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relationship. When the time came for Israel to be delivered from Egypt, Moses was sent
to tell the people that God had remembered His covenant, and that He was about to
redeem and deliver them, saying: "I will take you . . . . . I will be to you a God"
(Exod. 6: 7).
Coming to Isaiah's prophecy itself we have abundant testimony to the importance of
this possessive pronoun:
"Should not a people seek unto their God" (Isa. 8: 19).
"Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him" (Isa. 25: 9).
"O Lord our God; (other) lords beside Thee have had dominion over us" (Isa. 26: 13).
"Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will
come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you"
(Isa. 35: 4).
We will not multiply references; the subject is one that can be explored by all.
We cannot conclude this part of our study without referring to the parallel in Isa. 52: 7:
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that
publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith
unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"
"Behold your God!"
"Thy God reigneth!"
But there is the other side to the matter that must not be forgotten. The fact that Isaiah
could say to Israel, "Behold your God" suggests what is found to be so in fact, that God
can say of Israel, "My people".
So, in the Exodus, God is said to see the affliction of His people, to demand of
Pharaoh the release of His people, and Hosea condenses into one brief verse the great day
of restoration, saying:
"I will sow her unto Me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not
obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not My people, THOU ART MY
PEOPLE; and they shall say, THOU ART MY GOD" (Hosea 2: 23).
We could, of course, have found the whole matter expressed for us in the opening
words of Isa. 40:: "Comfort ye, comfort ye MY people, saith YOUR God".
Verses 10 and 11, with which this first section of Isa. 40: closes, are but an expansion of
this blessed evangel of restored fellowship and relationship. It is expressed there in a
number of propositions, not set out formally, but nevertheless there. These may be
visualized as follows:
(1)
This God who is "your God" is "The Lord God".
(2)
This God "will come".
(3)
This God will come with a strong hand (or against the strong).
(4)
He is accompanied by both "reward" and "work".
(5)
He is likened to a Shepherd, feeding, gathering, carrying and gently leading.