Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
The one given as a witness to the people and as their leader and commander is Christ, the promised Davidic Messiah and heaven-sent teacher who must be received and believed for spiritual life, named also as David given for this work. He stands within God's free invitation to receive life and spiritual blessing by listening to the life-giving Word and living, in the everlasting covenant of the sure mercies of David made with all who seek Him wholeheartedly and meet the conditions of salvation. Nations that did not know Him will be called and will come to Him because the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, has glorified Him, and His earthly ministry revealed the glory of God the Father. His giving is the pattern for reaching beyond home and church to the world, with every believer to serve through the Holy Spirit as His witness and representative by carrying the Word into neighborhoods, planting it in many hearts, and dealing the bread of life to hungering souls. It is a most solemn and gracious call that must not be neglected, requiring all and especially those in responsible positions to seek wisdom and power from God alone, to control thought, to represent Christ's character in righteousness without pride or self-importance, and to receive the sanctification of the Holy Spirit upon mind and character.
Given Witness and Covenant
The One God has given for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people, is the promised Davidic Messiah, Christ Himself. He is God's heaven-sent Teacher, given to be received and believed for spiritual life through the life-giving Word. In that same giving He is identified as David, given to be a witness to the people and their leader and commander.
The verse stands within God's free invitation to receive life and spiritual blessings, to receive His gifts freely, to listen to Him and live. It belongs to the promise of the everlasting covenant with the sure mercies of David. That covenant God makes with all who seek Him wholeheartedly and meet the conditions of salvation.
Nations that did not know Him will be called and will come to Him. They come because the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, has glorified Him. His earthly ministry would reveal the glory of God the Father.
The verse belongs to God's covenant with the people He is seeking to save today, giving the terms of salvation and the education of most value. It shows Christ as the greatest of all teachers, the great I AM who educated His church in the wilderness enshrouded in the pillar of cloud. The highest knowledge is knowledge after the divine similitude of that teaching, understanding the laws of God's kingdom and how to conduct oneself as a citizen of heaven. That knowledge comes by dwelling upon and observing Christ's instruction and practically working out His lessons, which is the knowledge of the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, strengthening the mental powers as in the case of Daniel.
Mission to the Nations
The gift of one as witness, leader and commander stands within a wider invitation that sends God's work beyond home and church out to the world. Those pledged to Him are to help enlighten people who do not know the truth. Through the Bible God opens understanding, so that people from other nations are drawn to receive the truth and carry it away.
The one thus given is the pattern for Christ's work, in which Christ's people working through the Holy Spirit serve as His witnesses and representatives, each carrying the message of invitation and mercy to the world. Every believer is to take part as a minister of righteousness rather than sitting back while a minister does the work. That work is the blessed work of lifting up Christ before the world by carrying God's Word beyond sitting in church into neighborhoods, planting it in many hearts, dealing the bread of life to hungering souls, and visiting families to create interest in present truth. The words belong to the work of God's people in lifting up Christ and sharing saving truth with others.
The verse stands among the prophecies of presenting the warning message to the world and making known why people believe as they do. It belongs to a message to be applied to present experience, calling for understanding of what needs to be done in right lines because time is passing rapidly. With Isaiah 56 and Isaiah 58 it calls God's people to arouse themselves to give the last note of warning to save a perishing world.
Standing within Isaiah 55, which together with Isaiah 56 and Isaiah 58 gives a message to speak to an assembled people, it is to be delivered with the Lord's help and sustaining power. As one of Isaiah 50 through 58, Isaiah 55 is to be read and studied by those who have disregarded the reproofs given to His people and accepted only chosen words without thorough work. It bears warning to those in high positions carrying great responsibilities who have had great light but have not received it and followed on to know the Lord, and who have neglected the duty to warn God's people to understand what is truth, for which neglect the Lord will judge. Together with Isaiah 54 and Isaiah 58, Isaiah 55 is to be diligently studied by pastors and people to arouse them from spiritual stupidity. For those in the cities who profess present truth it is a call to wake up and give to others what the Lord has given them, to arise and shine because their light is come and go forth with the precious light of the gospel message, so that as they give to others they will see the glory of God while angels make impressions on the minds of those for whom they labor.
Leadership and Holy Living
Isaiah 55:4 is the Lord's message to all in responsible positions, declaring that no one is above his fellow workers because his branch of the work carries greater responsibility. Like Daniel, such a one is to seek the wisdom and power that come alone from God, weighed with the Spirit of wisdom from God. He is to represent not himself and his imperfections in selfish and fraudulent practices but the truth in righteousness, without a vestige of pride or self-importance. He is to represent the sacredness of the work and to magnify the truth. He is ever to present before men and angels the holy perfume of the character of Christ, which is the sacred fire of God's own kindling, while anything aside from this is strange fire abhorrent to God and more offensive as responsibility is larger.
The verse gives the most solemn, most gracious call that could be given to human beings, and it must not be neglected. It means that servants of the living God must control their thoughts and not let them run as they would, receiving the sanctification of the Holy Spirit upon mind and character, resulting in a sanctified influence with words under the control of Jesus Christ who gave His life. If called upon He is near, a truth to be kept in memory when going out and when coming in. The verse opens a door to meet with God, to seek Him earnestly so He will be found, requiring the meekness Christ represented in life and character, humbling the heart before God and standing in right relation to Him as part of a whole field of encouragement and blessed promise.
The one given as a witness to the people and as their leader and commander is Christ, the promised Davidic Messiah and heaven-sent teacher who must be received and believed for spiritual life, named also as David given for this work.
He stands within God's free invitation to receive life and spiritual blessing by listening to the life-giving Word and living, in the everlasting covenant of the sure mercies of David made with all who seek Him wholeheartedly and meet the conditions of salvation.
Nations that did not know Him will be called and will come to Him because the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, has glorified Him, and His earthly ministry revealed the glory of God the Father.
His giving is the pattern for reaching beyond home and church to the world, with every believer to serve through the Holy Spirit as His witness and representative by carrying the Word into neighborhoods, planting it in many hearts, and dealing the bread of life to hungering souls.
It is a most solemn and gracious call that must not be neglected, requiring all and especially those in responsible positions to seek wisdom and power from God alone, to control thought, to represent Christ's character in righteousness without pride or self-importance, and to receive the sanctification of the Holy Spirit upon mind and character.
Given Witness and Covenant
The One God has given for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people, is the promised Davidic Messiah, Christ Himself. He is God's heaven-sent Teacher, given to be received and believed for spiritual life through the life-giving Word. In that same giving He is identified as David, given to be a witness to the people and their leader and commander.
The verse stands within God's free invitation to receive life and spiritual blessings, to receive His gifts freely, to listen to Him and live. It belongs to the promise of the everlasting covenant with the sure mercies of David. That covenant God makes with all who seek Him wholeheartedly and meet the conditions of salvation.
Nations that did not know Him will be called and will come to Him. They come because the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, has glorified Him. His earthly ministry would reveal the glory of God the Father.
The verse belongs to God's covenant with the people He is seeking to save today, giving the terms of salvation and the education of most value. It shows Christ as the greatest of all teachers, the great I AM who educated His church in the wilderness enshrouded in the pillar of cloud. The highest knowledge is knowledge after the divine similitude of that teaching, understanding the laws of God's kingdom and how to conduct oneself as a citizen of heaven. That knowledge comes by dwelling upon and observing Christ's instruction and practically working out His lessons, which is the knowledge of the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, strengthening the mental powers as in the case of Daniel.
Mission to the Nations
The gift of one as witness, leader and commander stands within a wider invitation that sends God's work beyond home and church out to the world. Those pledged to Him are to help enlighten people who do not know the truth. Through the Bible God opens understanding, so that people from other nations are drawn to receive the truth and carry it away.
The one thus given is the pattern for Christ's work, in which Christ's people working through the Holy Spirit serve as His witnesses and representatives, each carrying the message of invitation and mercy to the world. Every believer is to take part as a minister of righteousness rather than sitting back while a minister does the work. That work is the blessed work of lifting up Christ before the world by carrying God's Word beyond sitting in church into neighborhoods, planting it in many hearts, dealing the bread of life to hungering souls, and visiting families to create interest in present truth. The words belong to the work of God's people in lifting up Christ and sharing saving truth with others.
The verse stands among the prophecies of presenting the warning message to the world and making known why people believe as they do. It belongs to a message to be applied to present experience, calling for understanding of what needs to be done in right lines because time is passing rapidly. With Isaiah 56 and Isaiah 58 it calls God's people to arouse themselves to give the last note of warning to save a perishing world.
Standing within Isaiah 55, which together with Isaiah 56 and Isaiah 58 gives a message to speak to an assembled people, it is to be delivered with the Lord's help and sustaining power. As one of Isaiah 50 through 58, Isaiah 55 is to be read and studied by those who have disregarded the reproofs given to His people and accepted only chosen words without thorough work. It bears warning to those in high positions carrying great responsibilities who have had great light but have not received it and followed on to know the Lord, and who have neglected the duty to warn God's people to understand what is truth, for which neglect the Lord will judge. Together with Isaiah 54 and Isaiah 58, Isaiah 55 is to be diligently studied by pastors and people to arouse them from spiritual stupidity. For those in the cities who profess present truth it is a call to wake up and give to others what the Lord has given them, to arise and shine because their light is come and go forth with the precious light of the gospel message, so that as they give to others they will see the glory of God while angels make impressions on the minds of those for whom they labor.
Leadership and Holy Living
Isaiah 55:4 is the Lord's message to all in responsible positions, declaring that no one is above his fellow workers because his branch of the work carries greater responsibility. Like Daniel, such a one is to seek the wisdom and power that come alone from God, weighed with the Spirit of wisdom from God. He is to represent not himself and his imperfections in selfish and fraudulent practices but the truth in righteousness, without a vestige of pride or self-importance. He is to represent the sacredness of the work and to magnify the truth. He is ever to present before men and angels the holy perfume of the character of Christ, which is the sacred fire of God's own kindling, while anything aside from this is strange fire abhorrent to God and more offensive as responsibility is larger.
The verse gives the most solemn, most gracious call that could be given to human beings, and it must not be neglected. It means that servants of the living God must control their thoughts and not let them run as they would, receiving the sanctification of the Holy Spirit upon mind and character, resulting in a sanctified influence with words under the control of Jesus Christ who gave His life. If called upon He is near, a truth to be kept in memory when going out and when coming in. The verse opens a door to meet with God, to seek Him earnestly so He will be found, requiring the meekness Christ represented in life and character, humbling the heart before God and standing in right relation to Him as part of a whole field of encouragement and blessed promise.