A Compilation of Grace

As I was reading in Isaiah 45, two verses stood out to me.

But Israel shall be saved by the Lord
With an everlasting salvation;
You shall not be ashamed or disgraced
Forever and ever.

He shall say,
‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength.’
Isaiah 45:17,24a

(Side note, most versions say “only in the LORD do I have righteousness and strength.”)

Strength is one of the words that stood out to me in this. The word in Hebrew means boldness, might, power, strength (in force, security, majesty, or praise).

When I start digging into Scripture and thinking about the link between different words there, I find myself “chainstitching” verses together. That is what happened here.

1 Chronicles 16:11 says, Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

This verse is seen again in Psalm 105. It is part of a song that David sang when the ark was returned to Jerusalem. Later on in 1 Chronicles 16, it talks about strength and gladness being where God is. This is said in relation to giving God the glory and strength that is due him, worshipping him in the beauty of holiness.

As I was thinking about strength and rejoicing together, Isaiah 12:2-4 popped into my head. It is a passage of scripture that we sang at a church I attended in my youth. (Words in italics in this portion of Scripture are how we sang them based on the King James Version.)

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid:
for the Lord my God is my strength and song; he also is become my salvation.
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord… make mention that his name is exalted.

The word strength in the last passages I’ve mentioned is the same word as is in Isaiah 45:24. That this strength also connotes praise fits with that the idea that he is our song.

The line “for the LORD my God is my strength and song” reminded me of Zephaniah 3:17.

The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

It is amazing that the God who is our song of rejoicing sings back over us rejoicing with boundless joy. The other thing I find remarkable is that the second word rejoice comes from a root that means to spin around (under the influence of any violent emotion)—to exult. To me, this says that God not only rejoices with singing over us, but he also rejoices with dance. Now that is wonderfully amazing!

The words strength and joy also led me to Nehemiah 8:10, which says, “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” This word strength here means more than being strong. It is a fortified place, defense, force, fortress, rock, stronghold…a place of safety, protection, refuge, fastness, harbor… a refuge of God (BDB).

The word fortress called to mind Isaiah 60:18,

Violence shall no longer be heard in your land,
Neither wasting nor destruction within your borders;
But you shall call your walls Salvation,
And your gates Praise.

A gate is a way in for the one who has the right to enter, often with a password or key, but a gate also keeps out the enemy (anyone who does not belong there). When we praise God, we enter into the presence of God and the enemy is sent running!

Last year as I prepared my Sunday school lesson for Palm Sunday, I discovered this about the Psalm 8:2. It is the verse Jesus quotes when he stands up to the religious leaders who told him to silence the children praising him in the Temple courts (Matthew 21:15-16). He says, “…Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise.” The Psalm says, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength…” This word strength is the same one used in Isaiah 45:24 that contains the idea of praise. The Jewish people understood the word to be strength in praise.

The Passion Translation says it this way, “You have built a stronghold by the songs of children. Strength rises up with the chorus of infants. This kind of praise has power to shut Satan’s mouth. Childlike worship will silence the madness of those who oppose you.”

Praise is the way we enter into God’s presence (Psalm 95:2; 100:2,4; 118:19; 140:13).

Psalm 91:1 (TPT) says, “When you abide under the shadow of Shaddai, you are hidden in the strength of God Most High.”

The idea of “strength” here is not found literally in the original language. The word shadow does include the idea of protection though. When you think about who God is, it is a valid statement to say that he is strong to protect those who take joy in and place their trust in him. Psalm 63:7 also speaks of being in the shadow of his wings and rejoicing there.

Hebrews 12:2 says, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus endured the horrors of the cross “for the joy…” thinking of us, our redemption and thus restoration into fellowship with the Godhead. He was able to do this because he spent time in fellowship with the Father, and was planted in the secret place of the Most High.

Jesus is an example for us in running the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1). As I was thinking about this, I thought of the early Christian martyrs and down through the years to the martyrs of today. I have often wondered how they endured what they did. It has to be for the joy that was set before them, that they stood strong for Christ and endured unspeakable things for his name—knowing they would unite in eternal life with him in heaven.

When we can have the joy of the Lord as Jesus did through abiding in God, it will protect our hearts in trying times. We will still go through difficult things, but they won’t overwhelm us. We will have strength to do what we need to do.

Philippians 4:13 speaks of doing all things through Christ who strengthens me. It is usually used with regards to a challenging task that requires strength—often simply physical strength. While it can mean that, in context, this speaks of Paul’s attitude in the situations he found himself in even if that place was a one of need and suffering. He was hiding himself in the presence of the Lord—in his joy—and that is what helped to give him strength to be wherever he was called to be and to do whatever he was called to do no matter how trying the situation was.

But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Waiting here comes from a root word that means to bind together (perhaps by twisting). When we are seeking the Lord, dwelling in his secret place, hidden in the shadow of his wings, we are bound together with him in a way that gives us strength in every sense of the word. That brings to mind Ecclesiastes 4:12, Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

We may not always feel joy. Yet, praising God even when we don’t feel like it is a sure way to move into His presence and find joy. In his old age, David remembered all the ways God had taken care of him and said,

No matter what, I’ll trust in you to help me. Nothing will stop me from praising you to magnify your glory! I couldn’t begin to count the times you’ve been there for me. With the skill of a poet I’ll never run out of things to say about how you faithfully kept me from danger. I will come forth in your mighty strength, O my Lord God. I’ll tell everyone that you alone are the perfect one. Psalm 71:14-16 TPT

I love how the Bible is woven together in so many different ways through the words it contains! Over and over the ideas of strength and joy or rejoicing are tied together in Scripture, often with the idea of salvation or saving. The more I keep thinking about this, the longer the chainstitch of verses becomes. I could go on and on.

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11

What pleasure fills those who live every day in your temple, enjoying you as they worship in your presence! Pause in his presence. How enriched are they who find their strength in the Lord; within their hearts are the highways of holiness! Even when their paths wind through the dark valley of tears, they dig deep to find a pleasant pool where others find only pain. He gives to them a brook of blessing filled from the rain of an outpouring. They grow stronger and stronger with every step forward, and the God of all gods will appear before them in Zion.
Psalm 84:4-7 TPT

I want to live like that!

_{Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs (BDB). A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon, 1907. Reprinted by Boston and New York Houghton Mifflin Company. s.v. “מָעוֹז”}

_{Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.}