“But yet in it [shall be] a tenth, and [it] shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance [is] in them, when they cast [their leaves: so] the holy seed [shall be] the substance thereof.” (Isa 6:13 AV)
Isaiah speaks of the tenth part of Judah and Benjamin, who will remain in Canaan and the remnant that will return after seventy years of captivity. Even though God judged the nation for this idolatry, there were a few who did not bow the knee to Baal. It was this small remnant who were allowed to stay behind and tend to the land. It was this small remnant who were allowed to return and repair Jerusalem’s wall and temple. Yesterday, we spoke of the small number of faithful who often benefit the greater number of rebels. We noted that oftentimes, God spares the disobedient because there are still those who fear Him. Today, we want to consider the nature of the obedient. Our text tells us the reason they are obedient is their inward integrity compels them to obedience. The comparison of the oak tree and the teil tree is to Israel itself. What is within them are those who love the LORD.
This same principle can apply to the individual saint. We wonder, sometimes, why the LORD puts up with all our failures. We wonder how much patience HE truly has. We wonder what He sees in us worth His effort. We often scratch our heads, wondering why He would create us in the first place. It is not because we bring to Him something He needs. He is Jehovah God. He is the self-sustaining one. He has life in Himself. He needs nothing. He is infinite. In all His attributes, He is without measure. There is nothing He needs or wants that He cannot find within Himself. So, we wonder what would compel a holy God to create human souls that would rebel against Him? Why? What is it that He sees in us that would motivate Him to love us as much as He does? He loves us with infinite love. His love never fails. No matter what we do, what we are, or what we will become; He loves us without reservation and without measure. The question remains. What does He see that we cannot see? What is within our existence that would drive an eternal and all-powerful God to have any thoughts toward us?
Look above for the answer. What attracts a holy God to the people of God is what dwells within. Inherently, we are wicked. In the sight of a holy God, we are repulsive. But if we have trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior, The Son dwells in our hearts. The Holy Spirit takes residence in our souls. It is His presence within us that attracts Him to us. It is the presence of the holy within us; by the presence of the Son and Holy Spirit; by which the Father is committed to the sinner. Like a tree in the winter who has lost all signs of life, within that tree and impervious to the observer is the essence of life. On the outside, a teil or oak tree is unimpressive. They can be downright ugly. But there is water coursing through them. There is oxygen, minerals, and carbon dioxide traveling to the most extreme twigs of its being. In the wintertime, life is barely discernable. When spring comes, the life that had always been within, is made obvious. As God’s people, the indication of spiritual life may not always be evident. We may fall backward and away from God a bit. We may lose our fire for God’s law and presence. We may become too busy to spend time with God as we should. There is still life there. The Holy Spirit still resides within. The Son of God has not left us just because we might have left Him. God loves us more than we will ever understand because of what He has placed within us. Praise be to God that He takes care of everything. Thanks be to God that He loves us even when we are at our worst. Like Israel, who returns to Canaan, revives the nation under God’s law, and receives their Messiah once and for all; God does the same for us. Glory that God never ceases to love us!
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