God’s anger and punishment will end for the believer

Sermon for Midweek of Trinity 14

Isaiah 57:14-21

Chapter 57 of Isaiah is the 9^th and final chapter in this second set of 9 chapters in Isaiah 40-66, which means we’re about two thirds of the way done with our walk through Isaiah’s prophecy. The Lord has gone back and forth, rebuking the secure idolaters and comforting the penitent believers. The first part of the chapter was a strong rebuke. But the second part before us this evening offers strong comfort.

And one shall say, “Heap it up! Heap it up! Prepare the way, Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.”

Israel hadn’t been allowed to return from captivity earlier. The way was blocked. The punishment for their idolatry and rebellion had to remain, until now. Now the Lord commands the stumbling block to be removed from the path, so that His people can return to their homes, and, much more importantly, to Him.

For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Listen to how God describes Himself. He is high and lofty. God is so far above and beyond our mortal, earthly lives. He inhabits eternity. He isn’t affected by time or by events, as we are. Our bodies wear out. Our minds slip. We can get into accidents, or others can impose their will on us. But God is above all that. He’s outside of the story. He doesn’t need anything from us, or from anyone. And His name is Holy. He’s perfect. He’s sinless. He’s unapproachable by sinners and by mortal men.

Except that He makes Himself approachable. Or rather, He condescends, He chooses to come down and dwell with…whom? With him who has a contrite and humble spirit. We use that word “contrite” or “contrition” sometimes. It means to be crushed. In this case, crushed by sorrow over our sins. Crushed by the weight of our sorry situation. Crushed, not proud. Crushed, not “doing just fine.” The one who has been crushed by the weight of what he or she has done, who has a humble spirit before God, not trying to make excuses for himself, not insisting that God owes him something—God chooses to dwell with such a person. The high and lofty One comes down low, to meet sinners in their weakness and in their desperation.

To do what? To gloat? To rub it in? No, but To revive the spirit of the humble, to revive the heart of the contrite ones. These are comforting words, and they apply to all the humble and to all the contrite, because it’s a description of who God is, always, all the time. In His way, in His time, He will meet the humble and the contrite and bring them back to life.

For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would fail before Me, And the souls which I have made.

Again, pure comfort. Yes, God contends for a while with sinners. He rebukes, He threatens, He punishes. But when the sinner finally comes down from his pride, when he finally admits his sins, when he finally abandons all hope in himself—and in his idols! —, then God stops rebuking and threatening that person. The earthly punishment may still remain for a little while, until the lesson has sunk in as far as it needs to. But God’s anger against sinful men has an end. If it didn’t, God knows that no one could survive. He knows that the spirit, the soul that He made can’t take His perpetual anger, even if we deserve it. And so He promises an end to His anger for the penitent in Israel, and also for us.

For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry and struck him; I hid and was angry, And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.

God is talking about Israel here, about the nation in its state of rebellion, in its state of every man looking out for himself, enriching himself, turning away from God’s word and from God Himself. God tried punishing Israel, sometimes with an attack from a foreign nation, sometimes with blight or famine or plague, sometimes by not sending a prophet for a long time, depriving people of His Word. And, as it says in this verse, it was never enough. “He went on backsliding in the way of his heart.” And so the punishment of the Babylonian captivity had to happen. But after that severe punishment did its work…

I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will also lead him, And restore comforts to him And to his mourners. “I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,” Says the LORD, “And I will heal him.”

The Lord knew Israel’s rebellious nature, just as He knows the rebellious nature of all men. And yet He promises healing and guidance and comfort. And that’s the kind of healing that Jesus really came to bring. Yes, He healed physical diseases. But this is the true healing He came to bring: comfort to those mourn, forgiveness to those who humble themselves in contrition and repentance. To them, the Lord says, “Peace! Peace!” He says it to him who is far off and to him who is near, to the one who has gone so horribly astray as to ruin his life, and also to the one who maybe hasn’t fallen into such grievous outward sin, and yet still needs God’s forgiveness and peace. He says it to those who have spent their lives outside of the Church, and to those who have grown up in it. Peace! Peace! I will heal him! For the believer, God’s anger and punishment will end. Indeed, they have ended already for him who believes in Christ.”

But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. “There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.”

Isaiah concluded chapter 48 with those words, and now he concludes chapter 57 with the same words. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” We still need to remember that. Our world still needs to hear that. The God of heaven denounces as wicked many of the things that this world celebrates. He has tender words of peace and comfort and healing, but those words are not intended for those who wish to continue to live in their sin, away from God, away from His Word, away from Christ Jesus. For such, there is no word of peace, only God’s wrath and anger and eternal punishment. To such, the Lord cries out, “Repent while there’s still time! And then, in repentance, come to know the peace of Christ Jesus, who was pierced for our transgressions, who was crushed for our iniquities, upon whom was the chastisement that brought us peace, by whose wounds we are healed.” Amen.