, O Yahweh, even to the ends of the earth! Haste the day, Lord Jesus.
Damian Mai
