Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you. —Isaiah 35:4
The Scripture passages from Isaiah that weave throughout this morning’s service, along with the hymns we sing, paint a picture for us of a God who is both just and merciful. He displays judgement in His temple; He comes to crush great kings on His day of wrath; in the day of His coming, right will triumph over wrong; the iniquity of the wicked is assured, and Babel will rise no more. But this coming judgement is surrounded by an overwhelming sense of God’s mercy and grace. We dwell on His mercies in His temple; He will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, streams of living water which never fail from age to age; He preserves the men and beasts who cry to Him; He fills Zion with justice and righteousness, and His ransomed people come in with singing; His heavenly kingdom comes with love and mercy. As we contemplate these Scripture passages and sing these psalms and hymns, let’s rest in the grace of God that is all sufficient even when judgement seems nigh. After all, when our trust is in Christ, grace and justice both point to
mercy’s store. —Henry C. Haffner