The prophets, rejected by their contemporaries, had immediate and intimate audience with God. They knew the deep things, the “secrets” of God. But the truth, which illuminated them, blinded those who insisted upon a god on their own terms.
Continuing with their collective and representative words, we look at the next two of these seven secrets. We have already observed what they said about God’s sovereignty and the way in which God reveals Himself. We now continue to look at their prophecies about Jesus Christ (the Incarnation), and the inauguration of His kingdom at the cross (Salvation).
Incarnation- Unto us a child is born and a Son is given…and you shall call Him Emmanuel, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace…The Spirit of the Lord will rest with Him…the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, and knowledge…The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon Him, and He is anointed to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, to release prisoners from darkness, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God…He is anointed to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who grieve, and to bestow upon them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
Salvation- Salvation is from the Lord…We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each one of us have turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all…He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors…His righteousness will last forever, His salvation through all generations….Who is a God like You, who pardons and forgives and hurls our iniquities into the depths of the sea?! The Lord God is with us and He is mighty to save…He takes great delight in us…He quiets us with His love, He rejoices over us with singing…The Lord is our strength and our song, and He has become our salvation…With joy we will draw water from the wells of salvation…The zeal of the Lord will accomplish this.
Next time we will look into the secrets of the prophets concerning our commission, our preservation, and the consummation of all things.