“And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near….”
(Ephesians 2:17, NASB95)
In our world right now both Israel as a nation and
Christians as a people are under attack. There is a great threat from evil
pressing in on both, and we could easily become overwhelmed by how ominous
things look. But our God is in control. He has set the limit to evil. He calls
people to Himself and makes them to be at peace with Him so that we can live at
peace in our world. This does not mean that things will be peaceful, but that
we can have the peace of God even in turmoil. We also can look to how the world
is tightening around the neck of Israel and trying to strangle it. Similarly we
know from God’s word that He will not abandon His people. They will have to
endure a great amount of suffering, but we also know that in God’s perfect
timing His Son will return and His people who were near will be restored.
Looking back to the introduction of Isaiah in the ESV Bible
we read, “Isaiah lived during the decline of Israel in the shadow of Assyria.
He spoke the word of God to a people who were “deaf and blind” (see 6:10), who
refused to listen to his warnings of looming disaster. He warned that the sin
of the people of Judah would bring God’s judgment, yet he also declared that
God is sovereign and would use Cyrus the Persian to return them from exile. The
book speaks of a “servant,” a “man of sorrows,” who would be “pierced for our
transgressions,” accomplishing God’s purposes of salvation (52:13–53:12). The
final chapters give a beautiful description of a new creation in which God will
rule as King, judging the wicked and establishing eternal peace. Isaiah
prophesied about 740–700 B.C. (possibly till the 680s).
It is from one of these later chapters that Paul quotes in
Ephesians 2:17, “And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near….”
“And it will be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way,
remove every obstacle out of the way of My people.” For thus says the high and
exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy
place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the
spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. For I will not
contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint
before Me, and the breath of those whom I have made. Because of the iniquity of
his unjust gain I was angry and struck him; I hid My face and was angry, and he
went on turning away, in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways, but I will
heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, creating
the praise of the lips. Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord, “and I will heal
him.”” (Isaiah 57:14–19, NASB95)
In the midst of prevailing evil and people at the highest
levels in Israel turning their backs on God and following after their own
desires, God spoke through Isaiah of a time when God would bring their
rebellion to an end. God, who dwells in His high and holy place, also dwells
with those who hearts are directed toward Him. He said that He was going to
move to revive their spirits and their hearts and even renew the breath of
those who He made. Through man’s sin man became spiritually dead, but God
determined that He was not going to leave man that way. He was going to restore
Him to life. Though the nation was in rebellion God continued to work in the
hearts of His people, and through men like Isaiah He spoke of a time when this
greater restoration and drawing back would come for all. For Israel as a nation
this will fully and finally happen at the end of the Great Tribulation and His millennial
rule, but even before then there would be people whose hearts and spirits were
softened toward God who would believe and be saved.
Of course the Jews were not the only people inhabiting earth
and who lived in rebellion against God. There were many who did not know God
and who were not taught His statues and ordinances. And while they were also of
the seed of Adam and Eve, they were not of people of the promise given to
Abraham. They were not descendants of Isaac and Jacob. They were not of the
people who God freed from slavery in Egypt, given the law through Moses, and
brought into the promised land. These people did not know God. They followed
after other gods and they did what was pleasing to them. They were far away.
But Isaiah recorded the words of God, saying that He was
going to bring peace to both groups. Both groups were dead in their sins and
enemies of God. Both groups were in need of God drawing them back to Him and
settling the issue of their sin. God’s wrath had to be satisfied for both
groups. Whether they were raised knowing of God or not didn’t change the fact
that every man needed to be restored. And God was going to accomplish this for
them. As such, neither had any room for boasting because neither did anything
to deserve and cause God’s mercy or His forgiveness.
Paul wrote, “And He came and preached peace…” Jesus, on the
night He was betrayed spoke to His disciples about His leaving and what would
happen when they were left behind. In John 14:26 He said that after He left
that the Father would send the Spirit. Then He went on to say, “Peace I leave
with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do
not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14:27, NASB95) Then
in chapter 16 we read, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you
may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have
overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NASB95) Not only was their sin account going to
be settled at the cross by the blood of Jesus, but Jesus was also going to give
them a peace that they could live with in His absence and in the face of all of
the trials that they would encounter. God’s Spirit would seal and protect them,
working to comfort and encourage, assuring them of His continued presence. As
they faced persecution and even death they could do so because Jesus had really
given them His peace. And this same peace is given to us, whether we came to
His as a Jew or a Gentile (non-Jew); whether we knew of Him before or not. And
through the gift of salvation all of us who were once far from Him in our sins have
been brought near to Him in peace.
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