The Lion and the Lamb
Who is this who comes from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, with his clothing stained red? Who is this in royal robes, marching in his great strength? “It is I, the Lord, announcing your salvation! It is I, the Lord, who has the power to save!” Why are your clothes so red, as if you have been treading out grapes? “I have been treading the winepress alone; no one was there to help me. In my anger I have trampled my enemies as if they were grapes. In my fury I have trampled my foes. Their blood has stained my clothes. For the time has come for me to avenge my people, to ransom them from their oppressors. Isaiah 63:1-4 NLT
From the text, Isaiah delivered a somberly message. The opening question, “Who is this who comes from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, with his clothing stained red?,” refers to the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The first time He came, He provided salvation to those who repented of their sin and trusted Him as Lord and Savior. The second time He is coming, the Lord Jesus Christ will be exact in executing the punishment of those that ignored His offer of eternal life. God’s holiness requires that in His righteousness, He will not ignore the penalty of sin. He is the Lamb who came to take away the sins of the world but when He returns, He will be the Lion. “One of the elders, however, spoke to me. ‘Don’t cry,’ he said. ‘Look! The lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has won the victory! He can open the scroll and its seven seals.’ Then I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a lamb. It was standing there as though it had been slaughtered” (Revelation 5:5-6 NTE). The first time the Lord Jesus Christ came was to “to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed” (Isaiah 61:2). The second time He comes, He will “avenge His people, to ransom them from their oppressors” (Isaiah 63:3). Edom was a nation south of Israel and Bozrah is the capital. Esau and Jacob were in rivalry (see Genesis 25). When they separated, Esau founded Edom. Edom hated Israel and its belief in God that it became the long-standing enemy of God’s people. Edom represents the worst in humanity for it despises God, pursues worldly pleasures, and persecutes God’s followers because of their faith. In the end, God will act alone and will reward those who love Him and will judge those who love their own selves and contemptuous toward God. Each one of us will make a choice; to love God or to love self? When we love God, we will remain faithful until the end. “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (Hebrews 10:23).
Blessings,
