Benefits

“But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come." Isaiah 54:17

Wouldn’t it be something to win every battle that you face in life? How would it feel if someone was raising an accusation against you and was abruptly silenced? Yet that is exactly the reality that Isaiah prophesies for God’s people. Earlier in the book of Isaiah, God tells him to comfort His people with these words: “Cry out to her, that her warfare is ended.” 

And yet we seem to wake up every day in the middle of a struggle. It is true that our warfare has ended. It is also true that we are in a daily spiritual battle. How can these things be true at the same time? They are true because the battle is not ours. On the cross, the guiltless Son of God ended our warfare. He paid the price for Israel’s rebellion and he paid the price for ours. He took on himself the guilt of our sin and paid the penalty for it. The penalty was death. But He rose from the grave on the third day and overcame even death itself. 

We still have to show up for battle, but battle is not ours. The war is already won. We have the victory through Christ. We have His armor, His Word and His Spirit with which we can face an unseen enemy in a battle that belongs to Him. Weapons may be turned against us, but they won’t succeed. Voices may rise up to accuse us, but they will be silenced. Isaiah says, “These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come.”