Weak Hands

Isaiah 35 and the Call to Strengthen Weak Hands

Please turn to Isaiah 35, we're going to be continuing in Isaiah 35 this week. Looking particularly at verses 3 and 4, when you have Isaiah 35, please stand for the reading of God's Word, and I'll go ahead and read the whole chapter.

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom like.

The crocus.

It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it. The majesty of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of.

Our God.

Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, be strong, fear not, behold, your God will come with vengeance. With the recompense of God, he will come and save you.

And the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute sing for joy, for waters break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

The burning sheds shall become a pool and the thirsty ground springs of water. And the haunt of jackals where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. And the highway shall be there and it shall be called the way of holiness.

The unclean shall not pass over it, it shall belong to those who walk on the way. Even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come upon it. They shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.

And the ransom of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing. Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

You may be seated.

Weak Hands, Feeble Knees, and the Need to Encourage Others

Dear Heavenly Father, we are a people with weak hands, with feeble knees, with anxious hearts in need of your strength. We ask that you would strengthen us through this message. You would grant us all the conviction that is needed in order to be faithful servants of Jesus Christ.

In His name we pray, amen. So, the Christian life is a difficult one. It is one that requires strength, and we are a people who are weak. It says in 1 Corinthians 1 that God did not choose the wise and the strong of the world, but He chose the weak and the foolish things of the world in which to make His glory known.

And so, we are not just a people who are weak because of our own humanity, but in particular, the Bible communicates to us that if we are gods, then we are actually especially weak and especially in need of help because this is whom He has chosen.

He has chosen the weak things of the world. So we need strength. The Bible speaks about what gives strength here, and it is this message, this message of hope and the vengeance of God. So I want to spend a little time before we go to prayer communicating to you about this need for strength and the message of vengeance that comes from the hand of God and how that can be your strength, and that as we go to God and we pray to Him and we ask Him for things, we can ask Him for one strength, and we can ask that through His strength He will accomplish His purposes in this world.

So consider first of all, consider first of all who it is that needs strength. It says, "'Strengthen the weak hands. Make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, Be strong, fear not.'".

It's the weak hands, it's the feeble knees, it's the anxious heart. You know, people are weak, especially when it comes to the onslaughts that we have in this world. There are many temptations. There are many things that the enemy attacks us with, and the need that we have is one of strength.

The Bible describes this as weak hands and feeble knees. If you imagine one who is in battle, having weak knees, not being able to make the march to the next location, not being able to carry the things that need to be carried, that is one who is in need of strength.

And when it speaks of one who is anxious, it speaks of one who is fearful, is not sure about the battle ahead, whether or not it will result in victory, whether or not the Lord will grant victory, whether or not they will be destroyed.

Now it's interesting, too, because many people read this passage, and I think they think about this as, sometimes they think about this as the weakness being part of themselves,.

Right?

You have weak hands, you have feeble knees, you have an anxious heart, and so you need to strengthen your hands, you need to strengthen your knees, you need to strengthen your heart. But I don't believe that this is what this is really getting at, especially not when you look at it in the context of Hebrews 12, as we will later, but I believe this is speaking communally, speaking of people as the weak knees, as the feeble hands, as ones with anxious.

Hearts.

It is people in particular who have these things, obviously, but it is the people in particular who are being considered as these things, that if you imagine, as the New Testament does, the people of God being a body, there are different body parts that have different needs, and some are in particular need of strength.

Now every single person among God's children is in need of strength, has weakness, but some are in particular need. So it is important, as one application from this, to identify those who are in particular.

Needs.

Don't just come to be part of something to receive, but also to give. It is more blessed to give than to receive, as Jesus said, as reported by Paul. And it is the case that there are many that you should be giving to.

Now a lot of people are mostly concerned about what they can get from religion, what they can get from church or their worship experience, and they aren't necessarily concerned about what they need to give.

Well, this is a command to you, not merely to get, not merely to get strength, but to strengthen others. So the first step in doing that is to identify who needs that, and as I said, that applies in some way to everyone, but especially to some who are struggling.

So consider that, you know, as you go home today, as you're considering things, or even now in the pew, think about who it is in the body of Christ that is especially weak right.

Now.

Who is it that may be that weak hand or that feeble knee or have that anxious heart? And ask yourself whether or not you have been supplied in such a way to be able to encourage that one. And how is it that we are to encourage?

Verse 4 says, say to those who have an anxious heart, be strong, fear not. We are supposed to encourage by speaking to them a message of courage, a message of boldness. So once again, not only does the Bible speak about the need of weakness, but it talks about how God is using and commanding even His people to strengthen each other, to encourage each.

Other.

This is a command for you to be doing this, to be identifying brothers and sisters who are in need of strength and to be strengthening them, to be strengthening them by this message.

Here.

And it is a mark of maturity, to use a phrase I used in the previous sermon, a mark of Christian greatness to be encouraging one another. You know, Hebrews 5 says that many of you ought to be teachers by now, right?

And so, yes, it is good to be taught, but then as you are growing and learning, ultimately that has a telos, a telos being a purpose or an end, in being able to teach others. And so, the great benefit is not so much being taught but to be equipped to even teach.

And the same thing it says about encouraging one another, it says in Galatians, it says in Galatians 6, 1, "'Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.'. So one who is spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.". What does it mean to be spiritual? It means to be spiritually strong, to be equipped, to be the one who strengthens the weak hand, feeble knee.

And consider these words that were spoken of to Job by Eliphaz the Temanite. He said of Job, "'Behold, you have instructed many, you have strengthened the weak hands. Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, you have made firm the feeble knees.'".

And so, him in describing Job's greatness as a man of God describes him in this way, "'You are one who have strengthened weak hands, you are one who have strengthened feeble knees.'". So this is a mark of Christian greatness.

As I said earlier, if you want to pursue greatness, which you should, then this is a way to do that, is to not just be strengthened yourself but to be strengthening others. As Jesus explained to the disciples, the way to be first is to be last.

He was not one who came to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. We are called not to receive but to give, even though we are ones who receive so much. So we have that passage in Job, we have that passage in Galatians, these things that let us know that strengthening is an act of great maturity.

Now, that does not mean that it's restricted to only those who are mature. All of us are called to pursue that maturity, and there are always someone who is in need of what you have. So, do not think that this is excluded to a few, that this is just for the pastors to be doing, for others.

No, this is something that you are called to as well. When it says, strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees, it's not talking to just a few, it's talking to all, to all the people of God.

Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. And how is it done? It's done by this message. Be strong, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With the recompense of God, He will come and save you.

Vengeance, Salvation, and the Hope of Christ's Return

That's a surprising message. On one hand, it's not surprising. You strengthen people with the message of salvation. He will come and save you. Okay, this is the source of the Christian strength is hope in God, specifically hope in what the New Testament has revealed, which is Jesus Christ, the One who has saved sinners from their sin, purchased a wonderful inheritance for them.

You encourage them with that hope. You remind them that it's true. Then they may know it's true. We are people who need to hear it over and over, and we need to hear it in ways that are applicable to our own situation.

And this is why this task at hand is more than, typically, it's more than just reading this line as a formula, as some magic incantation that will imbue someone with strength, but rather it is having an understanding of God's truth so that you are able to apply the Word rightly to someone's life, that they might be strengthened by it, and the Holy Spirit will work through it, one being responsive to the Word of God to do what it has said and strengthen the other, and the other being responsive to the Word of God and receiving.

That strength.

And consider the significance of this passage in the context when it speaks of vengeance. So, it speaks of vengeance. It speaks of how that salvation comes, that salvation comes through judgment. It is not possible for one to be saved from an enemy without that enemy being defeated.

So, it speaks of vengeance. Consider this in context. Later on in chapter 40, if you've never really studied Isaiah or read Isaiah, know this, that most people thematically break up Isaiah into two major sections.

There's everything before chapter 40 and chapter 40 and onward. Okay, so that's kind of like the second half of Isaiah's chapter 40 and onward. And in fact, unbelieving scholars will often even say that Isaiah didn't even write the second half of the book, that it's somebody else.

That's how distinct these are. I don't think that that is the case. I think it's very clear that it's still Isaiah speaking. But these are these two units. However, there's something that ties this chapter together with chapter 40, and that is this repeated call to strengthen through this message of salvation, this message of vengeance.

Isaiah 40 verse 9 says, "'Go up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news. Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up, fear not. Say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God.

Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and His arm rules for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.'". You know, His recompense, His vengeance, His repayment to evil. Now, this is interesting.

Why does chapter 35, you know, have this statement, and we're ending a major section of Isaiah with that, and then we're going to take a brief break, and we're going to come back to that very same thought about the need to declare, behold your God, to declare that He is coming with recompense.

Okay, so what's the connection? What are they wrapping up? What's in between those? And we will see this as we walk through Isaiah, but chapters 36 through 39 are about the nation of Assyria. It switches back to narrative, and the nation of Assyria comes against Israel, and because of their wickedness, not because of Israel's righteousness, Hezekiah confesses there's no reason why God should protect him other than the fact that Assyria is evil, and if he allows that evil to stand, his own name would be tarnished.

And so, he calls for God's justice on the basis of Assyria's sin. And so, what is the people's hope? What is the people's hope of salvation? Not themselves, not their own goodness, but rather God coming with vengeance against that which is evil, Him coming against Assyria.

So, you see, there is a real connection between these two sections, between Isaiah 35, we have some narrative about Assyria coming and then God bringing vengeance on them, 800 ,000 dying in a single night when the angel of the Lord comes against them, and then a restatement of that truth, that this message of strength, behold your God, He is coming with recompense.

So, how do you encourage someone? Not just saying, you don't just tell someone, be strong, right? Like James says, you don't just say, be warm and be filled. But you point them to the real hope that they have, and that hope is the vengeance from God.

It shouldn't be something we shy away from, that we're afraid to speak about, we're afraid to speak about hell or evil or wickedness, and we only talk about God's love and His salvation in a sense that denies anything that would need to be saved from.

But rather, we embrace the truth that there is something to be saved from, and there is something to be saved too, that both of these are true. Behold, your God is coming with vengeance. Every wrong will be made right.

And if you know that your God is good and He is coming with repayment, you have every reason to stand firm. You have every reason to, on one hand, stand firm resisting temptation that you not be identified as the evil one when He comes with vengeance, and two, that you be willing to stand firm so that you would not, knowing that whatever evil is against you, it will not finally win, but you have a guaranteed victory that is accomplished in the Lord.

And of course, that has been accomplished in the Lord, it's been accomplished in the Lord Jesus Christ. God has made, He has prophesied this salvation, and He has actually provided this salvation, providing atonement in Jesus Christ, that this has been accomplished and will become fully manifest on that last day when Christ returns.

You know, how are we supposed to get through until Christ's final return? It is reminding each other of Christ's final return. What is that return when He comes? It is vengeance. He's going to come with a sword.

It speaks in Revelation 19 of a sword coming from His mouth and Him destroying His enemies, and I don't know what exactly this will look like when it takes place, but it is the case that every last one of His enemies will be destroyed.

That victory that He has accomplished on the cross, the fact that death has been defeated, it is not fully manifest yet, but every last enemy will be placed under His feet and then.

The end.

And so, we encourage each other to be strong in this intermediate period.

How?

By pointing them to the fact that Christ is returning with vengeance. He's not just returning, but He's returning with vengeance. Now, I would like for you to also consider how Hebrews 12 uses this passage.

Hebrews 12 and the Corporate Work of Endurance

Please go ahead and turn to Hebrews 12, and we'll take a look there. So, many of you may be familiar with this phrase about strengthening weak hands and feeble knees, particularly not because of Isaiah, but because of its presence in the book of Hebrews.

So, in Hebrews 12, it speaks of Jesus, and it speaks of the need for endurance. So, let me go ahead and read the beginning of the chapter. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Okay, so part of the important context there is we're running a race. We need to do that with endurance. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or faint-hearted in your struggle against sin.

You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him, for the Lord disciplines the one He loves and chastises every son whom He receives.

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons, for what son is there whom his Father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which we have all participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Shall we not, much more, be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time, as seemed best to them.

But He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields a peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

So, he talks about training through discipline, that in order to endure through this race, one needs discipline. Now, we usually think about discipline as someone has done something very bad and wrong, and so they need to be punished for that thing, or maybe like a child is disciplined so that he is corrected painfully for something wrong that he has done.

And it is indeed the case that all of God's discipline directed towards us is because of our sin. But this is another way of thinking about discipline that is also right, which is as the runner is trained, as his body has imperfections, he needs to be disciplined in order to be able to endure the race.

A runner who doesn't have discipline, who sits on the couch and eats little Debbie snacks all day, is not going to be ready for the race that is at hand. So, God sends discipline. Okay. Now, having given all that context about endurance, the need for endurance, this race to be won, at the end of Hebrews, after everything else, you know, the author of Hebrews encouraging people for the race that needs to be run.

Verse 12, therefore, lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees and make straight paths for your feet so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather healed. Strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the.

Lord.

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it that many be defiled. That no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau who sold his birthright for a single.

Meal.

For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with fears. And so, here it's talking about what is the application, what is the implication of needing endurance for running this race?

Well, it is discipline and it is strengthening one another. And consider how much one another-ness is going on here. Strive for peace with everyone. You know, this is about our relationships with one each other.

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God. So, see to each other that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled. If we had more time, I would take you to the passage in Deuteronomy that that is quoting, because a lot of people think about the root of bitterness as something that grows up once again, like the feeble knees and et cetera, as something that grows up in their own heart, and they have to squash it real fast before it grows more than that.

Deuteronomy, when it speaks about this root of bitterness, is not speaking about something within a person, it is speaking about a person themself, is one who is secretly worshiping other gods in the camp, right?

And so, what are we to be doing? We are to be watching out for the root of bitterness. Certainly, you can watch out for yourself, but it's talking about making sure that we are keeping an eye on each other as well, strengthening each other, one who may be a root of bitterness secretly turning away to other gods.

Let us encourage each other to stay strong and to not deviate from the path at hand. So, yeah, there's much more to this, too. There's just a lot in Hebrews 12 that lets us know, even though people tend to read it individualistically, about training yourself, strengthening yourself, it is about actually strengthening others and keeping an eye out for others in their endurance and their preservation.

So, as you consider this passage in Isaiah, and as you consider how Hebrews 12 lets us know that this is something that still has application long after Assyria, long after Babylon, there are still weak hands, there are still drooping knees or feeble knees, and there are still anxious hearts that need to turn and be healed, that we must deal with that by saying, be strong, behold your God.

He is coming with recompense. He is coming with vengeance. Do not give up now. Do not give in to temptation. Do not succumb to the evil one, because when God returns, when the Lord returns, He's coming with a perfect vengeance, and every wrong will be made right.

He will fix every last thing. And if that's the case, then there is no reason to give up, because the victory is already assured, and it is assured through the work that Christ has done. It's done on the cross, and it will be fully manifest on that last day.

Closing Prayer and Final Encouragement

Let's go ahead and pray before we sing. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this encouragement from your Word. We pray that you would strengthen us through this message, and that you would enable us to strengthen others, that we would not hesitate to share the message with each other that you have given us.

You've given us a gospel to give to the world, but you've also given us a gospel to give to each other. So we pray that you would fill this message in our mouths and our lips, and that it would be strength to those who hear it.

In Jesus' name, amen.