“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
—Isaiah 12:2

In chapter 12, Isaiah quotes the Song of Moses and Miriam. It was a song about a Cinderella story, an underdog, the most unlikely winner. Pharaoh pursued the Israelites until that we were caught between a rock and a hard place. With the sea at one end, and the Egyptians at the other, there seems to be little chance or hope for the Israelites against Pharaoh’s armies. But our God specializes in delivering his people from hopeless situations. So the hand of God delivered the children of Israel by parting the Red Sea so that they could not only escape Pharaoh, but in fact so that Pharaoh’s armies would be destroyed. As they stand upon the seashore, looking out over the victory that God has provided to them, Moses and Miriam sing, “The Lord is my strength and my song, he has become my salvation.”

Isaiah the prophet quotes their hymn in chapter 12, but not in some kind of a reminiscence of God’s past deeds, but a prophecy of what He will do for his people in the future. In chapters seven and nine, Isaiah has spoken of the child that it is to come, Immanuel, who would bring about the Messianic age and peace. In chapter eleven, we are again pointed to the one who is to come, noting that he would come from David’s own line, the stump of Jesse and the Spirit of the Lord would rest on him. And within this context, we find Isaiah pointing to the ultimate deliverance of God. Hope for the hopeless. Isaiah, quoting Moses and Miriam, writes “Surely God is my salvation.” Salvation is deliverance from the most unlikely situation. It’s dry ground for the Israelites. It’s a manger, a cross and an empty tomb for Christians.

For all those naïve basketball fans who filled out their brackets, sorry, but there are no sure things when it comes to basketball. But Isaiah is pointing us to something of which we can be sure and that is the deliverance, the salvation of God. The suffering servant emerges from the grave as the conquering champion and by His resurrection has won for us salvation. God’s plan of salvation may not be the way anyone else would have designed it, but by sending His Son to lose His life, we are made more than conquerors. That is why Moses and Miriam, Isaiah and all of us can say that the Lord is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.

Prayer – Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Fraternally in Christ,

President Lee Hagan