Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Isaiah 11:4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
O ADONAI -- O LORD
Oh, come, oh, come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height
In Ancient times once gave the law
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Here we see Christ coming as our Lord and Master, the Law-giver. Not only do we see it, but we are praying for it. Isaiah 11:4 is fulfilled when Christ came and gave His word, and in the giving of that Word and through its power spreads His kingdom on the Earth. With the law the Lord strikes down the wicked in their arrogance and reduces all their pride, so that as Paul proclaims, "every mouth may be stopped."
Indeed we are asking that the Lord may do this very thing to us. For we can hardly escape when the Lord gives His law. But even though the Israelites trembled in fear at the foot of Mount Sinai, it is only under the awesome fear of His holy law that we learn the truth of our own wickedness, and understand the true worth and glory of the Gospel. What a wonderful thing that every verse of this hymn ends. "Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel."
So ... yes, come O Lord and teach us Your law, that we may learn not to trust in ourselves, but in deepest humility repent and trust fully in Your gracious and saving Name.
