Isaiah 12 A Psalm Of The Prophet

Introduction There are several places in the scriptures where Psalms are recorded for us. Yes, there are the 150 psalms in that book, but there are a few instances where a psalm is recorded in more than one book. There is also some psalms that are not recorded in the book of psalms. But they do carry the characteristics of the psalms. Isaiah 12 is one of those instances. Let’s review it.

Isaiah 12:1 “Then you will say on that day, ‘I will give thanks to Thee, O LORD; For although Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou dost comfort me”. The context makes it clear that the prophet is looking forward to the time of Christ and the establishment of His church. In OT prophecy, the reference to “that day” “a day” is speaking of future events.

We all should give thanks to God for what He did for us. He sent His Son to save us from our sins and give us hope of eternal life in heaven. God is angry because we have not chosen to accept His gift of grace. God knows that if we stay in this condition we will be lost, and He does not want that. Everyone who does not obey God will experience His anger in judgment.

How can we turn away God’s anger? We can’t do it on our own. That is why Jesus was sent to die in our place. Through our faith in Jesus and obedience to His will the sin that consumed us is removed by the washing in the blood of Jesus. Because our sins are washed away and we can be in fellowship with God, we may have peace with God and carry a peace which surpasses all understanding. Thus providing comfort to our souls.

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation”. There are many things which are attributed to God in the psalms. God is our refuge, strength, rock, tower, fortress, shield, comfort, stronghold are but a few of these qualities which we give God credit for. There are several qualities in this verse.

Putting our trust in God should be our ultimate goal. Often, we try to do things ourselves, but we fall short. It is only when we realize that we need help that we will learn to trust God and not be afraid. We are told not to put our trust in anything other than God, for all will fail us except God.

“God is our song”– might sound strange at first but notice this. When we sing about God, we are speaking from our hearts, and teaching others at the same time. We edify others and sing praise to God. God is the subject of our song is what this means. We are to share with all mankind what God has done for me. This is spoken quite a few times in the psalms.

Isaiah 12:3 “Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation”. God is the wellspring of life. He gives us our life. Think of a village where there is one water well. Such a place is vital to the village and its inhabitants.

They all go there because there is no other place to go to get a necessary nourishment for life.. All activity of the village takes place around the well. When you are thirsty, you are refreshed when you get some water. If you are really thirsty, water becomes the most important thing in your life at that time. That is how we are to seek the water of life offered by God through Jesus.

Isaiah 12:4 “And in that day you will say, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name, Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that his name is exalted”. We offer our thanksgiving to God because He is the source of all blessings and through Christ we have all spiritual blessings. We call on the Lord not with our voices only, but by our obedience to His will.

Once we obey Him, our duty becomes one of telling others about God. We speak of His creation and His dealings with man. We speak of our own deficiency and how God can lift us up. We offer to others the hope in Christ, but also we warn of failure to obey Him.

Let the name of our God be exalted in every way we can. Let us use our lips to praise Him. Let us use our fingers to communicate with the world the importance of praising God continually. Let us offer our example to cause others to glorify Him. Praise the Lord in every way we can.

Isaiah 12:5 Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth”. One of the many characteristics of the Psalms is the constant plea to “praise the Lord”. We praise God for who He is, And we praise God for what He has done.

We learn from the Bible all the wonderful mighty acts and deeds He has brought upon mankind. We also learn why God did all those things. We learned that He did it all for us. To teach us to respect Him and by obedience to His will, we can be saved. Tell it everywhere: In church, In homes, In public places, and even when you are alone. Tell it to everyone: family, friend, neighbor, stranger.

Isaiah 12:6 “Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitants of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel”. The Jews of old forgot the great blessings God had offered to them. The prophet implores that they return to God in order to receive those blessings that were lost due to their disobedience. Yes we who are faithful have joy in our hearts. We also recognize the presence of God wherever we are.

Conclusion Isaiah 12 is a psalm of praise. It is one that calls for us to praise God. It calls us to trust God. It calls us to share God with others. Let us not forget God is in our midst.