Who has believed?

Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of YAHWEH revealed? (Is.53:1)

The prophet of God asks two questions, which are inter-related. Both questions have the same answer. The person who believes the report, is also the person to whom the arm of YAHWEH will be revealed. Let’s have a closer look at what the Word of God is saying here.

Firstly the prophet asks; Who has believed our report? Obviously he knows that the words he is writing are literally the words of God. He is writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pet.1:21)

Therefore God is speaking through the prophet. It is the triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit speaking. In the same way that He spoke in Genesis 1:26 and said; Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, so the same Elohim (plural for God) spoke in the above scripture; Who has believed our report. In other words; Who has believed what We have spoken? Or; Who has dared to believe and therefore act on the Covenant Promises of the Scriptures?

The Word of God is living, powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. (Heb.4:12) When a person, any person, simply believes the Word of God, then he is believing God. The Scriptures are the written record or report of what God spoke. The Scriptures cannot be separated from God. That is why John 1:1 states so clearly; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. God and His Word cannot be separated. Everything we know about Him, we have learned from the Scriptures. If there was no written Word, we wouldn’t know anything about God. Then theology (the study of God, His ways and how we are to live) would be pure speculation.

Secondly, the person who believes the written report, is also the person to whom the arm of YAHWEH will be revealed. That excites me for it says that the believer of the Promise (any of the thousands of promises) is the one who will receive the manifestation of that Promise in his life. The inference here is twofold. These two questions relate to the believer and the unbeliever. The prophet asks; Who has believed the report? In other words, when the question is answered and the, who (believer) is revealed, the unbeliever will be revealed at the same time. The believer will be the one to whom the arm of YAHWEH is revealed – the unbeliever is the one to whom the arm of YAHWEH is not revealed. Ouch! But don’t lose hope whatever you do, because faith is the substance of things hoped for. (Heb.11:6)

Isaiah 53 goes on to describe the work which Messiah (the Anointed One) accomplished through His sacrifice of Himself. It explains that He was despised, rejected and suffered terribly for us. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. (v.3 & 4) His physical body was wounded and bruised. He was punished so that we might have peace. (v.5 & 6) He died and experienced spiritual imprisonment in our place, on our behalf. (v.7-9)

The amazing thing is that Father God was pleased with what His Son went through. (v.10) Why? It is not natural for a loving father to be pleased with the suffering of his children. Then why would God be pleased with the suffering and death His Son Yahshua endured? Simply because His suffering brought freedom from suffering to millions of people. God is LOVE, and He does not want His creation to suffer. He was willing to take the excruciating suffering which was the result of sin, upon Himself, so that we would not need to suffer for our own sins. Thát is grace and it pleases Him.

But we also know that without faith it is impossible to please God. (Heb. 11:6) Therefore it is certain that God is pleased with those who would simply believe His report concerning the offering His Son made on their behalf. When that faith is activated, then only is the believer rewarded for his faith by receiving the benefits of the redemption in which he believes. The arm of the Lord is revealed to the believer of His report. (The Word)

That might sound deserving, but it’s not. It is pure grace. Every single benefit of salvation can only be received by faith in what has been accomplished by our Saviour. Whether it’s eternal life, (intimate relationship with Father God) healing, health, prosperity, protection etc., it is all by grace through faith. (Eph.2:8) That is why it pleases God, because it is the fruit of the believer’s faith in what Yahshua accomplished. He gets all the glory. He alone is worthy to receive all our praise, worship and honor.

Therefore it is of faith, that it may be by grace. (Rom:4:16) In all His dealings with us God stipulated that faith was the one ingredient which was absolutely essential. In the Christian walk, faith in God (His Word) is indispensable. That is why it is so important to have knowledge of what biblical faith really is. Father God says; My people are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge….” (Hos. 4:6) Here the LORD is referring to His own people – those who believe that Yahshua suffered and died on their behalf. Yet these very people are destroyed because of their lack of knowledge. It is not God who is causing the destruction. It is ignorance of His promises, and therefore unbelief in those promises. The wonderful truth is that faith in the promises of God is what transforms us into His likeness. (2 Pet.1:4)

“Unbelieving believers.” That seems to be a contradiction in terms. It doesn’t make sense, yet tragically it is true. The very people who believe in the True God of the Bible, church goers who profess to believe every single word of Scripture, are in the main the ones who do not take God at His Word when they really need to. This unbelief is the result of a lack of knowledge regarding God’s report or promises, recorded in Scripture. (The Covenant)

You see, it sounds very noble and spiritual to say; “Do not seek God for His blessings, do not worship Him for what you get from Him. Worship Him for who He is, even if you get nothing from Him.” Sounds good doesn’t it? There is an element of truth in that, yet it is not the whole truth. The fact is; God is Love, (1 Joh.4:16) and He loved so much that He gave us His Son. (John 3:16) His very nature is selfless LOVE, which in essence means; to give all and to hold nothing back. That is exactly what He did. He held nothing back when He gave His Son to us as a sacrifice. When we, by grace through faith received His Son as our Lord, we literally received everything God has. (Rom.8:32)

Personally I find that very difficult to grasp, but I do believe it for it is written. It is the truth! It is the Covenant, which is signed in the Name of Yahshua, and sealed with His Blood. Every believer is an heir of God and a joint heir with Yahshua the Anointed One. (Gal.4:7 & Rom.8:17) Yes, everything I have belongs to Him, but I do not practice false humility by living in abject spiritual, physical and material poverty. That attitude brings no glory to Him. He is glorified and pleased with my life when in faith I enjoy what He has given me and share my abundance with others in order for them to also come into the Kingdom of God to enjoy Him and His blessings. (2 Cor.9:6-15)

Will you believe His report? Will His arm be revealed to you? The choice is your’s.