Still Merciful, Still Holy, Still Condescending to our great spiritual need.

Isaiah 9:12-- The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

I love the Christian song Bethlehem Morning, there is a line "His hand is stretched out still." What is that about? That means God owes us judgment, everywhere that I have seen it in scripture. I was ducking, everytime I heard it, however beautiful it was.

Isaiah wasn't pulling any punches with the heathen, when he penned those words. Get right! was the general meaning as I could see. There was no dulling that message. I mulled and mulled it over in my studies. How can we sing so casually, something that was meant to make our knees bend in submission? That is scripture and it directs us to look boldly into the face of what we deserve. We are unholy in the presence of a Holy God and He owes us His wrath. We stand right below his outstretched hand to be crushed. I know that He sees us in His Son and sacrifice of Jesus, but in the context, we weren't there yet. Isaiah couldn't see the totality of the redemption in the cross.

We stand in the New Testament and the complete opposite is true and it was amazing that this song writer could pen it in such a way. In other words, we, the heathen who Isaiah was talking to are sitting under the merciful hand of Christ, when we have repented and the Bethlehem, where Jesus cried may or may not be included. It is our New Testament job to pray and cry for them, as Jesus did that they not endure the judgments that rightfully belong to us, the pagans. "Look up, Jerusalem! Look at the mercy, in Christ! Don't miss it! Jesus has come to save us!"That should be our hearts' cry, at Christmastime and all year long. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

Is 5:25, Is 9:12, Is:9:17, Is 9:21, Is 10:4 God, as it were says, after all these judgments, I still owe you more than that. God said that He had pushed His punishments aside, but their sins were still not paid for. Jesus was His outstretched other hand of mercy and we are pleaded with to take hold of that promise and enjoy the "Peace with God that was purchased for us." Jew and Gentile alike. STILL, Still, still!