As I read Isaiah 59-61, I see grace at work. It appears in Is. 59 that the Israelites were no better than those nations that lived around them. Is. 59:15 says truth and peace were absent in the land while the next verse reads that God saw that there was "no one" to intervene. However, verse 20 changes tone as a Redeemer is promised! This grace is extended to Zion in chapter 60 and chapter 61 reveals who the Redeemer is (in light of the New Testament). Remember Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, read these words (Is. 61:1-2) about Himself in Luke 4:18-19. Likewise, Romans 3:10-11 in the NT reveals that no one is righteous and that there is no one who understands. We are no different than the Israelites and the nations around them. Left to our own means, we remain in sin (Romans 3:20). Praise God today that He sent a Redeemer by the name of Jesus to save us and the nations (Romans 3:21-31).
The Thessalonians had become complacent in their walk with Christ. Knowing that Jesus could come back for them at any moment, they began to take this idea to the extremes by just waiting around for Him (not working, being lazy). In his letter to the church of Thessalonica, Paul urges those brothers who are being slack to get to work. I think our American society operates opposite of what Paul had to deal with in his day. So I would pose this question to you. Are you working so much that you do not take time to reflect on Christ and His Second Coming?
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