Your Holy Heritage
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“‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from Me,’ declares the LORD.” Isaiah 54:17 (NIV)
Isaiah’s prophecy in this passage has both a historical context and a spiritual application in our lives today. Historically, the image given in this chapter is that God is the faithful husband, forgiving Israel, the unfaithful wife, and restoring her to the place of blessing after its destruction by Babylon. The people would be exiled but God promises a future day when the city of Jerusalem would be more glorious than ever. His people would return to their land and live there without fear or harm. God tells them through His prophet, Isaiah, that “‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from Me,’ declares the LORD.”
God is saying that no enemy would be able to produce a successful weapon against them. This promise will see its ultimate fulfillment in the millennial kingdom when Jesus returns to establish His throne in the Holy City.
But this promise to Israel also applies to God’s children today as we deal with spiritual enemies. Every day the child of God faces three enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil. No matter what these enemies of our soul throw at us, in the end, they will fail when we trust our Sovereign God to protect us. John speaks to this spiritual conflict in Revelation 12 and calls Satan “the accuser” of Christ followers who accuses them before God day and night! But in verse 13 he writes of their victory over this accuser, “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Isaiah tells us that we will “refute every tongue that accuses us!”
Yet Peter underscores the need to be vigilant in 1 Peter 5:8-9a (NLT) where he writes, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him and be strong in your faith. ...”
The good news is that we don’t need to fear the forces against us because the One who lives in us is greater than our enemies. Our victory is in Christ! I love the way the Good News Translation puts Isaiah 54:17. It says, “‘But no weapon will be able to hurt you; you will have an answer for all who accuse you. I will defend my servants and give them victory.’ The LORD has spoken.”
Because God has spoken, it is finished! The victory has been won! We don’t fight for victory, we fight from victory! The primary theme in this passage is that God is our salvation! “… This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD. …” In other words, this is our inheritance in Christ! The inheritance that awaits those who serve God is truth and victory! It is the protection of God in all times of trouble; His friendship in all periods of adversity; complete victory in all contests with the world, the flesh, and the devil.