JESUS CHRIST THE CONQUEROR

Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength? "I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."  (Isaiah 63:1 NKJV)

We can never speak of our Lord as we would! We select the richest metaphors of Scripture, the ideals of poets, the masterpieces of the rarest art; but none of them suffice. We steep our thought with fragments from the diaries and autobiographies of the saints. We meditate on His words till our hearts begin to burn! But we come back to the light of common days, and the summons of daily tasks, knowing that we have Him, but what He is neither tongue can tell nor heart conceive. We wait, therefore, with some impatience; till the veil will part asunder and we shall see Him as He is.

The wistful yearning after Christ, which has characterized every age, has broken out again and again in transcendent expression, but among all the imaginings of sanctified and glowing souls, it is hard to find one more suggestive and inspiring than this pre-vision of Isaiah. He is standing on the foothills of the Judean tableland, looking due south toward Edom, when he is startled by an unexpected and extraordinary spectacle. A mighty conqueror is descending in the distance, of commanding appearance traversing slowly and majestically the desert wastes, His back toward Edom, His face toward the Judean frontier. He is clearly alone. Whether He had led an army, or had completed His work without an army, is not immediately apparent; but He approaches, traveling in the greatness of His strength. It is only natural that the astonished seer should challenge Him with the cry: "Who is this that cometh from Edom?" Across the intervening space the answer comes: "I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save!"

Clearly, then, He is no enemy, but an ally, and much more! The word suggests that there is no reason for fear, but every reason to hope. Notice the special aspect of Jesus Christ which appears in this scene. It is not Jesus on the cross, but in His resurrection and ascension glory. He it is who stands sentry between us and the power of the flesh, for which Edom stands. He is not simply the forgiver of sin, but the conqueror over all sin. He is more than a conqueror for Himself--He is responsible for all who trust Him.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, the captain of salvation, who discerns the malevolence and working of evil spirits against my soul, deliver me, I entreat You, amid the many temptations and trials by which I am beset, make a way for me to escape, comfort me by Your mighty power, and cause me to become more than a conqueror.  In Your name I ask it, AMEN.

God's Daily Promise

Promise #56:
I will sanctify you and keep you blameless until Jesus returns.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (WEB)
23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely.
May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it.