Chapter 27 continues the theme in somewhat poetic language. Note how four times is repeated the phrase “In that day”. Judgment in the first place will reach the evil power that lies beneath the restless “sea” of nations. This “dragon” that is in the sea can be no other than Satan, and Revelation 20 reveals how he will be dealt with. Then at last Israel will be no longer a fruitless vine but rather “A vineyard of red wine.” Then peace will ensue and Israel will be like a tree that is full of blossom, and fill the face of the world with fruit; becoming what God from the outset intended them to be. This will never come to pass as the result of their efforts. They will have to fulfill what is said at the beginning of verse 5, “let him take hold of My strength”.
Verses 7-11 however, show that this desirable end will only be reached when God brings to a finish His governmental judgments upon that people. There is “the iniquity of Jacob” which will have to be purged from them by these severe dealings from the hand of God. Yet, even so, the smitings that will fall upon them will not reach the severity of those that will be visited upon the nations who smote them. Upon these there will fall unsparing judgment, but for Jacob the smitings will reach to the altars and groves and sun-images which shall be ground to powder. Thus the very judgments that God will inflict upon His people, largely by the hand of other people, will have the effect of destroying the very things that had been a snare to them.
In verse 12 we meet with the phrase “In that day” for the third time. There is to be once more a gathering of His people from the land of Egypt, but this time in a very different way. Then Moses brought them out in their thousands as a nation, but in the coming day it will be an individual matter. One by one they will be put right with God, and so gathered to the place of blessing.
But verse 13 declares that in that day, though there must be the individual work indicated, there will be great publicity about it. The “great trumpet” shall sound, announcing this mighty work of God, as also our Lord Himself declared in Matthew 24:3131And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:31). Publicly the house of Jacob has been disciplined and overthrown through the long and weary centuries: as publicly shall they be recovered, restored and blessed, when God’s work with them and in them is brought to completion. Then at last in the holy mount at Jerusalem they shall give to the Lord that worship which is His due. What a day that will be!
But how privileged are we, Christians, who may worship God revealed as Father, while praise is still silent in Zion. We worship today in spirit and in truth; presently God will be addressed as “Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psa. 22:33But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. (Psalm 22:3)).
Chapters 28:1-35:10
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