A Man More Precious Than Gold
Our Bible passage, introduction to Sunday 2nd April service and hymns are below.
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Our verses are:
Isa 13:1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
Isa 13:2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
Isa 13:3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
Isa 13:4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
Isa 13:5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
Isa 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
Isa 13:7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
Isa 13:8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Isa 13:12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
Isa 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
Isa 13:14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.
Isa 13:15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
Isa 13:16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
Isa 13:17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
Isa 13:18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.
Isa 13:19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
Isa 13:20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
Isa 13:21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.
Isa 13:22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
A Man More Precious Than Gold
Previously, in chapters 1-12, Isaiah has spoken of Messiah, His spiritual kingdom and the gospel of salvation by Him. Now begins a series of chapters in which ‘burdens’ or events are foretold concerning the ruin of the enemies of God’s people. These prophecies commence with Babylon into whose hands the people of Israel and Judah must be delivered captive for a period known as the Babylonian Exile or Babylonian Captivity. God gives Isaiah this vision to comfort the Jews during their exile and to confirm the remnant will be delivered from it.
Tools in God’s hands
Observe how God uses means to accomplish His purpose. He will destroy Babylon by means of the Medes and Persians, one empire will overthrow another. These nations acted freely in their own interest but in doing so fulfilled God’s purpose like tools or weapons in His hand. God used one enemy to destroy another and to return the Jews to their homeland. In verse three the Medes are called God’s ‘sanctified ones’ and their leaders, Cyrus and Darius, ‘my mighty ones’, not because they were holy, but because they were set apart, ordained and called to do God’s will.
The day of the Lord
Isaiah speaks of a coming day of the Lord. It is a day filled with wrath and fierce anger against sinners. This day will bring punishment upon the world for evil and upon the wicked for their iniquity, arrogance and pride. The descriptions of the cruelty to be inflicted by the Medes is vicious and barbaric and may be seen as payment in kind for Babylon’s brutality against Israel. Here Babylon is principally in view yet the general indignation of God against sin, together with the intensity of His judgment, ought not to be overlooked. It is God who stirs up the Medes but there is a broader message. These are warnings. Sinful men and women who neglect God’s great salvation will be cast away in the day of God’s wrath.
Babylon is fallen
The end of this chapter speaks of the thoroughness of the destruction of Babylon. Where once stood a mighty city with palaces and towers there shall be only wild beasts and serpents. Where once dwelt a proud people, the epitome of man’s glory and human dominance, will be a barren wasteland of fearsome creatures.
This language, these pictures and descriptions are designed to encourage the Lord’s people who suffered under Babylon during the captivity. It would take 250 years for this prophecy to be fulfilled but the Lord’s elect believed their God. They trusted His gospel promises for the deliverance of the remnant and the coming of the Messiah.
Mercy and judgment
Through the whole of Isaiah’s prophecy it is always the Lord’s purpose to comfort His elect. That comfort is primarily focused upon the coming of Christ the King. As a supporting comfort the Lord tells His people He shall not forget justice and will visit the iniquity of Israel’s oppressors upon their own heads proportionate to the wickedness inflicted upon God’s people. Sometimes, when we see the wickedness of men and terrible sins committed with impunity in the world we wonder if there is justice. Chapters such as these remind us that God continues to keep a record of evil. No crime goes unnoticed. None shall go unpunished.
Finding the Saviour
It is with this in mind that I draw our attention to verses 11 and particularly 12. These verses are usually interpreted as emphasising Babylon’s total overthrow and the great slaughter to follow, so great, indeed, that any man who survives would be more precious than gold. However, we shall take another view, one that does not see men to be rare but, rather, sees the rarest of men, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The riches of Christ
Let us read this as another gesture of kindness from the Lord to His people. He is reminding the remnant not to lose sight of their Saviour. In the midst of trial the Lord’s elect look to ‘a man more precious than fine gold’. We see His worth, purity, richness and beauty to be more precious than Ophir’s vast treasure. Jehovah calls the Lord Jesus, ‘the man that is my fellow’ (Zechariah 13:7) and the church commends the beauty of her Lord saying, ‘His head is as the most fine gold’ (Song of Solomon 5:11).
He is precious
Nations rise and fall. Earthly kings come and go. Tyrants and heroes gain notoriety, shine briefly but are soon forgotten. We know there is a day yet to come when the Lord will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. In that day, God’s people will look to the Man who, in His glorious person and in His saving ministry, is made unto them ‘more precious than fine gold’.
Amen
Our hymns are below.
Hymn 1
Gadsby selection 1009
“Heal my soul.” Ps. 41. 4; 6. 2; Jer. 17. 14
(Author Unknown) C.M.
1
Lord, I approach thy throne of grace,
Where mercy does abound,
Desiring mercy for my sin,
To heal my soul’s deep wound.
2
O Lord, I need not to repeat
What I would humbly crave,
For thou dost know, before I ask,
The thing that I would have.
3
Mercy, good Lord, mercy I ask;
This is the total sum;
For mercy, Lord, is all my suit;
O let thy mercy come.
Hymn 2
Gadsby selection 803
The Death and Excellency of Christ. Isa. 13. 12
J. Hart C.M.
1
The things on earth which men esteem,
And of their richness boast,
In value less or greater seem,
Proportioned to their cost.
2
The diamond, that’s for thousands sold,
Our admiration draws;
For dust men seldom part with gold,
Or barter pearls for straws.
3
Then what inestimable worth
Must in those crowns appear,
For which the Lord came down to earth,
And bought for us, so dear!
4
The Father dearly loves the Son,
And rates his merits high;
For no mean cause he sent him down
To suffer, grieve, and die.
5
The blessings from his death that flow,
So little we esteem,
Only because we slightly know,
And meanly value him.
6
’Twas our Creator for us bled,
The Lord of life and power;
Whom angels worship, devils dread –
God blest for evermore.
7
O could we but with clearer eyes
His excellencies trace,
Could we his person learn to prize,
We more should prize his grace.
Isaiah records a series of 'burdens'. These burdens reveal the character of God; His holiness, sovereignty and distinguishing love. They also teach us how we should understand the unfolding of world events. They also point us to the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah's message is still relevant today for the people of God!
2 April 2023