In that day the Lord of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people, for a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
Good morning friends. The day of The Lord is exactly what it says on the tin – it is His day. Some of the descriptions of this future event includes: the day of His power, the day of His vengeance, the day of judgement, the day of recompense…, all alluding to its key features. When His disciples asked Him privately when it will all unfold, Jesus gave them some significant signs and milestones, then He crystallised his presentation with this warning:
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Peter and Paul went on to use this metaphor of a burglary (breaking and entering), to urge their audience to be sober, vigilant and faithful. I believe their admonitions are even more pertinent to us today. Also, like Pharaoh during the birth of Moses, and Herod’s desperate attempt to kill baby Jesus, the devil is out to ensure that the day of The Lord seizes to be. Remember, he is the god of this world; owing to the poor decision by Adam and Eve to fall for his lies in the garden of Eden. Hence he boldly declared to Jesus:
“All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
With this in mind, Jesus used the “master of the house and the thief” analogy to paint a mental picture in the minds of His disciples.
The devil has inspired humankind to invest into space monitoring programmes, with a view to “protect” our planet from meteorites or alien invasion. We have satellites in orbit, and like CCTV cameras, we have people watching round the clock; analysing the speed, magnitude and velocity of objects from space. But in the words of the psalmist:
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain
So, back to our opening verses, Isaiah described it as a day of the Spirit of Justice, and a day of Strength. Spirit of Justice for those who sit in judgement, and Strength for those who turn the battle at the gates. Those who sit in judgement are His mouthpiece on planet earth; busy advancing and advocating His word, while those who turn the battle at gates are those who are standing in the gap in prayer like Anna and Simeon.
Like Daniel, these ones have denied themselves the king’s portion, to lead a consecrated life. And on that day, The Lord will be a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to them.
~ Sabali
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Much love,
Clem
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