Everyone–that is everyone who knows anything about modern American movie culture, knows the famous line from the movie Ghost Busters: “If there’s something strange in you neighborhood, Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! If there’s something weird and it don’t look good, Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!”
“Who you gonna call?” could be an appropriate label for Isaiah chapters 7-39 (8th century B.C.). The people of Israel were reaping the consequences of their sin against God, and enemy nations, namely Assyria at the moment, were now invading the land to bring them into ruins and bondage. The big question for Israel and Judah was this: “Who you gonna call?,” i.e., who are you going to trust in the midst of these enemy invasions God’s repeated message to His people was that if they were to trust in other nations to save them (instead of Him), it would only lead to their ruin (Isa. 7:9; 8:5-8; 30:1-5). Well, the people of Israel turned their back on God, and as result Assyria overthrew the northern kingdom Israel in 722 B.C. and Babylon overthrew the southern kingdom Judah in 605 B.C.
Here are two questions I want to ask this morning: (1) Will Israel ever get it right? That is, will the nation of Israel ever realize that they need to call on the name of the Lord Jesus? (2) Who you gonna call? Have you called upon Jesus to save you from your sins, and are you going to continue to call upon Him as you face the trials of life?
The answer to the first question is “Yes,” Israel will get it right one day and turn to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ when He returns to bring the kingdom of God to this earth . How do I know? The Bible tells me so (Isa. 2:1-4; 4:2-6; 27:12-13). Thus, even though Israel apostatized from God and made their own nation a desolation (Isa. 7:18-25; 8:21-22), the Bible says that one day they will turn to Him in faith and the nation will spring to life (Isa. 9:1-5). The One who causes this explosion of spiritual life is none other than the Messiah Himself, “Mighty God” (El Gibbor) who is born as a baby, but one day rules as King of Kings on the throne of David in the city of Jerusalem (Isa. 9:6-7). He is the One who will pour out His Spirit out on the elect remnant of Israel (and Gentiles) so that they turn to Him in repentant faith (Isa. 32:15; 44:3-5; cf. Joel 2:28-32; Zech. 12:10; 3:1). Through the fires of the Great Tribulation Period, the “Mighty God” (El Gibbor) will save the remnant of His people by turning their hearts to call on Him (Isa. 10:20-23), and Jesus Christ will bring this world the restoration for which it has groaned for so many ages–a world without sin, sickness, or death (Isa. 11:1-16). This will be a day of rejoicing when the anger of God against sin has been fully spent, and redemption is fully realized (Isa. 12:1-6). Until that day comes, we walk by faith and not by sight.
The price of redemption has already been paid by the blood of God’s only Son (Isa. 52:13-53:12; Matt. 20:28). God gave His Son to die for our sins (John 1:29; 3:16; Rom. 8:32), and when He did He full satisfied the wrath of God against all sin. All we have to do is believe Him, and this forgiveness is ours (Acts 16:31).
By the grace of God, the day is coming when Israel is going to call on the Lord and find their perfect peace in Him. He is the One we need to call on right now as we walk by faith in the midst of a world that is groaning for this day of redemption. He is the One we need to be thanking daily as we wait for the Lord to come and bring us into His eternal resurrection glory (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
May these truths encourage you today.
Love, Pastor Tim