The strong hand of the Lord

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound(Isaiah 61:1; KJV).

The Prophet Isaiah, according to Britannica.com, was an eight century BCE Prophet. Isaiah, according to the book, is the son of Amozand the author of the book of Isaiah. His name means, “the Lord is salvation,” and this idea is reflected in his writings. Isaiah served as a prophet in Jerusalem for about 40 years (approximately 740–701 B.C.), during the reigns ofUzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah and Manasseh of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

Isaiah was married and had at least two sons (see Isaiah 7:3; 8:1–3). “Tradition states that he was ‘sawn asunder’ during the reign of Manasseh” (Bible Dictionary, “Isaiah”). Isaiah lived in Jerusalem and the prophecies God gave him were directed toward Israel, Judah and other nations. Jewish tradition says he was of royal descent, and he may have been a cousin to King Uzziah. This may have given him access to the kings of Judah in Jerusalem, according to lifehopeandtruth.com.

In the 61 Chapter of Isaiah, the prophet spoke for the messiah. This was confirmed in Luke 4:16-22. Jesus spoke in the synagogue of Nazareth, His hometown. He opened the scroll to Isaiah 61, perhaps an assigned reading chosen by Jesus. The Scripture was fulfilled in the hearing of those that were at the Synagogue. He is the one the Spirit of the Lord God is upon.

The Hand Of The Lord Is Also Referring To The Spirit Of The Lord
God is Spirit. In John 4:24 our Saviour and Lord said that God is Spirit and according to Luke 24:39: “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I, myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” Therefore, the term: the hand of God strongly refer to God’s power and might. Prophet Ezekiel in Chapter 37:1, said: “The Hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones.”

Understanding the dimension of God’s power would help any individual to achieve ultimate result and goal. God’s hand inhabits power and peace, and by it He made us, by it he redeemed us, and by it He does great and mighty things through His militant Church.

In Isaiah 41:10, the prophet through the Spirit of God said: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

The Spirit Of God
The Lord in Joel said: ”On the last day, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh (2:28); to fulfil the task of the great commission and represent God as His Ambassadors here on earth.We need the Spirit of God. From creation the ‘Spirit’ of God has been essential in fulfilment of Divine mandate. In Genesis 2:7: “…the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living soul.”

It was the Spirit that brought life and existence; and by it life is sustained. The Spirit of God is given freely to all who hunger and thirst. Matthew 5:6; God responds to our hunger for Him; which must be on the bases of faith and acceptance of the work of salvation (John 1:12). The Spirit of God is the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid)that guarantees the believers sonship (Romans 8:14). When the Spirit of God comes upon a person, He is enabled by submission to possess the invisible personality of God with outward manifestation. This, sometimes, cannot be explained scientifically as they are spiritually designed.

No work of God can be successively done in isolation. No man can claim absolute custody of all the gifts of the Spirit. Yes! We may have our theological, doctrinal and liturgical cum administrative differences, yet we supposedly have one God, one Bible, one heaven and every true child of God is running towards one supreme goal: to make God glorified on earth that the kingdom may come, and His will be done. Life is not celebrated in how much we get out of it, but in how much we give back to it. When we got born again supposedly we are; God through Christ gave us His Spirit to work in us and through us.

In Job 4:19: “But the light brought the creatures into existence. There is a relationship between light and the Spirit of God, which is the source of life ( Jn. 1:1-5, 9, and 12). When God created man in Gen. 1:26-31, He created him with possibilities, which could not manifest until the breath of life was released upon him. The life here is not “Bios” from where Biology was derived, but “Zoe,” which is life derived from God, which is meaningful and eternal. (1 Jn. 1:2); the Igbo word: “ume-ndu” meaning breath of life was what God gave to man to make him “nma-ndu” meaning the beauty of life.

In Paul’s epistle to the Romans Chapter 8, we will discover the following:
• The natural man is weak and full of impossibilities – Rom. 8:3,26.
• The natural man is condemned to death – Rom 8:2,6,13.
• The spiritual man gives life – which is meaningful — Rom. 8:10-11.
• Theman can be numbered as ‘sons of God’ – Rom. 8:14; Jn. 1:12 (Daniel 6:18-28).

This is because the spirit of God upon a man is life, a Mark, an authority and spiritual authorisation (Gal. 6:17). Notes: This mark is a seal, which makes him to live in possibilities (Matt. 19:26).

With the natural man, it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. This is because when he comes to God and God inhabits him by His Spirit his mind is renewed (Rom. 8:6, 11, 12:2).Capacity is in the capability of the mind. What a man cannot conceive he cannot achieve. It is what you see that you can possess.

Carefully read – Job. 37:10 (NIV):

• The spirit of God brings productivity. It brings overflow – Isaiah 30:28.
• All things work for His good – Rom. 8:28.
• No one can condemn or detach a man that is filled with the Spirit of God.

The Spirit Of Good And Faithful Servant
Matt. 25:14-30;God has called us as servant to live and do service that will attract divine approval. Life is all about service. God left man on earth to do service (Gen 2:8,15). To this, William Osler said: “We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from it.” God is not actually looking for people to do service for him, but people that will do it right and with the right motive.
There are three unique words here: good, faithful and servant. A proper understanding of these words will help us achieve our aim.

What Is Good?
All Nations English dictionary defines good to mean:“Without defect, flawless: God saw all that he has made and it was very good (Gen. 1:31). For the Lord is good and His love endures forever (Psalm 100:5). It is that, which is morally right: hate that which is evil, cling to that which is good (Rom. 12:9).”
Good could further mean what is kind, helpful, uplifting, encouraging. See Prov. 15:23. It could also mean something beneficial to health or character (Prov. 17:22). It means skillfuland enjoyable, for example, did you have a good time.It also means something attractive, complete, well, healthy, and real.

What Is Faithful?
This means to be loyal, firm in commitment, accurate and true. See Revelation 2:10; Psalm 145:13.

Who Is A Servant?
A servant is one who serves the needs or purpose of another – Matt. 20:26,28.
In the context of this study, good and faithful servant as seen in the above text, Matt. 25:21, means trustwothy.
• Venerable Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector,Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)

The word translated servant is the Greek ‘doolos’ meaning a slave and is derived from ‘deh’-o’ to be in bond. And the word translated faithful is the Greek ‘pistos’ meaning trustworthy, trustful, sure and true. And these words reveal the mindset of our Lord Jesus when he taught them the parable. The slave, though in bond was trustworthy, the master was sure of him and he was good.

What Made Him Good And Faithful?
Responsibility By Ability– Matt. 25:14-15, Rom. 12:3-6.
The talent was according to their abilities meaning that in actual mathematical examination, none of the talents given were higher or lesser (see Luke 12:48). These gifts and talents are according to “the grace” that is “given to us” – Rom. 12:6.

Response To Responsibilities– Matt. 25:16-18.
Every responsibility given requires response. The choice is ours. Our ideas about God, His service and life determine how we present ourselves to Him and respond to the responsibilities He has given to us. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul encouraged.
Two words appear here ‘conform’ and ‘transformed.’ The servants who wants to be faithful must first of all be transformed, the Greek ‘metamorphoo’ from where we derive the word ‘metamorphosis’- to change.

There must be a change in how servants see thing;, he must be conformed to the pattern of the word and not to the pattern of the world. The Greek ‘suschematizo’ meaning to fashion alike, have the same pattern, reveals the need for the servant to detach himself from everything that will tend to lure him away from his master’s service. In Rom. 12:3, we discover that the thinking of the servant can affect his service and commitment to his master.
Wrong Understanding Of God. Our service and responsibility could lead to wrong attitude and result (Matt. 25:24-28).

Reward
– Matt. 25:19-23
God rewards and recommends the faithful and good servants. That is the reason Paul said in Romans 12:6-21: “Our duties will be rewarded if we faint not.”

• Venerable Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector,Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)