Humble, Contrite of Spirit, and Trembling
Isaiah 66:1-4
The Bible teaches that the moment you turn to trust Jesus Christ – you enter into war against Satan. Satan wants to destroy your faith so he immediately starts attacking.
Sometimes his attacks are obvious – like when you are tempted to sexual sin or unforgiveness. But many of his attacks are not-so-obvious. Many of his attacks involve deception – like Paul says: Satan can even appear as an angel of light.
So if Satan can do that – if he’s that deceptive -- how can we avoid being duped? What if I told you that there’s a book in print today which exposes every deception Satan will ever give you? Well, there is. You are holding it in your hands. God has given us His Word which – if we will study it – will enable us to see through every Satanic deception.
The reason I mention that is because in this week’s passage in Isaiah, God points out how Israel had been deceived by Satan – and it’s similar to how Satan tries to deceive us today. In Isaiah 66 God exposes these deceptions so we can overcome these deceptions.
So let’s turn to Isaiah 66. And if you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and we will bring one to you. Isaiah 66 is on page 625 in the Bibles we are passing out.
To understand this passage we have to be clear on what situation Isaiah is addressing – so what time period does this passage cover? We can see that in v.1 --
Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?
Isaiah is talking about a time when Israel is building God a house – a temple. So when is that? Israel had turned her back on God so much that in 606 BC God had Babylon invade and conquer her, destroying the temple, burning down Jerusalem, slaughtering thousands, and taking the rest back to Babylon as slaves in chains.
But just as God promised, 70 years later He caused Cyrus to free Israel from slavery, and sent back to Israel with money to rebuild the temple. So that’s the time period Isaiah is addressing – the time after the exile when Israel was starting to rebuild.
But God knows that during that time Satan will seek to deceive them – so God gives them these words ahead of time so they can understand his deceptions and escape his deceptions.
So how will they be deceived? They will be deceived into thinking God would look with favor upon them for their spiritual activity, even though their hearts were far from Him.
They do this in two different ways. One is in how they build the temple. You can see that in vv.1-2 –
1 Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?
2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look [that word implies looking with love and grace and favor]: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
So after they returned from Babylon Israel worked on rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. So they were doing spiritual activity.
But notice that their hearts were far from God – they were not feeling humble before God, or contrite in spirit before God, or trembling before God’s Word. And yet they thought that because they were doing spiritual activity, God would look upon them with love and grace and favor.
So the way they built the temple showed they thought God would look with favor upon them for their spiritual activity, even though their hearts were far from Him.
This is also seen in how they offered sacrifices – in vv.3-4. Verse 3 is not easy to understand. But what God is saying is that even though they offer sacrifices, God hates their sacrifices, because their hearts are far from God. Look at v.3 --
3 "He who slaughters an ox [as a burnt offering, with a heart far from God] is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb [with a heart far from God], like one who breaks a dog's neck [that’s probably a form of Babylonian idolatry]; he who presents a grain offering [with a heart far from God], like one who offers pig's blood [pigs were unclean in Old Testament times]; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense [with a heart far from God], like one who blesses an idol. These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations;
So why – if they have chosen their own ways and their souls delight in their abominations – why are they offering sacrifices at the temple? It’s because they think God will look on them with love and grace and favor because of their spiritual activity – even though their hearts are far from Him.
And God says He will punish them for it. That’s the point of v.4 –
I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them, because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and chose that in which I did not delight."
So that’s Israel’s deception – thinking God would look with favor upon them for their spiritual activity – even though their hearts were far from Him.
So – do we ever think that? Do we ever fall for that deception? Friday night as I was praying over this passage it struck me – I have done that. We all have done that. Haven’t we?
Think about it.
Have you ever gotten up Sunday morning and come to Worship – thinking it would make up for how far you were from God?
Have you ever gone to home group – thinking God would favor you for it, even though you didn’t really want to go and didn’t care that you didn’t want to?
Have you ever read your Bible – or prayed -- thinking God would favor you for it, even though your heart was far from God?
That’s what Israel was doing -- thinking God would look with favor upon them for their spiritual activity – even though their hearts were far from Him.
But in these verses God says He won’t look with favor upon them for it. That’s the point of the end of v.2 –
But this is the one to whom I will look: [not to the one who does spiritual activity with a heart far from God – but to] he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
Right now God either is – or is not – looking upon you with favor. So think of what it means to have God look at you with favor. Think of --
The God who has always been – looking upon you with favor.
The God who created everything – looking upon you with favor.
The God who rules over everything – looking upon you with favor.
The God who holds your future in His hands – looking upon you with favor.
The God who holds eternity in His hands – looking upon you with favor.
If God is looking upon you with favor – then your past is covered with His forgiveness, your present is surrounded by His love and goodness – and your future is full of His promises.
So what sort of people does God look to? Read v.2 again --
But this is the one to whom I will look: [not those who do spiritual activity with hearts far from God – but to] he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
But now this might raise a question – isn’t it faith alone that moves God to look with favor upon us? In the Old Testament wasn’t it faith alone in God’s mercy alone – and in the New Testament isn’t it faith alone in Jesus Christ alone – that moves God to look with favor upon us?
Yes, it is. And what God is doing here is explaining what faith involves. Faith involves humility and contrition and trembling. God is not adding something else that we need besides faith – God is simply explaining the nature of faith.
Israel had been deceived into drifting from faith – and God was seeking to draw her back. And every day Satan is trying to deceive us to drift from faith – and God wants to draw us back. True faith includes being humble, contrite in spirit, and trembling at God’s Word.
So – how can we nurture humility, contrition, and trembling? Here’s three biblical steps.
First, turn to Jesus as you are, and trust Him to forgive and change you. Don’t think you need to change your heart first before you can come to Jesus. Because of His death on the Cross, you can come to Him as you are, and if you want Him to change you, He welcomes you, forgives you, and will change you.
Second, ask God to increase the work of the Spirit on you. You can’t change your heart by yourself. But the Holy Spirit can. And God increases the work of the Spirit upon us as we pray. Just like Jesus said in Luke 11:13 –
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much will my Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him
So earnestly ask the Father – increase the work of the Spirit in me! Cause me to be humble, contrite of spirit, and tremble at Your Word.Third, pray over Scriptures that will stir humility, contrition, and trembling. What’s the Sword of the Spirit? The Word of God. The Spirit does His work through the Word. So as you pray over Scriptures the sword of the Spirit will cut out of your heart the self-sufficiency that keeps you from being humble, the pride that keeps you from being contrite of spirit, the cockiness that keeps you from trembling before God’s Word.
Think about humility. To stir up humility ponder what God says right here in Isaiah 66:1 --
Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
Remember how big the heavens are? Scientists say our Milky Way is 100,000 light years wide, and each light year is 6 trillion miles (240 million trips around our globe). And scientists tell us there are at least 50 million galaxies like this in the universe. That’s the size of God’s throne.
Can you feel how massive God is compared to us – how tiny and insignificant we are – not to Him – but before Him?
As you pray over that truth, you will feel the Holy Spirit stirring a sense of your lowliness compared to God’s supremacy – and you will feel humble before Him.
Or think about being contrite of spirit. To be contrite of spirit means having an appropriate sense of sorrow for your sinfulness – for the way you have not trusted Jesus the way He deserves, you have not loved Jesus the way He deserves.
So to stir up being contrite of spirit ponder what God says right here in Isa 66:3 – this is what God says is true of our spiritual activity when our hearts are far from Him --
"He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig's blood; he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol.
So even things which are outwardly good and spiritual -- are like murder and idol-worship -- if our hearts are far from God
Now you could think the result is that you will just feel bad – and who wants to feel bad? Well, it will make you feel bad at first – but it will end up making you feel really, really good.
That’s what happened to David Brainerd –
Saturday, October 18, in my morning devotions my soul was exceedingly melted, and bitterly mourned over my exceeding sinfulness and vileness. But then my soul was unusually carried forth in love to God and had a lively sense of God’s love to me. And this love and hope cast out fear. (Life and Diary 72f).
The more deeply you sorrow over sin, the more powerfully you will feel God’s love and forgiveness.
Or think about trembling at God’s Word. Why would we tremble at God’s Word? Take your Bible and hold it in front of you. Imagine you were in a submarine that had sunk to the bottom of the ocean and this was the only book giving instructions on how to find and use the escape pod to get back to the surface. Would you tremble as you opened it?
But the problem is that too often instead of trembling at God’s Word, we yawn at God’s Word.
But God will change that if we will pray for the work of the Spirit – and ponder Scriptures – like v.2 --
But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
Think of what’s at stake in whether or not you trust what God says in these words. What’s at stake is whether or not the God of the universe looks upon you with love and favor and kindness in Christ – or looks upon you with wrath and judgment.
As you pray over Scriptures like that – earnestly, meaningfully, in Jesus’ name – I promise you – the Holy Spirit will set you free from yawning and stir trembling.
So here’s my challenge. Every day this week – turn to Jesus as you are, trusting Him through His death to accept you, forgive you, and change you. Then pray for Him to increase the work of the Holy Spirit on you – and pray earnestly over these passages of Scripture.
As you do that – you will feel the Holy Spirit changing your heart – so you will feel humble before God, contrite of spirit before God, and you will tremble before God’s Word – and you will be assured that God is looking upon you with favor.